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Wordless Wednesday is supposed to be about posting a photo(s) without any words. But, I'm a rule breaker, so here are a few words: 1 - A friend did me a favor the other day by proofreading something. She used to be a schoolteacher so she gave me a grade and put a sticker on my paper. It was so cute. 2 - I didn't often see A+ grades on my homework and tests when I was in school. 3 - We like to grade things in our society - we assign stars for book reviews, we grade eggs by how big they are, and we have performance reviews at work.   4 - Schoolteachers are really undervalued in the States. I really don't get it. After all, we entrust them with our most important resource - our children. What words does this picture(s) bring to your mind when you look at it? For more Wordless Wednesday fun, click here .  Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi! Murder at the Marina available for pre-order at: Amazo...

Today's blog post is full or random tidbits and oddities. There's something for crazy cat ladies, people who like to watch big machinery, and the rest of you who are just want to waste some time on the internet. Let's start off with the crazy cat ladies (and gents). I loved this video about why humans are obsessed with cats. Did they infect us with a disease that makes us adore them? Is it their big eyes? Or have they perfected some sort of mind control? Click on the video below to find out the answer or click on this link . Susan Flett Swiderski left a comment on my blog post about removing a mast from a sailboat telling me that orchestrated dance numbers of big machines is a thing. To be honest, I was a little dubious at first, but, after a bit of Googling, I soon discovered it was true. And it's not only true, it's a fascinating way to procrastinate the day away. This video reminds me of a ballet (click here if the video doesn't work). This one is a more u...

In addition to the usual blog posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday about our travel adventures and day-to-day life living aboard a sailboat, I also occasionally post on Saturdays, focusing on things related to writing such as cover reveals, book launches, reviews, interviews with authors etc. So if you're a bit of a book nerd like I am, check in on Saturdays - you never know what might pop up. * * *   Today, I'm featuring the release of Elaine Kaye's delightful picture story book for children ages 5-8, >>Doctor Mom<< . BLURB It’s Saturday, and Gregory Green can’t wait to have fun with his dad on the riding lawnmower, but something is wrong. Sammy, his teddy bear and best friend, won’t get out of bed. Gregory is worried when he sees Sammy’s left leg is torn. This is a case for Doctor Mom! Can they fix Sammy? And just how did Sammy get hurt in the first place? AVAILABLE ON AMAZON PRAISE FOR DOCTOR MOM "Doctor Mom is an adorable story that shows...

Flashback Friday takes place on the last Friday of the month. The idea is to give a little more love to a blog post you've published before that maybe didn't get enough attention, or is something you think is still relevant or even a something that you really love and want to share again. Many thanks to Michael d’Agostino for starting Flashback Friday and inspiring me to go back and revisit some of our earlier blog posts. * * * This is a flashback to a very embarrassing moment in my life. If you've read the blog title, then you can probably guess why. The folks I sent the porn to (accidentally, I might stress) are probably crossing the Atlantic on their sailboat right now. Which is good, because if they read this post, they'd be sure to give me a lot of crap again about the infamous email I sent. It's something they like to bring up from time to time to watch and see exactly how red my face can become. This was originally posted in July 2015. You can see the or...

Wordless Wednesday is supposed to be about posting a photo(s) without any words. But, I'm a rule breaker, so here are a few words: 1 - Who here remembers when library books used to be checked out with stamps on cards? Who remembers those old card catalogs? 2 -  Nowadays, I don't even have to interact with a human when I check out books from the library. It's all self-serve. While I love that at the grocery store, I have mixed feelings about it at the library. Are they going to get rid of library people? We need more library people in the world, not less. 3 - I've been re-reading some of Ursula Le Guin's books recently. They were on display at my local library after her passing, thanks to the lovely library people. What words does this picture(s) bring to your mind when you look at it? For more Wordless Wednesday fun, click here .  Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi! Murder at the Ma...

See that list above? It's from a list of "Stores and Outfits for a First-Class Whale Ship, For a Cape Horn Voyage." {You can see the full list here .} My mom is really into genealogy and does a lot of research on our seafaring ancestors who hailed from New England and made their living on whaling ships. So, from time-to-time, she sends me little tidbits about what life might have been like for them. I love food. I love thinking about food. I love daydreaming about food. And I really love eating food. So this particular tidbit about the food provisions they would carry was right up my alley. My great great grandmother gave birth on a whaling ship in the Marquesas Islands . Her husband was the captain, and one of the perks of being the captain is that you got to take your wife on long voyages with you. I'm not entirely convinced that that would have been a perk for the wives. Years onboard a boat as the only woman, hoping you wouldn't be attacked by sea monsters and...

In addition to the usual blog posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday about our eccentric travel adventures and day-to-day life living aboard a sailboat, I also occasionally post on Saturdays, focusing on things related to writing such as cover reveals, book launches, reviews, interviews with authors etc. So if you're a bit of a book nerd like I am, check in on Saturdays - you never know what might pop up. * * * Today's I'm featuring C. Lee McKenzie's middle grade book, >>Some Very Messy Medieval Magic<< , the third in the Adventures of Pete and Weasel series. Check out my interview with Lee below, where I ask her some serious questions about writing and some less serious questions about things like cookies and penguins wearing sombreros. Q&A WITH C. LEE MCKENZIE 1 - What inspired you to write the "Adventures of Pete and Weasel" series? The truth is I didn’t set out to write a series. I set out to write Alligators Overhead. Then a t...

  Dear Catfish, Please stop dying next to my boat and stinking up the place. Dear Mister Rogers, I wish you had been my neighbor. Dear Indiantown Party Posse, The place isn't the same without you. Dear Perimenopause, Enough is enough already. Dear Ellen, Maybe you shouldn't write down everything that pops into your head. Dear Simon the Time Traveling Cat, I know that you're imaginary, but sometimes it feels like you're real, especially when I've run out of milk. Dear People who Pre-Ordered my Book, Thank you! Dear Aldi, I love that you don't have much of a selection. Sometimes, too much of a choice at the grocery store can be overwhelming. Dear Aldi, Sorry, it's me again. When are you going to restock the cheese tortellini? They're an important part of my diet. Dear Clothes Dryer, Please stop shrinking my waistbands. I know you're the one responsible. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with eating too much cheese tortellini. Dear Person I ...

Wordless Wednesday is supposed to be about posting a photo(s) without any words. But, I'm a rule breaker, so here are a few words: 1 - There's a Haitian guy building a boat out of plywood and PVC pipe near Indiantown. We went out and had a look around and chatted with him. Nice guy. Why he's making it in Indiantown, I have no idea. 2 - He told us that he's going to take it to Haiti where it will be used for tours for cruise ship passengers. I imagine it will look a bit different once they finish building it and paint it. 3 - I'm always surprised that boats float (including my own). I know the science behind it, but when you look at a boat on land you just can't help but think that it's going to sink once you splash it into the water. 4 - Would you ride on a boat made out of plywood and PVC pipe? What words does this picture(s) bring to your mind when you look at it? For more Wordless Wednesday fun, click here .  Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love i...

Exactly how long does it take to remove a mast from a sailboat? The answer is 27 minutes. Of course, we're talking about deliberately removing your mast. Not having Mother Nature remove your mast for you, which happens in a horrifying instant, but probably feels like an eternity as you watch it topple over. People remove their masts due to height restrictions on the water (like bridges or powerlines) or because they're going to transport their sailboat across the country. Some people even remove their masts each season when they store their boats. Our friends on s/v Wild Blue had their mast removed because they're going to take their boat back up north on a truck. They're pros at this. They reckon this is the fifth time they've done this on this particular boat. I came along for the show. And believe me, it's a show, especially when you have a large crane involved. You really hope that the crane isn't going to hit anything else in the yard, like someone els...

In addition to the usual blog posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday about our travel adventures and day-to-day life living aboard a sailboat, I also occasionally post on Saturdays, focusing on things related to writing such as cover reveals, book launches, reviews, interviews with authors etc. So if you're a bit of a book nerd like I am, check in on Saturdays - you never know what might pop up. * * * Today, I'm featuring >>Les Stone Cold Killers<< written by Autumn Ware, a bloggy pal and fellow sailor. I had so much fun reading this book. Autumn has created captivating characters - including two amazingly fierce, fearless, and stylish secret agents - she writes spectacular action scenes, and her descriptions of France will make you want to travel there tout de suite . James Bond, watch out - the girls are in town. About the Book >>Les Stone Cold Killers<< is the first book in the new campy cloak-and-dagger series, >>Perilous and Spark...

We track and report every penny we spend living aboard and cruising on Tickety Boo , our Moody 346 sailboat for a couple of reasons. 1 - It helps us see where our money is going, helps us make informed choices about where to spend our money, which in turn helps us stretch our money further so that we can keep adventuring longer. 2 - We found it really useful to check out other people's cost of cruising when we were starting out, so we figure we can return favor by sharing ours. We're currently at Indiantown Marina in Florida. Scott is working overseas and I'm allegedly working on boat projects while he's gone (there's a lot of procrastination happening). You can find links to other cost updates from ourselves (on Tickety Boo, camping across the States, and our previous boat in New Zealand) and others on this page , as well as on The Monkey's Fist . * * * Cost of Cruising & Living Aboard | March & April 2018 Overall, we spent >>$2,236<...

Wordless Wednesday is supposed to be about posting a photo(s) without any words. But, I'm a rule breaker, so here are a few words: 1 - Payson Park is a horse training center in southern Florida. Just like people come down to Florida for the winter, so do thoroughbreds. 2 - You can watch the horses train in the mornings. They're gorgeous animals. 3 - I'm allergic to horses. I prefer to watch them from a distance. 4 - I can only imagine how much these animals are worth. I wonder if your average car insurance policy covers you if you accidentally hit one of them as they cross the road? What words does this picture(s) bring to your mind when you look at it? For more Wordless Wednesday fun, click here .  Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi! Murder at the Marina available for pre-order at: Amazon (US) Amazon (CA) Amazon (UK) Barnes & Noble Kobo Apple iBooks Google Play

Clockwise from upper left: (1) Coloring = procrastination + creativity; (2) Exactly how big is an 8.5 x 5.5 paperback book?; (3) Dave from s/v Toucan showing off his grilling skills; (4) Dave and Linda from m/v Lady Gus patiently waiting for the towboat at the St. Lucie Lock; (5) the Boat US towboat to the rescue; and (6) our new-to-us bikes. To be honest, there isn't too much interesting to report about last month. I was pretty much focused on getting >>Murder at the Marina<< ready for publication. While I knew there would be a lot involved and that it would take a lot of time, I seriously underestimated how time-consuming the process would be. But, on the plus side, it's been really interesting to learn about things like international pricing, formatting, uploading to various e-retail sites etc. I'm kind of a nerd that way. And, because Scott is still toiling away in Scotland, things are quiet around here and it's a good opportunity to get everything s...