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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...

In my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. **** Today's Spanish word is >>zapato << (shoe). And now for some random thoughts: 1 - I own seven pairs of shoes - hiking boots, sneakers, cheap flip-flops, "fancy" sandals, "hiking" sandals, boat shoes, and black flats. There's only so much room to dedicate to shoes when you live on a boat. 2 - My "fancy" sandals are constructed out of 100% of man-made materials. Not as nice as leather ones, but great for boat life. Leather tends to get moldy and disintegrate with the heat and humidity. 3 - My "fancy" sandals aren't really fancy. They just look marginally better than my flip-flops. 4 - These are not my feet. I wish I had nice pinky toes like the lady wearing the sandals, but mine have ...

As part of my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. **** Today's Spanish word is >>yate<< (yacht). And here are today's random thoughts: 1 - In New Zealand, ordinary sailboats are referred to as "yachts." The tiny boat we had in New Zealand was referred to as s/y Rainbows End , with the "s/y" standing for "sailing yacht. In the States, we use "s/v" instead, meaning "sailing vessel." So our current boat is referred to as s/v Tickety Boo . 2 - When I think of yachts, I think of big, monstrous boats that cost a fortune to run and have a staff of people to tend to your every need. 3 - We saw a lot of mega-yachts cruising in the Bahamas. Most of them are chartered out. The crews work really long hours in the hopes of really good tips. ...

As part of my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. **** Today's Spanish word is >>xunde<< (reed or palm basket). And now for some random thoughts: 1 - When I think about baskets, the Easter Bunny comes to mind. I always appreciated the chocolate he left me, although it did feel slightly weird to bite off a chocolate rabbit's head. Kind of like biting the hand that feeds you. 2 - There weren't a lot of Spanish words that start with "X" to choose from in my Spanish-English dictionary. Some of them seem to be derived from Greek (like xenofobia), or are loan words (like xerografia). From what I can tell, >>xunde<< is used in Mexican Spanish. Maybe it's derived from a native language, like Nahuatl. 3 - We use baskets for storage in our aft cabin. T...

In my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm featuring a Spanish word every day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. **** Today's word is >>whoops<< . And here are some random thoughts: 1 - Those of you who are paying attention will realize that this isn't a Spanish word. And that's because there aren't any Spanish words that start with "W." None, nada, zilch. When I went to work on my "W" blog post, I said >>whoops<< after I looked in my Spanish-English dictionary. 2 - There is a "W" in the Spanish alphabet, but it's only used for loan words from other languages, like wok and windsurfing. 3 - The Spanish pronunciation of "W" is >>uve doble<< , or doubled "Vs." Makes sense as a "W" looks like two "Vs" mushed together. What's your favorite ...

In my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. **** Today's Spanish word is >>velero << (sailboat). And now for today's random thoughts: 1 - Velero would make a pretty name for a sailboat. We ended up giving our sailboat a silly name - Tickety Boo . 2 - When we bought out sailboat, it came with a handy >>Spanish for Cruisers<< book by Kathy Parsons. It's chock-full of vocabulary and phrases related to boat repair and maintenance. The kind of words that I don't really have an interest in knowing in English, let alone Spanish. Words like >>bomba de inyeccion<< (injection pump). 3 - We're hoping to cruise to the Western Caribbean next season. And since boats like to break down with a frightening regularity, I'm sure this book will come i...

In my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a different Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. * * * Today's Spanish word is >>usina<< (factory). And now for some random thoughts: 1 - I studied French and a lot of Spanish words are similar. Factory in French is >>usine<< . Having studied another Romance language makes learning Spanish easier in some ways, but harder in others. I'm bound to confuse the spelling of factory now in both languages - does it end with an "a" or an "e"? 2 - Factories make me think of tools. Tools make me think of boat projects. Boat projects make me think of naps. Naps are a good way to escape from boat projects. One can always hope that the elves will magically fix everything while you're sleeping. 3 - When I typed "elves," I started thinking ...

As part of my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a Spanish word each day as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. * * * Today's Spanish word is >>timonel<< (helmsman). And now for some random thoughts. 1 - The helmsman is the person who is steering the boat. A pretty important job, cause crashing your boat into another boat or a reef, rocks, the shore, a shipping container etc. would kind of spoil the day big time. 2 - Machines can steer your boat too. We have autohelm steering which does the work for us. Yes, the robots are taking over the world, but in some ways, won't life be so much easier? 3 - Some robots are good (like Rosie the Robot Maid on the Jetsons), others not so good. Have you ever helmed a boat? Do you worry about robots taking over? What's your favorite word that starts with "T"? Thanks for stopping by our blog - we lov...

As part of my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a Spanish word each day as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. * * * Today's Spanish word is >>soga<< (line) . And now for some random thoughts: 1 - What a "normal" person might call a rope, a sailor calls a "line." There's a saying that the only rope on a boat is the one attached to the ship's bell. 2 - Sailors like to speak in a secret language, which can sometimes be confusing to landlubbers. I call it Nauticalese. 3 - I'm not very good at throwing or catching lines. More often than not, they end up in the water. Are you good at throwing things? What's your favorite word that starts with "S"? Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!  Check out the other folks participating in the...

In my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a different Spanish word each day as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. * * * Today's Spanish word is >>rizos<< (reefs). And now for some random thoughts: 1 - In certain conditions, you need to reef your sails, which involves reducing the amount of sail you have out so that you're not overpowered. For our mainsail, we use reefing lines to fold the sail down on the boom. 2 - >>Rizos<< can also mean curls, which makes sense as when your sail is reefed, it's curled up in a way. 3 - When it's humid out, my hair gets curly. When it's super humid out, I get little ringlets. If you're not sure what the weather is like outside, just have a look at my head. Do you have straight or curly hair? What's your favorite word that starts with "R"? Thanks for stopping by our blog...

As part of my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a different Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. * * * Today's Spanish word is >>quejar<< (to complain). And now for some random thoughts:   1 - I thought about picking >>queso<< (cheese) for today's word. Everyone loves cheese, don't they? Except for vegans. Imagine not eating cheese or bacon? Remind me again why anyone would want to go vegan. 2 -  If I was a vegan, I would probably complain about a lack of cheese and bacon in my diet. 3 - Fortunately, I don't have much to complain about. I've been very lucky in life. Pretend like the comments section is a complaints box and tell us what's bugging you lately. What's your favorite word that starts with "Q"? Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come v...

In my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. **** Today's Spanish word is >>ping ü ino<< (penguin). And now for some random thoughts: 1 - One of my favorite things to say in Spanish is "Soy un pingüino." It confuses people. They whisper to each other, Why is she saying she's a penguin? Do you think she's had too much wine to drink? 2 - Well, yes, it's entirely possible I've had too much wine to drink, but that's not the explanation. I say it because it's fun to say. And if you're going to try to learn another language, it's better to have a few giggles along the way. 3 - Penguins like the cold. If you're thinking of adopting any, make sure you keep them in the fridge. They'll be happier there. Do you like penguins? Would you like...

In my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a different Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge . I'm also sharing the random thoughts that through my head as I try to pronounce them. *** Today's Spanish word is >>oloroso<< (odorous). And now for today's random thoughts: 1 - Boats can be stinky. It usually has something to do with the head (bathroom). We have a marine toilet on board. When we flush it, the waste goes into a holding tank, or, as I like to call it, the >>PPB<< . I'll let you see if you can figure that one out. 2 - If you live in an RV or on boat, this will be nothing new for you. But if you live on land, just take a minute to contemplate the thought of having your waste in a box near your bedroom. Gross, huh? 3 - Things can get smelly when the joker valve needs to be changed , the odor seeps through your hoses, or something goes terribly wrong with your holding tank. 4 - Di...

As part of my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a different Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. * * * Today's Spanish word is >>nadar<< (to swim). And now for some random thoughts: 1 - I used to love swimming as a child. My sister and I would spend every day in the pool during the summers. 2 - I still like swimming, but these days, I usually swim in the ocean where there are evil sea monsters like sharks and barracuda. I'd much rather have to just worry about whether I need to apply more sun screen, not whether something is going to bite me. 3 - One of the coolest places I've swum at was a blue hole in the Bahamas. It was so nice to cool off in a fresh water pool and not worry being a mid-afternoon snack for some creature. Do you like swimming? Ever worry about something biting you? What's your favori...

In my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm highlighting a Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. **** Today's Spanish word is >>m ástil<< (mast). And here are some random thoughts: 1 - The mast on our boat is 40.66 feet / 12.4 meters tall, as measured from the deck to the top. One of my fears is being demasted and watching our mast and rigging crash into the water. 2 - When it comes to going under bridges, the number you really want to know is 46.35 feet / 14.1 meters, which is the height of the mast from the top down to the waterline. But this doesn't account for the various things we have attached at the top of our mast (wind indicator, antennas etc.). So we usually think of around 48 feet / 14.63 meters as our threshold. If a bridge is shorter than that, we don't go through. 3 - Our mast is deck-stepped, which means tha...

In my ongoing efforts to learn Spanish, I'm featuring a different Spanish word each day during April as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I'm also sharing the random thoughts that pop into my head when I try to pronounce them. * * * Today's Spanish word is >>lijar<< (to sand). And now for some random thoughts: 1 - One of the things boat owners dread is sanding the bottom of their boat before reapplying anti-foul paint (a magical potion which keeps barnacles and the like from growing on the bottom). It's not exactly a fun job, especially when it's sweltering outside and you're wearing protective gear. 2 - The last time we did our bottom paint, I tried sanding the rudder. The electric sander weighs a ton and the vibration your hands is unbelievable. Fortunately, Scott came to the rescue and finished the job. 3 - This is a picture of our boat after we bought her - you can see the blue paint which has to be sanded down before you can put on an...