Gig Harbor 2019

As Bubba said, “Life’s short call now”.  In light of all the recent weirdness, thought we’d say Hi.  It’s May 2020, the last time we said Hi was December 2015. 

Where have we been? What have we been doing?  Good questions, for all of us.  We hope to hear from you all in turn.

We have dropped anchor and are living ashore in Gig Harbor, WA.  At present we are tending to BOTO, getting her ready for some cruising of the San Juan Islands.  How, pray tell did BOTO get from Kemah, TX to Gig Harbor, WA?  We’ll try to keep it brief.

Our 2015 Christmas greetings from Kemah were from the fireplace of the recently completed (at the time) remodel; by February of 2016 we would be headed to Washington.  Let’s get caught up.

As some may know we returned to Texas, June 2012 and hit the hard for some land cruising.  One thing led to another and we found ourselves in Phoenix, AZ.

Our tiling handywork at the condo in AZ, idle hands and all that….

Where do we go next? Maine, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, I know none of these are exactly tropical, but we managed to visit all and a few more (Gig Harbor, by chance, among them during the summer of 2012 road trip). 

            May not be tropical, but friends and Margaritas more than compensate

 In 2013 we headed to San Francisco, the City by the Bay.  Vicky accepted an offer in SF (taking one for the team).  We decommissioned BOTO, placed her on a semi and hauled her the last few thousand miles to the west coast.  It was a much easier trip than the upwind slog from Panama would have been.  Guess BOTO was meant to see the USWC.

Boto in her cradle, in spite of the Bay area chill, note Vicky’s go-forwards

We had become C.L.O.D's (Cruisers Living On a Dock (later to be replaced by DIRT)) in San Francisco.  Living at Marina Village Yacht Harbor, Alameda Island (yep we found an island) we attended to boat projects and of course to the kitty (well, that was Vicky’s department).  

What projects you my ask (no need to keep track, the list repeats itself every five years or so); all new standing rigging, compliments of the folks at Grand Marine, re-bedding of windows (an ongoing project).  A brand-new hot water tank (recycled the original copper kettle to offset shipping costs).  Rewired solar panels (increased output once the corroded connections were replaced).  Re-bed chain plates (now there's a barrel of laughs for you).  Removed SS dirty water holding tanks installed poly (talk about a s*&$!y job).  Oh, almost forgot, dealt with boat brokers, fired boat brokers (decided that BOTO is family, not to be sold).  Repaired (with the assistance of Allen the Boat Guy) the refrigerator.  Bought a new kayak (inflatable, lots of fun), built another kayak (wood, also lots of fun, jump forward several years and built a second).  That gets us to the end of 2013.  

 The year was 2014, we made a lot of new friends, sailed with an interesting group of curmudgeons and seared the Bay into our memories forever;

Vicky decided she did not care for the project she was on; Ed found that folks in California did not care for a former Oil Trader.  Chula found that having had her second knee operation, she was ready to move ashore and take up the life of a retired seadog (her third knee operation would come later). 

Hence by mid 2014 the trio returned to Kemah (quartet if we count BOTO, but she rarely complains) where it all began.  Ultimately securing day jobs in Space City, the trio moved ashore (to the afore mentioned fixer upper) in January 2015.

You’ve seen the end result in the Christmas greetings, what you missed could have been featured on HGTV.  We spent 2015 working and renovating, it had its ups and downs, thankfully more ups.  Then, we did what many before had done and suffered what others may have experienced.  WE MADE PLANS, AND THE UNIVERSE LAUGHED.

We thought, hey the new house is done, the boat is good, the jobs are OK, we’ve got friends, we can visit family; let’s just stay put for a while, stop wandering, perhaps for five years, then we’ll decide what to do next.

Well, the Universe sent the NEXT thing our way in November of 2015.  A job offer.  Move to Washington, lots of opportunity, lots of possibilities, a chance to go back to the left coast.  Why not, we’re in!

2016, Vicky, Chula, Ed and BOTO arrive in Gig Harbor!  If you’ve never been, tis a wonderful place, but stay away we want to keep it a hidden gem, .

Since then we’ve; met wonderful people, seen old friends and made some new ones,  remodeled our fourth (and last?) home together (this one checks all the boxes), settled into a community we adore, survived a bout with cancer, built another kayak, adopted several goslings, retired from the rat race (this time for good?), and set about caring for BOTO.

                      2017 ended with snow and a trip to the mountains to stretch the old sea legs.

                                                                                                                                                                   

While 2018 went out with more snow, this time socking in the new abode.

While 2019 found our crew safely ensconced in said new abode, with a warm fire and a place to hang their stockings.

It’s May 2020, in January Ed retired.  

In 2019, Vicky defeated breast cancer!  We also said goodbye to Jean Adell Alsaker, after 95 years on this earth (Dick had preceded her in 2007, he told us kids; life’s short, go cruising).  

In 2018, Ed participated in the sale of his Company.  We also said goodbye to Robert Edward Nadler, after 87 years on this earth (Sally preceded him in 2015).  

Throughout 2017, we worked on GOOSEBUMPS, our home here in GH.  

That pretty much sums up the lost years.  What comes next?  Only time will tell..  We hope all is well with you and yours and would very much like to hear from you, svboto@yahoo.com.

Until then, fair winds and following seas.