June was a busy month for work and family, and a little for our Great Loop planning. At the beginning of the month, we had an epic family adventure at Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, followed by a week with family outside Rochester, New York. After celebrating the Carolina Hurricane’s Stanley Cup win and a week recovering from Covid, we hosted our grandchildren for a weekend and spent some more time on the boat with them sighting dolphins and watching sunsets. Given the heat, they were mostly interested in the pool, so we obliged and spent most of the weekend in the pool. We ended the month and kicked off July celebrating America’s 250th anniversary in Southport, where the nation’s Independence has been celebrated since 1795.
Larry’s work in civil engineering is quite busy now as many of his projects have progressed from the design phase to construction and require a lot of oversight of scope, schedule and budget. This gave me some quality time with my kids, grandkids and father, which I wanted to do before being away for a year. When my kids were young, it was nearly impossible to find the time or money for vacations, so we did not really take any. I have regretted that for many years, but this trip was so special that I will no longer dwell on that. There were ten of us ranging from age 4 to 81. Thankfully, my son-in-law agreed to drive the enormous van. We started in Grand Teton at Jenny Lake in the fog and drizzle. My dad, with his new knee and recent cortisone shots in both hips hit over 17,000 steps per day for three days in a row! We usually celebrate if he breaks 1,000 on a given day. He had not been past the Mississippi before and took it all in. The weather quickly cleared as we explored Jackson Hole, WY and more of Grand Teton before heading to Yellowstone. Words are insufficient to describe the experience. The first week of June was perfect timing this year as we had beautiful weather. The bears were just out of hibernation, so very active and very hungry.
We were lucky to have seen: a baby moose with her Momma, a bull moose with his mate, elk, black bears and grizzly bears (the first I had ever seen in the wild), and hundreds, if not thousands, of beautiful bison that I did not expect to be so enamored with. My grandson loved the small creatures best, the ground squirrels, pika and his absolute favorite, a yellow-bellied Marmot! My granddaughter loved the baby moose the most. We visited the cabin where the first discussions to create a national park were held. We saw the grand prismatic pools, the geysers, and of course, Old Faithful. There is nowhere like it. No planes overhead, just nature. We witnessed a grizzly stalking a baby bison, but the adult bison made it crystal clear to the grizzly that they would protect this baby. The grizzly eventually backed down. Topping it all off was being together to watch the Carolina Hurricanes win game 2 and head back to Raleigh for game 3.
From there, I traveled with my granddaughter to my hometown because my son needed a medical procedure and I wanted to be there. While there, I was able to watch games 4 & 5 with my son and his girlfriend. I spent the cooler mornings working outside among my sister and her husband’s amazing flowers and lush green hostas. We visited my other sister’s family and their miniature cow. I visited my brother at his restaurant on the Erie canal where my granddaughter and I watched a looper go through the lock! To top that all off, I was able to attend a school reunion at the Port of Rochester Marina on the Genesee River where it meets Lake Ontario with my bestie and a local band from our youth, Reporter. I made it home in time to attend the viewing party at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh with Larry and my daughter and son-in-law to see the ‘Canes win the Stanley Cup. We love our coach and team. The whole place roared when Bussi would stop another attempt by Vegas. I had an amazing time. Somewhere along the way, I must have been exposed to Covid, as it hit me four days later. I am glad that I did not have a chance to infect Dad after getting home because I was busy catching up on work. Like me, he gets his vaccination with his flu vaccination every year, and he has never had Covid and does not want it! Sadly, Covid took Larry’s father in 2020, before vaccines so we are wary of it.
As for Great Loop preparations, we finished loading all the weather and navigation apps we will need. I also took advantage of summer Amazon deals and purchased a screen extender, portable monitor that clips on my laptop as a second screen so I am all set for workstations. After getting a quote for SeaDek and reviewing our budget, we removed this from our list. Because we want the flexibility to anchor out and use our dinghy, we agreed that an upgrade to the Davit system is a necessity for us. As we spend more time in the marina and see other vessels, we get new ideas. As we spend more time navigating our vessel, it becomes clearer what are “nice-to-haves” versus what is necessary for us. We found a cover for the dinghy in the crew room, so we were able to remove one item from our “to purchase list”. But, in true boat fashion, before we had a chance to high-five, we found more items to add to the list.
Besides the Davit system, other considerations are:
- Add a second wired radio at downstairs helm. Handhelds are ok, but not great.
- Back cockpit door: slider is very difficult. Repair or replace?
- Air Conditioning: due to saltwater, algae builds up quickly in the filter. Do we clean it out well and then take the water from the well instead of the sea, so it won’t build up algae or invest in an “electrochlorination system”?
- AIS chip: it stopped working this weekend. It was hot, but even after cooling down overnight with the system turned off, it would not work, so we need a new AIS chip.
We appreciated the long holiday weekend to practice docking and using the apps. Larry and I participated in the flotilla, proudly flying our Carolina Hurricanes flag .There were many fishing and leisure boats, ferries, and big commercial ships in the mouth of the Cape Fear River. We even took the LiveMore out to the ocean for a little slow cruising (and so Larry could drop a hook). The experience helped bolster our confidence. I don’t remember the last time I spent an afternoon reading, but I was able to do so on the LiveMore for hours. I typically listen to audio books while driving or doing household chores or gardening.
Back on land, we walked the dog, we rode our bikes to the parade and fireworks then played pool at our friends’ house. It was rare and felt precious to have three days just for each other. Having: a) caught up on work; b) spent quality time with my family and friends in the weeks prior; and c) decided to remain an optimist about our democracy and constitution, I was able to leave my phone alone and let it go. This past month taught me what it feels like, maybe the first time ever, to be “carefree.” We are excited about the prospect of more carefree times on America’s Great Loop!
Until next time,
LiveMoreLoopers 