Day 51 - Anacortes WA - Wednesday, June 29, 2011

I spend most of a day rearranging my storage shelves and cupboards to accommodate the recent household purchases I have made.  This is like playing house -- or Susie Homemaker.    ......or playing boat?


Herb installs a shelf we got from Fisheries' and I load it with the dinnerware and flatware we got from West Marine.  I display a salad plate, Black Compass.  It also has a slot for his olive oil bottle on the left. 


What fun!

Then the real fun part is making the flower arrangement for the window shelf.  Nita and I had shopped for the flowers, with the exception of the yellow rose, which was given to me by Granddaughter Stephanie many years ago.


The yellow wine glass came from Brownsville TX (remember this, Tina?)  The wine bottle is a souvenir of Bob and Nita's 'Welcome Back' gift to Herb and me last month.  It was a great wine!

A few of my favorite things

Oh, and Nita also gave me the cup towel on the left,  with the crabs pattern, and she made the one on the right, stitching the crab chef on her magic sewing machine.


I also make time to go to Red Salon for a hair trim and style.  When Carinna, the stylist runs my credit card, I notice she is using her phone for the credit card machine.  I am definitely amazed, as I have not seen that before.  


Why did I not bring my camera -- then I remember I have a smart phone, but not as smart as hers -- and I take a picture.  The device is very small and plugged into the top of her phone. 


She eMails the receipt to me, and I see an ad for purchasing the device for my use.  I hope Herb doesn't read this.

Carinna

Willie of Willie's Tug,

   and Walldog, Willie and Jake

Days 48-50 - Anacortes WA - Sunday-Tuesday, June 26-28, 2011

Herb and Bob watch the paint dry at North Island Boat, as we prepare to splash "Willie's Tug" for her short journey home to Cap Sante Marina.


The bottom paint will protect her from the uglies both in the water at marinas and will not degrade on the trailering trip to her new home in Port Isabel.


The fork lift tows her across the street to the sling launch to be set into the water once again.

We get a smooth launch, and as the operator connects the straps under the boat, Herb asks him with a grin, "Have you ever dropped one?"   He laughed as he replied, "Not yet............"


So far, so good, and we head around the northwest point of Fidalgo Island back to Cap Sante to the East.


The water today is like glass!  I like that!

As we near the marina entrance, all is calm regarding traffic and water, and we admire a really big sailboat -- big in my eyes! So pretty and I wonder about her story.

Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and Walldog, Willie and Jake

Day 47 - Anacortes WA - Saturday, June 25, 2011

Many times last year we had heard of a good place to eat -- the bowling alley.  

OK.


So the subject comes up again, and Bob and Nita tell us they have a great breakfast.  So we decide to go.  As we pass Jake where he is taking a nap on the patio, we say "Goodbye"  and he raises his head.  I think he is still asleep, because he doesn't come out to get petted.

At the bowling alley I discover the restaurant has a name, as featured on the menu.  Bob holds the menu for me to photograph.  It is Stork's Restaurant and Lounge, but we want to think it says "Stark."

Everyone orders a more or less traditional breakfast, except Herb, and he opts for the seafood scrambler.  The dish consists of shrimp and mushrooms scrambled with eggs, and topped with Hollandaise Sauce and oysters.  It is more than he can eat, and he asks for a box to take home leftovers.

Babe, the kitty, entertains us with his antics.  We hear some gentle scratching and look to see that he has found his food bag and is pawing it for some reason.  There is food in his bowl.


Get the camera, quickly!

Someone is enabling him and allows him to put his head all the way into the bag.  So cute!

Projects for the afternoon include planting some flowers that Nita has planned for her yard.  She gets help from Bob with the digging, but my expertise is in pulling weeds.

I get my fill of therapy today!

Willie of Willie's Tug,

    and Walldog, Willie and Jake

Day 46 - Burlington WA - Friday, June 24, 2011

Today is another errand day and this time it is Nita and I who take off to Burlington to pick up a few items for our boats.  It is a long day for us, and on the way home we hear that Bob and Herb are having a long day as well with their projects, so someone suggests that we go to Flounder Bob's Restaurant at Skyline Marina near their house for dinner.  But first we must take Nita's purchases to her boat, and we discover a bottle of red wine for Happy Hour on "Nellie too."

Flounder Bob's Restaurant has very interesting decor with a nautical theme and a beautiful view of the marina with a residential area on the hills beyond.  The flags each represent a letter of the alphabet, and we wonder if they spell "Flounder Bob."

Bob grabs my camera to get a photo of the other three of us.

And we hear Dan who is pictured sitting at a table above us on the right say, "I'll be happy to take a photo of all of you."


We take him up on it.

Dan tells us that he is here on a 52 boat and will be going to Alaska.

He is quite a delightful person with whom to talk, and shows his sense of humor.


He tells us that they did not serve sushi on his table.  We all laugh at the joke when we notice our table centerpiece.

I am happy to see halibut on the menu and Nita and I order halibut tacos.  They are huge and more than we can eat.  Oh, how delicious, and what a value!


As we leave the restaurant, Herb shows me a telegraph which has been taken from a large ship.  It is used by the skipper on the bridge to let the engine room know his desired speed and direction. It sounds a bell below.

Willie of Willie's Tug,

    and Walldog, Willie and Jake

Day 45 - Monroe and Seattle WA - Thursday, June 23, 2011

The real highlight of yesterday was after we got "Willie's Tug" settled in with the North Island Boat folks, we take advantage of the invitation from Bob and Nita to spend time with them and their kitty, Babe.


We receive a warm welcome and enjoy visiting and catching up on the news since we saw them a few days ago.  


This morning each family has separate plans of errands to run, and Herb, Jake and I take off in the truck to Monroe WA, home of the Ranger Tug factory which builds the 29 foot Tugs.  They also make the canvas cockpit enclosures, and we take our panels in for a tweaking that Herb has designed to make it better fit our needs.

We meet Bob, one of the managers, who is shown getting one of his many phone calls.  He gives us a tour of the factory and we see boat components and boats in various stages of production. 

An unexpected surprise is the arrival of our old friends Andrew and Jeff of the Kent factory, which makes the 27 foot Tug, and where"Willie's Tug" was born.  


Andrew seems to be saying something profound after handing something to Herb.  It causes the others to laugh -- maybe they will let me in on the joke........

As we look around the room at the boats in construction, I meet a lady who asks me if one of these boats will be mine.  I ask her if one of them will be hers, and learn that she is a committed sailor, but considering a Tug.


As a new owner, I give her my thoughts on the matter, as we have observed sailboats for some time, and it seems to me that sailing is a lot of work, especially in the Northwest it would be quite cold, and you would be wet a good bit of the time!


Not so with the Ranger Tugs, as we are enclosed, warm and dry most of the time, and (so far) the work is less than I imagine sailing would be.


One of her comments includes the word "Nellie" and I soon find out that she and husband are Kate and Bob, former neighbors of Bob and Nita in Bothell, before they moved to Anacortes.  

I ask them to pose in front of a blue Ranger Tug that is nearby, but they insist green is their color........ 






Could there be a green 29 in their future?

Our next stop is to retrieve the canvas panels, and thank the ladies who made the enhancements to them.  It is exciting to see the sewing machine -- imagine getting to sew and getting paid for it!!!


The cushions are made in this department, and we watch as one lady stuffs one into its upholstery.

Mission is accomplished and we go in search of a restaurant in Seattle for lunch.  As luck would have it, we come upon Ivar's Seafood Bar, a sidewalk cafe, that we recall Bob's having mentioned in the past.  A favorite of his and Nita's.  How does smoked salmon chowder sound for lunch?

And a little humor of the founder at #4 on the instructions for ordering at the window ....

We are on to Fisheries' boat supply store for a dish shelf we had ordered, and then find ourselves in Seattle rush hour traffic.  We'll never make it home for Happy Hour.


Then we see one reason for the delays.  In addition to going through a construction zone, we now arrive at a drawbridge just as it opens for marine traffic.

We are home with plenty of daylight left to enjoy, and all of us (except Babe) start to go outside to sit on the patio.






There are visitors on the vacant lot hill next to Bob and Nita's home.  They see us and we see them, and they continue eating grass.

 We are not sure how Babe will feel about Jake's invasion of his space, so the decision is made to keep them apart.


That is quite difficult, as Babe is quite quick, so we let them see each other through just a small opening of the door.  So far, so good;  they passed Test #1.

Willie of Willie's Tug,

   and Walldog, Willie and Jake

Days 42 - 44 - Anacortes (Skyline) WA - Monday - Wednesday, June 20 - 22, 2011

We spend the next two days making plans and get an appointment for Wednesday to have bottom paint put on Willie's Tug at North Island Boat, Skyline Marina, in Anacortes.


Unfortunately, it is a windy morning on Wednesday, so Herb leaves Cap Sante very early before the winds pick up any more.  


I see him off, then drive the truck over with Jake to catch the lines as he docks at Skyline to await his haul out.  The trip is without incident, and docking goes smoothly, even though I worry about the bit of current he will encounter just as he approaches the dock.


The lift employee instructs me to toss in the fenders (before I think I should) and he (with my 'help') walks the boat around the temporary docking to the slip for the sling haul out.    I think he has done this a time or two, as Willie's Tug never bumps the dock and heads straight into the slip.  It is amazing to watch him and the lift operator work together.  


And up comes Willie's Tug.

Next thing is to power wash the hull, and we are surprised to find it was not very bad.  I suppose the frequent trips through the water keep the uglies off.


Herb has been cleaning what he could reach with his brush as we have been docked, but he now enjoys seeing it done by someone else.


His comment is, "What?  Me work?"

Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and Walldog, Willie and Jake

Day 41 - Anacortes WA - Father's Day, Sunday, June 19, 2011

After sleeping so soundly and waking to realize that the raccoons took a night off and decided not to visit us, we later learn from Paul that the raccoons DID come.  Not only did they come, but they unsnapped one of our canvas panels enclosing the cockpit, looked in, and seeing nothing at all -- they retreated.  


Same scenario at Paul's boat.  They left no evidence except paw prints.  We slept through it; our ferocious watchdog slept through it; and Paul was the only guard for the safety of our lives and possessions.  


As we say our Goodbyes and prepare to leave, we see Luke looking for his buddy Jake.  We do plan to see them again later in the Summer.

Our cruise back to Anacortes is mostly uneventful, although the ship ahead causes me to carefully consider what is going on.  I see a tug far ahead of the ship, but I do not see a chain connecting them, and wonder why it is so far ahead.  Then the tug is beside the ship -- we give way in a big way!

Nice boat, and she is named "Crowley."

As we pass, it becomes clear what is happening.   I see the ship "Overseas Anacortes" being pushed by a tug, and "Crowley" is the pilot!

There is a lot of traffic coming into Cap Sante Marina and we wait in line for the fuel dock, then negotiate for space as we make our way back to our slip, and we are home.


For a few days...........






Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and Walldog, Willie and Jake

Day 40 - James Island - Saturday, June 18, 2011

As Herb gets "Jake's Ferry" ready to take him ashore for his morning walk, he discovers a little water standing in it.  Now he remembers the rain we had last night.  We also see a side panel on the canvas camperback toward "Nellie Too" that is open and had let a little rain into the cockpit.  


We learn something each day........hopefully.

Before we depart, we enjoy looking at our track generated by Herb's SPOT, which shows our voyage form Blakely Island into East Sound of Orcas Island, and then on to Spencer Spit on Lopez.


As we leave Lopez today, we see the first evidence of fog and are glad it is not bad.


There are many seals in these waters, but they are too quick for me and dive under before I can photograph them.

It is a short trip to James Island, and we arrive early in the morning to dock in front of a boat owned by a young family who have pitched a tent on shore.  This is one of the Washington State Parks and a favorite of many.

As we go ashore to register for the night we say "Hello" to the campers.  It looks like the kids have plenty of toys to keep them busy.  

We also meet Paul and Sharon, who tied "Falcon," their Camano Troll across the dock from us, and they suggest a trail to walk their Yellow Lab, Luke, and Jake.  I hear Paul say something about this trail being better than the other.  


Later I learn what this means.

This is the interesting trail.  I could also call it the challenging trail.  We go up some really steep hills (steeper than Stuart Island Light Station trail), and very narrow.


Could this trail be for the deer?


Sharon assures me she is in good shape and can assist me, lends me her arm, and I am beginning to feel like a 100 year old person!  She is so kind to me and I love her for it.


I am glad I am on this walk, because I see some beautiful views from the height.  The boats seem so far away.

I am also beginning to be a little scared, but even so, I ask the group (I am last in line) to wait while I get a shot of the next view.  It is entitled "Scary View of the Beach Below!!!"


What if I fell?  What if Jake fell?  Or Luke?

We stop for a time to let the dogs rest and Paul tells us about the raccoons that visited him last night.  We had seen the warning message in Waggoner's, but didn't think much about it, since we didn't see them in other places that had warnings.  


We learn that at 3 in the morning the animals unsnapped the canvas enclosure of Paul's cockpit, opened his ice chest and started to retrieve a package of lamp chops.  Paul rapped the raccoon on the head, then rapped harder until he dropped the food!  


Good save.  That was to be Sharon's dinner tonight.  They won't go hungry tonight.

Did I say I was glad I was on this hike?  I said that.


As we continue on the hike, I see a more narrow trail ahead -- did I forget to mention there are no guard rails???  !!!  I am starting to hear voices and the voices are telling me to turn back.  This wonderful group turns back with me, and I apologize for not being a better sport. They laugh at me and we return, not at all sure we are on the trail, and arrive at our starting point to see a view of the cove on the other side of the island.


Later on the dock we get a lot of visiting in.

We are joined by Brandon and his son, who are enjoying a Father's Day weekend together on their sailboat.  They motor in and are pushed by a strong current as they dock, and that is probably their excitement for the day as they come really close to Paul's boat.  

Brandon demonstrates his cooking skill with two pots on his grill, one of which is a Revere Ware copper bottom that Sharon and I recognize.

Jake the 'kitty Kat' Golden Retriever, ever so benign, barks!  What?  we say.
We see the little girl in the camping family coming back to her boat to get something for the campfire.  


Oh, my!  Jake is afraid of her.  Silly dog.  About the third trip the girl makes -- and the third time Jake alarms the neighborhood -- the mother comes down to make friends with him.  She brings a pocketful of treats for Jake and Luke.  Jake decide he likes her very much, but we are not sure he ever lost his fear of the young lady.  We never knew why, except maybe it was her pink slacks.

In the visit with Sharon, we discover we are reading some of the same books and different books by the same author and exchange suggested titles for each other.  She also tells me of changes they will make to their new boat and suggests places in Seattle to shop for my supplies.

We like the outdoor kitchen where Paul is grilling his lamb chops.  And to be sure, there will be not a crumb or trace of crumb either in his cockpit or ours for tonight's visitors at 3 AM.

Willie of Willie's Tug,

   and Walldog, Willie and Jake