A Visit to the "Nancy G" Galley -- Friday, August 5, 2016

The invitation I hope for comes this morning.  Skip and Nancy are cooking -- uh, that would be Nancy!   Remembering what a good cook she is, we know we will eat well tonight so to prevent further injury, as they say in First Aid class, the other four of us take an early morning walk in the neighborhood.   I would also call this preventive maintenance.

We go up the ramp from On Your Mark's slip and head over to the street that runs by the small airport.  At the end of the airport road is a gated community and a big STOP sign, so we stop and go the only way we can to return to  the boat.  I think we get a little over one Fitbit mile.  However, the day is young.

At cocktail time we are welcomed aboard the Nancy G, where we find Nancy in the galley putting the finishing touches on her chicken nacho casserole, sprinkling cilantro on top.  The cheese is a definite must here!

We ask if she will share the recipe with us, as it is mouth-watering delicious.  She does, with her comments about how she would tweak it next time. I don't see how it could be made any better, but I look forward to reading the recipe and trying my culinary skills.  I'm sure Herb will have some ideas, as well.

Chardonnay is served and she tells us it is the same as her Harlingen Yacht Club house wine.  ' Liberty Creek'.  I love the label.

 Yes, it is a fine wine, and goes well with the tasty Key Lime pie for dessert.

Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
   Friday, August 5, 2016

The Sunglasses Mystery and Wine Forecast -- Thursday, August 4, 2016

Now that we are all settled into On Your Mark with provisions to get us to the next port, we think of times in the past when Skip and Nancy of Nancy G have been here on their boat. They would come every other weekend, arriving on Thursday, which came to be known as 'What-a-burger' night.  

I had asked her a few weeks ago when her Port A weekend is, and learned there is no more 'schedule' since George and Melissa set sail for the northeast coast.  Pearl texts her today to see if they plan to come soon and happily reports, "Today!"

They join us for cocktails, and wearing sunglasses, we all go topside to enjoy the breeze and scenery.   Conversation is lively with much laughter.   Oh, Pearl has left her sunglasses in the cabin and returns below to fetch them.  Not being successful, she returns topside to discover where they are.

'Mr. Segars' sits quietly waiting to see how long it will take us to find Pearl's shades.

Planning ahead, our conversation turns to dinner and there is a very high level discussion on whether we should have What-a-burgers or Pizza.  Well, for me, there is no question!  Pizza - pizza!   Others agree and we get Pizza Hut's Supreme all around.   Enough for left-overs for lunch tomorrow.  Yum, yum!

Casual dress is the attire for the evening, and Nancy's shirt tells the truth, "Tonight's Forecast - 99% chance of wine ."

Find Nancy's wine glass....

Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
   Thursday, August 4, 2016

Making Ready with Provisions -- Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Making a list and checking it twice, then adding to it, Pearl and I head to the IGA -- what?  no HEB here?   On the way we pass the Port Aransas Lighthouse, and I immediately get a photo for Roxie and Ed.   

We find everything we need at the IGA for the upcoming cruise.  Each of us gets a shopping cart.  Pearl loads hers with fresh, perishable food items and I take dry goods and other provisions.  We get help from our skippers to unload from the car into two dock carts.  The challenge now is to find space in the boat for storing our purchases.  

Yep, she still floats.  I was worried that we have loaded way too much, but I sure don't need to be concerned about where my next meal is coming from.

How sweet it is to be able to relax after a hard day's work and have a 'glassa' wine.

Find Willie's wine bottle....

Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
   Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Closer and Closer to The Boat -- Sunday, July 31, 2016

With much anticipation, Herb and I drive toward Rockport, our last destination before finally arriving at Port A to meet Joe and Pearl.  We take the coastal roads winding here and there for a breath of fresh -- or salt -- air and enjoy the scenery.  

The farmland is so green and I wonder if it is the humidity or have they had lots of rain recently.  Soon the green is dotted with white and we realize we have reached the sandy beach -- not SPI -- but High Island TX on the Bolivar Peninsula.  

Driving farther on, we get excited at seeing water on the port side and know the Gulf of Mexico is nearby.  We will soon cruise up the Intracoastal Waterway toward the Bahamas.

Now, I am even more excited to see the stately lighthouse near the Bolivar Ferry Landing.  The scene is made even more beautiful by the graceful palm trees and other foliage.   On Facebook I tag a photo to Roxie, who loves lighthouses. 

At the Ferry Landing we are close, but so far away, because it is Sunday, and we should know better than to depend on quick transportation on a ferry.  We take advantage of the two hour wait to have a picnic lunch.

Find Willie's space on the ferry....

Willie of Willie's Tug,

   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake

   Sunday, July 31, 2016

So, I Guess it's my Fault -- Many Years Ago

When my first cousin Glenda Pittman Oneill and I are 14 years old, we decide to ride our bikes on a Sunday afternoon.  There is not much for teens to do in the small town of Pitkin LA.

We do not file a float plan, a flight plan or a bike plan; we do not tell our parents where we are going (mainly because we do not know), and we do not take water bottles.  It is Summer time in the South.

So with no cell phone, no bracelets or chips, we take off for adventure.

Where shall we go?

Let's ride down toward Sugartown, which is about eight miles down a rural road.  One of us decides that we are so close, we need to go all the way to Sugartown just to say we did!

Or maybe we continued to Sugartown hoping there would be a cafe open, so we could get a drink of water or buy a Coke.  We are thirsty.

The small town was known at the time for having the smallest Post Office (in Louisiana?) -- and I do not remember the number of PO boxes it contained.  But it was small.  If we had had a camera with us, we would have taken a photo to prove we got there.

We make it to Sugartown.

However, there is no cafe or lemon-aid stand; we are now very tired, hot and thirsty.  

We have no water bottles.

We need hydration!

I hide my face when I confess that before we make it back from Sugartown to Pitkin, we are desperate enough to stop on the side of the road, cup our hands and drink from the mud puddles in the ditch.

It is called survival.

Whose idea was it to do such a thing?  LOL  Glenda blames me, because I am older by two and a half months and should have known better.

Find Willie's younger cousin...

Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
   Many Years Ago

A Day on the Water with Cap'n Ryan -- Tuesday, August 2, 2016

For months Herb and I have looked forward to a cruise with Joe and Pearl on their On Your Mark, and the invitation for Herb to assist with piloting.  During one of our trips to and from Houston in the Spring, we visited the boat for Herb to sit in the pilot seat and dream.  Yep, all good.

Having many hours at the helm of a 35 OA single screw boat, Herb is excited to have a go at the 66 foot twin engine vessel.  Capt. Ryan of Port A is happy to take him out for a few moves.

All eyes are forward as we observe the orientation of piloting On Your Mark.

One interesting aspect of backing up is to wrap your head around the dual throttles and we see Herb grin as he 'gets it!'

I am struck by Ryan's comments on driving bow in or stern in to a slip and learning how far he is from the dock.  This is crucial to know if case he ever has to single hand.  Herb thoroughly enjoys this cruising lesson and looks forward to the day we cast off for the Bahamas, or as we say, "go east."

With the make-over done, we await delivery of the dinghy, an eleven foot Boston Whaler.  The dinghy also has had a refurbishing and looks really classy, we think.   Joe and Pearl's grandson Josh and wife Lorrin transport the Whaler from the farm near Cleburne on a flat-bed trailer.  What a sight to see!  They get many comments like, "Well, this is the first time I ever saw a boat trailer like this."

Josh launches the Whaler and drives around to put it on the swim platform.

Instead of a lift to get the dinghy aboard, the platform is lowered into the water so the dinghy can be driven on.

Next step is to raise the  motor and float onto the platform.  

Find Willie's ride to shore....

Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
   Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Wine with Breakfast! -- Monday, August 1, 2016

Yay!  Herb and I have driven from the Pittman family reunion down the coast road toward Ingleside TX, where Joe and Pearl's boat, On Your Mark, is getting her make-over at Billy's boatyard.  We have been told that she is ready to splash so we leave our hotel at an unbelievable hour to arrive at 7A in order to be there when she goes into the water.

Uh, oh!  A check of the systems shows the newly replaced transducer is not working.  Hmmm...seems the wires are not hooked up.  Oh, it seems the wires have not been run!  

So Billy to the rescue!  He grabs his crew to get the installation done.  The floor opens up to give access to areas where they need to work.

I see an access panel I was not aware of, where more wires have to connect.  Shown is the forward exit door.

As I am trapped by the open holes in the floor -- and told by Herb to stay out of the workmen's way (LOL -- photos can wait, Willie), my best view is past the aft stateroom and out the door to the stern and swim platform.

Well, it appears this will take a few hours, so Billy moves On Your Mark out of the launch slip and around to tie up to the adjacent dock.  

When the work is finally complete, Billy pilots the boat across the Corpus Christi Bay to Port A, and back to her slip at Island Moorings Marina.

At 5P Pearl gives us a choice for dinner -- we either go to a restaurant, or have breakfast food (ingredients available).  We opt to stay in after the long, hard day.

Pearl is delighted, as she gets to try out Joe's new Hamilton Beach 'dual breakfast sandwich maker.'

The recipe calls for placing pancakes on the grill plate, then sausage,  then an uncooked egg, and lastly another pancake to complete the sandwich.  Variations can be cheese -- you name it.

Serve and drench with syrup!  Yum, yum, yum!

So cocktails at 5, and wine with breakfast -- what's not to like!

Find Willie's dinner....

Willie of Willie's Tug,

   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake

   Monday, August 1, 2016