It’s been a while since I’ve written. Life just seems to get so busy and we’re off having fun together more than blogging, I guess. But here are some recent moments to share:

The kids are turning into quite competent deckhands. We went through the Locks and they managed the lines on their own. I scampered back and forth between them at first, but soon realized that really, they’re fine. With Brock as captain & the two of them as crew, I can see my future as Cleopatra, sipping wine on the top deck as we cruise the ship canal.

Jo-jo and I have spent time at the zoo, watching the turtles, checking out the way cool new penguin exhibit, and reading ALL the signs. Being there when the zoo first opens is definitely worth it in terms of small crowds.

Thing One is in driver’s training and took his proud Mama out for a drive. We used his dad’s car, of course…just in case. He did great!

Hiking with my man. An 11 mile trip last weekend to Goat Lake was awesome. Cloudy and cool, just the way I like to hike. Incredible old growth forests.

I got introduced as “Mrs. Brock” last weekend (from one of his staff to another). It made both of us grin. You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin?

A dear gourmet chef/writer/entrepreneur friend of mine mentioned KJ in an article she was writing for the Examiner. She’s a regular there. I am honored ~ thanks, Karen!

Examiner article

It’s something Brock has spoken of for quite a while. He’s always thought that an LED anchor light would be a great deal in terms of battery usage.

Last week was his opportunity.

It’s always been close, getting Katherine Jane safely under the Fremont Bridge with it’s height of 30′. She clears it…barely. The first time we ever went through, Brock stationed me in a place where I could clearly see the mast. He told me he was going to ease up to it ever so gently, and if said it wasn’t going to fit, I would tell him so and he would back away and we would have the bridge-tender open the bridge.

So we slowly inched our way forward. I said “Nope, not gonna make it.” He continued to ease her forward. “Uh, NO,” I said. “Way too close.” He nudged forward. And we cleared, by a hairsbreadth.

At which point there was some glaring on my part and the suggestion that if you’re going to give me a job and then not listen to me, I didn’t want the job in the first place, thank you very much.

It’s been kind of a running joke for the past year and a half. I simply turn my head the other way and loudly hum, ’cause what would be the point of saying anything? La, la, la, la, la, la….and we always have made it, by one degree or another. The lake is down in the winter by about 32″ and then raised in the spring, so we never know exactly what we’re going to get. That coupled with different amounts of fuel and water onboard made it impossible to predict.

We returned from a trip to the San Juans a couple of weeks ago and I made the usual show of “I’m not looking, I don’t care, la, la, la.” And this time? Didn’t clear it. Actually only shattered the lens, not even the bulb, it was that close. To my credit, there was no brou-ha-ha over it, only mild amusement. After all, I’ve known for over a year that we don’t *quite* fit under that bridge.

But the good part is that it became an opportunity to replace the whole unit.

And while we were at it? We sawed off 16″ of the mast, and the Fremont Bridge will never present an issue for us again.

The part when he replaced it in a thunder/lightning storm on an aluminum ladder? Let’s just say the boating gods let him get away with a lot.

The top deck of KJ is actually rather high traffic area & has always been difficult to keep clean. Something about white decks with non-skid on them ~ they just collect grime that is impossible to scrub away. So usually she only looks clean for the first five minutes after we re-paint.

But I’m learning! I think this will be much easier to maintain and it should look sharp quite a bit longer. Now a bit of fresh white on the trim and she should really be popping!

The main decks received another round of Top Secret clear epoxy, which I love. It wore well throughout last season. She only required a light sanding and recoat to recover the glossy look. It’s such a nice, flexible-yet-strong finish. And we’re ready to go for another season of bare-footedness!