2 more work days until the concrete slab gets poured

Details of foundation

Putting in rebar to foundation

Breaking Ground

Pictures of our lot after the first and second day of site work to level out spots for the two foundations.  The contractors broke ground March 30th.

 March 31st is below. Skye and I went over together to check it out

Pulling up the concrete from the old driveway.

AI Tree crew working hard clearing trees.

The bamboo, palm and paperback trees are gone, about 3 more big trees to come down.

The old house is gone after 1 long day.

Building our Home

After nearly a year of preparation, we are one week into building a new home for our family. Last Monday morning, Ozzy demolished the old Thompson home and hauled it away. It took 8 X 30 cubic yard dumpsters to carry off the whole thing. Left behind was the concrete slab and driveway, along with scattered detritus from 50 or so years of living. We salvaged a diesel generator, a solid rosewood dining set and a size adult large teenage mutant Ninja Turtles costume that was brand new. A subcontractor came back Saturday morning and crushed up and hauled away the concrete in 4 dump truck loads. One of the neighbors was steamed because the noisy crushing of concrete started too early. He called the police who came but were very friendly. 

A question I've been mulling over.

As I watch the late afternoon light slowly soften,students stroll through the heart of U-W campus. I am starting to collect my thoughts and lessons learned after nearly a year of travel.

Northbound to Canada (for the weekend)

Biked to the ferry terminal today after class. I am riding the Victoria Clipper 2.5 hours north from Seattle to Victoria, BC for the Swiftsure Regatta. The ferry ride itself is super fun because it is so ridicuously fast, cruising along at 30 knots the whole way.  

I took a picture from the stern, where you can really get a feel for the boat's power.

Martin and Linda on invited me to help the crew their f-31R trimaran named Moxie in a "casual fast" effort.

The race is about 100 miles, basically from Victoria straight out to the exit of the strait of Juan De Fucca then back. There was a festive atmosphere with many of the race boats rafted up in the marina in the heart of downtown. 

University of Washington Physics Education Group Thursday Night Teachers Meeting

A group of 12 or so local teachers meet upstairs in one of the PEG classrooms every week to talk story and swap ideas. 

Lots of good conversation: National Board Certification, curriculum challenges, working with administration...teacher stuff. 

Everyone picks one week to bring food. It is my turn tonight. Made 2 big batches of chili. 1 veg and 1 beef. Plus brought all the trimmings including rice, cheese sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges, corn chips, green salad mix, and a couple boxes of petit ecolier cookies. Donna made cornbread and drinks so it is a team effort. 

Paradise Island

Asad and Gary sadly departed the Bahamas this afternoon.  We had a great morning walking over the bridge to visit Paradise Island.  Jamey stayed in Nassau to do chores which included going to the marine store, fixing something on the boat, and going to the grocery store to provision.  We will not have much access to shopping over the next couple of months, so he did a relatively big shop.  He remarked on how all of the stores have bars over their windows and big locks on their doors. 

Paradise Island is a bit incongruous to walk around after being anchored by serene and quiet Rose Island last night.  It holds the Atlantis resort and has many of the same shops that one might find in a typical American mall.   It's sort of anti-everything we are coming to the Bahamas to experience (serenity, nature, adventure, simplicity), but it is fun nevertheless.  Contrasts enhance the extremes, after all. 

We left Asad and Gary on the docks of Nassau Yacht Haven (with just a couple of hours left before their flights to Florida and then to SF for Gary and Honolulu for Asad) so that we would have enough time to sail back to Rose Island where we are anchored again for the night, positioned for an early morning departure heading south. 

 
 

The bridge between Nassau and Paradise Island brings you from the land of have-nots to the land of haves. 

None in Hawaii, so Dunkin Donuts is still "exotic" and a novelty for the girls.  It made sense to visit one in the Bahamas.

 
 

I had a hard time explaining slot machines and gambling to the girls.

Queen of the sea with my beautiful princesses.

Thank you for visiting us, Uncles Asad and Gary!! We are looking forward to sailing together again one day soon. 

 

Mailboats bring supplies and food to the cays scattered throughout the Bahamaas.

 

Our "family" from Bimini visited us.  Jamey and the boys continued their weather talk.  

Eight on Board at Rose Island

January 12:

What is it like to be on a boat designed to fit two comfortably with eight people?  It's AWESOME!

We often get incredulous looks as people count how many of us are aboard C.Spirit.  Six on board a 32 foot sailboat is definitely a lot.  With our crew, however, somehow it doesn't feel that way.  Sage and Skye are little people that like to hang out in itty bitty unlikely spaces such as a corner of the bimini or on a shelf in the back berth.  Indigo and Phoenix are medium-sized people that also don't really take up too much space.

Our belongings are minimum and even with a cello, an extensive library of school books and an arsenal of games and craft items, we feel that we have lots of space.  Of course, the key thing is that we actually like being together.  From living in a tiny house at home, we have become accustomed to the constancy of each other that proximity forces. 

It also helps that we spent a month and a half camping before we hopped on C.Spirit.   All six of us shared a six-person, three-season tent that was light enough to carry wilderness camping (i.e., small and compact requiring a bit of tangram-like manipulation of sleeping bags and people nearly every night).   C.Spirit was a mansion for us after camping.

"Where does everyone sleep?" we are asked often.  One in the V-berth, two or three in the back berth, two or three in the salon where the table drops and one on the other sofa in the salon.   Variations include one to three people sleeping outside in the cockpit, something that we all love doing, and we often fight to be one of the outside sleepers.   

With Gary and Asad on board, we shifted ourselves around and somehow in the end, the back berth was empty all night as everyone wanted to sleep under the stars. 

Early morning pre-sunrise arrival at Rose Island

Happiness is...

Approaching Nassau

Rose Island lies three miles east of Paradise Island

It's so close to the big, busy city of Nassau yet so peacefully far removed.

"I caught a fish!" screamed Sage.  We did not believe her at first because we knew there was no bait on the line.  Only Sage could catch a fish with just a line and hook.  I used the innards of this fish and caught another and then used the flesh from both to make fish jambalaya. 

____________

January 13:

Indy made pancakes for breakfast.

There were a couple of other boats already anchored here. 

Jamey likes to steer with his foot.

I am hoping that Gary got the sailing bug and will end up with his own sailboat one day, cruising the Pacific Ocean. 

Asad trimming the jib.    

Snorkeling time!

The girls like to snorkel from the SUP.

I always like underwater better. 

The Asadafish.

 

Time to head towards the city. 

 
 
 

We are docking tonight at Nassau Yacht Haven so that Asad and Gary can catch a flight home tomorrow. 

Gary and Asad treated us to a delicious dinner at Bahama Grill.   I had the best conch burger ever. 

The new US $100 bill.  We first saw it when we were in Washington DC in August and visited the Bureau of Engraving and Printing where paper money is made.  The new bill was released on October 8, 2013.  It has 3D images on a blue ribbon woven into the bill that change and move as you tilt the bill.