WATERFORD HARBOR

The deed is done... I filled out the application and paid the deposit on a slip. This will be the location of my next residence. I was very nervous when I went in the office of the marina. This was something new, something I've never done before, a new adventure.

Yesterday, I visited the marina with a couple of my friends. We walked the dock and looked at boats, then sat for awhile. As we sat there looking out over the marina, I could hear those familiar marina sounds; the gentle whistling of the wind through the masts and rigging, the clanging of a halyard against it's mast, the faint rubbing of the fender between the boat and the finger pier.... calming sounds.

With everything in life, there are compromises. I have already measured the distance between my slip and the shower, restroom, laundry - ~200 steps. This is important information. Okay, yes, it will be a stroll to the facilities, but I'm willing to endure these inconveniences. The advantages out weigh the inconveniences.

My drive to work will be cut from 25 miles, to 2. That means a five minute drive, instead of 35... and a lot less gas to buy. My living expenses will be cut by two-thirds. Having money at the end of the month will help too.

I go through my day now, wondering how different my everyday life will be. It will be more simple, more time for me, closer to all my friends, maybe a little more laid-back. I'm looking forward to my new adventure. Just three more weeks...

Throwing away mood....

For those of you who have not heard, I will be moving onto a boat in October. When I tell people this, they ask me, "what are you going to do with your stuff?" My response, "sell it all." In order to do that, I have to go through everything. Throw away the junk, list the better stuff on Craigslist, and the rest will go in an estate sale. Today, I started the "going through stuff".

I have two filing cabinets... full of stuff I haven't used or looked at in years. Today was the day to tackle that.

It was a trip down memory lane. My best, and most exciting find, was finding the Quickbooks disk I have been looking for... for a few years now!

How many of you remember these? And, don't forget the floppy disk. Yes, they all went in the trash.

I found a lot of items like this. Not sure why they weren't trashed a long time ago.

This process is a little harder than I thought it would be. It's like letting go of the old, and starting a new life. A friend told me that at her last move, she had an open door sale, and that it was very freeing. I'm thinking that it will be the same for me. I have the memories, don't have to hang onto the tangible items that go along with them. It's unfortunate my memory is so bad!

MOVED

When I was a little girl, my mother said if she tried to help me do something, I would say, "do it myself ". Well, I haven't changed. On Thursday, the trailer was ready for the boat, and I did it myself.

The roller assemblies were bolted onto a 2 x 4. Then the 2 x 4 was bolted onto the trailer. Not knowing how much the boat weighted at this point, I was afraid that she would be hard to get on the trailer. TARDIS was sitting on her Dolly, so I rolled her up to the back of the trailer. Her stem was about 4 inches lower than the roller at the back. About the time I was going to lift the bow up, my neighbor came over and wanted to help. He easily lifted her bow and set it onto the roller. Then, with little effort, we pushed at the stern and she rolled right onto the trailer. I really could have done it all by myself!

Immediately after TARDIS was settled, it began to pour down rain. I backed her up into the garage and began to strap her down.

Since the boat didn't take up the whole trailer, there was lots of room to pack stuff on. I was beginning to feel like the Clampetts.

I slowly drove the 35 miles to Pasadena, keeping an eye on the left tire that has a leak. I aired up the tire before I left, but didn't know how long it would hold air. I made it home without incident.

Now that I am all moved and settled, I can start back to work on TARDIS. After she is finished, I will need to get a trailer that fits her. One with no rust, working lights, safety chains ... you know, all those required parts.

*NOTE: I don't have internet yet, so if this post looks different it's because I wrote it on my phone.

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MOVING

MOVING DAY is almost here. I will be moving from NW Houston down to Pasadena, TX. But, I have a problem, no trailer for my Paradox, TARDIS. The bottom needed to be finished so I could roll it over one last time, and then put it on a trailer.

Yesterday, I got on the computer and looked through Craig's List. I was thinking that I could just get anything that was in my price range. I only need to haul her about 45 miles to the new home. Then, when she is finished and ready for the water, I will find one that "fits". So, I'm looking and find one for $200. I talk to the seller, tell him that I am building a boat, have to move it, and don't have much money. He says, "how about $100". I say, "sold!"

Did I mention it didn't have lights? Yeah, so I went to Harbor freight and bought the towing lights with magnets. When I try to "stick" the lights on, there is so much rust that they don't stick very well. And how do we solve problems like that? Duct tape, of course. License plate, well, it didn't have one of those either, and I was running errands when the seller returned my call. I didn't want to go all the way back home and get the plate off my other trailer, so I just took a chance. As I pulled away with the trailer, I said, "Lord, please turn the policeman's head when I drive by." And you know what? He did. A police car passed me on the freeway and didn't stop me. I made it all the way home without incident. I did need help getting it backed into the driveway though. My son Shawn, helped me. The trailer is actually for an 18' boat, but for that price, I couldn't pass it up.

Today, I put the first coat of paint on the bottom of TARDIS. I wanted to use navy blue, but Home Depot in Kemah did not have it in blue. The bottom is black. I am using RUST-OLEUM Marine Coatings. I'll let you know how it holds up.

About 20 minutes after I finished painting, a cloud came up and the wind pulled down the shade over TARDIS. I scrambled to get it back up before it started to rain. With help from my daughter, Amy, the tarp covering was back in place and the paint had already dried enough that the finish was not messed up. The paint was still tacky, it got wet, but didn't seem to hurt it. I think I will like this paint.

Moving... yeah, I hate it too. Packing. I feel the need to down size. There is a pile of "stuff" in the middle of the room. Stuff that is good, I don't want to throw it away, but don't want it either. I first thought - Garage Sale. I want to get out of this house as soon as possible, so I don't know when I would be able to have a garage sale. I don't really want to drag it to Pasadena and then sell it. The whole point of getting rid of it was that I didn't have to move the stuff. What do I do? Oh, now my head hurts! I'll go get me a glass of tea and think about it while I throw stuff in a box.