Another Addition to the Fleet

Well the New Year is off to a good start. I just bought an 18 1/2 ft Glastron speedboat. It has an aluminum roof welded to the top and sides which will make it nice and safe for hauling logs and keeping us dry. It was just the boat with no motor ect but I have the 85 Johnson I can put on it and all the steering cables are there. I need a Marine radio and some gauges,but other than that ,the boat is pretty much ready to go. I cant wait to be able to get out and explore my backyard.Im looking forward to being able to take it to Wreck Beach next summer. Whoohoo, no more stairs!!(There are about 400 stairs straight up a cliff which is the only access to the beach,a heart attack inducer if ever there was one.)

Got disappointing news yesterday when I called the guy with the Kayaks to tell him I had the money for the second one. Turns out he up and sold it on me to someone else. Asshole, Im not too impressed, I wanted David to have one as well so we could go out together. Im not brave enough to go by myself at this point. Hopefully I can find another deal on one before the weather warms up.

I cant complain though, in 5 months I have managed to aquire every kind of boat Ive ever wanted, a live aboard, a kayak and a speedboat. And they are all paid for, no money owing on any of them. Life is good.

Work has been insane, only 3 days off this month, but Im glad to have the extra money to go boat shopping with. Im praying that the log salvaging business works out and I can retire from the Massage industry. We get conflicting stories from people, some saying there is tons of money to be made and others saying there is none. I dont know who to believe, so will just cross my fingers and hope for the best. Nothing ventured , nothing gained. I am going to need alot of money to get the wood hull on my live-aboard fixed this summer and am hoping the log salvaging will pay for that. Another day, another adventure, its all good.xxoo

Happy Festivus Everyone

Hi everyone, hope your holidays were awesome. I slept through most of them myself. I had been working 6 days a week for the last few months and just barely made it to the last day. I had 6 glorious days off in a row. Of course I had a million things I wanted to do , but in the end was so exhausted, I just went to bed and stayed there.

Christmas Eve, David and I made the rounds of all the boats down here, stopped in and had a visit with all our neighbors. Its funny, they live right here but sometimes weeks go by and I hardly see anyone. Christmas Day we went to Todd and Shelleys house for dinner. She outdid herself as usual and put on a beautiful feast for us complete with yummy homemade blackberry wine and all kinds of treats. We had a splendid day and came home with enough turkey leftovers to make a wonderful pot of soup the next day. This was good as we spent the whole entire day in bed, only getting up long enough to make and eat the soup. A nicer Christmas I couldnt have asked for.

We finally got the shower curtain rod installed and a bracket for the shower head, so I now have a tub and shower with screaming hot water, its wonderful. Another thing on my wishlist was a propane stove with an oven. Ive been looking everyday on Craigslist for something suitable but wasnt having any luck. Yesterday, I decided to place my own ad on Craigslist in the wanted section to see if anyone had one kicking around. Boy did I luck out. Tonight I got an email from a guy in Maple Ridge that had just gutted a camper and had a stove for me. At 11 pm he offered to drive it over here. He showed up around midnight with the perfect stove for here and threw in a water holding tank and a hand pump to boot. As luck would have it, he turns out to be a gasfitter, so I showed him my on-demand water heater and propane furnace and got all kinds of good advice on how to get them hooked up. Finally there is light at the end of the tunnel. It doesnt sound to difficult to get what I need, so I should have endless hot water soon. The water tank is great for showers but doesnt produce enough water to totaly fill the tub. And if someone has a shower, you need to wait a few hours before anyone else can.The on-demand heater will take care of all of that.

He was also very interested in my potbellied wood stove. Apparently its very old, predating World War One. He refurbishes old stoves and wants to trade me wood stoves. Im all for that. I love the stove but it has limitations in the size of wood I can fit in it, and a lid that slides off every time we get hit with a big wave. I want something safer, bigger and with a flat surface so I can put a pot of water on it. He will call back in a few days when he finds the right one for me.

And as if this wasnt already the most awesome day, I also got a Kayak tonight!! Ive wanted one for years now, but couldnt find one cheap enough. Good ole Craigslist came through for me again. I saw an ad yesterday for two at $300 apiece. One is pink and one is red, too perfect. They are small river kayaks meant for white water, but Im sure they will be fine for puttering around here on. I could only afford to buy one tonight, will go back in a week or two when the coffers are refilled to get the other one. I cant wait to go for a midnight paddle under the full moon.I just have to watch out I dont get swept out to sea on the tides, we get some crazy fast water going past here some days.

I think Im going to have to write an ode to Craigslist, pretty much everything in my life , I found on there, from David, to the boat and most of the stuff on it, not to mention all the helpful people Ive met. Craig, whoever you are, Thanks from the bottom of my heart, this was a most excellent year, and all thanks to you.xxoo