It’s beginning to look a little like Christmas

Well Ryan and I have been busy busy working. In fact we have been so busy that Christmas snuck up on us. But I got the day off today and have made a little effort at some Christmas Cheer. It is hard to get into the Christmas Spirit when the weather is 84 and the palm trees are swaying in the wind.

But we have a tree and thanks to Mom we have our stockings stuffed with goodies.

Our work also gave us a Christmas gift:

MMMMmmmm Pumpkin Pie

That helps to make it feel Christmas’y!

And since the year is almost up I thought that I would use the oven so I could say I did it at least once this year…

Yes, I actually baked! Aren’t they festive! Cookies for Santa!

Sadly that is the extent of our holidays this year. Ryan is working today and tomorrow. And I am in standby mode. We both enjoy our jobs but we do have to say that we didn’t know getting part time jobs would keep us soo busy!

Did I tell you that Ryan actually has 3 jobs. He goes out most days on The Cat, he is the Co-Captain but  some days he is just crew, he enjoys it he also really likes getting tip$. You can check it out here: www.TheVICat.com  he is also a stand in Captain for the ferry boat from the Marriott but has not had to do that job yet, and then on Sundays he does maintenance on the ferry boats. Ryan works hard and has not had a day off since he decided to go back to working.

I work for the Adventure Center, they act as the conceirge service for the Marriot, we are sort of like a travel agency, setting up tours for people to take. I work upstairs in the hotel or some days I work downstairs at the dock and sell ferry tickets. I like my job and I’m learning a lot about the island. For those of you that wanna come visit check out www.adventurecenters.net

Well that is about all I have for now. I have to get back to the kitchen and clean up my mess.

Merry Christmas!

Ryan’s First Day of Work

Hmmm, I don’t think he’s back into the swing of things yet.

That is the boat parts storage container and paint shed on fire.

pictures and video from Arturo

Fortunately nobody was hurt and the fire was due to faulty wiring not anything Ryan did.

But jeeze what a

“welcome back to the real world”.

If this is how our days are going to be;

we’re ready to head back out to sea!

Only in the Islands

Only in the islands can you go for a serious job interview and then need your swimsuit! Yes it can happen.

Ryan had a very impromptu interview today for ??? well we wasn’t exactly sure what he was interviewing for but a friend of ours said he talked to his boss and his boss would like to see Ryan at 9:00am (in an hour). UHHH totally wasn’t expecting that! As Ryan looks down at himself covered in dirt and grime from his work in the engine room. No problem, he runs through a shower, shaves, and digs out a collared shirt, kaki shorts and …shoes….shoes Ummm Ryan doesn’t have real shoes, so he went in flip flops. Hey it’s the islands right?! On his way out he hollers down “Hey why don’t you go with me so that you can keep an eye on the dinghy, I’m not sure I can park it where I plan to park it so this way you can move it if necessary.” “Sure no problem just give me a sec to close up the boat.” And off we go.

So we get there and Ryan ties the dinghy up and heads in to his interview. I lounge in the dinghy, enjoying the sun and a book. About twenty or thirty minutes pass and Ryan comes back, along with two gentlemen he has just interviewed with. I’m thinking that they are concluding the interview and we are getting ready to leave when I hear “Well  I was really wanting to come down here and meet you because we have another job opening, would you be interested?”

“Uhh Sure! but I have to say that this is going to be my first interview barefooted and in a tie dye t-shirt.”  (To be honest, I am not even sure if I combed my hair this morning or not.) He doesn’t seem distracted or put off sooo on with the interview.

Well the interview turned into a tour of the facilities, and then a meeting of the employees, and then into a description and demonstration of the requirements for my potential job, then some job shadowing for Ryan (with me in tow), and then (the icing on the cake) a snorkel tour out to Buck island. A snorkel tour WITH all the true guests that had PLANNED on going snorkeling and swimming and Ryan in his nice clothes and me…well I wasn’t in nice clothes but I certainly didn’t have on a bathing suit. It was a good time but we did get a lot of odd looks. A few of the more outgoing customers come up and asked me if we were friends with the crew since it was obvious we weren’t there for the same reasons they were. I briefly explained that we were there just to observe. They politely accepted my vague response and we went back to discussing the turtles and other sea creatures they had observed. We spent about 3 hours out on the boat, it was kinda fun to have someone else doing all the sails and work, and then finally we found ourselves back home a little after 5:00pm. At that point we both just looked at each other and decided neither one of us wanted to cook. So we loaded Sissy up for a walk and headed into town for a celebratory Pizza!  We won’t know for sure if we have the jobs until Monday but we figured that we still had something to celebrate I mean how many people can pull off a day like we just did?! I LOVE LIVING IN THE ISLANDS!

It looks like if we do somehow land these jobs then Ryan will be a ferry captain from the Marriot resort to downtown St. Thomas and a fill in captain on the charter snorkeling boat and I will be selling tickets to the ferry and booking people for the local tours and snorkel cruises. We are both happy and hoping to be able to stay here in St. Thomas. So cross your fingers and we will update ya’ll soon!

How we are spending our time in St. Lucia

Below are some pictures of how we spend the rainy days onboard.

For those of you who ask what do we do everyday.

If it looks like this outside …

then you can pretty much consider the day wasted.

There isn’t much to do.

You don’t want to go outside.

You don’t want to dinghy in to town.

So you …

Catch water.

Play on the iPad, read, play an instrument,

and watch movies until it clears up

and your able to go into to town and use internet and visit with other people.

Where we just found out that the ARC Boat race is on it’s way now to St. Lucia. So we have decided to stick around and see all the boats and celebrations. It sounds exciting. You can track the boats here http://www.worldcruising.com/arc/viewer.aspx And learn more about the event in their page.

So we will be here in Rodney Bay for a few more days. Which works out because the weather isn’t good for leaving for a few more days anyway. But it’s okay because Ryan and I both enjoy it here, more so when we are able to be ashore, but enjoying a few lazy days just the same.

Just a quickie

This isn't going to be a long blog it's just a quick "we are alive and well" blog. We are currently in Bequia making our way North. Ryan has a job interview waiting in the Virgin Islands. Sounds like we will be in St. Thomas (Honeymoon Bay, Water Island)for a little while; maybe through Christmas, then over to Trellis Bay. We will be there for several months, depending on the job. I will sit down and write a better / more in depth blog when we quit rushing North. Until then, Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving. Love, Jen & Ryan

Complaint Department

So I was sitting and visiting with the family when I heard “I only check the blog about once a month, because SOMEBODY doesn’t write more than that.” Well I’M SORRY. After almost two years I am running low on topics. We don’t travel very fast and we don’t do a lot of action packed adventures that are story worthy. Plus the internet SUCKS in Grenada.

Yes I know that I am now in Oklahoma and internet is not a problem but here I have two new problems. 1.) My computer is dying a slow and painful death from exposure to the salt air. Therefore the port side of the keyboard no longer works and it is slowly creeping to the starboard side. So writing a blog like this takes twice as long as it should because I have to use the onscreen keyboard. Oh yeah, YOU try writing an email without q, w, e, 1-5, or any of your function keys. In fact, I don’t have your blog address, maybe you could send that to me so I can follow you. (Ok yes that was a little angry but I don’t know what it is that I am suppose to be writing everyday. Do you really want to see us grocery shopping and doing our laundry?) How about a compromise I will try to post more pictures when I don’t have anything to write. Deal?

Oh and the other reason I haven’t wrote while home is because I am trying to make the rounds to see you all in person. So yeah buddy keep complaining and I will move you down the list.

Besides I looked at the counter and I average 4 blogs a month. So there!

So dear readers, if you are like SOMEONE and you too would like more blogs. Maybe send an email and tell us what you wanna hear about or see. It sure would help. Or better yet fill up Ryan’s email with complaints, when was the last time any of you have heard from him?!

But seriously thank you all for following our blog and I am glad that you like it and want more, I will try harder.

 

Until the next time that I blog here is something to keep you busy…Find the cat hiding in this picture.

Yes there really is a cat.

Internet Nightmare

It is practically nonexistent here in Grenada. There is only one free signal in the harbor and it rarely works, but from what I’ve been hearing the paid internet isn’t much better. So once again I am apologizing for not posting and answering emails in a timely manner. Ironically Facebook is the only site that consistently comes through, even if it is only for about 10 minutes. That is enough to send out a message if only to say, yes we are still alive. It is also unfortunate that the internet is out because, for a change, we have things to report here.

As many of you know, Marilyn flew home for Sophie’s birthday and a month long visit. Well she has decided to stay in Oklahoma. She is taking her farm back. We received an email from her today and she seems excited about the change. She already has a pickup, and is beginning to remodel the rent house, she is even planning on taking up pottery work again. So needless to say she is going to be very busy. She will still come sailing, but now she can pick when and where.

Ryan has been busy as well, he has passed all his surveyor tests (We all knew he would.) and has made a boat delivery to Trinidad, in addition to getting our Sandy Dreams ready for the trip back north. We have talked about it and have decided to go back to the Virgin Islands after hurricane season. Ryan has already had a few job offers there and is getting a little itchy to get back to working. (I think he has run out of schooling options and repairs on Sandy so he is getting bored.) We will leave after I return from my trip home to Oklahoma.

As for me I have been busy with my artwork. I have been accepted into a gallery and will be taking some pieces in while I am home. I hoping that it goes well and that I can get into a few more in the USVI’s.

Sissy doesn’t have much to report, she misses Marilyn and goes to her room looking for her often. She has a Dr appointment tomorrow to get all her health certificates and shots up to date. She is not looking forward to it but we hear only good things about the staff/students at the veterinary school.

The weather has been rather unpleasant for the last few days, it is either raining or hot and muggy, both ways make it hot inside the boat and difficult to get things accomplished outside. So I have been rearranging cabinets and ‘hiding’ things from Ryan. It is a job that has been needing to be done and is fun to watch him look for the bowls and other things I’ve moved. Not much else going on, I am counting down the days until I am home and Ryan is counting down the days until I get back so we can head out.

I hope to get to see some of you while I’m home and excited to see those I already have plans with. (6 more days!)

Miss you all and hope everyone else is doing as well as we are.

Ryan on Catbird’s delivery to Trinidad.

It is an 82’ CatamaranJuCa came over for a day of arts and crafts and swimming.

Ryan at a jam session.

Me at morning yoga.

Shopping made easy

Have a blank wall?

Redecorating a room?

Need a gift?

(Christmas is just around the corner)

Or maybe

you are just not looking forward to winter.

* * *

You need a warm sunny picture

to send to that someone special

or

hang it over the couch, on that blank wall, or in your office and

brighten your own day.

Check out:

artwork-by-jennifer.blogspot.com

I have just what you need!

Prices vary by size so grab a measuring tape and send me an email.

 

To blog or not to blog

So I know I should be writing a new blog but I have sat down several times to write and I don’t really have much to say, so I am just going to take the easy way out and post some pictures from the last few ports.  We are currently anchored in Prickly Bay Grenada. Marilyn is home in Oklahoma visiting Sophie for her birthday; I go home for a few weeks in October; Ryan is busy with more schooling, this time he is getting qualified as an Accredited Marine Surveyor; and Sis is faithfully guarding Sandy Dreams from pirates, pelicans, and other rough looking characters. That’s all I have for now, on to the pictures!

Ryan and Sandy Dreams (Center) in Clifton, Union.

Happy Island, Union (Yes that is the whole island in the picture.)

Sun setting behind Union. (Sandy Dreams is right of center)

Some nurse sharks in the “Marine aquarium” (Basically they were caged in a ditch beside the bay. It was sad.)

Marilyn trying out the swing seats at the yacht club bar in Union.

Sis under the shade umbrellas on the beach at Mayreau

We were the only boat in the harbor.

Sis made the first tracks on the beach.

Sandy Dreams in the harbor.

Looking out from the cliffside near Ashton, Union.

Sis inspecting the tide pools.

Sandy Dreams in the harbor.

Looking back at the cliffside.

Ryan’s Birthday Breakfast.

Marilyn decorated.

Then we went out for pizza in Tryyel Bay, Carriacou.

Sunset in St. George Lagoon, Grenada

Sandy Dreams sandwiched in the bay.

Enjoying a Jam session at Whisper Cove, Grenada

Well that gets you pretty much up to date.

Until next time…Love from us.

Technical Difficulties

Technical Difficulties

Have a post but unable to post it. I have been trying for four days.

Could be due to the fact that it is mostly pictures or could be that the internet is horrible here.

I’ll keep trying. Just thought I’d let ya know.

4,004.9

That is what our odometer is reading as of today August 29, 2011 at 9:46 am. Depending on how you count it, it has been 19 months; 82 weeks; 576 days; or 13,824 hours and 6 minutes since we left our slip in South Shore Harbour and Marina in Houston, Texas.

Today we are 2,378.6 miles (as the crow flies) from our home port.

We are at

N12°34.891 W061°26.301

Perkins, OK is at

N35°58.649 W097°01.710.

This marks our 130^th blog.

And we have made land fall at 80 different ports since our departure.

Not too bad.

The trip has been incredible. It has been harder than expected, but in our opinion, well worth it. The worst part is being away from family. The best part? The view, the islands, the people we have met, and the experience.

What a journey!

Tobago Cays

Hands down my favorite!

I got to swim with sea turtles!

It was AWESOME! I only got a few pictures because the camera batteries died. But I swam with them for hours. And then I got up early and swam with them for like an hour this morning.  They were close enough to touch, in fact I did pet a couple of them, they weren’t scared of me at all. One had a dented shell, and two of them were like 4’ long x 3’ wide, but most of them were about 2’ long x 1’ wide. They were just swimming around eating jelly fish and grass off the bottom. I also saw a couple of rays, a huge tuna fish, squid of several sizes, and several different kinds of fish. I swam with a school of fish that had so many fish in it that for as far as I could see in any direction was just fish. It was pretty cool.

Today was the best day.