Sad Week

The evening that we returned from Florida we got a call that Mike`s little sister Laurel had suffered a cardiac arrest in the hospital in Cleveland.The next morning we were once again in a rental car and went to Cleveland.We arrived in time to spend time with her and pick up his sister Lu from the airport.Laurel lost her battle and passed away with us at her side.Our daughter Amy flew in from Seattle and was a big help comforting Grandma and sorting through Laurel`s apartment.Laurel was a stained glass artist and photographer as well as clerk in the ICU at University Hospital.We are back in Annapolis and preparing the boat for yardwork here and our trip to Seattle.

Trailer Trash

Well so much for no home,spur of the moment decision made after realizing our boat was sinking under the  load of too many personal belongings and spare parts. Mike and I traveled to Lake Wales,Fl. to look at a Mobile Home that I had seen near my mother and our friend Glenn. We made an offer for half the asking price and now are official trailer trash. We brought a car load full of not needed stuff from the boat with us but want to store more this fall when the boat arrives in Fla. I feel more secure having somewhere to go if one of us is too ill to travel. Mike likes the big shop area with huge table that he can do canvas sewing on. Next year we may be reverse snowbirds and spend the summer here. It is an older Mobile Home with enclosed sunroom,carport,working air conditioning and a big kitchen area. The down side is home repairs, Mike just fixed two leaking faucets and drain. The park is a senior Mobile Home and RV Park that Mike`s Grandpa stayed in many years ago.
It hasn"t been a good summer for sailing-hot and rainy so we will travel next week to Seattle to see the kids and grandkids and hope to hitch a sail there. The boat will have no vacation,Petrini`s boatyard will do the bottom paint,add a through hull for the watermaker and deck wash and may paint the hull too. We still plan to travel to the Abacos this winter and I will enjoy the space inside that we have cleared up.