Daily Archives: July 28, 2012

Tale of two Cities

Many have asked why we have no pictures of our nightly thunderstorms and I usually say that we’re a little busy at the time. This is what it looks like when you arrive at an anchorage late and in a storm.

20120728-193122.jpg
They were a little busy too. I don’t know if we’re getting nonchalant about our nightly storms but we found time to snap this shot. Gusts about 35knots with lots of rain.
Norfolk:

20120728-193612.jpg
Portsmouth:

20120728-194121.jpg
With Escape Velocity in the middle of the Elizabeth River, poised to collect that pot of gold. No gold but we did find that after two weeks of inactivity the starter in the NexGen generator whirrs but doesn’t turnover the engine. Not my favorite place to work, it’s hidden away in the bow storage compartment. The older and decidedly wonky start battery for the strb’ Volvo didn’t like the hiatus much and decided to go on strike as well. We were planning to hike over to the local sports watering hole to watch the Olympic opening, when the thunderstorm moved in so we thought we’d better stay with the boat and crank up the generator. No joy. We were able to see a little until the inverter started to get the best of the batteries. That’s when we found out about the generator.

We have that sinking feeling again, you know, that we’ve been left behind, I guess it’s because our friend the Brit solo sailor left for parts North, and we can’t even get our Ram Guru to tell us anything about our autopilot. It’s been ten days! So, as we prepare to leave our snug anchorage and head North we hope we can find a place to send the ram that’s as convenient as this would’ve been. That’s assuming he hasn’t sold the thing and left town.

The bikes are back on EV and that’s a sure sign that we are blowing this town. I can hear the lilting trumpet notes of “Retreat” echoing across from Hospital Point, sand blasting at the Naval Shipyard, and a really irritating party boat that crisscrosses back and forth in front of Norfolk’s waterfront. That’s life on the water.

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

When Izzy ain’t happy . . .

When we found Izzy in the Trader Joe’s parking lot she was tiny and tar-covered and scared to death.

20120714-091455.jpg
We took her back to the house and tried to find a home for her. For two weeks the poor little thing hid under furniture, ran from shoes and cried. The only thing that would calm her was being held tightly and petted, then as soon as we put her down, she ran under the furniture again.

20120714-095756.jpg

20120714-095905.jpg
She came to know her surroundings and grew more comfortable with us, and when none of our cat-loving friends had room for her we knew she was with us to stay.

20120714-100109.jpg
She finally got over her fears and became the most playful cat we’ve ever had. She loves to chase the laser pointer beam, wrestle twist-ties, and play soccer with wine corks. I’d never seen a cat dribble a wine cork the length of our first floor as well as she can. She became even happier when we started letting her out. She rarely ventured beyond our little yard and the neighbors’ and she seemed to mostly sit under a shrub and watch birds, but she wanted to be outside all the time, summer and winter.

20120714-154343.jpg
So then we sold our house and Izzy went to stay with Jack’s family while we boat shopped. At first she reverted to hiding under the furniture but within a few days she grew to love her foster home. There were people to dote on her and play Catch the Twist-Tie and lots of bird feeders to watch. Best of all there was plenty of room to run, because more than anything, Izzy loves to run.

When we found Escape Velocity we drove back to Pittsburgh and collected Izzy for what would be a much longer car trip than she’d ever experienced. And she did not like it.

20120714-155154.jpg

20120714-155830.jpg
We stopped for a week with my family and it took only a day or two before she was right at home, getting hugged and playing outside.

20120714-172831.jpg

20120714-175656.jpg
Then, just as she was getting used to that, we were back in the car for a long ride to Florida,

20120726-150108.jpg
two weeks cooped up in a short-term rental while we wrapped up the purchase of Escape Velocity, and finally the big move aboard our new home. She was understandably frightened. We figured a couple of weeks and she’ll be exploring the docks and making friends with the neighbors. But no. She hides in various places on the boat and only comes outside under cover of darkness and even then any sound at all makes her flinch. When we’re underway she heads down to the lowest place on the boat, and if it gets at all bouncy she cries.

The night before we arrived here in Portsmouth we tied up to a free dock alongside a town park. Izzy must have smelled land because she came out on deck, saw how close we were to shore and walked up and down the side deck choosing her spot. In a flash she was off the boat and under a bush. Lucky for us she doesn’t run away but just hides. We grabbed the leash and hooked her up and stayed with her while she enjoyed the cool feel of grass between her toes.

20120728-115412.jpg
It broke our hearts to have to bring her back inside when it was time to go. We’ve had to face the fact that our little cutie would be much happier in a land-based home.

20120728-182057.jpg
We love this little kitty so much, but more than that we want her to be happy.

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized