Random Ramblings...

The Very Last Peach!

(It was delicious!)

So I wandered out to the Garden on Thursday night, expecting a small handful of peaches. :::sigh::: Only found one! (And no, I still haven't gotten out there with a rake and a scooper to pick-up the ones rotting on the ground!!!)

Anyway... It was delicious! And Peach Season is now "officially" DONE! Two pies and probably about a couple-dozen jars of jam. Can't complain, right?!

'Maters are still ripening like crazy - and I'm trying to figure out how to "preserve" my Stupice 'Mater plant in the cooler months ahead... For one: I think I want to let at least one 'mater rot so I can save the seeds. For two: I think I want to take a living branch and encourage it to take-root in a pot and see if I can't make it live-through-winter in the greenhouse. I have been Super-Happy with the output of the Stupice 'maters - and the fact that it's a cool-season variety leads me to believe that maybe, just maybe, it'll work in the greenhouse. It's certainly an experiment worth trying, right?!

In other news: A few weeks ago, we sold the Albatross (1967 16.5' Texas Tornado Sailing Dinghy - restoration page here). I had posted her on Craigslist and gotten numerous inquiries. Many were totally unsuitable ("Family of Five" as well as folks who had ZERO boating experience who were looking for a "cheap way" to get on the water). But one, in particular, stood out. Dude's name was Leo and his daughter had taken Sailing Classes (on similar boats) near where we dock out Mac...

Leo came out a couple of times and - happily - he decided to purchase her. He even made me a *very* fair offer which minimized my "loss" on the investment! (his offer was very close to my "Rock-Bottom Price" for the boat and NEW sails) (BTW - I was selling the boat *separate* from the sails b/c Albatross' new sails actually *do* fit our MacGregor 26M).

So... It was with Mixed-Feelings that I let Albatross go....

07/29/11 - My Last Night with Albatross
Gave her a good scrubbing and a wee bit of touch-up paint!!!

Albatross was definitely a "Labor of Love" - as far as the restoration goes... And she "served her purpose" in terms of getting DH 'amped' about the idea of buying a bigger sailboat. We had some fun-times (and some SCARY times) sailing her... But (given the sheer quantity of cars that we now own!) it was definitely time for her to move on...

Anyway, I was really glad that Leo was the one who wanted to buy her. He really was the "perfect match" for the boat - given his background in sailing, and the fact that his daughter was taking Sailing Lessons on strikingly similar boats...

They drove her away a couple weeks ago. I ended up with an envelope full of cash (which went, immediately, to pay for Corvette-Repairs!). And yes, I *did* cry - just a bit - when she went!

Hitching her up!

And watching her go!!!

Buh-Bye Albatross! Sail nicely for your new owners!!!
:::sniffle-sniffle!:::

Well, I've stayed in contact with him - wanting to make sure that he was able to rig-her-up properly. Turns out, he was experiencing some "challenges" with that so we offered to come over and "supervise" him with rigging her up.

So we spent this morning over at his house, helping him with rigging the boat. Mast-Raising is definitely the most challenging part of rigging her - but it went well. And now, I think (hope!) he is Good-To-Go for Sailing Adventures with his daughter. I really hope we run into them (figuratively - not literally!) sailing on Redwood Creek one of these weekends!

After that, we spent the afternoon lazing at poolside (Sux to be us!!!).

All told: Not a bad way to start a weekend...

Yesterday I went to the Bathroom Renovation Shop w/a friend, Di. We also hit some Tile Shops nearby. We found some suitable tiles for the tub-surround and bathroom floor - but they're a wee bit over-budget, so I think I need to hit Home Depot and see if I can't find sometime similar - but cheaper!

Bathroom Renovation Project is a "Go" (scheduled to start 09/19/11), but I need to finalize all my selections (tiles, fixtures, yada- yada)...

So things are movin' along........................................