We're still alive

I know, it’s been far too long since the last blog entry. Blame it all on me. Tom wrote the last two entries so it’s definitely my turn. My only excuse is that between field work and boat work, things have been pretty hectic. However, if there’s one thing ferry lines are good for, it’s free time. So here I am, waiting in line for the ferry back to San Juan Island, typing away. Gotta love laptops!

We’ve been working pretty hard on the boat these past few weeks, and when I say “we” I really mean Tom. I come down on the weekends and do what I can, but he’s the one who’s put in the majority of the effort, since he’s the one who’s living on the boat full-time right now (I finish field season and officially move in at the end of September).

Currently, his big job is to install new portholes. A hell of a task that involves lots of hammering and chiseling and sawing and swearing. I try to steer clear of whatever area he’s working on, especially if I hear “Oh, crap.” Not because he’ll take his frustration out on me, but because if he makes a mistake while he’s using a power tool on the wooden hull – well, I just don’t want to know.


Tom, showing the boat who's boss.

Regardless, he has managed to make a portlight go from this:

Before

To this:

After

Obviously, he's doing a fantastic job.

While Tom works away at the portholes, my fun job is cleaning the blinds. Yes, it sounds like nothing: just wipe the blinds clean with a little all-purpose cleaner. Oh, if only it were that easy (I feel like I’ve said that about a lot of things on this boat!).
The blinds are so disgustingly filthy that cleaning them involves scrubbing each individual slat. If I ever needed a reason to dust blinds weekly, this is it. After sitting for years without being cleaned, it’s as if the dirt and grime were glued on. The good thing about the filth is that you can actually see where you have cleaned.

Dirty blinds (note clean section in top right)

And Dad, take a seat before you read on. At your request, here is another picture of me voluntarily doing chores:

Each slat needs to be scrubbed.

Along with the blinds, I’ve been giving the rest of the boat a thorough cleaning. We’ve also done a fair amount of re-decorating. Here’s the clean, updated salon (Meredith, note the red couch):

Shiny happy salon!

So, the boat is coming along! Of course, we’ll never actually be “done,” but we’re certainly getting close to finishing all the major stuff. For this year. I think.

-Jessi