Aug 30th

Okay, here we go after taking 10 days off from blogging, the chum crew has requested that I resume my blog. They completed their survey and returned to the boat, drenched and freezing cold. Now after a change of clothes and some hot chocolate in their systems, they seem to be returning to normal. Oh, they also had to pop their Vitamin I, (ibuprofen) too. Now it sounds like we will be staying in this same spot tonight and then they will attempt another creek survey tomorrow. I apologize for missing days on the blog. It seems like everyday has been the same therefore nothing to share. Bad weather, rolling waves, tilting boat, miles upon miles of travel, creek to creek, tired and sore chum wenches and day after day of the same thing. Another thing learned while on this survey is just how bad chum smell, these are the rotten fish that the crew catches and remove the otilith bone for further research. When they return from their survey and walk through the dining area, the stench is unbelievable. Truly, something you've never smelled before and don't desire to smell again. And I'm so glad I only get the returning smell, being up on the creek with them and hundreds of dead fish does not sound interesting. So this evening we will have taco soup, bean dip and salad. No campfire but possibly a movie night. Depends on how tired all the wenches are after dinner. Sometimes they head straight for their beds and we don't see them the rest of the night. Although they do head back up later for dessert, usually after I have headed towards my room for the night. But I see the remnants in the sink the next morning; ice cream scoop, bowls and cups that weren't there when I went to bed. Never sure what I might find in the galley sink in the morning. Keeps me on my toes. Do any of you know the phrase "stove up"? Cuz, I sure don't and have never heard it. Apparently it means when your body is stiff or sore. So I just looked it up on google and sure enough, that's what it means. Also made dessert, Tom Selleck is making his 3rd appearance for the chum crew tonight. They are all eagerly awaiting his arrival. I must say, Tom is always welcome on this boat. :-) This has been a very long and tiring journey. Certainly not the same type of trip as the hunts. The stream survey has been constant travel, bad weather and maybe even a few personnel issues. Imagine meeting new people and then spending the next 6 weeks with them in close quarters with little or no breaks. It takes a special effort by everyone to keep things positive and on an even keel. Little things can sometimes become big things but have to say we've all done a fairly good job of working together and trying to stay on the bright side. That being said, I am more than ready to end this session and return to the hunts. I am missing my family so much. All the grandkids are tugging at my heart as I think about them and what they are doing right now. The girls all got their school haircuts which is always fun to see. I even got to see Maddy do a small fashion show with some of her new school clothes. Asher is crawling all over the place and Ryder just doesn't understand where Grandma Debbie has been, other than "on the boat". Hard thing for a little guy to wrap his head around. And I know Peyton and Alex could use a grandma hug too. We won't even talk about Byron. We have never been apart for this long at any point in our marriage. And you know all that crap about "absence makes the heart go fonder?", well, that's just plain crap. I miss him after one day or 10. And this has been 42 days so far.......much, much too long. He has been stellar through this whole journey and so stinkin supportive. Could never have attempted or completed this without his encouragement. I am a lucky girl but I already knew that. Could sure use one of those big hugs that he delivers. Love those! Well, I think I've caught you up pretty well at least from what I can remember. I will try to update daily instead of waiting so long. It's hard to recall all the "special" things that happen along the way. Love you all......dj

Aug 20th

We made it to Petrof. Took us long enough to finally get there and we are already headed back to Whitewater. The crew surveyed the stream this morning and were back on the boat early enough for us to get started back up north and arrive before dark, we hope. Chatam Strait is cool, calm and collected. A perfect day at sea mateys! Corny, I know. I got to do something fun this morning after Brad took the crew to the stream. He came back and picked me up in the skiff to go see a black bear along the bank. I got some great pics and will post them on Facebook. Also got to see a ton of pink salmon getting ready to go up the stream and spawn. We spooked them and you should have seen the water fly. I have never seen wall to wall salmon ( gill to gill or fin to fin) like this before. Hoping you can see them in the pics too. Very impressive. And the bear was awesome. She had been fishing and curious about us in the skiff, even walked out towards us. I have to tell you though that Brad's description of the bear was somewhat disconcerting. Now, I have to remember that he's a guy and he's a hunter so he had no idea that what he said could be taken as offensive. So here it is, "see, you can tell it's an old sow, look at her short legs, kind of a humped back and she's fat" ......ummmm, gee Brad, I hope you are only describing the bear in front of you and not the old sow sitting in the boat!!! Anyways, I chuckled to myself and didn't say anything. He was being so helpful in helping me understand the difference between a boar and a sow. :-) Also thinks the sow was 15 - 20 yrs old, that's getting pretty old, I think. I really enjoyed getting to see things up close and personal. We got about 20 yds from the bear, she decided to leave after she got a good whiff of us. Going to cook dinner now, bacon cheeseburgers, potato salad and beans. Still have Kevin left over so didn't bake today. However, tomorrow is Foghorn's birthday so I will need to do something special. Need to think on that a bit. Dinner is over and was a success according to the groans and sighs. Now they are reading, playing chess and relaxing. No TV so have to be creative when it comes to activities. One of them mentioned playing dodgeball on the top deck with rotten cantaloupes. Doesn't that sound like fun? Not sure Brad would go for that besides the fact that someone would definitely fall off the boat. Which isn't a good thing. Before dinner we saw a lot of whales feeding. Got a few pictures so will see if any of them turned out. And by a lot, I mean 30+ for sure. All within a mile or so radius. Pretty cool. Today was wildlife day for sure. Also saw lots of sea otters floating around. They are funny, they float on their back with their head and feet sticking out of the water. If they happen to have a crab for dinner, they eat it while floating around like that. The momma's let the babies ride on their tummies so it looks like a two headed otter. Plus, I learned that the older ones have light colored faces which make them look like a teddy bear, at least to me. Sort of cute little faces but they are real nuisances to the fishermen up here. Hope everyone is having a great day......yak again soon....dj

Aug 18th

Hello, I'm still on the planet. Been dodging the storm up here going between islands and finding calm(er) channels. Gale force winds predicted, heavy rain and flooding. Yep, that's the forecast up here guys. Just found out areas in Sitka flooded today, some that have never flooded before, at least as far as Brad knows and he's been there over 40 years. The crew took a look at a stream today but it was flooded so unable to walk it or find fish. We are now headed out to Chatam Strait to see how high the waves are this afternoon. The outside seas are predicted at 12-16 ft waves, we don't do those in this boat, thank goodness. But what happens on the outside affects the inside so we have to check our surroundings before heading out. Brad has been glued to the weather channel and has kept us out of the worst of the storm. We need to get across the strait in order to survey some of the streams on that side. And you guys just thought I was up here having so much fun I forgot to blog. Well, no, not hardly. I've been cooking, watching the weather, cleaning, watching the weather and cooking some more. Maybe a nap thrown in there once in awhile. The crew had an early start but soon realized the stream was not walkable so after returning to the boat and watching the movie Brave on the laptop, they are all taking their naps. It's a little too early to be making dinner but I will start pretty soon. Probably do stir fry vege's/sausage and rice. Made banana bread earlier. They are starting to want repeats of the desserts, I heard a request for Kevin today. Funny crew that's for sure. Found out they are not jello fans, I have made it twice and both times have had to toss it. That is the only thing I've found that they turned their noses up at so guess that's pretty good. Everything else has had a thumbs up and a request to have it again sometime. We have 15 days left of the survey, have completed 28 days, we are on the downhill slide now. Looking forward to changing things up with a bear hunt. Have two scheduled in Sept. and then I'm home for the winter. They have invited me back for next spring and fall, just haven't decided what I'm going to do yet. I appreciate that they are pleased with my work and want to have me return, makes me feel like I accomplished something while I was here. Byron & I will decide if I will come back or not. This separation thing is hard, that's for sure. But, on the other hand, I feel stronger and more capable than when I first arrived up here. So that's saying something right there. Just found out that Sitka has had some flooding and landslides, not something that occurs there very often. Four people are missing as well. Very sad. Minnie is good though. Going to post this now since we have coverage at the moment. Not sure how long that will happen so need to strike while the iron is hot. All is well at the moment, hoping we get through the channel before the wind picks back up. Take care...dj

Aug 15th

Happy Birthday Happy - she turns 30 today and is sharing her special day with all of us. So as my tradition goes, she got to pick the menu for tonight. After much deliberation all she requested was chicken, either a pot pie or parmesan, lots of vege's and maybe potatoes or stuffing. Final menu is parmesan chicken, I know I just made it but that was on the 4 hour delay dinner so I'm thinking this time will be better. Bacon wrapped asparagus, stuffing and corn. For dessert, we are having white cupcakes with buttercream frosting, again, her request. She told me her mom was making a chicken pot pie in her honor and I didn't want to compete with her memory of mom's homemade dinner. Better to let that one alone. They are all still out in the field, it's 5 pm, dinner will probably be close to 7. We have to move to another creek tonight but it's not far so shouldn't be too bad. Our trip last night was a rocky one. We are on the west side of Baranof island, the ocean side and we felt it last night. That was the very closest I came to tossing my cookies. Actually sat up in the wheelhouse with the outside door open until 12:30 or 1 am. Brad was guiding us through the narrows by instrument only and it was scary. Obviously, he knew what he was doing but I was still nervous. All I could see were large, dark land masses sticking up out of the water and we were headed directly for them. I'm sure he tired of me saying, we seem to be heading straight for the beach, you see that island up there?, is that an island right ahead?, are you sure you know where you're going?. After awhile, I just shut up and kept my head out the door to feel the cool (cold) breeze. We left Sitka around 6 last night in order to beat the huge storm that is headed here on Tuesday. There are two streams to do here and then we can go south and inland, hopefully avoiding the storm. Last night's waves were 7-8 feet, the prediction on the Tuesday storm is 8-12 ft waves. Not interested in going through those. The crew just returned from the stream and had a great day. They got over 300 samples of otolith bone from chum salmon, they are pumped. Now they need to finish their computer work and we will travel to the next stream. Chicken is still cooking which works out just fine. Will eat along the way I imagine.

Aug 13th

Happy day to you! We are in Ushk Bay and the sun has come out bright and warm. It's been a nice day. Got the crew out the door this morning with McMuffins for breakfast. Then I started on a strawberry rhubarb pie. Been wanting to make one for awhile so hope it turned out. It looks yummy but looks can be deceiving, right? Meatballs are in the crock pot and pasta shells filled with a ricotta/spinach and cheese mixture are ready to pop in the oven. Will do a mandarin romaine salad and garlic bread to finish out dinner. Once they get back, Brad will be getting the boat moving towards Sitka, another schedule change. But no one is complaining, we like Sitka. The crew wasn't able to fly to Petrof yesterday due to the weather so they may fly out of Sitka on Saturday. Not sure what that means for the boat but we'll see. Thought I would share some of the crew's check-list they go through every morning before leaving the boat. I'm sure some of the items will make sense but there are others that I still don't know what they are or how they are used. Sampling trays, knives, cutting board, beads, tablets, measuring tape, the Bird, tooshi-kushees, gaff, fishing pole, tally whacker, tweezers, scanners. Now, these are just a few of the goodies they need in order to complete the stream survey of dog salmon. I'm not going to explain them, just use your imagination, that's what I do! Part of their safety gear includes a GPS, In-reach, first aid kit, bear spray, throw bag and survival bag. Again, these people have to be prepared for just about anything thus the survival bag which has the necessary items they might need for an overnight stay. Minus the dinner I'm cooking for them of course. They always have extra snacks in their packs as well. I'm amazed at how much stuff they have to have with them each time they leave the boat. And again, glad it's them and not me. Although it would be nice to see some of Alaska from the land, mostly it's a boat view. But I got some great pics today so will go through them and see what I can post. I don't like being out of touch but it's only been a few times over the past couple of weeks so guess it could be worse. Okay, we are in Sitka now so will post this one. Have no idea where we head off to next or even when, the schedule is truly nuts right now. It's a beautiful day in Sitka though so will be headed out on a walk. Need to be able to walk more than 50 feet one way. :-)

Aug 11th

Greetings from Kake. We made a pit stop here for water and groceries and then it's on to Saginaw Bay. The following day the crew will be picked up by float plane and taken to Petrof Creek for a survey day while Brad and I take the Bear up north somewhere. Then the plane will bring the crew up to meet us at the next survey spot. Last night was a carnival ride most of the time. Winds blowing at 20 knots and the waves were slapping up against the front of the boat like your mama hitting you for cussing. Cripes, I was elbow to elbow bracing myself in the bunk with my little tootsies pressed up against the bottom of the bunk just to ensure I wouldn't find myself on the floor. Not sure how I went to sleep cuz I was seriously considering coming out to the dining area and sleeping on a cushion when I finally dozed off. I didn't get sick though which keeps my record at zero of not throwing up. Sure hope that record stays. Have been out of cell range for the past several days plus I didn't blog during that time so this one is a catch up. We have been crossing and criss-crossing the channels and islands like you wouldn't believe. Get into a cove for the survey crew, off they go and maybe return by 6ish, then the boat starts up and Brad heads out to the next stream, might be a 3 hour or a 7 hour ride. Get up the next day, crew heads out again, returns to the boat and off we go again for another long distance ride. Seriously, I am all screwed up and never know if I'm coming or going. Some of you would say that is a common scenario for me but this takes it another step further. The other evening I made a fairly nice dinner with Chicken parmesan, mashed potatoes with cauliflower and zucchini pizzas. The crew thought they would be "home" by 5ish so I was planning dinner for around that time, well wouldn't ya know it, they decided to catch and survey every last stinking fish in or around the creek that day so they didn't bother coming home until 9:15pm! Now, I can understand how things change and I need to be flexible but seriously guys? I was starting to think someone had gotten hurt but nope, they just decided to stay longer. Okay, just so you know, I placed all the food on the table and went to bed. I did not want to stay up and visit as it turned out to be a long day for me too and I wasn't sure if I could be civil. Now, before you judge me and say I need to relax, cut me some slack. They do have a radio so yes, they could have radioed and said we are going to stay up here several extra hours, was that out of the realm of possibility? I don't think so. And it wasn't that I was mad. First, I was glad no one was injured, that was my first concern. And then I realized that my dinner was not going to be all that appetizing after being kept warm for 4 hours. Which kind of ticked me off or maybe it was a slow burn during the 4 hours, I don't know. Whatever, I slept on it and woke up with a "who gives a rip" attitude and started over on a brand new day. All is well and no grudges. Except the next two nights they got crock pot meals which can stand the test of time. :-) Tonight they are getting chili dogs which they seem to be perfectly happy about. Haven't decided on side dishes yet, I'll get around to it. We are headed out to Saginaw now so want to get this posted before I lose coverage. Hope all is well down there and everyone is happy, happy, happy! later.....dj

Aug 7th

Good evening. The crew has not returned from the stream yet. They told me the earliest they would be back was around 4, it's now 5:30 and I don't see them anywhere. I don't believe there is a cause to worry, I didn't hear any gunshots so they didn't have to shoot a charging bear. However, that doesn't mean there weren't ANY bears causing them problems. We shall see once they arrive back to the boat. This makes it pretty hard to figure out dinnertime. For now, the mac n cheese is sitting on the stove ready to go in the oven. Salad and homemade rolls are made and we are having leftover rib meat which will go great with everything. They were looking for the rib meat this morning to take in their lunches but I told them hands off, that's for dinner. These kids have strange eating habits. They won't let me toss any leftovers, they want them for their lunches. I'm talking just about anything too. Eating cold leftovers doesn't faze them at all. It would me that's for sure. We have about 8 hours of travel once they get on the boat so it will be a late night for the captain. Have to cross the strait also which means it might be rough going. Byron and I were talking about some sort of vacation and the word cruise came up. My thoughts on that.....NO. I've been on enough water this year to fill my quota and then some. We'll have to come up with something that involves sunny weather and LAND. I wouldn't mind being on a beach somewhere and watching the water but sitting on a ship and traveling by water doesn't peak my interest. Actually, just being home on the back porch in our swing chairs would work for me right now. I've heard it's been pretty hot down there. I was able to go up on the deck today and get some sunshine but once the wind picks up it cools down fast. So for now I am inside the cabin watching the waves and keeping an eye out for the crew. Just spotted the two skiffs, must go get dinner in the oven. back later. Okay, everyone is back on board ready for dinner but it will be awhile before it's all ready. They're okay with that, gives them time to relax and unwind. So off we go to the next stream, dinner will be on the road, oh excuse me, dinner will be as we travel on the water. Should get cell service as soon as we are out of this cove. Tomorrow's hike is the really long one, 13 miles total. They come back worn out after that one. Will have to create something yummy for dinner tomorrow, although, last time they were so tired all they did was shovel food in their mouths as fast as they could and head off to bed. Can't blame them. We are now in Chatham Strait, just beginning on our 8 hour ride, will be there around 1 am I think. But the great news is how calm the sea is, there are no waves, smooth as glass and I'm loving it. Could pass for a mirrored lake except much bigger. Will post a picture on Facebook, just so you'll believe me. Hope all is well with you and yours......yak again later.....dj

Aug 6th

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR RYDER, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! LOVE you so much and hope you had a wonderful day celebrating. Wish I could be at your party but I know Grandpa will be there and will give you hugs from both of us. Hard to believe the little man is turning 4 today. Time has flown by that's for sure. As for me, I'm still floating around the waters in SE Alaska. We are now on our way to Whitewater Creek and then onto Johnston Creek the following day. Weather was good today and the channel we are crossing now is calm with no waves. Love it. Just finished dinner, ribs, pasta salad and artichoke spinach dip. They are still eating the apple crisp from yesterday so I didn't bake today but will come up with something tomorrow. Trying to cut back from overloading them with too much food, although they keep eating right through their complaining. They've come up with a new "fullness" gauge. It has to do with biscuits. Comfortably full is 4 biscuits. Starving is of course 1 biscuit. Five biscuits is like after a Thanksgiving dinner when you need to unbutton the top button of your jeans and lay down. They usually come in from their survey and proclaim they are at 1 or 2 biscuits and what's for dinner? Lately, I've heard a few 5 biscuits grumblings with Sneezy even leaning into a 6 biscuit complaint but the other two stopped him and said there would be no 6 biscuit category. I'm traveling with a strange bunch ladies and gentlemen. Plus they have taken to naming the desserts which started when I served the pudding dessert that I call Tom Selleck and Byron calls Victoria Principal. So far we've had Denzel (chocolate cake), Kevin (pumpkin dessert), Brad (apple crisp). Trust me, they are serious about this naming process and stick to the names until the last crumb is gone. And even after they are gone, there is reminiscing about how much they miss Kevin or how soon will it be before Denzel makes another appearance. Going to have to figure out a new dessert to try on them just to see what they will name it. Well, going to lose cell coverage for the night, will post this now....take care....dj

Aug 5th

Good morning everyone. We are leaving Sitka right now and headed to the next stream. Port day was another one full of grocery shopping and cleaning. I'm so glad to have Minnie there for us when we arrive. She is so awesome and jumps right into whatever needs to be done. She even does my laundry and everything smells so wonderful. Trust me, this boat is not the best smelling place to be after several weeks of chum hunting and stream walking. I'm not saying these kids are smelly but I don't venture downstairs very often that's for sure! They were very helpful unloading groceries and hauling them all over the boat. Such a huge blessing. A little quirky they are but gotta love 'em. Happy asked for meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner so will get started on that a little later. Have to get breakfast on the table first but wanted to touch bases with you before I'm out of cell range. Haven't been feeling great so would appreciate your prayers. Thanks much. Not sure if most of you know but I have a thing for bracelets and just acquired several more when we were in Joseph in July. However, I've found an issue that I may have to deal with eventually. Last night, in the dark, I had to get up to go potty, (TMI?), anyways as I got up in my dark cabin somehow, I crossed my arms and lo and behold my bracelets got tangled up. I only have one on my left hand but a few more on my right. So anyways, there I was, needing to tinkle and my hands were basically handcuffed in front of me. Seriously! You know how a simple thing in the day, in the light can be no big deal? Well,at night, in the dark, unable to see what was going on made me a little bit panicky. Plus, I really had to go. So, first things first, I jump on the potty and then I go about trying to uncuff myself. Which bracelet is hooked onto the other one? Nope,not that one, oh dang, it's getting worse, I'm all tangled up now. I finally took a breath and took off the one bracelet from my left arm, still took a little bit to get it loosened but once it was off, I was no longer cuffed. Whoopee, get it? Okay, enough potty talk. We are headed to Chaik Bay and it will take us most of the day to get there. Hope the weather is good and winds are calm. That's my new mantra for the trip. Going to post this for now and hope everyone has a fantastic day......dj

Aug 2nd

Another day, another dead fish. At least that's what these guys are looking for, fish that are done spawning. And I do have some interesting news, I had to learn to drive the skiff today. Got a call on the radio from Brad that he needed rescuing. Yep, that's right, I had to go rescue the skipper. Here's the scoop, high tide came in and he got delayed on his way back to the skiff. So when he got there, the anchor line was farther out than he could get to even though he waded out to his armpits. So, since the other skiff was tied to the boat and I was the only person on the boat, it was up to me to save the day! Grabbed the portable radio and a life jacket, put on my shoes and jacket and headed out to the swim deck. He had given me instructions several days before but I hadn't needed to use them up until now. I remembered that you don't unhook the skiff from the boat until the skiff motor is running, which is what I proceeded to do. However, (you knew that was coming), I didn't have all the directions clear in my head. I turned the key over and the engine started but quit. Turned the key again and it acted like it wanted to start but wouldn't keep going. About that time I hear a gunshot, loud and very loud, like it was super close. Had no idea where that came from but decided to quit turning the key and grabbed the radio, that's when I heard a little tiny voice say....."don't start the engine, don't start the engine" and "turn your volume up". I obediently turned up the volume and could then hear Brad loud and clear, don't turn the engine on yet, there's several steps to do before that. Oops, my bad. He walked me through putting the motor down into the water, turning the key and giving the motor some choke. Waa-laa, the motor was running. Now, to put it into gear, he told me to pull up on the red handle while pushing the gear shifter forward BUT make sure you have the skiff turned to the right! Okay, done and did. So far so good. I'm now out in the middle of a body of water with no clue what I'm doing. He kept directing me to shore, even waving his arms like the airport dudes do when a plane is taxing up to the airport. I managed to get the skiff to him, no harm to it or me and he was pretty pleased. He said by starting the engine while it was out of the water it is the quickest way to ruin it, which I did not do, thankfully. And that was also why he had shot his rifle, to get my attention. Apparently, he was jumping up and down on the shoreline, shouting DON'T START THE ENGINE......wish I could've seen that. But after all is said and done, he said I got an A for my first skiff lesson. I had to take a nap after that harrowing experience at sea......hahaha. No, I really did take a nap. Haven't had very many of those since I've been up there this time, all of ten days. Man, it really feels like it's been longer than that. Wonder why? After baking all day yesterday the crew told me NOT to bake today, so I haven't. And carrying that one step further, guess what's for dinner? No guesses? CHILI.....that's right, I'm giving them good ole Nalley's chili with some of my own that was in the freezer mixed in, just to give it that homemade taste. Unfortunately, they already heard the story about my "better than restaurant chili" so I won't be fooling anyone. I will bake some corn muffins to go along with it though, so I won't be letting a day go by without baking something. It's been a relaxing day that's for sure. One of the nicest days we've had so I sat out on the top deck and enjoyed the sun, might have even got a bit of a sunburn. Will wonders never cease? Left Ralph's Creek and headed to our next spot. Survey crew loved their chili and cornbread now they are working their way through all the remaining desserts. Hopefully, I can bake something new tomorrow. Looks like we have service so going to post this now....dj

Aug 1st

It's Saturday, not that it matters much up here but I know it's the 15th SYL Golf Tournament today, sure hope the weather doesn't knock out some of the teams. Heard it was going to be hotter than hot down there. We had cloudy skies today but no rain at the boat. The survey crew got drenched while out doing their thing though. I spent the day baking, peanut butter cereal bars, blueberry muffins and ding dong cake. We are having fresh caught halibut for dinner with cheesy potatoes and salad. Foghorn caught the halibut yesterday so she is sharing with us. We are all pretty excited, sad isn't it? :-) We are leaving Tenekee and headed to Ralph's Creek again, hopefully for the last time. Then we hit one more creek before heading to Sitka for a port day. That doesn't mean a day off though, just cleaning and grocery shopping for me. So thankful that Minnie is there to help me. We work good together and have fun. But we don't want Brad to know that, we'd rather he kept thinking how hard we were working. Which we are but might as well try to enjoy it. Should be getting into cell range soon, at least I hope so. Want to visit with the hubby and see how the banquet and tournament turned out. Finally have service YIPPEE. Found out the banquet and golf tournament went great. So glad the heat didn't keep people from coming out to enjoy the festivities. I have to say that the water we are crossing right now is perfectly flat, no waves or wind. So different than the last few times. Love it when we aren't rocking and rolling all over the place. The kids all enjoyed their dinner and truly loved all the desserts. Probably won't bake tomorrow, at least I shouldn't have to unless they stay up and devour some midnight snacks. Reminds me of cooking for 3 teenage boys way back when. Couldn't seem to keep food in the house when they were around. Guess that's still kind of true but they have slowed down somewhat. They realize they aren't teens anymore! I'm watching the water outside the boat and it looks like liquid metal, sun is shining on it and the small movements look like the guy in Terminator, remember the one that kept recreating himself from little pools of metal? Anyways, that's what it looks like to me. And no, I haven't been drinking. If you could see it, you would agree with me, I'm sure. Not much to share today. Thanks for checking in and I hope you are all doing well......dj