Mill and Ted's excellent adventures

2012-01-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

Just so ya know...
We sailed throughout the Chesapeake Aug-Oct.
We were home Nov-now.
And we're packing up the boat to head to the Bahamas in a week or so.

Who knows? Maybe we'll start posting again someday soon.

Maybe.

It's Mili...

2011-08-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hello Dear Ones!

It's Mili again.

Ted tried his hand at being a faithful blogger... but couldn't handle blogspot's imperfections (like erasing pictures in the middle of nowhere! usually at 11 p.m.). So he's done.

Blogspot is a bear.

He's given up.

So it's back to my posts- as infrequent as they may be.
I moose do better.

I could promise to be more faithful...

or just be honest, and say check facebook. It's way easier to throw a picture up on there every now and then. Not a facebooker? We can add you to Ted's email updates list. You can comment on this page with your email address (if we don't have it) and we'll add you.

Update-wise, we're back on the boat after 2 wonderful family-filled months at home (and out west- hence the wildlife photos). We'll be heading for Annapolis as soon as the weather is favorable for northward travel. (When sailors wish each other "fairwinds!" they really do mean it. :). Onward!

Westward Ho

2011-08-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

The next adventure was actually planned last winter when Mili and I thought we would be spending the Summer and Fall of 2011 at home, off the boat. We have to keep reminding ourselves that cruisers live in a state of flux...much like the tide, always coming and going. So, Mili and I planned a trip to Wyoming to spend a few days with long-time friends, Jonathan and Wandajean Jones. We met 30 years ago when Ted and Jonathan taught at a school in Augusta, GA. As they left the school, they each headed in different directions. Ted went on to graduate school and later the fire service, Jonathan founded S.O.A.R., a non-profit organization focused on helping students with ADHD experience academic and life success. The Jones' spend their summers at Eagle View Ranch, their Wyoming base. This camp is fashioned around the "Wild West" and horses.

We flew to Denver and drove south, the opposite direction, to visit the U.S. Air Force Academy and "Garden of the Gods" in Colorado Springs.

Our tour guide describing the Cathedral at the Academy.

The cross, at the front of the sanctuary, is formed like an airplane wing.

The pipe organ, located at the rear of the sanctuary, has over 4,300 pipes.

Garden of the Gods has many unusual red rock formations.

Pikes Peak is seen in the distance.

The view from S.O.A.R.'s front porch.

Ready for a ride through the Shoshone National Forest.

Our personal trail guides, JJ and WJ.

Cooling down the horses after a ride.

Followed by a jam at the local creek side park with the two camp wranglers, Natalie and Anna.

Jonathan said that a trip to Wyoming would not be complete without visiting the Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park. So off we go.

Home Run

2011-08-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Since our last post, we have been busy traveling. Initially traveling home for catchup time with Teddy, Tersea, Reese, and Myla and with Bonnie. This short segment of our time off Morning Glory also included a spearfishing day with Teddy and his friend Theo and following through with a promise I made to Mili to paint. Paint the living room, entry, stairwell and upstairs hall.

In the midst of this, we traveled up state to Amelia Island for a family reunion.
Here are my two favorite July 16th birthday women. Jamie, our middle daughter and my Mom.

Lots of eating, catching up, beach time, and games. This year, the wii dance challange game was a hit. Mostly for us spectators.

2011-06-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

Thinking of you, Dad.

Less than an hour after leaving the Dismal Swamp Canal you are thrust into sensory overload, half a compass apart. You motor under a noisy interstate highway, past metal and debris recycling/processing factories, and then into the Norfolk Navel Shipyards. The Navy ships are a highlight.

We decided to anchor in downtown Norfolk, taking the advice of "Bill the lock guy". Fortunately, a few other cruisers were there, making the decision to stop easier. This anchorage is known for poor (anchor) holding and for being bumpy, due to the number of boats passing by. We had two days of calm weather and we were overall pleased with the anchorage. We went ashore on the Norfolk shore to see the battleship USS Wisconsin. It's quite impressive. (click the photo to make it large and get a better feel for the immensity of the ship)

My Dad is from Norfolk and we had fun walking around downtown, talking to him on the cellphone, all the while hoping to find the drug store where his father served the community as a pharmacist.

On the western shore is Portsmouth. We had heard of an Art Deco era theater that had been restored. The seating is arranged around dinner tables where you can enjoy a full dinner while watching the show. This months movie is Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) begins, or ends, depending on your traveling direction, right in front of our anchorage at Hospital Point. Traveling north, we still had another 10 miles of Norfolk waterfront to navigate before entering the south end of the Chesapeake Bay. As we were making this transition, we were hailed on the marine radio by the Coast Guard. They politely ordered us to change course, moving outside the marked channel, allowing more room for the passing of a submarine. We didn't argue.

We had a nice sail, screecher only, up to Deltaville, VA. We dropped the hook in Fishing Bay and grabbed our bikes for a shore excursion. After traveling a few short blocks it became evident that a tornado had ravaged the area recently. We found a path of pine trees snapped in two and damage to a few of the country houses.
It wasn't until we peddled about 2 miles, to the two lane highway, that we found the worst damage. Downed trees, debris in the roadway, and houses with blue tarp roofs. There were roadside signs promoting "Beach Church", something we were familiar with from our time in the Bahamas. The next day we attended Zoar Baptist Church. The first photo was taken at the conclusion of the service. The second picture is of the church sanctuary, taken while biking back to the boat.

We have spent this week biking to thrift stores, consignment shops, the Farmers Market, 2 West Marine stores, and to the Deltaville Market for groceries, swimming in the pool at the marina, and completing minor repair jobs to the boat.

Mili and I fly home Saturday, July 2nd for time with the family. We plan to attend our annual Family Reunion, taking place at Amelia Island, Florida followed by another Mill and Ted adventure to Wyoming and Montana. We'll be back on the boat August 20th.
You can join us in keeping an eye on Morning Glory using the Fishing Bay webcam. http://www.fishingbay.com/webcam.php

Change is in the Wind

2011-06-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

Mili is enjoying Facebook, so Ted is going to try his hand at blogging. Positive comments are welcome.

As we were leaving Manteo, a small town just inside the Outer Banks of NC, I got stupid for a few minutes. I was rushing to get out of the harbor before a large thunderstorm blew in. While sailing out the narrow channel with the mainsail up, the wind picked up to 30+ knots in an instant, resulting in a jibe. An unintended or accidental jibe results in the boom swinging from one side of the boat to the other, quickly and violently. The stupid part is that I have equipment to help prevent this, but in my rush I didn't set it up. All that to say that something was bound to break, and the main sheet block was the weak point.

The part has been shipped to the manufacturer for repair, hopefully. Replacement will really hurt the wallet.

Elizabeth City was the next port. This is a boater friendly city. They offer free dockage at the waterfront park. Grocery shopping, laundry, propane, and restaurants are nearby.

The arrival of this Seawind was a pleasant surprise. Our good friends, AJ and Lisa Jackson, were the previous owners. You might remember from last years posts that we sailed for a few months with them on Chesapeake Bay and along the Outer Banks.
You guys are missed.
The new owner, Josh, is enjoying the boat and is on his way to NY City. Guess where he calls home?

There was a cultural event in the park with food and music. I was pleasantly surprised that the music was good and thankful when it started to rain at about 7 PM. The park emptied quickly and we were back to peace and quiet.

Next, we traveled up the Dismal Swamp Canal, which is anything but dismal. There's a lot of interesting history about the construction and purpose of the canal. Google it.

The canal has two locks to control the amount of water leaving the area. Bill is the lock tender at the north end, Deep Creek, who takes pleasure discussing the history of the area and sharing ideas of what to do and see in the Norfolk area.

After "locking through", we returned to motoring towards Norfolk. We came across this boat and thought of our dear friends on Kaleo.

Ok, we miss you guys also.

OBX means Outer Banks

2011-06-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

I think I may have whined a little bit about rough seas and long passages. Sorry if you heard that….truth is, all in all, nobody likes a long passage.

What we do like is a favorite anchorage after a long day’s sail. And lo and behold, here we are! In Ocracoke, North Carolina. This is one of my all time top-ten places to visit. When we were here last year, we thoroughly enjoyed biking around town with our friends, AJ and Lisa.

Lisa… the thrift shop wasn’t the same, but I did come up with $7 worth of treasures. This pic’s for you!

Yes, that's a brand new, wind-up shortwave radio from L.L. Bean. I think she charged me 2 bucks for that. And who doesn't need hula girl coasters?!? A banner day.

Oh! And guess who we've anchored next to!?

Either that, or we’ve upgraded. I could deal with a Catana 43!

Amy and Arthur, and their two kids are traveling in our same general direction…hope we get to know them better. Could make for some interesting radio hailing!

“Morning Glory, Morning Glory, Morning Glory- this is Morning Glory, Morning Glory”…etc. Oh my!- Hope we can do that just once.

A few more things I love about Coastal North Carolina…

Shrimp Boats

ClammersSaturday Craft Shows

I liked this Pirate Ship, too.

The captain, however, had his head in a hatch working on a recalcitrant carburetor.

He didn’t find it funny when they fired upon us with their fake cannon.

All about timing, eh, folks?

And did I mention finding old friends? Thanks to facebook, I’ve reconnected with friends from my childhood church, Allapattah Methodist. One of those youts is now Pastor Susan Lindblade, in Newport, North Carolina. Susan was sweet enough to drive down to Swansboro and take us to dinner when we sailed through last week. It was great to reconnect, talk about old times, and eat fried seafood. (We ARE in Coastal NC, after all!). We took a picture to prove we really did find each other- and to make other old friends jealous, so they’ll be on board for a get-together in the near future. Hope it works. The pic's on facebook, and I can't get it to move! Guess you'll have to go hunting for it, if you really want to. Another challenge.

It’s so good to be here, in Ocracoke. The weather isn’t favorable for leaving for another day or two…which makes me even happier! I could perch here for months! Matter of fact, I keep seeing vacation rentals… Whaddya think, kids? Could we do a family vacay here next year?