A little parental bragging rights....

Let's see.....



Capping off a Great Junior Year for the youngest----not only invited to the Honors banquet for those students maintaining A-B the entire year, but as a Golden Honor Roll Member (4.0 GPA) and a member of the 30+ Club---actually she got a 32 but who but her parents are counting :)



And then her older brother finishes off a very successful Freshman year at UTM as a Computer Science major all the while learning to play acoustical guitar (I think it is for the girls) and keeping the free world as we know it safe from zombie attacks.

And then the oldest daughter finishes her Junior year at MTSU in Fashion Merchandising and Entrepreneurship by opening a online store ( http://www.seasweptboutique.com ) all the while getting engaged to to longtime boyfriend (and fellow MTSU student) Madison. 

Yep, it's been a very good year to be a parent around here....

Flags and Sol (with optional 3D)

Got some flags streaming for the mast.  Might even be able to see our boat on the webcam now!

Posted the Blackberry version of this on FB.....here's the real deal.

And below are the 3D efforts of the photos above.

 

 

New Neighbors

Mr and Mrs. B. Martin moved next door after their home in our boom was seized under the imminent domain clause of the Captain's Handbook.

Morning Visitors

Mr. and Mrs. C. Geese and their twins stopped by to chat (and see if we had any hand-outs)

All Knotted Up

While the Time and Tide would never slip its mooring with the semi-mobius rope tie off above, I knew that there were better (and more nautically traditional) ways to tie up to a cleat other than a modified combination of the macrame and shoe lace method.

After much book work, hands-on practice and rolled eyes, I finally managed to properly tie-off to a cleat and can actually do it repeatedly.  Next on my nautical knotting training is properly tying off to pilings.

Still going strong

Though no longer sold in the United States, the Ford Ranger truck is still sold in parts of the world and here in Brazil is considered more of a luxury brand similar to Toyota.  This brand new Ranger (with Pirelli tires) is park outside the offices next to a Mitubishi competitor.

Working Buddies

Similar in size (the yellow guy is several feet closer) and their daily focus, these two avians target flowers and are often seen "working the flora" together.  The hummingbird is going after the nectar of course from the front of the flowers.  The yellow guy (type to be determined) works the flowers from the back, often showing off acrobatic perching abilities and looks to be going after insects and arachnids (or most anything smaller than him I suppose).  Not sure if the hummingbird waits for the flowers to be cleaned but it probably wouldn't be too far fetched to guess as much.

Little Details

This tiny figurine, along with her many sisters, were cast and assembled by hand one by one with a pre-industrial technology.  These adorn some the the exterior windows where I am staying.  Their functionality appears to be holding a frame (louvers?) against the window in times past.

Endless Summer at the Pousada da Villa

I know by reading and talking to the locals here that there really are no seasons like we have back home.  Pretty much year round highs in the 80s with lows in the 50s and 60s.  To actually experience this is an entirely different matter.  I saw feed corn dried out and ready to be harvested standing next to the green shoots of month old corn.  The banana trees in the photo have had a continuous supply of new bananas and the flowers are always blooming somewhere.  There is a rainy season but the overall annual rainfall is about 60".  All of this is relative though as the locals consider 90F "sweltering" and anything below 60F "freezing". :)

"Bottle of Big Gulp Please"

Taking in an off-site lunch this past Saturday with co-workers at a nice cafeteria style restaurant offered some differences in culture (of course).  Great BBQ with many different cuts of meat being roasted and one guy constantly turning the fare.  He also removed your choice of meat and sliced hot pieces off for your plate---gringo that I am I just point to what looks good but I do know my manners;  "Obrigado!"  Another difference was the overwhelming drink selection so I chose the safe route and selected "Coca-Cola".  Everyone at the table agreed that it was a great selection and my friend Wendell ordered.  Upon arrival, the waitress sported the huge glass 1 liter in the photo and began pouring the soda into small glasses.  Wendell told me that there was a local bottler that picked up, washed and refilled the glass bottles.  It was hard to explain that in America we use almost exclusively plastic and aluminum, how our distribution and recycling systems work (or not), etc.

Note:  Wendell is a technical type and wanted to be sure everyone viewing the photo had a reference for size---that is his hand and mechanical pencil.

Sunrise ala 3-D

Looking down the boom of the Time and Tide into the rising sun.

Red Sky at night, sailors' delight

Had a great weekend and a good Easter.  Now I'm heading back to the Southern Hemisphere to help a few of my friends make some more of the shiny yellow stuff.

Long way to the top

Photographic proof that both the jib and the main sails were actually deployed at the same time!  Moving into the wind we were able to sail between 3-5 knots with a moderate, though inconsistent wind.

Soaking up some rays...

And here is our Calculus taking, zombie fighting, Sailor Moon watching AP Teenager hard at work :)

Home Sweet Home

A pair of Purple Martins had started a homestead in the end of our boom and seemed right at home with the little woman and I on board.  Unfortunately for the pair of love birds, I've blocked the end of the boom in fashion very similar to many of our fellow sailors with similar booms.

Solo Tour Guide

This guy came whizzing across the lake in his bass boat just before sunset the day we anchored.  I watched him set up two tripods with cameras and then begin fishing.  He did manage to catch a small bass and proceeded to talk to the cameras, show off the bass and then release the fish.  The next morning he did the same thing---every time he got a bite or caught a fish he started chatting with the cameras.  I believe he is perhaps advertising as a tour guide, blogger or promoting Kentucky lake itself or just likes to see himself in movies :)

Electronic Breadcrumbs

Our plow anchor was dropped about where the white + is on the screen, the red x's are my first attempts to mark our initial anchoring location and the scribbly black lines show the three main areas where the Time and Tide drifted with the wind overnight.  Wind was from the southwest in the afternoon when we first dropped anchor, then we drifted 180 degrees with a nice cool breeze from the northeast overnight and then another 180 with the morning wind from the southwest again.  Now I just need to figure out how to set the mooring alarm and we're set!

Azaleas in Bloom---must be time for The Masters