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We moved the boat yesterday from Bayland to Waterford in Kemah.   It’s nice, but most of all we have some good memories here.  We are back in SYL’s first Texas slip, her first port of call when we bought her in ’08.  Waterford is a bustling community, lots of sailors that actually use their boats.  The weekenders fill the place, but there is weekday activity as well.

Yesterday’s sail was fun even with regular thunderstorms marching across the bay.  Sporatic rain events made the temperature comfortable…. and if you were in the right spot they spun off cool fast wind to play on.  I saw 8.6 knots one time on a broad reach with a tall dark cloud behind me.  Lots of fun.

One day I’m going to count boats here at Waterford.  lets see… roughly 40 boats per long dock.  Lets say there are 10 docks with 40 boats and 10 shorter docks with 30…. that’s roughly 700 total.  It’s easy to say there are 500 masts here in this particular aluminum forrest.  Watergate just across the road is probably bigger than we are…..  It’s amazing to me that with 1000 aluminum trees in one place… at least one of them ought to get hit every time a lightning storm comes thru… but they don’t.

I don’t wish for the replacement cost of all these boats, or even dream of having enough money to pay every slip fee in the marina…. I could retire on the replacement cost of the sunbrella fabric covering only the boats I can see from my seat inside SYL.

Today (Sunday) is a brighter day than yesterday.  I probably should have waited to sail today… but I couldn’t stand it….  I have  a hard time sitting still with a destination on my mind and a way to get there.

SYL !!  Rusty

The wedding was beautiful.  Our week there was fabulous though the weather tried to give us problems.  

I’m back on the job…..  I’m telling you, getting a wedding behind you brings a great sense of accomplishment.  Part of it is relief… but most of it is joy.  We are so happy for E & M as they begin their life together, and proud knowing we gave Erin a great wedding that many will remember for a long time.

Destination weddings normally don’t draw a huge crowd but we probably had 80 people at the ceremony.  I was very impressed with the turn out.

The pile of papers on my desk are almost taken care of.  I remoted in from Destin every day, but some of the work I’m doing could wait until I returned….. I’ve almost cleared that off my slate.

Linda is working like a turk getting the Taft house cleared of Berry Road stuff.  When we sold the big place in Beaumont and moved to the lake we left a lot of our stuff at Taft.  The lakehouse was already furnished so we didn’t need it there.  Our wedding gift is to give the kids use of the Taft house for their first year of marriage.  Erin and Michael have’nt broken out any of their wedding gifts so when they get home they want furnish with their plates, glasses, pots… etc, so Linda is packing our stuff up.

Anyway, it’s all done except the packing.  The kids come back tomorrow so Linda has a massive amount of stuff to clear out.  It will initally go to storage, then be sorted out to the lake or passed down.

It’s good to see the office desk getting cleared in front of me…. I’m definitely multi-tasking these days.  Handling multiple jobs at one time.  Ahhh for the good old days of just being a scheduler.

The new password at our house is “austerity”.  It sounds really cool and everything but so far in our life the word has only been used as a mental bluff spoken only to make ourselves feel better… lol.  Neither Linda nor I am good at “frugal”.  Hmmmm.. lessseee.  when I have her on the boat in the Bahamas, it’s hard to spend a lot of money….

Sea Yawl Later!

Rusty

Wow, we leave in 4 days for Destin Florida.  Everything is arranged here, we have house and dog and boatsitters….  Linda kept my car today to get the oil changed for me, it’s all coming together!

Linda has the itenerary and food pretty much taken care of at the beach house for the week of the wedding.  It can and will be a bit of a vacation for us.  I’ll certainly have my duties but mostly I’ll have time to hang out at the beach, on the balcony and in the pool. 

I’ll make some of my favorite BBQ dishes and throw down some good food, but mostly I think I’ll just have fun and entertain.

I’m sure the site will see some great pictures when we get back… Hasta Lavista.

Its getting close……..    We will leave for Destin looking like the Beverly Hillbillies on their way to Caalifornee.  I plan on tying the top of the arbor to my station wagon roof rack.  The trailer I’ll be pulling will hold more stuff without the top section of the arbor inside.  The legs of the arbor fit nicely, but the top is more 3 dimensional so its better riding outside.  Boxes and stuff that can’t get wet need to ride on the inside.  The arbor came out nice… it’s made of PVC, no wood to rot and no paint!  Pretty sweet if you ask me.

The legs are long because they will be buried deep in the sand to hold it up for the ceremony.

I’m toying with the idea of doing a sand sculpture at the feet.  I may do some testing to see how that might look once we get to Florida.. but I’m not going to stress over it.  I would have plenty help carrying sand with all the groomsmen there for the week preceeding the wedding… lol.  I’m thinking about a single base for each leg with an initial in it.  I may build up a step for the preacher so he can see and be seen over our rather tall bride and groom.

I like the idea of elevating the preacher and even the bride and groom to an extent.  It will make nicer pictures and help the crowd see the event.  I think we had 92 RSVP’s at last count.

I’m sure the event will be a success.  Planning has been meticulous so maybe we didn’t forget much.

And He’s a big one……  I did go to Motiva Port Arthur.  The midstream change of mounts was done almost flawlessly.. I did hang a spur there for a second when I was almost off the last horse… but got it shook loose pretty quick.

There is a LOT of work here, I probably won’t see it all because I have a prior commitment in October, but this place is like a 3 ring circus with all that’s going on.   I suspect 90% of the craftsmen within a 200 mile radius will be here at Motiva for quite some time.  They find new problems every day so the already huge scope is expanding rapidly.

The schedule has been fun so far, its unlike any other I have made because it’s based on when we get material for each piece of the puzzle.  It’s probably one of the most complicated I’ve built in a while.. that makes it fun.  The people I am with make it good too.  I worked with the major players years ago so it’s a reunion of sorts… good people.

Linda is still on the boat, we will be back and fourth I’m sure… during my stint here at Motiva, then back to SYL full time when we go to Tx. City. 

The horse I roped is bigger and stronger than I thought….. got on him in full stride too..  Heck I would even say I got on in a turn rather than the easy straights.  Better get back to the grind…. 30 minutes until quitting time.

The current job I’m on is about to finish so I’ll be changing horses here shortly….. this one’s run out.  Currently we are about to turn the unit back over to operations so it’s time to go to the next one.

Nothing is ever set in stone, but my next job may be in Port Arthur Texas.  Motiva recently completed a huge addition that doubled their oil refining capacity….   Unfortunately when they started the new unit something bad happened that litterally destroyed much of the new 300 million dollar facility due to what is being called “accellerated corrosion”.  My company was awarded part of the rework so my name has been thrown in the hat to meander over there for a while.  I may spend a few months in Pt. Arthur until the job I’ve already been assigned to comes up late in 2012.

Every time one job ends a new adventure begins.  I have grown to like the freshness that results in changing locations several times a year but I have to admit… there is always that gnawing uncertainty associated with every life change.   Where will we live, where will we keep the boat, how often can we get home…… now as I loosen the girth strap on this one.. my eyes are scanning the new stock as the herd gallops by… looking for the right horse to throw a stirrup over.  It’s a precarious but exciting time.  Sharp hooves driving into the open range.. my hat’s pulled down tight and the rope is swinging….. I hope I like the one I catch!   The old horse now barely perceptable but still the one I’m spurring…. a delicate balance is cerainly required.

I feel like a circuit rider… the old hat at the pony express… bringing in the mail while dodging the worst the wild west has to offer.  Successful so far… famous along my own beaten trails but not without cactus scars, dusty britches and no time to wash.  I feel like an old cowboy half twisted around in my saddle.. one tight stirrup the other heel in her flank.. looking back over my shoulder with a smirk ….  saddlebags filled and flapping in the wind…. I beat another one!

There is a time in any dreamers life when he must paddle as fast as he can to get into the stream of leasure called “Cruising”.   That’s what I’m doing right now.  I guess you could classify me as a middle class cruiser.  Upper class cruisers made their money and retired.. on full money burn as long as they can stand it.  I’m more of a middle class guy….. it takes lots of hard work to get the kitty purring and happy.

I just thought of something…… the term “hard work” means different things to different people.  To me hard work means lots of hours… not lots of sweat.  I understand that I am so lucky…….  I can work at a job that pays well for part time work.  Similar to drug smuggling or bank robbing I guess….. only legal.   I work in the construction industry where they pay well for guys to come “fix their stuff”  Every few years refineries and chemical plants get “worn out” or too full of really nasty gunk to work right so they turn them off (at great expense to the proifit margin) to get them running efficiently again.  It costs roughly $1M a day to not produce gasoline or some chemical in high demand from one of these giant chemical kitchens so…….. if you think getting your car back from a mechanic is expensive….. try getting a 20 acre refinery back from the mechanic……. yeah… there’s good money in it.

Right now I’m paddling fast for me and mine.   Making hay while the sun shines.  The past few months I’ve been only working 45 hours a week or so… but soon I hope to double that.  In an effort to get that going I’ve been mentally busy.  The comany I work for has many opportunites and do a great job of placing people in the right spot to succeed.  Lately I have been knighted to a higher office.  Previously the only thing I had to satisfy was the client and my keyboard.  I have become very proficient at that and enjoyed it quite a bit.  NOW… they want me to be in charge of masses of people…… yuck..  people that control my happiness,  people that generally don’t care much if I have a bad day……..  so why am I moving “up”?

Good question:  It pays a little more (not much) so I’m giving it a trial run.  If I like being a Project Manager I’ll continue doing it… but I really enjoy the creative nature of running a schedule.  The good thing is I have a bit of a choice.  If I don’t like what happens being a PM I can go back and play with my computer….. lol.

The construction industry is unique.  Every job ends and you must qualify to go to the next one.  Generally our jobs last 1/2 a year.  If you do good, you get to go to the next one, if you don’t do good they make you a Project Manager… lol.  I’m kidding, I have a long string of very satisfied customers so I have a little money to burn in the “oh shit” department if you know what I mean…..and I like having that “money” in the bank so I pay close attention to what I’m doing.

As I have mentined before….. I have a very narrow skillset…. one that is apparently in demand.  I have worked in every phase and discipline it takes to build or maintain a refinery and am also a bit of a computer geek.  Not a big time geek… just somebody that knows if you click on a file and scroll down.. hold shift and click on another file……… it highlights all of them.  If you didn’t know that, you think I’m a genius.  If that is so far behind where you are…….. now you know my computer skill level.  What makes it click for me is I learn fast.  I am always “overstating” what I can do until…. the next day when I can.  Practical experience and the boldness to go for it can propel you to levels you never dreamed of.

Linda always says I am understating what I know or can do…. but she’s my wonderful wife and that’s her job.   Women… if you want your men to provide wonderfully for you…. get behind them and make beleive (like linda does) that he’s the best guy on the planet.  If all you do is complain……. your going to get back what you put out.  If you support and adore him… your going to get back what you put out…  the best thing is, it’s YOUR choice.  You pretty much decide your own fate every day.  If you think somebody is going to rob you at night and you walk around like a victim….. guess what, you will be.    If you loan your house and all your belongings to someone prone to not respecting “things”….  but expect him to… he will.  If only that once because you trusted him.  Someone once told me a golden nugget I have never forgotten.  “You pretty much get what you give out” so I give a lot.  Not money or things.. but respect and happiness because I really enjoy people treating me that way… give it a try.   When you meet somebody new… give them your full attention and respect…..  see what you get back.  I promise if you do it, most of the time you will be rewarded in kind and that’s good enough for me.  I don’t get burned much, and when I do…. that’s cool I don’t get my nose out of joint.  I guess I’m lucky because that’s the way I’m wired.  People that need to control their environment usually end up frustrated and unhappy.  I say if you give happiness and get it back 90% of the time…. that’s a dang good average.  If the 10% that “costs” you a heart hurt is too much of a toll for you….. you’ll miss out on 90% of the good results.

OK, so I’m done preaching……. it’s 8:26, getting close to bedtime here on the boat.  Linda is at “E’s” getting the wedding stuff sewn up so I’m eating Popeye’s chicken and leftovers from lunches with friends these days.  I don’t have or yearn for a TV here on the boat.  I do enjoy TV when I go home to the lake… but not enough to make it happen here.  My life is like living on the porch years ago…. enjoying the weather and watching things go by…. intermittently good internet connections and talking to you good people.  If the TV was on… I’d have missed the Bahamas, wonderful evening sails approaching a deserted island beach.  The sound of my sterns and rustling water past the hulls….. the rushing wind in my ears on a 15 knot pinch….. the solitude of a long downwind run.  If I “really” liked TV… I might have missed spending day after day with my wife focused only on what we would like to do that day.  I recall my “boat rules”  they are:  #1 if your fun interrupts someone elses fun you lose.  #2 do what you want, when you want and if you want…… unless it breaks rule #1.  Life really can be that simple.

If I liked TV a lot I might have missed this

Our days are getting back to more of a normal state these days.  I appreciate everybody’s prayers and good wishes during a tough time in our lives.  I don’t see how people with no faith do it.  The prayers and love of our friends made so much of a difference for Linda and me the past few months…..  I just want to say thank you to all of you who litterally carried our hearts through this.

Yesterday we had dinner with some great people, and today we did chores in the morning and met with Tom and Cindy for a great meal and a movie in the afternoon.  It’s nice to not have life changing events steer your daily path for a change.   Yesterday I slept late then did what I wanted all day, today was much the same but more productive because I changed the brakes on my station wagon and got some of my wedding chores done.  Erin needed some wrought iron lamp hangers for her beach wedding… I found exactly what we needed at Hobby Lobby for 1/2 price!  The other item on my agenda is to build a custom arbor for the wedding.  My buddy Tom and I plundered around for materials and ideas at the man store today….  we have the basic plan for the arbor project figured out.  Tom loves a project and better than that… has all the skills and tools to make it happen.  The two of us are dangerous when we get together.  It’s like we know each others next move…..we work in concert well so it makes a project fun.

Next week is a short work week due to the July 4th holiday.  I’ll probably head for the lake, I invited Michael and his buds to come up.  Sounds like a good time to me.  Linda and E have a bachlorette party planned so we need to get out of the way for the weekend.  We’ll go do man stuff… spit on the ground, talk loud a burp anytime we want….. pee off the porch, maybe even have a knuckle dragging contest…… lol.  Seriously, it will be fun to go up and BBQ, watch sports on TV and chill out.

It’s after 10PM… way past my bedtime….  thanks again to all our freinds.

Rusty

Last weekend was Erin’s Bridal Shower.  It was a lovely shower with a huge outpouring of love.  It was so good to see everybody.  The only down side to our life style is I miss my friends of 30 years.