The Long Way Home

The Boat Comes Home to Sweden

2008-08-05T16:51:00.000-05:00

Sommarlov is almost over

2008-08-03T16:17:00.002-05:00

I took a look at the calendar and realized that the girls have only 2 weeks left before school starts and I have 3 weeks. Wow! This summer went by quickly that is for sure. We have had some warm and sunny Swedish weather (probaby 80 plus degrees) for about 3 weeks and now a respite with the usual mixed up weather (sunny sometimes and rain the next but a nice 70 plus degrees). During the heat of things we enjoyed going to a different beach every day. I liked the private ones that you only know about by living here. You can either get to them by foot if you live close enough, or park your car and walk some distance. We parked and walked past a private observatory run by a university; past the Chairman of Volvo's home; past a traditional Swedish farm house painted falu red with white trim; past a forest and wheat field and thru a forest. We got to this secluded beach with rocks and little grass but nice swimming for the kids. So after several days of checking out new locations with hours spent at the beach I kind of was all sunned out. We bought a pool instead for a change of pace. A pool bigger than our back yard. I tried to fill it myself and did a poor job so it was pretty lopsided but the girls loved it. Today with summer winding down we borrowed a pump and emptied it.
Today I took a walk in the forest just 3 houses down from us. There is a wonderful walking trail that is lit for darkness. It was very calming to be on my own while the girls were with Mattias on the boat. I have also been weeding the garden a bit more. I wasn't sure what was a weed and what are meant to be there but as I've looked more have figured it out I hope. Liv spotted something red in the garden which turned out to be a potato. Well, we had several plants that were ready for digging so the girls and I enjoyed a the surprise treasures we found today. They are called mandelpotatis here. A different variety and size. We cooked them and at them and they were delicious. Now we are waiting for the blackberries to ripen. We get maybe 5 a day but the bush is wrapped clear around a wood shed so we are expecting hordes! We hope to freeze them for future use.
With so little time left before school we will quick have to get some visiting in and do little things around town. We will go to Mattias' family farm and then to visit some Minnesota friends who have a summer house here in Sweden. Mattias will have to work a couple days in Uppsala so we can decide if myself and the girls will travel there as well for a first time visit or hang at the farm.
This week we will continue to work on our house. Our kitchen is not finished yet but functional. We have not spent days slaving on it but pick at it when we feel like it. I would like to get moving on it more before the school starts again.

More later,
Carrie

The Boat Comes Home to Sweden

2008-08-03T16:03:00.001-05:00

Mattias got the call that the boat would be arriving on the ship from Florida to Kalundborg, Denmark. He quickly arranged for his crew of family and friends to assist in sailing Windfall home to Sweden. Brother Jens, and old friends, Mats, Magnus and another Mats decided they would like to take the trip too. So, one way by train they traveled almost a full day to get to Denmark. It turned out to be a magnificent week weather wise which meant every one and their brother were on their sailboats at this time of the week. You see pictures of Windfall being loaded from the ship into the water. Other pictures are of the guys just enjoying the calm of the sea. They spent two nights on various islands and the first one had at least 500 sailboats docked. Windfall was tied up for the night against 7 other boats. It was perfect conditions, maybe too calm but a great time for the 5 friends to be together.

Minnesota Visitors

2008-07-16T16:41:00.001-05:00

Our friends from Minnesota, Mike and Mary, made a two night stop at our place during a trip including picking up their new Volvo. A good deal to remember for those who want to buy a new car....free plane tickets, hotel for two nights, limo pick up and delivery of passengers, factory tour with lunch, dog and pony show included! Aside from trying to sell you a trip to Gothenburg on your next purchase, you can also spend time with us as bonus! We treated our friends to a crayfish (from the sea) dinner. Poor Mike got a nice hole in his finger from the pincers of the crayfish! Next day we went touring the quaint fishing villages in the Bohuslan region. The last day, Mary, Hanna and I had a chance to get out shopping while Mike and Mattias took the boat out to the islands around where we live for a photo safari by boat. So happy to see them both!

More later,
Carrie

Gotland Vacation

2008-07-16T16:26:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a wonderful time on Gotland with Mattias extended family visiting Carl-Axel and Åsa. Our week was complete with many activities----biking, beaches, eating lamb fresh from the neighbors farm, treating the Swedish folk to their first taste of S'mores to celebrate 4th of July, we drove past several Viking gravesites on the way back from a girl's afternoon out, visited a medieval museum just down the road from Carl Axel's farm; celebrated Eliane's 80th birthday with champagne and a nice meal, relaxing in the sun, playing board games with the girls and their cousins..etc. etc. We really took time to smell the roses, (pun intended as roses were certainly plentiful on the farm and all around the island).

Carrie

Sommarlov

2008-07-02T15:48:00.002-05:00

Well, sommarlov, or summer break, really began a few weeks ago when the kids were finished with school but since I've been back in Sweden after my trip to the U.S., the weather has only today felt like summer. Finally, sunshine and blue skies so the girls and I took a trip to the beach. It was still a bit fresh in the water so only Liv went swimming as she loves cooler water. The girls did some crabbing and the usual sand digging before we came back home again. Mattias is suffering from a cold or flu type thing. He picked up some bug from his trip to Florida and has not been well since returning so he did not join us today. After we got back home, Liv was relaxing watching a Hanna Montana video and came to tell us a bird had flown in the house. Sure enough... I wasn't going to touch it so Mattias tried to coax it out. Finally, after banging the windows a few times, the bird found the door. Poor thing sat on the ledge heart just beating wildly and beak open wide--scared to death. Then if flew off. I'd hate to see it collapse on the patio! We don't have window screens in Sweden unless you fashion some up yourself so that is why the bird got in the house in the first place.
We are getting ready for our annual trip to Gotland. This time we'll be joined by brother Jens and family and Grandma Ingrid. We'll take the 5 hour car ride across the country to the East coast and then take the speed ferry for about 3 hours before arriving in Visby. Then we'll hop back in the cars and drive about an hour to south of Hemse. It will be a long day but the girls will have cousins to play with on the ferry so time should go fast. We'll stay on the island for a week which is just perfect. I just checked the weather report (I'm all about weather these days.) and it looks like rain for the first two days at least. Well, there are plenty of things to do on Gotland and since we'll be staying at Mattias' Great Uncle's place, plenty of exploring just around the farm. I'll take pictures!
So it's July and most Swedes are beginning their 4-6 weeks of summer vacation-- Mattias one of them. We are looking forward to many activities on the time off and are looking forward to house guests after we return from Gotland.

More later,
Carrie

Windfall is Coming to Sweden!

2008-06-29T13:39:00.000-05:00

We had toyed with the idea of keeping Windfall in Northern WI but decided to ship her back to her original home, Sweden. Mattias finally got the shipping company nailed down and a confirmed shipping schedule. He flew to Ft. Pierce and met Windfall at the marina where he left her in January '08. The first picture shows her being lifted from storage on the way to being set back into water. Lucky for Mattias he was able to get her back in the ICW a couple of days earlier than planned. The marina lift operators were in training and used Windfall as their guinea pig! No catastrophes and Mattias was able to push off on Saturday. The first night he docked in Nettles Island, FL. The weather was beastly hot in the 90's and similar percentage humid, with afternoon storms everyday. Standing at the marina dock in Nettles Island, Mattias and others spotted this twister some ways out in the water. Most everyone stood watching and then wondered if they should seek shelter---like under the tiki hut! It was 5 o'clock somewhere--there--- and the boaters must have been one or two too many Mai Tai's not to get the heck out. But the storm passed and Mattias got a nice photo.

The next several nights Mattias was joined by buddy Ted from MN. He flew down to lend a hand and offer company. They travelled from Sunday-Tuesday night and landed in Dania Beach close to Port Everglades as a final stopping point. Tuesday alone they had 20 bridges to get through. Other than that, pretty uneventful with close to zero sailboats out and some rude powerboaters making huge wakes, knocking Windfall with Ted and Mattias aside. Both guys had their share of heat and humidity with drenched clothes during the day and decided to skip the last two nights aboard in favor of a/c, a cool shower and a hotel. Next day Mattias got her ready for shipment in July. On Thursday, both Ted and Mattias headed their separate ways after a fun journey.

A local FL captain will see that Windfall gets aboard in July for her shipment to Kalundborg, Denmark. The boat will arrive there the end of July and Mattias and friends will sail her over to us.

Happy Sailing!

Carrie

Midsommar Weekend

2008-06-22T14:44:00.003-05:00

I had a terrific time in the U.S., first time without husband and kids. This gave me the devoted opportunity to spend time with family, a few friends, travel to Utah for Bev and David's wedding, return to MN to spend time for my nephew's college graduation and my sister's birthday and of course, little league games. It was very busy. Week two I spent with my sister who was now on vacation. I also had lots of time to shop and did so until money ran out! As things are generally more expensive in Sweden than in the U.S, I bought many clothes for myself and for Liv who has outgrown everything, and also lot's of birthday gifts for the girls to give to friends. Luckily I had those in my bag as when I came home, Mattias said Hanna had two parties the next day. He hadn't done any gift prep. What else did I buy...hmmm, dvd's (although the girls can't appreciate Jack Black's humor in Schoolhouse Rock--he was kind of frightening to them); kids workbooks; suncream although we don't need it as the weather is bad and various foodstuff like Ghirardelli chocolate chips, maple syrup; brown sugar; vanilla and salad dressing. So I was over the luggage weight limit but by being nice and friendly, plus a decent tip, I saved myself $150.00 with the nice curbside baggage check man.

So I came home to Sweden and the next morning, Mattias left for work on the other side of Sweden. A few nights later he came home for one night and left for Florida to travel with our sailboat, Windfall, and get her to Ft. Lauderdale to be prepped for shipment over to Denmark. He arrived in Florida on Thursday, spent one night in Ft. Pierce. Lucky for him it was the weekend. The marina crew was training so they could use our boat as an experiment and got Windfall into the water a couple days earlier than planned. She was dry inside and not a scratch outside. That really took the edge off Mattias and he was able to get a 2 day early head start down the IntraCoastal to Ft. Lauderdale. His buddy Ted is flying in to meet Mattias today and will assist and catch up with each other before Mattias flies home on Thursday. The weather in Florida has been bloody hot with afternoon/evening rain. Mattias said he caught a picture of a funnel cloud twisting some 1/2 mile from shore......Great!

It's summer in Sweden but you wouldn't know it by the weather...rain, rain, and more rain, plus kind of chilly by U.S. standards. The ground is really dry here so I guess I can suffer for the environment! It is also Midsommar weekend, the lightest time of the year in Sweden. With Mattias gone it has been a little quiet...we've been two ships in the night. The girls and I spent Midsommarafton at Mattias' dad's house. A delicious lunch with herring torta, different kinds of herrings; fresh potatoes; home smoked salmon and lax; sliced moose and ham with horseradish cream; little ham and cheese pies; chicken skewers marinated in homemade wine; schnapps; beer and of course, a strawberry and cream tort roll up with raspberry filling. The actual Midsommar day the girls and I went to a manor home for the annual festivities. It was very windy that day but we managed to hang on to our paper plates. Girls ate waffles with whipped cream and jam. We danced around the super tall maypole decorated with birch branches and watched a really good magic show. Back to Jan and Britt Marie's for leftovers!

Then today...it was raining the whole day. I tried to get our bedroom in order as clothes are piled to the ceiling. (With a smaller house we have double duty to keep it neat and tidy. I will have more organizing to do as I brought several more boxes over from Jan and Britt Marie's that we had in the small house there). We have a forest just a few houses away from us with a nice path that folks walk thru, ride or run. The horse trail runs right next to it. At night they light the path so it is a well used trail. We took a break and Hanna took my by the hand and said she knew the way as it was my first time. Sure enough, she led me right to the fire pit area where her dagis goes to during the weeks. We spent a good 2 hours walking and exploring. Came home to go to the grocery store and after I made some soup.

After some late nights up since it is so light out at night, the girls had to hit the hay earlier tonight. It is after 10 p.m. and still light out after all. Both have dagis or fritids tomorrow. I am into the Euro 2008 fotboll (soccer to you) championship. It has been fun to watch as underdogs have won several games. Tonight it is Spain vs. Italy. 78 minutes into the game and 0-0.

More later,
Carrie

Late Spring Update

2008-05-30T19:13:00.002-05:00

It's been over a month since I've written. I feel like a sloth for having shirked my duties as writer, but want the dear readers to know that we've really been busy on the home front. We've moved into our new home, are wrapping up school for summer for the girls and for myself as well.
It has been great to move into our home, unpack and find a place for everything. The best part is mostly to have a home to call our own since we left the States in September 2007! We went from sailboat to small cottage to a home. With the gradual step up in living space sizes, I've learned that I can really live with a lot less than what we have. Everything from clothing to toiletries to kitchen wear to just plain STUFF! We paired down before leaving the States and will have to store or get rid of more as we just don't have room for all in our new space. Mattias, (man of many ideas), had the idea to open an antique store which is something worth pondering. We have many antiques, I like to shop at auctions so could be a good fit...we'll see.
The girls are happy to have a place to call their own. Their own newly decorated rooms with all their girly things. I am happy that they are happy in the new home. We have all been sleeping like babies back in our own beds. We feel the stress of moving around has caught up with us and now that we can relax, we are tired! We still have a bit of painting in the hallway to finish up, some trim work to do and the kitchen remodel needs to be finished. Then we can get the mud room laundry organized and so on.. So close, but we'll get there.
The girls are winding down school now. A successful first 5-6 months in Sweden. Both girls have adapted to social and school life in Sweden, are on their way to becoming fluent with the language and like the life here. We couldn't have asked for better school or dagis for Liv and Hanna. Liv was in her class performance with 3 other girls. They did the dance to Superstar for the Kaberet event. Hanna's class has been studying farm animals. Handy the cow farm is just across the road from her dagis and the sheep farm is in walking distance away. Today Hanna was to be a sheep for her performance, end of school thing. Well, Pappa is attending that as I am in the States now for several events. (no, not celebrating first trip alone without kids--well, I did have 3 nights alone once). My nephew is graduating from college, my dear friend is getting married in Utah and my sister has a BIG birthday. So, timing is good! Plus a bonus of getting a bit of time with friends so time will go fast while I am here.
Since I am in the States now, I'll miss my end of school events. Our class is planning a picnic at the beach in Onsala. I'm sorry to miss it as I have made several nice friends from class. I hope to have a little fest at my house this summer anyway so we all can keep in touch. I will continue my Swedish studies in the Fall and learned that I can advance a level now! I will really have to put the pedal to the metal after the summer since we will be focusing a lot more on grammar. It was tricky when I was in Junior High, and tricky now....but a good challenge for me!
Well, I had an odd burst of energy after arriving in MN tonight, but suddenly feel tired and have a craving for PEANUT BUTTER! Think I'll go make myself a piece of toast.

Nighty, night!
Carrie

Sweden celebrates yet another Pagan festival

2008-04-30T11:13:00.002-05:00

In preparation for Spring's arrival, the kids at Liv's school had a hat parade where they wore their finest/most unusual hats. They cleaned up the area around the school with trashbags and the like and in the end, had a big bonfire. You will find similar activites in other neighborhoods. Right around now, cleaning days have been established. At our new house last weekend the neighbors were busy picking up Spring trash, sweeping the streets, spurcing up the playground, building fences together etc. This weekend, my father-in-law's neighborhood will host a similar event. Us? We'll be working on our house project. No celebration there yet! Read below, it gives some good history...
Carrie

Valborg - Sweden blazes into springtime

Published: 30 Apr 08 16:00 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/3671/

Winter's over. Summer is just around the corner. That's as good a cause for celebration in Sweden as any, and the revelry on Valborgsmässoafton - Walpurgis Night - on April 30th gets pretty heated.

* Easter - when Sweden's witches come out to play (20 Mar 08)
* The Lowdown: Lucia (12 Dec 07)
* Swedish Christmas treat hit by Iranian harvest (4 Dec 07)

Intensely so, actually, as massive bonfires up and down the country honour an 8th-century German abbess, St. Walpurga, or Valborg in Swedish.

For those of you ready to point out that the Swedish calendar recognizes Valborg on May 1st, keep in mind that as the holiday contains the Swedish word ‘afton’, it is on the eve of Valborg’s Day that things get hot.

Despite its modern links to Christianity, Valborgsmässoafton, which has been celebrated in Sweden since the Middle Ages, is one of two Swedish holidays which still resemble their pre-Christian merrymaking. The other is Midsummer.

The original pagan festival heralded the onset of the growth season. It attempted to ward off evil, ensure fertility and cleanse the land of the dried and dead of winter. Today, it is still the accepted gateway to long and warmer days.

Few modern Swedes know, and even fewer care, much about the origins of the festival. Nevertheless, they cherish it.

Valborg, as it is fondly, and more conveniently, known, calls for a mountainous bonfire and a crowd. These enormous blazes are either organized by the local municipality or neighbourhood.

The larger, municipality-sponsored bonfires have a carnival-like atmosphere. The less flammable neighbourhood fires have a block-party enthusiasm.

Size doesn’t truly matter in a bonfire - you just have to find or ignite one. The imminent spring elates all and the community unites in spirit. Indeed, there's almost a spiritual feel to the gathering.

What happens at a typical Valborg brasa or bonfire? Bundled crowds of optimistic Swedes warm themselves facing the blaze. Mischievous children feed the fire with anything flammable they can drag and toss into the flames.

If you’re lucky you experience a most romantic experience where the crowd sings uplifting odes to the spring as they clutch their Valborg beer. These folksongs bring a nostalgic feel which reminds the outdoorsy Swede that better weather and coveted Swedish summer is soon upon them.

If you’re truly fortunate, this is your opportunity to hear some elderly, yet enthusiastic 'gubbe' - a certain sort of ageing Swedish chap - rally the crowd with his accordion. The rest of the year he is just the old man with the squeezebox, but today he is the music man, the centre of the party.

Valborg is one day - and they are few and far between in the Swedish calendar - when you can grab a strangers hand and skip and sing without recoil.

If you want the wild, student version then make the pilgrimage to Uppsala or Lund, the two biggest university towns in Sweden. Students guarantee your day will be filled with music, joviality and as much beer as you imagine. There are also rumours of nubile bodies rolling down hills. You’ll have to see it to believe it.

Pure tradition oozes at Stockholm's Skansen. The open air museum provides a backdrop of genuine Swedish countryside smack in the middle of downtown Stockholm.

However, the most intimate place to celebrate Valborg is close to home. Check your local newspaper or with your neighbours which local park will be lighting up a bonfire. After a long winter cooped up behind closed doors, a brotherly love extends throughout the neighbourhood.

This is your chance to get to know those people that barely lift their eyes at you the rest of the year. And besides, the old guy's pretty good on that squeezebox.

EA Fondelius (news@thelocal.se)
E

Carrie has a coronary!

2008-04-25T03:09:00.003-05:00

Not raised on the metric system, I've had a hard time figuring out the conversion of certain things, and have relied on my husband to translate. Mattias informed me last week after I filled up the car again for over 900 kronor...that we are paying close to $7.00 a gallon for gas!

Civilförsvarsförbundet - Civil Defense

2008-04-25T02:49:00.002-05:00

We had an interesting class yesterday at school. A man from the Civilförsvarsförbundet or Civil Defense society came to give a talk to our SFI classes. We learned about preparedness in case of War, catastrophe or natural disasters, plus who to call in case of emergency, similar to our 911. All in all, it was be prepared and what to have in case of the worst. And more importantly, help your neighbor.... Mattias was surprised that they still do these talks but I noticed he quickly pulled out the camp stove and filled several buckets of water when we had severe weather some weeks ago and were worried about losing power for some hours. His civil training combined with military training put him into survival mode. The man yesterday kept bringing up having water and dried coffee just in case. Yes, who can't do without a nice cup of coffee--and also a nice bar of chocolate to go with for extra energy!

It is Friday today. Hanna and I have the day off from school. She's catching up on toons, me laundry and this blog.

Our kitchen is being delivered today and will be installed next week along with other renovation finishing work. My task this weekend is to PAINT like a banshee. The girls are going with Grandma to her farm so we are freed up to have devoted time to do our house work. Our goal is to have the house complete (or in move in condition) before May 9th! That would be WONDERFUL!

Have a great weekend!
Carrie

A Spring Day at the Dagis

2008-04-10T13:33:00.000-05:00

It's getting warmer in Sweden. The sun is shining more often here and the dreary days are getting longer and brighter. Today's set of pictures show Hanna's dagis. When I picked her up this day she was digging in the sandbox. Some other days when she is outdoors, she uses a saw, hammer,nails and paint to build things in the workshop. Other kids were playing with plants at the water tub. The forest behind the play area have not blossomed yet and things are still a bit brown. The dagis takes hikes in the forest one day a week. The play area outside is worn from play and when it rains, and it sometimes does often, the area gets muddy which makes rubber boats a necessity. The kids spend much of their time outdoors rain or shine. A friend said, "there is no bad weather in Sweden, only bad clothes". Kids are allowed to play in the water if they choose. After, they just go in and get a dry change of clothes. I'm very happy there are patient teachers willing to help out with this process as I know I'm less patient at home! At this dagis, we must have several changes of clothes, boots and outer wear. The first floor of the dagis houses the childrens clothing one one wall, and sets of rubber boots on another plus two well-used drying cabinets on another wall. There are kids aged 16 months old to age 6 that attend the dagis. Hanna is making new friends and loves it!

2008-04-04T13:54:00.000-05:00

See below for more pictures and new additions to the BLOG!

Spring in the Air!

2008-04-04T13:44:00.000-05:00

I have some free time tonight and thought I'd plunk out some things while I have a chance. The last weeks we've had some seriously busy weeks. The weekend after Hanna's birthday was Påskvecka (Easter week) at the school and dagis. The kids celebrated by dressing as Påskskäring (Easter witches), a tradition from hundreds of years ago when some women were accused of being witches and they fled to an island called Blåkulla, on the East coast of Sweden.
After school we had Påsklov, (Easter break) and took a trip to the mountains in Jamtland where Mattias' family has a cabin. While the girls and I have been there many times, Mattias hadn't been there since I was pregnant with Liv. That's how many years? Well she's 6 1/2 now! I was anxious for him to spend time at his beloved childhood cabin as it's a place that we've come to love too. We packed the car and drove along with Ingrid in tow. The cabin itself is about a 12 hour drive from Göteborg so we made the first night stop in Mora, a lovely city in Dalarna, most famous for the Mora Vasaloppet ski race. We actually stayed at a hostel (vandrahem) that is on the line for the race. This was Easter week and apparently quiet in comparison as we were the only people inhabiting the entire hostel. It was great!! After a long car ride, the girls could run up and down the long hallway to burn off energy while we cooked tacos for dinner in the communal kitchen. Off to bed, we realized we had only brought 2 sets of sheets--enough for the girls. Luckily for Mattias and I, Ingrid had ironed and packed two tablecloths so we used those as bed sheets!
The next day we made it to Kolåsen by around 2:30 in the afternoon which gave us time to dig into the cabin since there we many feet of snow surrounding it and to unpack. The girls immediately put on their snow gear and headed outside, which for the most part of the week, is where they spent their time. The cabin sits on a hill which during the summertime is covered with wildflowers. In winter it's snow-racer, skier wonderland! We all enjoyed a bit of something whether cross country skiing, taking wild rides down hill on the spark (kick-sled), or as in Hanna's case, being pulled in the pulka, the same one Mattias rode in as a child. We spent Easter at the cabin and enjoyed a hefty meal washed down by snaps and a sweet marzipan freshly prepared by Ingrid and the girls for dessert. Mattias even took some relaxing time hemming his pants on the sewing machine.
We were not done with vacation yet. The tail end of the trip required a visit to Stockholm for Mattias' Great Uncle's 80th birthday party. Ingrid and Mattias' Dad's cousin, Gudrun, stayed in the apartment and our family stayed at a surprisingly nice vandrahem in the Söder section of Stockholm, just a short walk from the gathering being held the following day. We had pizza at Carl Axel and Åsa's on Friday night and we had time to stroll around Saturday morning before the party. Liv wanted some new pants as a sudden growth spurt has made her pants in to "floods"--something she was not too happy about. After the party we had the car packed and drove again a couple of hours to Ingrid's family farm where we spent the night at her house there. Up the next morning to look at a 250 year old army officer's farm that sits on some family land and needs work and TLC. Because of it's age and historic status it can't be torn down so could be considered a project for someone. Despite the mouse droppings inside, it sure was charming with the little house, small barn and playhouse. Hmmm?
We arrived back to Gbg. Sunday night and got ready for the week ahead. Mattias took this past week off to do some home projects and work and the girls and I got back into the school routine. At the end of the week, today, we officially bought the home we've been waiting to buy! It was the easiest process I've seen as Mattias literally signed only about 4 documents. This week he was already working with the carpenter to start some remodeling--this job yesterday was opening up a wall for french doors from our guest bedroom to the lr/dr area. I dropped Liv and Hanna off at their Grandma's for the weekend and since we have agreed on colors, I will start painting tomorrow. With any luck, we'll move in May.
So, the girls are with Grandma, Mattias is at the other house and I've just finished a frozen vegetarian falafel with chickpeas, a glass of 3.5% beer and a taste of chocolate pudding. Swedes have this fascination with sing-a-long show so I am watching a fairly good edition of one now after the Simpsons just wrapped up.
Think Spring!
Carrie

Bubbling with Swedish

2008-03-15T20:43:00.001-05:00

Hello,
It's the end of another week and today is Saturday. Hanna has her 5th birthday tomorrow and we got home later this afternoon after her kiddie party at a local play place-- the kind with climbing structures and special room for the party food etc. She had 5 of her friends from school invited plus an older cousin and Liv for a total of 8. We enjoyed the afternoon and while it can be pricey to do these things, it sure makes it nice when we don't have to cook, clean and plan and then clean up after it all! Considering our living situation now, there weren't many party options for a small group of wild ones....
Mattias cooked salmon and baked potatoes tonight. We ate the fruit salad and chocolate cupcakes leftover from the party for dessert. He is getting the girls ready for bed as they are wired and tired from the day. Tonight is the finale of the Melodifestivalan--a kind of European contest that will decide who is the most entertaining singer/performer in Europe. Tonight Sweden is deciding their candidate. I haven't watched before but might consider it entertaining to check it out.
Both Mattias and I had a busy week. He was in Uppsala for two nights. He enjoyed a corporate team building event with an evening of go-karting. Little did his team know that he was a former go-kart racer while growing up so this event was just up his alley! Back home to settle more things on our pending new house. We got in there this week to remove some more items from the house and garage, vacuum, and absorb the atmosphere. We discovered new things about the house and took some more look/see's to get the work ideas in place. We are doing some verbal problem solving and hope to get it in place quickly once we settle the financials of owning the place.
I had a great week at school and as they say in Swedish, "Min huvud är bubblar med Svenska"!-- or my head is bubbling with Swedish! The program is really fantastic for three reasons-the method they use at the Kungsbacka Komvux called Suggestopedi; our teacher who is a bundle of energy; and lastly, the classmates. We are all gelling now and have a fun time while learning Swedish. I have been lunching with the Americans/Australians and Romanians, but lately enjoyed a girl's lunch with Yvonne, from East Germany and Farida from Russia. We tease Farida as the "Swedish police" as she enforces that we must speak Swedish while in class and out on breaks. She calls herself "Little Stalin". Another day I broke away from the American and Australian group to have lunch with the Asian ladies from China and Thailand. It is very interesting to hear people's background stories and learn why and how they got to Sweden.
Tomorrow we have a family meal as both Hanna and cousin Linus share the same birthday. He is turning 7 years. It was suggested that I bring calico baked beans and coleslaw to share with the bbq chix and spareribs. There was rumour of some sort of Princess Torta for dessert. Yummy!
More later,
Carrie

Weekend in Stockholm

2008-03-08T16:13:00.009-06:00

Mattias and I are rounding out our trip to Stockholm this weekend without the girls who are with Farmor. We are here for part business, mostly leisure. Mattias and I took off to attend a special event for Astrid Sylwan, an up and coming artist (but pretty well established) who has received a significant stipend to travel to New York City for a month to meet other artists and absorb the culture for inspiration. Or at least that's what I think you'd do with a stipend! The stipend was from Carl-Axel's foundation and was presented by Carl-Axel and the artist, Peter Dahl. Peter is a modern day Picasso (literally), and between he and Astrid, it made for an interesting evening to be surrounded by such talent!
Friday and Saturday, Mattias and I had free days. We are staying at Carl-Axel's pied a terre overlooking the city. We got to sleep in and take a coffee and late breakfast in the apartment. On Friday we spent time exploring Södermalm neighborhood where the apartment is located then to dinner at Carl-Axel and Åsa's house some blocks away. We ended the evening by going to a great little British Pub just a couple blocks the opposite direction of the apartment. We thought we got a good bargain on a pint of lager for a little over $10.00 a pint! Saturday, today, we got up and took to the town by foot. Our first destination was Svensk Tenn and it took some time to wind our way out of Soder, through Gamla Stan, past the royal palace and up and down the path by the water. It was a busy shopping day in Stockholm and as suspected, Svensk Tenn was packed with visitors fawning over the ever lovely Josef Frank designs. We had a great time window shopping and rested our legs by having a delicious Lebanese lunch. We took the Tunnelbana back to the apartment and picked up Carl-Axel to go to a building supply store that had a number of kitchen and bathroom exhibits for inspiration. Later in the evening we walked back to CA's house and had dinner, this time joined by Ulla-Britt.
Sunday we'll head toward home but first stop and visit a Herrgård that Mattias' Uncle is interested in purchasing. They want our opinion on the property so we are happy to help out. After, we'll continue driving and try to visit Mattias' Mormor, (Grandmother), and have a coffee and some treats perhaps.
This week Mattias will be back in Uppsala for work and I will have child duty alone for a couple of days plus back to school on Monday for myself.

More later,
Carrie

Weekend happenings

2008-03-02T13:35:00.004-06:00

I'm sitting in bed typing this blog and planning to hit the hay early tonight. A friend and I took the train in to Göteborg last night to meet up with 22 other English speaking moms and Mattias drove into the city to pick us up late. We met at a Thai restauarant on Vasagatan and enjoyed a delicious build your own meal buffet. There were four of us whose kids go to the same school and another gal I had previously met for coffee so I knew a few people, but the rest I met for the first time. We are all English speakers and for the most part, married to Swedes, although there were a couple of Swedish natives who lived in the U.S. It was another cultural affair with ladies from England, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Australia, Canada and the U.S.

Last night, Liv went to a pajama birthday party for a school friend and had a nice time. Hanna stayed home with Mattias and had an evening with cousins while their folks were also out on the town. It was a gorgeous sunny day today. The cousins slept overnight and Mattias cooked an American pancake breakfast with bacon and real maple syrup. Afterwards, the kids played outside on a newly discovered area around the house. Hanna had a play date with a friend and Liv went home with Linus and Johan for more playing. I met the parents of Hanna's friend and had a coffee at their house before leaving Hanna, and then joined Mattias at our potential new home. Mattias and his friends were at Rolf's house divvying up more of his household belongings. It is getting emptier and now we can see better the work we will need to do to get it to our liking, get an idea of furniture placement etc. We are still sooooo excited about moving in and can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I have asked the neighbor to help me with the garden. Rolf was a master gardener so I have big shoes to fill and don't think I can do it on my own. If I understood her correctly, Ulla told me that when the birch trees begin to form buds is when I can prune the rose bushes...oh, so much to think about and the work will follow!

We have another busy week ahead but Mattias and I will take some days together in Stockholm at the end of the week. I will share more about that later.

Off to sleep,

Carrie

REA, REA! Book Sale Day!

2008-02-26T14:58:00.004-06:00

Today is Tuesday, February 26th. It is book sale day in Sweden!! REA!--Sale! the signs say. The bookstores have been advertising their books on sale for a couple of weeks now. They pretty much are selling the same books due to a monopoly. I did go to a local store in Kungsbacka and was disappointed in their selection of books for myself--I'm not interested in English language books on Elvis, motorcycles, or parents who killed their children. (like, would anyone really buy that last one? Creepy!). I did find several fiction books at the Kungsmässan Mall, mostly by English authors which you find a lot here. All stores sold the Stora Bok om Kök which is a compilation of recipes by the largest grocery store in Sweden. The prices varied between 99 to 149 kronor. Luckily, I paid the lesser price which equates to about $16.00-$24.00 vs. over $60.00 after the sales. I of course bought several children's books too. There is big hype about the annual sale because they have reduced the price of most book by about 50% or more! For me, when buying English language books which are very expensive, that is a bonus!

The picture today is of the sunset taken some steps from our little cabin. It has been misty and windy today so nice to see some pink sky!

More later,
Carrie

Happy Anniversary!

2008-02-24T12:08:00.002-06:00

February 24, 2008
Today Mattias and I are celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary! Actually, we are celebrating our Justice of the Peace wedding which happened with my sister Kris and brother in law, Elliott as witnesses at the Dakota County courthouse in Hastings, MN++ months before our formal ceremony in Gotland, Sweden in 1999! Happy Anniversary to us!
More later,
Carrie

P.S. Mattias also has the good fortune of celebrating his name day. February 24th of each year in Sweden has names Mattias and Mats on the calendar to celebrate. We forgot about coffee in bed this morning for the special guy!

Pictures Finally!

2008-02-23T18:32:00.000-06:00

Saturday

2008-02-23T18:07:00.002-06:00

We prepared the morning for Liv's school friends to come for lunch and play. I baked a banana bread with chocolate chips and then made pizza dough for our pizza lunch. The girls came over, sisters originally from Australia. Liv and Hanna were so excited to show them our digs and to speak English with playmates. The girls played with ponies, Barbies, build a fort outside, watered and watched a film before the end of the day.
I had a headache for most of the day and then took my prescription meds to see if that would alleviate it after 3 p.m.. It kind of did but I felt funny anyway. You see, Mattias and I, when were were on the boat, consumed much wine-- red wine in particular along with salty snacks galore! We decided that when we moved to Sweden, we would eliminate buying both wine and snacks. Not only to help the budget but for health sake. (never mind that a glass of red wine a day cuts cholesterol or whatever the latest finding is). And chip consumption only makes you want to eat more---empty calories. So, we have been here for over two months and I did give in and purchase one single liter of white wine a couple of weeks ago and then Mattias went and bought several bottles of red wine and a box of white last night. With our meal we finished one bottle of red last night, and hence, the headache today. Oh, and we also bought chips....So, the willpower held out until this weekend really which I think we have to congratulate ourselves on. Moral of the story, I'm really going to give up red wine again and see if that helps my headache situation!
I tried to take a little couch rest and had the girls playing house in the background. They were trying to spoon feed me pretend tomato soup which wasn't sounding too appetizing. Then they went on to play dog and owner! I closed my eyes for some minutes and felt better. Our family was invited to one of Mattias' old friend's house for dinner. He has 3 girls, two of which go to Liv's school. For the meal we had a delicious Raclette experience---the electric raclette platter where we cook the meat, and underneath are the little individual cups that you put veggies and cheese. put that under the heater lamp and melt the cheese. It is a very social meal. The girls loved it! They had fun playing with Mats and Carolina's girls too and were exhausted when we got home. We spent some time chatting with Jan and Britt Marie and then I Skyped my sister. It's closing in on 1:30 a.m. I best be going for the night.
More later,
Carrie

Friday

2008-02-22T08:33:00.003-06:00

It's the end of the week. Yesterday at the Kungsbacka library was a celebration of alternative mother tongue languages to Swedish. Liv and I drove into the city after she finished fritids. We met her English teacher who is British but has lived in Sweden for many years. She has been the mother tongue teacher in Onsala for many years and is on her way to retiring but likes the group or the teaching I guess. She is a sharp looking lady and tried to fix us up for a playdate with some gals and their kids from England. One of the gals was friends with one of my new friends in Onsala and had heard about our family, newly arrived from America. A small world here in Sweden. We didn't get a playdate arranged despite the best efforts of the English teacher. A little too pushy but in a nice way! Liv had some artwork on exhibit at the library. The mother tongue classes encourage the student to continue learning the traditions of their home country or background. Liv had pictures of a cowboy and a map of the U.S. with Minnesota and Washington, D.C. We watched a dance performance of Thai students--one of which is the daughter of a gal in my SFI class. There was also a very flexible belly dancer, probably from Iran. Gee, if I could learn belly dancing, my mom tummy would disappear quickly!

I am feeling exhausted today and don't know why. Actually, I feel like I'm in a bit of a funk...would have been a great napping day, which is nice on a rainy day, and could well have taken one. It was my day off from school today and Hanna's as well. I had a good week at school and feel better prepared now that my teacher has provided me with a study plan. I have lots of work to do and look forward to it during the week, but not so much at nights or weekends!

The house was a bit of a disaster so I spent some time picking up and doing laundry. The space we are living in is very tiny so everything should be put away after it is taken out. That happens sometimes but clothes tend to get piled here and there. Liv had a good day at school today and got done at 12:30. She didn't have fritids today so was home earlier than normal. She is working on her book, "The bad haircut", or some title like that. It was something she started when we were on the boat. Hanna has been doing workbook things. We are making bread and waiting for the loaves to rise so we can get them into the oven.

Mattias and Liv washed one of the cars in the rain and wind. She came back in with a healthy glow to cheeks. Mattias now has gone on to get a haircut, stop at the Systembolaget-(liquor store) in Kungsbacka since that is the only one in the area--a 20 minute drive! Then he'll go to the grocery store for us.

Mattias' Dad and Britt Marie should be arriving back to the house after suppertime. We'll probably visit with them this evening. I best get to the bread now.

More later,
Carrie

It's Tuesday

2008-02-19T13:43:00.003-06:00

The kids have just gone to sleep and I was able to leave them sleeping in our little house while I walked over to the "big house" to get this blog written and sent tonight. I don't have computer connection, or very good cell phone connection when I'm in the little house so the little things become a chore!
We spent a some nice Sportlov days at Elisabet's family home in Värmland. Elisabet's father lives in an expansive home built in 1822, (the carving near the fireplace says so). There was plenty of room for all of us to spread out, kids and all. We were able to get out and make a little sport and we spent one day downhill skiing with the kids. The mountain had made snow since there was only but a crust on the ground. It was my first time downhill skiing in Sweden and luckily, we brought our ski equipment with us this summer so we didn't have to bum out that those things were in storage!
Liv developed another ear infection and needed to be doctored on Saturday. She had a perforated eardrum so was feeling uncomfortable and had spent most of the night previous tossing and turning. On Sunday, the kids went sledding outside the house. The weather was springlike.
Back to school for all of us this week. Mattias is in Stockholm for two nights and had meetings in Uppsala today. He'll come home late tomorrow afternoon.
More students have been added to my SFI class. There are now 9 different languages that we all speak with one unified language of Swedish that we are learning to speak. Our class is gelling and it is a nice day to spend away from home learning. The SFI courses have most recently gotten some bad press in Sweden. That was on the news last night and was a bit of a bummer for our teacher who is probably my age, and has been teaching Swedish as second language for over 20 years! Our class has mostly "love immigrants" we figured and the area of Sweden that we live in, the Kungsbacka kommune, has not taken many, if any refugees, but will step up to the plate and do so very soon. Some from Iraq will be arriving and the teachers are scrambling, wondering how they will do it as the classes are already so full. Job security for some I guess....
I took Liv to the doctor this afternoon and for a haircut today. The stylist man put so much "product" in her hair she was beginning to look like a junior miss pageant contestant. It was pretty crispy afterward and Liv and I had a good laugh! I realized that I know a lot of Swedish, but it takes what seems like forever to get a point across. Mattias had warned me that I needed to leave the doctor's office with a referral for ear specialist. Even though the doctor spoke English, I still walked away with not the right paperwork! I don't understand the systems here... then I wanted to book a haircut appt. for Hanna and tried to explain to the man that she finished dagis at 3:30 and we'd arrive shortly after. Finally got my point across there using sign language and some creative use of words... It is exhausting sometimes but a challenge to keep plugging away at Swedish! Now I know why my girls are so tired and crabby at the end of the day!!
Mattias received word that we may be able to take ownership of our house in 2-3 weeks time! That is great news for us, and for Mattias Dad whose homes we occupy, and means we can get in and get to work on our new place. After some discussion and looking at floorplans, it looks like we will try to do some renovation before moving in after all. We are trying to secure the time of a carpenter to help us with moving some doors, adding some doors and removing and moving some closets. With a little snowball effect, that will mean we can remove some paper and repaper the walls before we paint. I have been to the paint store looking for a similar color to my beloved Benjamin Moore Linen White. The paint salesman said that 70's colors are the trend here now, along with bold wallpaper--white is coming on the trend again! White is coming?! I would like similar schemes to my old home--linen white on main walls and color in bedrooms etc. Will continue my search. I do enjoy the trends and like to see new ideas for inspiration anyway.
I will try again to get pictures posted tonight. Some of the ski trip, sledding and some delicious new cheese that I bought last week.
More later,
Carrie
Looks like the pictures aren't posting for some reason. I'll try again with that another day.

SportLov week

2008-02-13T15:58:00.002-06:00

We've been plagued by colds, fever and unidentified stomach aches in our house. Hanna has missed the past three days of school and Mattias and I are still suffering from our cold. Liv seems to be okay and has been going to fritids during this week off which she's enjoyed. I guess we've picked up our share of new Swedish bugs since being here!
Today I met three other gals for coffee in Kungsbacka. It is nice to meet new people--Australian, Swedish another American, and to chat in English relating to our respective new home in Sweden. I should, however, give up the treats related to the coffees if I want to keep up the various meetings! After coffee I walked a couple of undiscovered blocks in Kungsbacka and found a toy store and a kid's clothing store, both of which I never knew existed. I was able to pick up a little something for the girl's Valentine's Day tomorrow at the toy store and a couple pair of pants for Liv. Seems like Hanna is moving into Liv's old size here....
Mattias, Hanna and I went to do a look and see our future home yesterday. We are still satisfied with our decision to buy Rolf's home and are getting ideas for renovation. Since it was built in 1966, many details remain the same but it could use some refreshing as in paint, new kitchen, bathrooms and other details. It sounds so much like a similar project that we embarked on in Minnesota--am I ready for another of the same?! Rolf's household goods and personal items are still in the house and the executor is getting them ready for dispersal. Until that happens we won't be moving in, but it should be within in the next couple of months. We probably won't go all out renovating until we've lived there anyway but it is fun to get ideas going. We are anxious to get our container of our own household goods and clothes back to us. Mattias has been going to his business meetings looking a little more casual than he'd like as all our clothes are in storage.
We leave tomorrow afternoon for Elisabet's family home in Varmland. It will be a good 4-5 hour drive before we are there so hopefully the girls will take a nice nap on the way.
More later,
Carrie

Busy week

2008-02-08T06:27:00.000-06:00

It was an incredibly busy week with our household.
I started my Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) class in Kungsbacka on Monday. It goes Mon to Thurs until June. I was nervous about starting as the class began a couple of weeks ago but I seem to be right up to par with the rest. We have a really fun teacher and they use a Bulgarian teaching method. Bulgarian of all places! It is called Suggestopedi and we use music, rhythm, role playing etc. to learn the language. It is not just sitting behind a desk listening and reciting back to the teacher. One afternoon a week we have a writing class and two afternoons a week we do a self study with computers or other materials in the Study Stuga at the school. I am enjoying being in a class with people from all over the world. We have a few Americans; Australians; Thai; Chinese; Polish; Czech; Romanian; Iranian and a guy from the Middle East.
With my schooling, that takes me away from home for many hours in the week. I am not so used to having to be organized when I walk out of the house in the mornings!
Hanna started her dagis inskolning this week. She is getting right into the routine and we are not required to stay along with her all day after all as she trots off and is happy on her own. She has made friend with a couple of girls and will have a playdate planned soon.
Both Hanna and Liv spend many hours outside during the weeks and with that we are constantly looking for mittens; not so dirty jackets etc. I will have much laundry to do this weekend!
I was invited to attend a Parent Teacher Association meeting at Liv's school this week. With my limited Swedish I attended and got to hear about the issues at school and although it is a bit uncomfortable, I figure this is a good way for me to understand the system. I think the topics for discussion here are similar to home--bus safety; playground behaviour; speakers; and the lunch lady came to talk about nutrition. She said they were introducing more organic foods to the school menu including all dairy products, knackebrod (hard tack bread), breads and some veggies. A new friend invited me to attend and she helped to translate.
This morning was my day off from school. I did child drop off duty and Mattias is working on legal things for his job. I met up for coffee in Kungsbacka with two English speaking Moms-- one Australian and one Swedish who I met through a English speaking parent website. The Australian's girls are friends with Liv at school and the Swedish gal lived in the U.S. and Zurich before moving back home to Sweden.
There are several other mom's that use the same site and for some coincidental reason, there are four of us with kids at the same school and all the girls have the same English as First Language class together. It will be nice to get to know these gals.

Next week in this area of Sweden is called SportLov week. That is a week's vacation (held over a three week period in the entire country of Sweden) that is for families to make sports together. Many go to the mountains for skiing, some play indoor sports, other fly to exotic places and have vacation. Hanna will be at dagis for her Sportlov; Liv will not have school. We will travel to the Värmland region later next week and spend time with Jens, Elisabet, Linus and Johan at Elisabet's family home. There is snow there, unlike here, so that will be great fun for all kids.

I am actually in bed now suffering from an achy body as a result of a cold that just came on from my husband. I took a big gulp of NyQuil and think that will kick in soon so I can get into a nice slumber. It is a rainy miserable day out and good one for a nap anyway.

More later,
Carrie

Fettisdagen! A sweet holiday in Sweden

2008-02-05T15:12:00.000-06:00

Todays is the National Semlor Day. Fettisdagen Day. The wiki article tells some fun stuff about the Semlor--that the average Swede eats 5 between Christmas and Easter.
I've eaten two so far. Hanna's dagis baked semlor and we had fika (take a cup of coffee) there today. Yummy!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the Etruscan goddess, see Semla (mythology)

A typical semla.
A typical semla.

A semla is a traditional pastry in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Estonia, associated with Lent and especially Shrove Tuesday. The name derives from the Latin semilia, which was the name used for the finest quality wheat flour. In the southernmost part of Sweden, Skåne and by the Swedish speaking population in Finland, they are known as fastlagsbulle and in Denmark they are known as fastelavnsbolle (fastlagen and fastelavn being the equivalent of shrovetide), and in the rest of Finland as laskiaispulla. In Estonia it is known as vastlakukkel.

The oldest version of the semla was a plain bread bun, eaten in a bowl of warm milk. In Swedish this is known as hetvägg and originates from middle German hete Weggen (hot wedge) or heisse Wecken (hot buns) [1][2]. Today, the semla consists of a cardamom-spiced wheat bun which has its top cut off and insides scooped out and is then filled with a mix of the scooped-out bread crumbs, milk and almond paste, topped with whipped cream. The cut-off top is then put back as a lid and dusted with icing sugar. It is nowadays often eaten on its own, with coffee or similar, but there are still those who eat it in a bowl of hot milk. In Finland, the bun is sometimes filled with strawberry jam instead of almond paste, and bakeries in Finland usually offer both versions. (Many bakeries distinguish between the two by decorating the traditional bun with almonds on top where as the jam filled version only has powdered sugar on top).

The semla was originally eaten only on Shrove Tuesday, as the last festive food before Lent. However, with Protestantism the Swedes stopped observing Lent, and the semla in its bowl of warm milk became a traditional dessert every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Today, semlas are available in shops and bakeries every day from shortly after Christmas until Easter. Each Swede consumes on average five bakery-produced semlas each year, in addition to all those that are homemade [3].

King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died of digestion problems on February 12, 1771 after consuming a meal consisting of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, smoked herring and champagne, which was topped off by 14 servings of semla, served with bowls of hot milk. Semla was the king's favorite dessert.

This was the sweet chosen to represent Finland in the Café Europe initiative of the Austrian presidency of the European Union, on Europe Day 2006.
References

1. ^ Nordiska Museét: Fettisdagsbullen
2. ^ The special treat FASTLAGSBULLE
3. ^ Aftonbladet: Svenska folket laddar för fettisdagen

Sunday

2008-02-03T14:41:00.000-06:00

Mattias and I had a quiet morning with the kids at Grandma Ingrid's overnight. We were planning to talk but instead realized that we were quiet over breakfast enjoying the peace and able to think without interruption! I cleaned up the little house then surfed the net a while reading about Super Tuesday and the plight of Britney Spears while Mattias helped his dad change the tires on his camper.
The kids soon arrived after lunchtime and Liv was shuttled off to a birthday party of her friend Felicia. Hanna and I met up with Elisabet, and cousins Linus and Johan for a little afternoon theater at a local school. Part of a cultural group getting theater out in the community so we attended the first in a series.
We got back home and both girls played while I cooked supper and updated our calendar. Then it was books and bed for the girls. Hanna starts her preschool orientation tomorrow which she is really looking forward to. I will start my Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) language class which is 17 hours a week until June. I have classes Monday-Thursday pretty much all day when you include lunch breaks. These weeks when Hanna has inskolning, Mattias will join her there. Liv will have her second English as mother tongue (Modersmål) class tomorrow afternoon which she enjoyed last week. Her teacher is an immigrant from England and the other girls are from England and Australia so if we're lucky, Liv will take on a British accent. HA!

More later,
Carrie

The Weekend!

2008-02-02T16:58:00.000-06:00

A lazy Saturday catching up on sleep and play and bill paying (fun)! I intended on visiting a bookstore outlet in the city to see if they had English books for a song. I took a second look at the ad and saw they closed at 2 p.m. By the time we finished lunch and drove it would be too late. After I finish my library book, I will be ready to read more and like the convenience and choice of a purchased book...Instead, we took a late afternoon drive to Farmor (Mattias' mother) Ingrid's house in Göteborg for dinner. She visited India last year with friends and was inspired to make us a nice Indian meal of Chicken Masala, Basmati rice with turmeric for color, a lovely green salad with unusual greens. Hanna helped her to roll out the chapati's!. The girls stayed overnight and had a nice soak-play in the bathtub while Mattias and I were still there.
I am trying to upload a picture of the weekend treat, but the connection but not be working so will save that till tomorrow's addition!
To work off our treats and healthy eating, Mattias and I will take a huge walk tomorrow, Sunday, despite wind, rain, hail (as in today), or whatever nature gives us!
More later,
Carrie

Wednesday

2008-01-30T08:40:00.001-06:00

This morning Hanna and I went to the Kungsbacka library for storytime. The theme is charming Alfons Aberg. We checked out some English books, Swedish cd's and dvd's. Hanna used some extra time on the computer working with Pippi and Bamse games. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to lunch in the acclaimed library cafe. Hanna ate a pannkakor with jam and cream. I had a bowl of fisk soppa. (fish soup). I was craving it after eating the same last week but was disappointed this week. The base was fantastic but the fish were too fiber like-- like the texture of fresh ginger root in my mouth. After lunch we went upstairs to the temporary Alfons Aberg play area. I'm reminded at these places that I should wear my best socks because you always have to take your shoes off. Likewise at preschool and gradeschool. (no fancy school shoes needed here!).
Home again and coffee with Mattias who is studying the Volvo manual for our new, used car that Mattias brought home on Tuesday. He just informed me that the Komvux (adult ed) Swedish for Immigrants teacher called him. Sounds like I'll be starting my Swedish classes this week! We'll get signed up tomorrow. I don't know the whole course yet but it will be 17 hours of class per week. Yikes, that will be intense. The teacher said there are a few other Americans in the class as well. I am looking forward to starting but it will throw a little wrench into our coordination with the girl's school. I was planning to accompany Hanna to her dagis (preschool) inskolning (orientation). Mattias and I will have to do some juggling as he is also working at home when he's not going to Uppsala once/week.
Mattias and the girls are outside now checking on the secret hideout on the rocks. What they don't know is that it is as plain as day to see, but I'll let them keep their special secret!
Mattias will sit Linus and Johan tonight at their house as Jens is out of town and Elisabet has Italian class. I promised the girls that I would make chocolate sauce for ice cream. (Jo Dell, that's alternate treat for today since the soup did not do the trick!).

More later,
Carrie

Sunny Sunday

2008-01-29T14:35:00.000-06:00

Sunday was a beautiful, warm and sunny day! Something to write home about because it lasted for pretty much the whole day and then you know what happened the next day? It turned cold, misty and gray again! Again!!
The girls played outside for several hours. We got out their bikes from last summer and they enjoyed touring the neigborhood. Both have outgrown their bikes but it was better than nothing and they didn't complain at all. Hanna wanted to bike to our favorite blueberry picking spot. Sadly, we visited in the wrong season...oh well, a few more months. After biking, digging, playing with Itzy the dog, and playing hideout on the rocks, they enjoyed a nice mug of hot cocoa. See the ocean out there? It's there between the trees. This is the view from our little guest house we are occupying.

More later,
Carrie

Rainy Saturday

2008-01-26T09:55:00.000-06:00

It has been raining all day today. Finally, the sun shone late in the afternoon but that was after days and days of gray and rain. So even a little sun is better than nothing.
Liv got home last night after a day full of school, friends and fun. She was literally exhausted! I'm sure hearing Swedish, speaking Swedish and being on best behaviour all day took it all out of her. When we got home, it was a "get your pajamas on at 6:30" kind of night. Hanna and I had gone to an overstocks store and she had picked out a couple of dvd's for the night. We figured out that we were able to adjust the language settings to English so the girls sat and enjoyed a nice evening after Liv "calmed down".
As they were watching the movies, I went through receipts trying to figure out how much money we've spent since arriving in Sweden and to get a grip on costs for food. I'm up in the air about the food costs. Food like pork is plentiful and relatively cheap; beef is super pricey; people buy this flash frozen chicken that is really tasty and surprisingly cheap in comparison to the other choices. And since fish and seafood is right out our back door, we can buy that too. I just need to get my confidence in order when ordering since I don't understand weights and measures yet in metric and my Swedish is even worse. Yesterday I spoke to a clerk in Swedish and she answered back in English. Okay, I'm trying!!! I am getting used to being an oddity and have people stop and look when the English comes out of my mouth.
We spend at least $100.00 on gas each time we fill and since I've been driving a lot this week, had to fill up for the second time. I think eventually, we'll need a more economical car, something with bio diesel to help alleviate the expense.
I have figured out that craft supplies for the kids projects are really expensive What,with a bottle of craft glue priced at over $3.00, I regret not snatching up those bottles of Elmer's when they were marked at 20 cents after school started! I will be on the search for an Oriental Trading type of company to see if we can buy some things for cheaper. Hanna and I made a stop on the bookstore yesterday to exchange a permanant marker--that was nearly $4.00 as well! Couldn't believe it! The English book choices for myself, paperbacks are close to $20.00 a book. I also should have stocked up as I thought I had more on hand here than what I actually do. Kids books, even in Swedish, are equally expensive. In order to find the bargains, I have been scoping out many stores to see what they have on hand. I like my bargains you know and hope to re create my Target end aisle experience somewhere here.
This morning we slept in, I cooked a lasagne, and after lunch we went to the Simhallen for a swim. I figured it would be super crowded but was manageable after all even despite the weather. I realized I really don't understand so much Swedish when the lady makes an announcement over the P.A. I hadn't a clue what she said but since others didn't budge, I figured I would have to either. I am doing a pretty good job watching what others do. Like there is no sign by the whirlpool hot tub, but when the bubbles stop, everyone hops out and sits on the edge, waiting for the timer to go on again. I don't know the intervals but this must be some kind of thing everyone knows about but us! The girls enjoyed the afternoon and had fun on the super slide. We wrapped up the afternoon with an ice cream and then arrived back home around 4.
We just finished supper at Jan and BrittMarie's and the girls are watching their dose of Bolibompa which is the name for the kids programming that occurs in the morning and at 6 p.m. They are pooped and we'll head to our cabin after the programs. I will try to find some t.v. tonight for myself. The past oouple of nights have been a Dancing with the Stars type show--pretty much the same set up as in the U.S.--only cornier music like the theme from Friends. "I'll be there for you...". I've also watched some obscure sports that you would never find on Prime Time U.S. t.v. like cross country ski races and European handball games. Sweden was playing like Czech Republic or something. I also caught a little Californication, which I think is HBO at home. Also on Prime Time and nothing censored here!
More later,
Carrie

Week 2 Sweden

2008-01-24T02:22:00.000-06:00

So, things are coming together for us. After applying for Personal Numbers last week we received them this week. A personal number in Sweden is like a Social Security number in the U.S. but we get a lot more for it. With the numbers, we are able to obtain free daycare for Hanna-paid up to 15 hours per week if I am not working and 40 hours if I am working or in school; literally free healthcare; barnbidrag (child money)-which is a payment to us each month for each child until they reach age 18; and foraldrar pengar (parent money and time)-which is paid time off, up to 420 days!!!! (yes, we couldn't believe it either) for each child up to age 8 years old. Mattias will have to work for 6 months before the last one comes into effect but will be able to take the time with the child and get paid! And I'll be able to take the Swedish for Immigrant classes for free. I am anxious to get started on these. Once the numbers get into the system, that seems to create a trigger to a lot of areas. Mattias received a mail from the Police Dept. wanting to know about his hunting rifle. They would like him to send in the gun cabinet receipt once he purchases it! (too bad we didn't have that system at home when I nagged and nagged him).
Mattias is doing his Chairman of the Board gig and traveled to Uppsala again this week for a Board meeting. He'll do that once a week each month. Tomorrow he goes to a Board meeting for a separate Foundation and then will spend time in Stockholm with his Great Uncle Carl-Axel and then to Gotland to pick up our new (used) Volvo sedan. He'll take it onto the ferry and drive it home next Monday. This morning he went to Goteborg to visit the man holding our container shipment. Seems we get some money back from the Customs Dept. on this. That will be nice.
Liv is loving school but has been exhausted after her days and is "acting out" some, usually at 4 p.m. for some reason. She has been invited to a couple of events. On Friday after school at 12:30, she'll travel by school bus to her friend Elin's house--that is Liv, and 10 other girls and they are invited to stay for Tex Mex dinner. I'll pick her up at 6 p.m. and that would make 5 hours of girl fun--lucky for the parents to take on such an endeavor! School buses in Sweden are like coaches you take on a sightseeing tour--more plush. Not sure how you can obtain permission to take an additional 12 home but guess they worked it out. In February she is invited to go to another friend's birthday party. We will see if they do things differently here than at home.
Hanna and I visited her school for an hour on Tuesday. She was real curious to see what it would be like. Hanna played with Princess dress-up things, legos and did some jumping in the tumbling room. Next week we'll visit when the class goes outside and the week after will start our orientation. I've enjoyed spending one on one time with Hanna but know she is ready to hang with kids her own age. Yesterday we went to the Kungsbacka library for storytime. En route, I managed to fishtail the car as the rain turned to ice suddenly. That was my first experience and by law, all cars even have snow tires which didn't do much to help my position. I learned a lesson and drove more slowly after that.
After school today, we'll take an hour drive South to Ullared, the outlet area to see if they have reasonably priced outdoor gear for the girls. Liv spends at least twice a day outdoors at school and Hanna will spend much more than that at her daycare and we are short of things. I will do this with Mattias and the girls as we've heard Ullared can be quite hectic with tour busses, but also cheap prices! With a horrible exchange rate, that sounds appealing.

More later,
Carrie

Cut and Paste these links!

2008-01-19T10:52:00.001-06:00

We are in Onsala, about 45 minutes South of Gothenburg. Onsala is like a suburb, smaller village in the country outside of Kungsbacka. Cut and paste the links below for further information!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsala
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kungsbacka

Florida and beyond...

2008-01-19T10:17:00.000-06:00

After Christmas we decided to continue further South and landed in New Smyrna Beach, FL. When we were traveling we learned that a good friend and mentor of Mattias in Sweden, Rolf, had passed away. He was very ill due to cancer and fortunately,we were able to say our goodbyes with visits to his home this past Summer and Fall. With this event, it felt like a good time to wrap up our trip a bit earlier than planned. That was a bittersweet ending to a wonderful few months of the cruising life, but the right thing to do. Plans had been a bit up in the air in regards to our whereabouts so before New Year's, the girls and I flew to St. Paul to make a final visit to my sister and her family. With us out of the way, Mattias took a couple of extra days on his own to travel further South to Ft. Pierce, FL. Once he arrived, he spent more time to clean out the boat thoroughly and got it ready to be lifted out of the water to put into dry storage. It will be later this Spring that Mattias and his brother will travel to the U.S. to get Windfall back into water and sail her to Ft. Lauderdale where it will travel by ship to either Denmark or the Netherlands. We will meet it there and sail it to Sweden some weeks later. Mattias arrived in St. Paul on New Year's Eve where we celebrated with pizza and beer and early to bed.

We spent the next several days in St. Paul, relaxing after our sailboat travels and getting ready for the next big trip--the final move to Sweden. We spent some nice, relaxing time with Kris, Elliott, Matt, Cam and Carl. The "big boys" were home from college and Kris and Carl had time off from school too. Remarkably, with a full house of nine people, my sister didn't go off the deep end and we all managed to find a nice place to sleep. The girls hung with the boys, played Guitar Hero 3, we had a sushi fest and got some bonding time with Riley, the dog. Kris was my shopping accomplice and helped me select some necessities including 9 pair of new shoes, in just my hard to fit size, and 4 for the girls among other things. Anyway, it has been a long time since I've done some power shopping and she was just the right person to take along.

On January 9th, we set off for Sweden! The flight over was not so full so Mattias and I each had a row with the girls and they were able to stretch out for a couple hours nap. We arrived after a 3 hour delay with our nine bags in tow. All of our other belongings been shipped this Fall and is still in the container in storage.
First week in Sweden:
The first week has been a busy one! It was only last night that we all slept through the night. For a while there I was wondering if a 3 a.m. snack and read would be a habit for us all!
With my Permanent Residency status, and the girl's passports, we got ourselves enrolled in the Swedish tax system, signed up for health care and schools. We are living at Mattias' Dad's home in Onsala until we move to our permanent home.
He has outfitted his guest house nicely for our stay and we are continuing to tweak it to our needs. Since he remodeled his own house, we have inherited a full size range and some extra cabinets in the kitchen. Today we removed a couple of beds to put in a sofa bed that will give us extra floor space and put in book shelves for storage.

We have enrolled Liv and Hanna in their respective schools. Liv started the Swedish Förskola Klass. Because she is only 6 years old, this is school before the "real school" starts. This year, they teach kids to socialize and get used to the classroom setting. They pretty much play and learn. The academics part start next year--so Liv has a couple of years on them academically, but can concentrate on learning Swedish and getting used to something new. This grade school does mixed age classes. Liv's class has 25 students from Year F, 1 and 2 and three teachers. Her F class group breaks out and then they are 10 students with one teacher. Her school has about 350 students from year F through 5 total. The F-class starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 12:30 p.m. and Liv eats lunch at school. There are "lunch ladies", but here the kids serve themselves. There is a hot meal served and bag lunches from home are unheard of, they get salad and choice of breads. For the most part, the menu looks great, chicken with curry sauce, oven baked salmon with dill sauce, and taco buffet for a few selections. I told her she didn't need to eat the blood pudding when that is served--but she said, what if I want to try it?!

On the morning we went to visit the school we got there and about 5 little girls took Liv's hand and showed her inside where the cubbies and classrooms are. It was so sweet! We entered the classroom and there were tea lights burning on the tables where the kids sit. (never would that happen in the U.S.)! It was still dark outside since we are so far North so it was pretty cozy! When were leaving, an older girl gave Liv a little cross stitch piece with Liv's name stitched on it--Oh my gosh, make my heart melt! Her teacher is a gem and so kind to the kids and parents. The kind takes rubs the kids cheeks and gives them hugs. I smile a lot since she speaks only Swedish to me but can catch some of what she says! Liv is loving it and making new friends and is not shy of speaking Swedish. Liv's cousin is in the same F Klass along with a girl who's mother is from Australia.

This region of Sweden, the Kungsbacka Kommune, has the highest population of children and families in all of Sweden. It is apparent in the daycare area where there are wait lists for several months and the kommune is required to provide something for you. A minimum of fifteen hours a week for a non-working parent, is paid for by the government, and if more hours are needed when you work 16 hours or more, the family pays only about $100.00 per month depending on income. Thankfully, we have been on the list since Hanna's birth and were able to enroll her into a dagis that her cousin goes to as well. It is called Ur or Skur, meaning, "Rain or Shine" and has a unique pedagogue. The kids spend the majority of their time outdoors, rain or shine, and do most everything they can do inside, outside,--play with dolls, workshop, eat etc.. Hanna will transformed from an inside comfy girl to outdoor girl before we know it! They do use the inside of the daycare on days of extreme weather and it has a great feel and will be engaging for Hanna as she learns Swedish and gets used to a new environment. We have a couple of weeks to go before the two week orientation starts where I will also be involved to some extent.

Mattias started his work and has already traveled to Uppsala back and forth by speed train. He will have a busy schedule the rest of January when he'll be doing some additional travel to Uppsala, Stockholm and Gotland.
Near the middle of February, I hope to start my full time Swedish for Immigrants course. The government pays for my schooling free of charge so I hope to "get my money's worth"! Once the girls are used to their routines, I am looking forward to getting my own. I will probably do some sort of work, but don't know what that is at the moment. First, the Swedish language...

There is to be a big storm coming this weekend. Lots of wind they say. We can see the ocean from the window and the tide has come in much more than normal and is very choppy. The sun is shining so that is a good thing! We still need to get out to so some more provisioning. Tomorrow we will celebrate Jan's, (Mattias' dad) birthday. I baked a carrot-pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting. Was originally craving pineapple upside down for some reason, but didn't have rum in the larder but had all the fixin's for the other cake. Hopefully it will be edible!

More later,
Carrie

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T20:12:00.000-06:00

We spent the Christmas holidays in St. Augustine. We enjoyed some beautiful sunny days and got to do a little dinghy-ing around, wishing in fountains, and seeing Santa on a motorcycle as we were sightseeing in Old Town St. Augustine!
Happy Holidays!

Disney-mania!

2007-12-21T16:28:00.000-06:00

We had some great days here in Orlando!
Day 1 Sunday
We met my Aunt Betty and David at their hotel for breakfast. I was tapped on the shoulder and looked to see it was my cousin Jenny, her kids, and my Uncle Brad standing there! My Aunt had arranged for them to fly down from Minnesota and surprise us. And boy what a surprise! I still don't know how she pulled it off since our schedule was so up in the air for a couple of weeks. We enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast with the families, and after, we went our separate ways. They went to Magic Kingdom, and my family went to Animal Kingdom. Among other things,we went on a fun safari ride, toured around and the last thing of the day was the Kali River Rapids. There was no one in line and we got to stay on and ride twice. Poor Mattias-- he got completely drenched by the falls, the girls not as much, I managed to escape somehow. It was cold after dark, and Mattias reminded me it was December after all!
breakfast-Hilton; lunch-food kiosk watching African drum players; dinner-pizza delivery.
Day 2 Monday
Mattias had some "business" to take care of with figuring out how to get the boat shipped to Sweden etc. I joined my extended family for a day trip to Sea World. It was a chillier day in Orlando, but we had fun looking at all the cool sea creatures including manatees which we've seen on signs to watch out for in the ICW, but haven't seen in person until today. We watched the dolphin show and saw the SHAMU! show. The great big whale. He left a big splash for all of those in the front sections. Liv and Hanna had a blast with Jenny's kids, Aleah and Jack. They got their fill of rides and fun.
breakfast-Hilton; lunch-Sea World kiosk; dinner-Mattias prepared filet and potato gratin.
Day 3 Tuesday
We were up early for our trip to Magic Kingdom. Couldn't believe the crowds at the park and especially since this was supposed to be a slower week! We were wowed by the attention to Disney details, including super friendly, over the top staff and those three "cast members" who surrounded us with help as Hanna spilled half her chocolate malt on the ground. No, she didn't need a replacement as the original was massive, but thanks for asking! We were slightly disappointed at two big deal rides we wanted to go on had broken down while we were either in line or ready to go--Pirates of the Caribbean and Thunder Mtn. Railroad. The girls and I met Mickey Mouse. Have to say that I have not been into the characters much before, but got little goosebumps when we got to meet Mickey! Geek-- me! We stayed for the fireworks display and watched as Cinderella's castle was transformed into icicles. That was beautiful. That was just before the park closed for the day and we were swarmed by people, electric carts and strollers. Spent another 8 hours here and there is much, much more!
breakfast-at condo; lunch Tony's Italian Cafe' watching the Family Day Parade; dinner- warm sandwiches at condo.
Day 4-Wednesday
It was our day to sleep in and hang out at the condo. We took the girls to the nice playground on site here and they played for some time. After lunch, went swimming. The clouds came and it got a bit nippy for their mom but we swam for 1 1/2 hours.
breakfast-condo; lunch-pasta in condo; dinner at Raglan Road (Irish restaurant) at Disney's Pleasure Island. After dinner walked around Pleasure Island. We met by two giant, 12' tall, hopping reindeer. Quite funny.
Day 5 Thursday
It was our Epcot day. We spent the first few hours at the Future World and enjoyed a number of attractions and rides. In that area, we loved Soarin' (365 degree surround screen/us in hangglider type seats flying through California), Livin' with the Land (a nice greenhouse tour--saw how they grow those mickey ear squash), and finally, Turtle Talk with Crush. This was an interactive show and was very fun. Like, hey Dude! It was awesome! On the way through the World, we stopped in Canada and listened to Off Kilter, a unique Celtic band. Liv and I toured the shops of Japan and then we stopped in Italy to watch a street performer. When we got to Norway, Mattias and the girls went on the Maelstrom ride. I was feeling claustrophobic in the line and went outside to the cafe to buy some Norwegian treats. Mattias felt we should petition Disney for Sweden to replace Norway as Norway was kind of boring!
breakfast-condo; lunch at Sunshine Seasons (Disney's healthiest and quite tasty too faster food line); dinner- hamburgers at condo.
Day 6 Friday
Final day to rally and get to the last park--MGM studios. It was a beautiful day today and nice to visit the park but we were kind of tired this morning. We got our Fastpasses right away for the Tower of Terror ride later and after picking those up, ran into the High School Musical parade. Then to the Star Wars ride. After which, Hanna and I both prone to motion sickness, opted out of the Tower and went to see The Little Mermaid show instead. Mattias and Liv did the tower and ended up not using our other two Fastpasses. Seems like the 13 story elevator drop was more than they wanted to do again! We saw the Beauty and the Beast show too. It is nice with those 25 minute productions--no need to sit through a 2 hour show in real life! We had a shorter day today. All in all, was a super week. Great that both girls were tall enough to do the rides and attractions that we wanted to do. We discovered that Hanna doesn't get scared of potentially frightening things where as, Liv does. Hanna gets motion sick and Liv doesn't. They had such fun seeing the characters and getting into the fantasy spirit which is easy to do at Disney.
Breakfast-at condo; lunch-50's Prime Time Diner at MGM; dinner- not sure what we'll eat, but eat at condo.

Goin' to Disney!

2007-12-15T19:53:00.000-06:00

Today we were up and got the boat ready for our week long departure to Disney World. We cleared out most all of our clothing, linens etc. so we could give the boat a good airing and to dry our clothes (in our new air conditioned environment) that have been slightly damp from the humid Florida air. Mattias pulled up the dinghy to the boat deck, did the pump outs etc. So, off we go with a full mini van to Disney!
We arrived at our condo late this afternoon. We decided to stay off Disney property to have a little more space and save some money. Figure we'll burn it at the four parks this week anyway. Mattias was a mule horse taking up the several loads of bags up to the condo while I unpacked and started doing laundry. We are really impressed by the condo and property and it is already a nice treat to spread out in the two bedrooms. Amazing how you adapt to surroundings. First a tiny boat-- now this! This is a newer condo and tastefully decorated in all things Disney. Liv and Hanna have enjoyed it and I guess that what it's about. I took the girls to the pool for a swim and they had a great time since we haven't swam at all for these past two months. I can see we'll be spending time at the pool every day possible!
We are looking forward to meeting my Aunt Betty and Uncle David for breakfast tomorrow before heading to Animal Kingdom. Liv and Hanna have never met them so it will be nice to introduce them to more of my Mom's small family before we move to Sweden. The weather might be iffy but we hope to go to Animal Kingdom anyway.
More later,
Carrie

St. Augustine, FL-Castillo de San Marcos Monument

2007-12-15T19:32:00.000-06:00

Mattias took us to a super playground in the old town of St. Augustine while he removed the battery charger to be sent back to the manufacturer. It wasn't charging the batteries when we were on shore power and something that was bugging us lately. The girls played and I chatted by cellphone with Tracey. After, we ate lunch at an Irish Pub.
Mattias met up with us later at the Castillo de San Marcos fort. It is a National Monument and run by the National Park Service. The way the Park Ranger described it, the Spaniards who built St. Augustine, the first city in American, built this fort in the 1600's to defend the Spanish treasure ships passing by on the way back to Europe against pirates. We saw the re-enactment ceremony of cannon firing. Even way back when, the cannon balls used could travel 3 miles before hitting something! This day, they only use gun powder and no cannon balls as there are homes on the shoreline and sailboats anchored in the water.
We enjoyed a nice walk through the historic town of St. Augustine before Mattias and the girls went back to the boat after a long day out. Well, I got to take a trip to Target on my own! I learned that my love for Target runs deep and I have been deprived thus far as we've only seen and shopped at WalMarts. I enjoyed 3 hours on my own at the store and was disappointed that I didn't make a run through all aisles as it was well past dinnertime and I had to join a hungry family. You know...Santa still travels to Florida and the little girls will be expecting him, even if we are on the boat!
More later,
Carrie

St. Augustine, FL

2007-12-13T20:34:00.001-06:00

It feels good to have gotten caught up with the blogging to this point. Today was one of those stay on the boat days, even though the weather was sunny and beautiful. Some days you just have to clean up and get organized, and especially after several days of travel. I did laundry, cleaned the head (bathroom) and vacuumed the salon cushions and floor, organized the girl's clothes to get wool and cold weather clothes into bags and warm weather stuff pulled out. And from here on, I will ban snowflake cutting in the cabin...
Our water pump had been out for a couple of days and Mattias, determined bugger that he is, surfed last night and thought and thought, and then around midnight last night, pumped the water out of the tank. Never mind that the rest of us were sleeping when the pump, when in a deep sleep sounds like a jackhammer, goes off...he was convinced to have found a solution. Come morning, he had! Something clicked in his mind and after reading and thinking, replaced a part correctly, and the water-- hot and cold, are available now. Even the pump sounds different! It pays to be married to a geek! (If you read this Tias, just kidding!)
We got a rental car today and Mattias dropped the girls and I off for our first haircuts in a couple of months. We were looking a little shaggy and were looking forward to getting cleaned up. The girls got their first shampoo in a shampoo bowl and enjoyed their mini spa treatment. We went to what was convenient which was nothing trendy, but Donna did a nice job on all three of us--$60.00 total, not including tip!
Went to the old town for dinner and back home again. Very lovely Spanish inspired town since St. Augustine is the first city in America and was inhabited by Spaniards. Girls were pooped and in bed before 7:30 tonight. Liv is still up reading...
More later,
Carrie

St. Simon's Island GA, Cumberland Island GA, Jacksonville, FL, St. Augustine FL

2007-12-13T19:45:00.000-06:00

St. Simons Island, GA Mile 679.4 to Cumberland Island, GA Mile 711
Day 1
We had a good day of no fog so set out early. We traveled by the King's Bay Naval Submarine base and were eyed by a Navy guy through binoculars. Unlike some other boaters, he could see we knew how to get through the particular red and green markers outside of the base so the guy didn't have to radio us and ask us so. We waved from a distance and kept going.
We anchored and rafted next to our Canadian friends waiting for us at Cumberland Island. After a coffee, we set out to explore the island that they had seen already this morning. Cumberland Island is one of the Sea Islands off the coast of Georgia and is a National Seashore operated by the U.S. Parks Service. No cars outside of those owned by Park officials and few original homeowners such as the Carnegie family of U.S. history. We didn't have a car anyway but took the dinghies over. We set to walking across the Island to get to the Atlantic side and had to ask a passing vehicle the correct path to take. Turns out it was a member of the Carnegie family. (Don asked!)
Cumberland Island is one of those gems that should be on the "things to
see in the United States" lists--maybe it is already! Having never been
on an undeveloped island with no paved roads or walk ways, I didn't know
what to expect but it was well worth the trip. I guess people travel to this particular part of Georgia just to go to the Island. First thing we saw were the wild horses! I guess there are also armadillo but we didn't see any of those. And then as we walked through the meandering path to the beach, it was all live oaks draped in moss and palmettos. Super unique in feel. We got to the beach side and had to go through huge sand dunes and saw the expansive 17 mile beach from one end to the other. The Parks service limits visitors and there were virtually none the day we were there.
On the way back to the boat we wandered by the Dungeness ruins, an old home of the Carnegie family that just crumbled away due to lack of use of something. Pretty interesting to see. Back to the boats now as the sun was going down and we enjoyed a pot luck on Patience.
Day 2
We didn't get enough of Cumberland Island and decided to stay on for another
day of relaxation. The day before, we met a family of four from D.C. also visiting the Island, and on their sailboat named Sea Gypsy, and they accompanied us to the beach. The kids are confined sometimes on the boats with rules and routine and the extra beach day gave them a chance to roam, play and have fun with other cruising kids. We started out at the beach and collected man of war shell remains, seashells and dried palm leaves to create some beach creatures. Lunch time brought us to the picnic tables in the shade where we ate and talked. Other Moms, Heesook and Michelle, stayed on their boats and didn't go on the Island outing today. I had given Heesook my coveted US and People magazines plus a wonderful book, The Rug Merhcant, that I was finished with. The gals wanted a little peace and quiet from their respective kids and husband. For me, the warm sand between my toes was just what the doctor ordered, so I excused myself from the men talking the finer points of sailing and went back to the beach. I took a long walk and saw four wild horses of
various colors. Picked up some shells about the size of the palm of my hand and brought those back to the boat.
Cumberland Island, GA Mile 711 to Jacksonville, FL Mile 747.4
We took a nice cruise and finally reached FLORIDA, our destination. Considering it's taken two months to get here it felt good to arrive. Didn't hurt that the temp was 75 and sunny for mid-December either! For the first time we cruised with our dodger down and had to strip off the layers as we were going. It was getting hot! We stayed at Beach Marine for the night and Patience joined us for a last night together before they headed for Southern Florida and then the Bahamas. I was doing my usual clean up of dishes and the water pump stopped working. Just like that-no water-- and Mattias had just filled the tank! We would have to clean by containers of water and look at this when we got to St. Augustine. I took the kids to the park and after we all had a restaurant dinner at the marina. Don and Mattias were debating about fresh vs. salt water. Not sure who's point came across best but Mattias sure did try to convince Don that there's nothing like salt water! Everyone was tired so we hit the hay early. I think Mattias conked out on the sofa at 9:00 this night.
Jacksonville, FL Mile 747.4 to St. Augustine, FL Mile 779.9
Day 3
The boat was humming by 7:30 a.m. this day. It was our final goodbye to Heesook, Don and Christopher. Such fun we had since we met...so many miles and States ago! This morning our boats were both headed the same direction South on the ICW and we parted seas when we took a right turn into the St. Sebastian River in St. Augustine some four hours later. I got teary-eyed again at this juncture and especially when their
Christopher hollered to Liv and Hanna, "Do you guys want to come on my boat?!". So cute! I hate to say goodbye but hope to meet our friends again. They'd make great boating companions, say in the archipelago of Sweden or canals of Europe--sampling our way through pots of herring, vineyards or cheese caves...
We arrived at a nice, not fancy marina in very convenient part of St.
Augustine. Close to all the amenities meaning grocery, West Marine and
the old historic town. The marina is a quiet place with some live-aboard
folks here too to add to the atmosphere.

P.S. All pictures today are from our trip to Cumberland Island

Georgia- Savannah region to St. Simon's Island, GA

2007-12-08T19:14:00.000-06:00

Day 1- Isle of Hope, GA Mile 589.8 to Big Tom Creek Mile 612.9
It was business as usual today, we got a later start than we hoped, after 8 a.m., and ended up stuck waiting for a bridge opening. We have a few charts and books we're consulting with and the older book not only had the name of the bridge written incorrect, but also the time of opening, and, lastly, the book also said that once you get to Georgia, the bridge master answers the VHF on Channel 13 but I got a reply from someone saying they switched to Channel 9 a long time ago. Guess the 4 year old book should be tossed! So, I called the bridge keeper by the wrong bridge name. Kind of a faux paus since you kind of want to be really polite to the bridge keeper. We had to idle around waiting...so that created a chain of events that made us anchor later down the waterway waiting for high tide. After all, we were going to go thru Hell Gate, and you don't want to get stuck there! As is, there were areas of shallow spots that were tricky to maneuver but we got through so we didn't get that far today.
We anchored out in Big Tom Creek. We decided that we really enjoy anchoring. First, you are sometimes in the middle of no where, and get to land in waterways with fun names like Big Tom Creek. Second, if the Captain does it correctly, and he's learning as we all are, you just drop your hook and go down in the cabin below. No fenders to put out; no lines to tie; no marina charges to pay. You are under stars and the moon and it is peaceful like nothing else. You might want to make sure you have water in the tank, milk in the fridge, and coffee in the locker. Showers? They can come another day!
Day 2 Big Tom Creek Mile 612.9 to Wally's Leg Mile 666.1
A big travel day today. We got started on the water by 7:30 p.m. and arrived at our anchorage by 4:30 p.m. That's 53.2 miles! Super peaceful day. Started out with a light fog that lifted and ended with sunshine. We decided we liked anchoring yesterday, and today, we decided that we think Georgia has a more beautiful waterway than NC or SC. Plus, it gets a bad rap. The "fear mongers" claim that it is shallow, watch out...but we haven't encountered anything critical so as long as you stay in the channel. I did photograph the chart to show that you might be buzzing along thinking you're in deep water and then all of a sudden, if you aren't paying attention, you can get to 1 foot depth! We have three charts we use: the electronic GPS on computer; hand held GPS and paper chart. The computer is most reliable, but we can't bring that up in the cockpit. Today, I sat down below for over an hour in a tricky area helping Mattias navigate through shallow areas. He is a brilliant navigator by instinct and usually is right on the magenta line on chart where he should be so doesn't need my help as much as he thinks. So, we think many folks go outside of Georgia because they are nervous and they've left a lovely waterway. Winding creeks (photo of another chart shows the winding creeks) and beautiful water and marsh grasses. We cruised by three smaller houses as pictured that can only be reached by water. Nice! Not much traffic today, we were met by this tug. Got to the anchorage tonight in Wally's Leg (another fun name), and passed by Moon River, made famous by the lovely Andy Williams song (pictured). Not sure how but Mattias managed to get the line twisted in the keel again but after some sweating, got it unstuck. I was playing nurse Carrie to Hanna who cracked her head onto a bolt in ceiling after jumping up on the sofa when she wasn't supposed to and got a good bloody scare (literally)!

Day 3 Wally's Leg Mile 666.1 to St. Simon's Island, GA Mile 677.0
We intended on leaving early today with our 5:30 a.m. wake up bell. We checked the conditions and saw we were blanketed by a thick fog. I prepped breakfast for the girls-yogurt parfaits; buttermilk and cereal for Mattias and same for me. Got lunch prepared for the journey. I'm trying to use up provisions and today prepped a Salmon Loaf using up canned salmon, eggs, breadcrumbs, minced onion, cooked crispy bacon bits, Worchester, Old Bay spice and s/p. I can bake this later and will let you know how it tasted! It's nearly 10 a.m. now and we are taking off.
Well, we didn't get very far. After about 2 hours we got into the St. Simon's Sound and were watching the fog roll off the Sound. (picture shows the fog to the left of the tug). Suddenly, the wind must have shifted and we were surrounded again. Mattias was having trouble seeing markers and was concerned because some larger tugs were in the channel same time as us. We decided to turn back and go to a marina for safekeeping. We needed the necessary showers, pump out, water and fuel anyway. The fog never did lift later in the afternoon and we decided to stay for the night. We borrowed the marina car and toured St. Simon's old village. The girls got to play and Mattias went to the grocery. I took a nice sunset photo of the Pier. Had dinner--the Loaf was good and would recommend it. We hope for better luck with cruising tomorrow. We hope to meet up with Don, Heesook and Christopher who we were supposed to see today but couldn't.

Yesterday's lunch-- Carrie's Cruiser Borscht

3/4 Tetra-Pak container of chicken broth
1 large can chicken breast-drained and larger chunks split
4 medium red potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked to slightly soften. (potatoes will cook further in simmer)
1 can rutabagas- drained
1 small can red beets- drain about 1/2 juice off and while still in can, take narrow knife and slice beets till desired thickness.
Put above into medium sized soup pot and add:
1 cube of Knorr's vegetable boullion
3T. Balsamic vinegar- or more to taste
s/p to taste
1/2 t. cinnamon
2T. tomato paste
Stir ingredients together and simmer in pot for 25 minutes. We added oyster crackers atop a bowl of this delicious soup!

Hilton Head, SC to Savannah, GA

2007-12-05T21:36:00.000-06:00

Hilton Head SC Mile 554.8 to Savannah, GA mile 589.8
Today is Wednesday. We spent Sunday night through Tuesday in Hilton Head, SC. With only a couple of days on the island, we didn't do too much sightseeing, only of the the parking lots at Walmart and the Publix grocery store! Hilton Head has some interesting development ideas. Instead of butchering every green and living tree in sight for their bigbox stores, they say no trees can be removed without prior approval--and they don't get much approval. So the parking lot experience is actually quite lovely as you can't see across the lot. We stocked up on provisions and took the taxi back to the marina.
Our marina was located in the gated community of Hilton Head Plantation. Not to be confused with a historical sight, but a bunch of oversized beige homes. The locked and guarded gate had a pseudo sheriff looking guy complete with holster and gun! There was not much else around the marina. We did take the dinghy to dinner one late night. Stars were lovely as you hardly see them at home.
We were planning to leave on Tuesday but received some disturbing phone calls from various credit card and shipping companies mid-morning and the day prior. It appears that my husband has been the victim of identity theft! Yikes and bummer all the same! He was working the phone lines trying to get information. Feels kind of creepy and I don't want to post too much of the details on line...
So, today, Wednesday we were on the water by 7:30 a.m. We were going through on ebb (heading toward low tide) tide to Field's Cut. Heading through what had been suggested as shallow proved not to be a problem at all after seeking advice from Tow Boats U.S. Our friend calls the noted and printed shallow spots as "fear mongering". We've hardly seen a spot that's claimed to be dangerously shallow, as such, but have had to watch certain areas carefully. As mentioned before, we have bottomed out and the ICW is not easy to get through everywhere, and in fact, can be hairy in spots. At one spot today, the tide gauge dropped considerably, but that was due to two dolphins that swam below the boat. We could hear them nudge the keel. The popped up some feet behind a bit later, unscathed. We arrived at today's marina in Isle of Hope at about 1:30 p.m. since it was pretty far to the next stop and we needed to time the tide again for another "perilous" spot on the chart, Hell's Gate. I took the girls to a nearby playground while Mattias napped. He was up at 3 this morning, feeling some angst about going home.
I would personally like to step up my experience some more. We both would like to go "outside" on the Atlantic to have another experience. I have not been doing the best job as deckhand, jumping off, tying up the boat. I have been using too much the assistance of the nice dock guys since in my estimation, that's what we pay $1.00 or more a foot for! Most boat folks, including my husband, would beg to differ that. The crew should always be responsible, when they can, for their own boat and I understand his point. I support where I can and do a good job in the galley. I am titled the Kitchen Witch, as I am the primary person responsible for the creative snack and meal prep. I figure if Mattias is at the helm all day, wind, rain, sun, daydreaming about the past, present or future, then I can be a slave to the workings below deck. Mattias kind of gets nervous when he opens the brimming food lockers to see the contents spilling out and rarely digs in the cooler to find that ice cold beer! Too much work to pull everything out. I however, know right where everything is located... I can never be too prepared and like to have plenty on hand! I have secretly enjoyed it though (except for clean up). Our former owner, JoDell, says she used to use paperplates. Now after some months at the sink, I know why! I'm slacking off JoDell!
It is well past 11p.m. and well past my bedtime. I drank the last of Thermos coffee and am feeling especially awake now. We are anxious to continue Southward and will take a long day as possible tomorrow and up early.
More later,
Carrie

2007-12-02T20:54:00.000-06:00

Two days:
Charleston, SC mile 469.3 to Hilton Head Island, SC Mile 554.8
We are docked at a marina for the next two nights. I think Mattias needed an anchoring break...last night we settled into a very peaceful river but the wind was blowing. When the anchor alarm went off, Mattias went on deck to check and saw the boat was spinning around. We were sitting in a whirlpool spot and the anchor line wrapped itself around the keel. This morning while pulling the anchor up and out, he noticed the steel Danforth had bent! We had a good motor to Hilton Head and saw many dolphin, one in particular gave a nice show for the girls. Tonight we are at a marina in Hilton Head Island. We are sitting in a "fishbowl" of Rice Krispies. The krill, small shrimp, are nibbling away at our boat and it literally sounds like Rice Krispies crackling beneath us! The first time our friends on Patience heard it, the almost dismantled their whole boat looking for cockroaches and the like. Then remembered, ah, krill!
More later,
Carrie

Last Day in Charleston

2007-11-30T20:13:00.000-06:00

The last couple of days have been pretty relaxing as we extended our stay in Charleston. Yesterday Mattias was suffering from cold symptoms and stayed at the boat. This gave Liv and Hanna the opportunity to play, read and nap. Mom enjoyed a nice nap and read in bed! What luxury! In the afternoon, Liv and I shuttled downtown and window shopped, stopped at a book store and looked at Christmas trees, holiday decor and model train exhibit in the large hotel. After a stop at Starbucks for a little pick me up, we called the shuttle for a drive back to the boat. Hanna stayed with Mattias on the boat and both girls enjoyed alone time with one parent.
Today, was a sunnier and warmer day than the sprinkles yesterday. Mattias was feeling better so we set out walking to a restaurant his friend Mike recommended, Hominy Grill. Looking at the framed postings we saw it had been highlighted in the NY Times, Gourmet, Bon Appetit etc. We had a delicious lunch. I ordered the Shrimp and Cheese Grits which the waitress said was popular breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mattias enjoyed a steaming bowl of Gumbo while Liv and Hanna each ate safe grilled cheese and blt's sandwiches. We skipped on dessert (not sure why) but were tempted by Buttermilk Pie and the popular Chocolate Pudding! I purchased a cookbook and hope to introduce some Swedes to grits!
Back on foot and Burley, we walked miles around Charleston today after lunch. Back to the historic neighborhoods of the trendy King St. close to Charleston College; Bay St. (the Battery) and Market. Our little dogs (feet) and girls were tired and the shuttle came just in time to take us back to the boat. We made it an early night as we are setting out tomorrow for more fun on the water!
More later,
Carrie

More Snapshots of Charleston

2007-11-30T20:11:00.000-06:00

Snapshot of Charleston

2007-11-30T20:04:00.000-06:00

Charleston Aquarium, Plantation and Dock Pics

2007-11-30T08:54:00.000-06:00

Charleston, SC Days 1 through 3

2007-11-28T20:46:00.000-06:00

Day 1
Mattias was working on the boat so I took the girls to the Charleston Aquarium today. It was a beautiful setting right on the harbor with a bridge that rivals the Golden Gate in beauty. Sorry the picture doesn't give it justice. We had an enjoyable several hours there, had a bite to eat and then walked to the library just a few blocks away for a little quiet time. Heesook, Christopher and Don showed up there as well and we hung out in the kids section while the kids were busy on the computers and/or reading. We all went back to our boat for a cup of tea and later took the shuttle to the historic area for dinner. We were heading to one Thai restaurant and little did we know that our driver was moving to Thailand to start and orphanage with his wife so he steered us to a place he recommended and we had a delicious meal.
Day 2
It was plantation day today and it was my choice to decide which one to see and I was down to three. I selected Magnolia after reading reviews online, a recommendation from Charles Kuralt in the guide books, and thought it would be a good one for the kids since they had a petting zoo, the variety of tours etc.. After lunch, an informative tram ride, house tour and nature boat tour, we decided that we could have skipped all but lunch and the tram ride! The home itself was a little disappointing but we saw some beautiful gardens and alligators lurking around the lake! This plantation is still run by the family who lived in the home until 1975 and probably does not have the national budget like Middleton or Drayton Hall, my other choices.
We did some grocery shopping, had dinner out and arrived home after 8. Don and Christopher surprised us on the dock and invited us for wine and cheese since they moved their boat to the marina for one night. We got the girls in jammies, popped them in the Burley and motored down the mega dock which is like, "pack a lunch long"! I took a nice picture of the biggest yacht here. You too could own this 19 million dollar beauty if you were the attorney winning the tobacco settlement of a couple of years back. I guess he pocketed $100 million. So, this yacht has fenders taller than Liv, and its own monogrammed golf cart! One of the dock guys says he wants to tell her (the yacht) how beautiful she is since she doesn't get used nearly enough. And apparently, the mega rich owner has her registered in the Bahamas where there is no tax. This attorney ain't no dumb box of rocks!
Day 3
This morning, I took the girls with Heesook and Christopher to the park to burn off some steam. Mattias actually drove us there before he went for errands as long as we still had the rental car. He picked us up and after lunch our family went to the Children's Museum while Mattias continued to work on the boat. He changed the oil and did some other messy things while we were out of the way. Because we lost a day for repairs and errands, we decided tonight to stay an extra day here in Charleston to do and see more before we leave. It is a beautiful city--and there is so much to see and so much history, plus it is miles ahead of Minneapolis/St. Paul in the trend quotient...something I never realized! I'm afraid if we don't take advantage of seeing the sights while we are here now it'll be a century before we get back again!
More later,
Carrie

2007-11-25T21:26:00.000-06:00

Little River, SC to Georgetown; McClellanville, SC to Charleston, SC

2007-11-24T08:25:00.000-06:00

Day 1 Little River, SC Mile 346.0 to Georgetown, SC Mile 402.9
Mattias had my personal sympathies the entire day as he had "shitty" start to the morning. It was the day after Thanksgiving. While most of the U.S. was out doing their Christmas shopping, Mattias was pumping out the toilet holding tank. Unfortunately, while I was adjusting some screw thing inside, he was unscrewing the valve outside and a weird pressure created a spray of waste all over his face and clothes! Disgusting? Definitely! I felt so bad for him I promised him anything he wanted all day!
After he cleaned up, we had an interesting journey the way to Georgetown. We traveled through the Waccamaw River which is beautiful. Mattias must have studied the navigation book really well because he went down to take a nap and left me at the helm for a good part of the 25 mile River route. I looked at the nav book and saw that he trusted me with 20 foot depths and a few 2' shoals to look out for so he could dream easy. It was fun to be alone at the wheel for a while without my "backseat driver" offering advice!
In Georgetown, we anchored alongside Patience but didn't raft this time. The anchoring went well.
Day 2 Georgetown Mile 402.9 to McClellanville, SC mile 430.0
We departed Georgetown at 9:30 a.m. for a short trip, 28 miles, to McClellanville. It was a brisk layering of clothes sort of day. Lot's of wind, currents and cross current on the creeks. The high tide was extremely high. By the time we got to McClellanville it was nearing low tide and got stuck as we were rounding the corner to the small channel to the marina. Fortunately it was only in soft mud and Mattias backed us out and took the corner again. We arrived at this rusty marina, home to about 25 shrimp boats that turned out to be one of our favorite stops. Pictures show the sleepy town of McClellanville with hanging moss in the trees and homes with historic name plates out front. Our family was a novelty of sorts to a larger family reunion happening in town. We were even invited to their party but declined in order to go to the only restaurant in town! The nearest grocery store is 30 miles away but the restaurant we ate at was featured on the Travel Channel and boy, the food was delicious! We tried a heaping plate of steamed oysters in shell, some crawfish tails, flounder, shrimp, sweet potato fries, marinated cole slaw and a homemade key lime pie for dessert!
Day 3 McClellanville Mile 430 to Charleston, SC mile 469.3
Mattias was up at 6 a.m. and got the boat ready for take off by 7 in order to make high tide. He brought in a steaming cup of coffee and said I could sleep...oxymoron...who can sleep with that lovely smell of coffee next to their head?! I was soon up and then the girls. Mattias enjoys being on his own in the cockpit sometimes and that lets me referee battles below! I got the girls ready and joined Mattias by 10 a.m. after making fried egg sandwiches for breakfast and then baking blueberry muffins for still hungry girls. The tide was really high today as there was a flood warning in the Charleston area. The current was with us and then against us pulling and pushing the boat. Once we got in to Charleston harbor it was windy again. We found the Charleston City Marina no problem and our little 33' foot Windfall is dwarfed by these Mega Mega Yachts docked here.
We had a late lunch of fresh shrimp purchased the day before. Our friends, Heesook, Don and Christopher dinghied over from their anchoring spot and joined us before we all set out on foot to tour Charleston. We got to the historic district near College of Charleston and cute, trendy shops by dinnertime and stopped for a pizza snack. Home now and resting.
More later,
Carrie

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T14:04:00.001-06:00

Southport, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC

2007-11-21T16:59:00.000-06:00

Day 1 Southport, NC Mile Marker 309.3
We decided to spend an entire day in Southport North Carolina. It was a pleasant little town with darling historic houses that I would like to have photographed. We took the dingy to the town dock to meet our friends for coffee. After coffee we took the kids to a little park and departed separately. Heesook took her Christopher and our Liv and Hanna to the library; Mattias went back to work on the boat and Don and I walked a few miles to the Walmart Super Store as we both needed provisioning as we intended to anchor out the next stops. We thought it was strange that such a nice town had cute gift shops, restaurants and marinas but only had a Walmart for grocery option. By the time we were done shopping it was after 3 p.m. We taxied back to our boat; Mattias and Hanna took Don and his loot back to his boat and Mattias stayed a little too long for coffee. On the return trip, Hanna and Mattias got stopped by the Coast Guard and Mattias got a nice warning as he didn't have a flashlight, whistle and was not wearing his lifevest. He said he learned a nice lesson there!

Day 2 Southport, NC Mile Marker 309 to Myrtle Beach, SC (Crossed to the South Carolina border!) Mile marker 346!
Mattias and Don had talked by radio last night to determine navigation plans. The ICW route was showing spots of shallow and shoaling areas, bridge openings to wait for etc. and we decided that we would try to go "outside" on the Atlantic Ocean instead. So up early and engines running at 7:15 a.m. We went out with outgoing tide and with the waves of open water meeting the tide it created terrible chop. We had an outgoing current of 1.9 knots, there were whirlpools, riptides and one spot looked like boiling water spouting up. At one point, a big wave crashed over the bow and we took in water through the hatch below. Turns out the girls had been goofing with the hatch and didn't latch it properly after being told dozens of times not to play and we didn't check before taking off...so, their beddings were dripping, soaking wet. The lifelines on the boats were decorated with brightly colored Ikea sheets of bugs, flowers etc. Looking like a gypsy boat cruising down the ICW! The only things we lost in the event were the kids two Leapsters and of course, 2 brand new game cartridges purchased at WalMart the day before! Another oops!
We decided to turn back and take the ICW route after all. Patience, our friend's boat, went on and radioed to say only 5 minutes after we turned in it was calm and serene. We didn't want to proceed on the ocean side as Hanna was looking and not feeling so well. We didn't want to scar and/or scare the poor girl for life!
The ICW proved to be okay after all. Mattias carefully navigated thru the iffy spots. He likes the challenge I think. We met up with Patience here at a marina since the anchorage spot was too shallow for either of our keels. The dockmaster is a nice chatty boater lady who warned us of fire ants but said the only alligator was removed some time ago!
We are grilling and having pot luck tonight on our boat.
More later,
Carrie

P.S.
Remember the couple in distress at sea? We saw them and their boat at the marina in Southport and their boat again at a poor anchorage spot on the way to Myrtle Beach. The dock lady said there will be casino cruisers passing by them all night! We can't believe they are still at it, and that the wife is putting up with the strife her husband has put her through!!! Crazy people everywhere!

P.S.S.
Photo shows how the South Carolinians are already decorating for Christmas...and it's not even Thanksgiving!

Some travel photos!

2007-11-19T21:07:00.000-06:00

Here's a nice picture of Patience going thru a bridge. Note the armada of sailboats following. We all have to wait to get the masts under the bridges. Traveling in a line is what it's like on the ICW--just the power cruisers crashing by us some guys creating huge waves to knock us over, esp. if you are in the cabin! Another picture shows that the houses are getting bigger and fancier the farther South we get!

About the Blog

2007-11-19T20:51:00.000-06:00

I have really enjoyed getting our experiences down in this blog fashion. I am so used to typing like a banshee that I could hardly imagine writing in a journal the old fashioned way. I am thankful to Pamela and Liesa for encouraging me to get this started. As we have had so many days and experiences, I'm sure something would get lost somewhere if I hadn't started this. I know of a few friends and family who regularly read this and received one anonymous comment just now from a posting that I had held onto until photos could be uploaded. The reader requested photos to have captions...well, just to be clear, after many years of digital photography, our family just invested in a camera! So to request captions on a blog is like asking Bill Clinton to dinner! There was some gap in photos, but hopefully, we'll have more time to upload the photos or at least have better connections to get them to coincide with the text. In most cases, you'll have to read the text and make

Morehead City, NC to Southport, NC

2007-11-19T19:11:00.001-06:00

Day 1 Mile 203.7 Morehead City to Mile 244.5 Mile Hammock Bay near Swansboro NC
We left Morehead City at close to 10 a.m. We passed the potentially dangerous Camp Lejeune firing range where, lucky for us, there was no firing practice activity going on. If there was firing, we would not have been able to travel the ICW in that area for several hours but I did call ahead to the Coast Guard to confirm.
We met up with Patience at Mile Hammock Bay and anchored/rafted along side them.
When we got settled in to our spot, we still had the VHF radio tuned into Channel 16, the International hailing and safety channel. All of a sudden there was this very frightening distress call to the Coast Guard. The woman calling was not able to speak English well, was in panic mode and not listening to the Coast Guard's questions. You could hear a man in the background shouting over the woman's repetitive pleas for help. Was something wrong with the boat? Was the guy beating her? You could hear him saying the "f-word" as she clicked on and off asking for help. Over the distress, you could not understand what was happening. Finally the Coast Guard was able to discern after the husband finally got on the radio, that they were trying to reach an inlet. It was obvious the sailboat they were on was in the Atlantic after they had given the Coast Guard the latitude and longitude for positioning.
We all gathered on Heesook, Don and Christopher's Patience listening together. We decided that we had all remembered the couple as an Asian woman/White man that we had seen in the locks some days earlier. Even then, they were having boat problems and getting shouts from the lock master to get his boat in or the gate with close on it! Mattias said, that guy doesn't know what he's doing. From the distress call, Heesook, being Korean, could recognize the woman was also Korean and she got permission from the Coast Guard to speak Korean to the lady in distress to help calm her down and get her to answer clearly to the questions being asked. As Heesook spoke the best Korean she knew, you could sense the relief from the lady. It was truly a hair on the arms raising, tear jerking experience.
Long story...the husband came on and said, no they weren't in distress, he was trying to find an inlet from the ocean that would take his 4' draft and his wife was "freaked out" not handling the waves very well- he needed to get her in to shore. After several attempts, the Coast Guard finally got them to understand the only inlet they could go to where they wouldn't go aground was Masonboro inlet, some 27 miles away from where they were. Okay, trouble was, now it was after 6 p.m., dark and getting colder. The guy repeated the distance and said "that'll take us 7 hours!". Again, the Coast Guard reiterated the inlet they could safely go to. So the guy signed off.
Day 2 Mile 244.5 to Mile 283.4 Motts Channel at Wrightsville Beach, NC.
So yesterday, we finally saw dolphins again. This time I snapped a nice photo of the guy/gal as it was swimming right on our wave, right next to the boat for some time. It even splashed us with water from the blow hole! So fun!
We lost a little time today waiting for a bridge to open. We had some time before bridge number 2 opened so stopped at a marina for fuel, for the kids to play and ate lunch on our boats while we waited. We had some time so the dockmaster guy said we could shower at his marina which was a pleasure after anchoring for some days...were we all looking or smelling that bad?
We anchored/rafted at Motts Channel with Patience this night. They dropped 135 feet of chain to anchor us both. Our boat is not particularly prepared to anchor ourselves--we don't have a chain, or long enough rope or even a winlass to pull up the anchor. Mattias is not used to anchoring because in Sweden, you don't use an anchor, but just tie up to a rock! We were joined by many other sailboats in this Channel. We had dinner on our respective boats and Heesook, Don and Christopher came for movie night. We watched Ratatouille.
Right before dinner, we heard Don shouting from his boat for us to tune into Channel 16. We were shocked to hear the same Korean/American couple on the radio with the Coast Guard, this time hailing the Coast Guard on a may day! We were baffled....thinking that they had still been out in the Atlantic for something like 24 hours later than their original call the day before. Unbelievable!! They had discarded the Coast Guard's recommendation from the night before and now had grounded their boat in the Cape Fear area that is known for significant shoaling, supposedly taking in water. The Coast Guard had asked if all passengers had their life vests on. We couldn't hear the response. She asked if the water was coming in like a garden hose or fire hose. We couldn't hear the response. Next, she suggested that the wife get out of the dingy and back into the sailboat. Chatter between the US Coast Guard and TowBoats Us or SeaTow (they are like AAA on water) went back and forth. It was determined that the TowBoats US could reach the couple sooner than US Coast Guard. So, about 15 minutes later, TowBoats US got to the couple who were 200 yards from shore, grounded. As the Coast Guard asked the TowBoat driver questions, he conferred with the Coast Guard that the lady was in the dingy, floating in the ocean, unattached to the boat! Un-f'ing believeable!! So, the couple was transferred to the US Coast Guard and moved to a marina in Southport where we were heading next day. It created more conversation this night!
Day 3 Mile 283.4 Motts Channel at Wrightsville Beach, NC to Mile 309.3 Southport, NC
We had an early start again today. Actually, Mattias got up early and we were started by 7:30 to get to Southport early. We checked into the marina early afternoon. I noticed, (safety nut that I am), that no one wears their life vests in boats her in NC, not even kids! How does that work?
Mattias will blog our experience on the water today. The writer of this blog had a migraine and took meds and rested for most of the afternoon while Mattias and girls took the dingy for lunch with Heesook, Don and Christopher. They played on the beach afterward. I did laundry after the migraine subsided.

More later,
Carrie

Oriental, NC to Morehead, NC--Dolphins!!

2007-11-16T16:29:00.000-06:00

We got a later start today than normal as Mattias bought the outboard engine yesterday and tested it this morning. We also had to get to the store for more supplies and Mattias went to the marine store for some extra fuses that had burned out. The Burley came in handy again to cart around the groceries and gas for outboard etc. when attached to the complimentary marine bike.
So we departed Oriental at around 12:30 after lunchtime. Did a choppy short hike through 2-3 foot waves thru the rest of the Neuse River and it evened out once we got to Adams Creek. Our journey from Adams Creek to Core Creek was only about 3-4 hours long but once we got to Adams Creek, and into Core Creek we were joined by several dolphin. There are expansive shallow spots including one where a sailboat had grounded and Mattias could not join us in the entertainment or excitement as he was trying to navigate around us moving around the boat getting a closer look trying to avoid grounding Windfall! The girls and I had fun though. I tried to take photos but the dolpins were too fast as they went up and dived down and of course, my camera battery died. Better luck next time!
We arrived to Morehead Creek Yacht Basin close to dark and needed a toilet tank pump out something fierce. Our friends on Patience have anchored some 5 miles south but we are too late to meet them this evening and will meet up with them tomorrow.
I will try to get these photos posted tonight of the past few days if possible.
More later,
Carrie

Oriental, NC

2007-11-15T07:57:00.000-06:00

We've spent the past three nights here in Oriental North Carolina along with Heesook, Don and Christopher. We're staying at the Whittaker Creek Marina and it has turned out to be a great stop for us. The surroundings are very pretty and the people are really nice here...the kind of folks who wave to you when they drive by. They also go out of there way to help you. A mechanic has showed up when called. The girls and I stopped by the grocery store with our Burley and I ended up getting a larger load of groceries than thought. Ended up, the cashier walked away from her register and loaded us and Burley into her pick up truck to drive us back to the marina. Kathleen here, a liveaboard person, has driven Mattias around for errands and the girls and I to the doctor and pharmacy some miles away.
The weather has warmed and we can get into shorts in the afternoons while we still need heat at night. Mattias has been getting the boat fixed up further. He used the original electric chart that came with the boat and a volt meter to figure out how to repair the heater. Some puffs and chugs from the heater later and voila!, it's fixed! So nice to ditch the space heater and just flip the switch on the thermostat. The heat not only is a comfort for us but helps to dry the condensation that builds in the boat. Mattias is also putting on the new alternator when it comes back from the mechanic today. He took the propane tank in for refill and to be safety updated. Also got the dingy blowed up, which the girls enjoy goofing around in, and will purchase an outboard motor today for it.
Since the weather is so nice, the first day Heesook and I took the kids for a long walk to find a park. We saw some really unusual Victorian houses with wrap around porches along a neighborhood near the water. Stopped for lunch at a pizza/sub place. She had to head out early as Christopher and Hanna were scrapping. He's a year younger but they are pretty similar in temperament that they don't always get along but I am trying to get across to Hanna that he just likes her and that has seemed to get her attention! Yesterday we sat out at a communal picnick table and the kids worked on craft projects.
We've had a couple of evening bonfire potlucks and last night was especially festive with some other marina people included. Don and Richard purchased 60 pounds of oysters fresh off the fisherman and set off to prepare an oyster feast of raw and grilled. Liv tried the raw one and wasn't brave enough for the whole thing. I finished that for her. So yummy! We all liked the oysters that had been grilled. So smoky and good! The other night I made a lasagna and Heesook, Don and Christopher came for dinner. We all managed to squeeze around our table and it was a nice evening.
The guys will continue to put finishing repairs on the boats today and if repairs get done then we can anchor outside of Oriental tonight. Liv is getting medicated for a bit of bronchitis and annoying ear infections that didn't clear since Annapolis. We slept in this morning and are relaxing now. Liv is organizing and Hanna is watching a dvd. Since we don't have propane yet, we have the hot water for coffee on the grill. A long wait for coffee!
The connection is very low this a.m. so I will post pictures later.

More later,
Carrie

Belhaven, NC to Oriental, NC

2007-11-12T21:21:00.000-06:00

We got going today around 7:30 a.m. after a good night's sleep in Belhaven Marina. It was a typical day of travel going through the Alligator/Pungo canal; Bay River, Pamlico Sound and finally the Neuse River. We heard that the Neuse could be choppy if the winds were right and there was some splash over the boat. We are in "shrimp boat country" and probably confused a fisherman with our route as it appeared he was traveling the same or opposite tack as us. We couldn't tell and he did not pick up the radio as we tried to contact him to tell him our course. Well, we tried!
We arrived to the Whittaker Creek Marina at around 2:30 this afternoon. Our friends on Patience V had also arrived and the kids quickly got together for a dvd on their boat. Don and Heesook had arranged to meet with some other friends staying here and about 11 of us gathered around a campfire for a potluck cookout. It has been some days since we've been to a grocery store so we were low on provisions. I whipped together an Uncle Ben's rice dish pulled together with chicken, tomatoes and a cheesy curry sauce. Our oven doesn't do any browning so the finishing touch of breadcrumb/crumbled cheese looked more messy than appetizing--but it all went so it couldn't have been to bad! Don and Heesook picked up some shrimp while in Oriental and their friend, Andrea, prepared a tasty dish with the shrimp sauteed with smoked paprika and olive oil. Nummy stuff! I will have to read up on my sailboat cookbook to have items on hand for these potlucks...
So we are settled here for a couple days. Mattias had a guy here today to consult about the alternator and heater that need repair so we'll see him again tomorrow. Would be nice to ditch the electric space heater in lieu of the one installed on the boat so we can anchor out for variety and to save money which would be a good idea!
This marina, as most, has complimentary bikes so tomorrow we hope to hook up the Burley and bike into town to check it out .

More later,
Carrie
P.S. The server is slow tonight so no pictures. I'll post them later!

Coinjack, NC to Belhaven, NC

2007-11-11T20:35:00.000-06:00

Day 1 Coinjack, NC to Alligator River Marina
We traveled a good 34.5 nautical miles today totaling 7 hours from Coinjack, including travel across the Albemarle Sound to Alligator River. The sound was about 14 miles in distance; shallow at 7-9 ft. under the keel and the waves were choppy at 2-3 feet. The water was brown the color of coffee, coke or swamp water! Midway thru the ride Mattias noticed the rpms were reving as they had been for the last day or so. Could be an alternator/starter/battery problem that he'd need to figure out on a dock somewhere. Put up the main sail as the jib wasn't getting us along quick enough. Our friends on Patience V went on to anchor an hour or so ahead of us. We settled into Alligator Marina so Mattias could figure out the problem. The view was peaceful and very beautiful from the marina. Our boating neighbors saw a sea otter pair perched on a stump so we went to the waterside to take a look but didn't see them. "Miss Wanda", the marina owner drove Mattias to the Napa auto parts in the closest town of Columbia, NC some 12 miles away. He got some parts to repair the problem but not all. Was able to rewire part of the battery and disconnect the second battery to alleviate the problem until we can get a part.

Day 2 Alligator River Marina
Mattias had the boat apart for more repair so we spent the second day in Alligator Marina. The winds were expected to be high in the afternoon making for uncomfortable travel anyway. Folks that came in on the Lady T from the Albemarle sound today said the waves reached 6 ft. Happy it wasn't us! Were happy about the marina rates. Aside from the free dock at Great River Bridge, we paid here $1.00 per foot. Cheapest we've paid so far. Would enjoy to anchor as there are a great many locations but with no heat and temps heading down to the 30's, it makes for personal misery!
Day 3 Alligator River Marina to Belhaven, NC
An uneventful day motoring a good 45 miles. It was quiet on the waters and cold. For the best part of the day we motored down the Alligator River and Pungo Canal. A straight route with funky waves that reminded me of being in a man made water park. Another shallow route with 9 feet under the draft pretty much the whole ride. We had to dodge tree stumps in the water and some shoaling but that was the only peril. We got a later start today and arrived after 4 p.m. when the sun was setting. Boy when that sun goes down it gets nippy. We have an early morning tomorrow to head to Oriental, NC which is supposed to be a quaint town.

Off to bed, Carrie

Hampton, VA to Great Bridge, VA to Coinjock, NC (home of the 32 ounce prime rib!)

2007-11-08T20:48:00.000-06:00

Day 1 Hampton, VA to Great Bridge, VA
We were anxious to get moving out of Hampton and headed on what is called the Hampton Roads harbor, then to the Elizabeth River, with Norfolk, VA on one side. Norfolk is the world's largest naval base and shipbuilder. Photos show one of the many warships we encountered along the way. Ships were either in a state of movement, exercise or being repaired. It was a hugely interesting course on the way to our destination of Great Bridge, VA for the night.

Norfolk is also considered ground zero for the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Before embarking on this cruising journey, I had never heard of the ICW so I'll assume the same of my readers and attempt to educate you on what it is all about.
The ICW is a navigable route of water that runs all the way from Boston to Texas at the Mexican Border. The waters are all interconnected and can be rivers, sounds, canals, or creeks. This was actually an idea of Thomas Jefferson during the Revolutionary War as a means to create better transportation routes between the Colonies that were inland and protected for National Security. There are different monikers for which route you are taking. Our route is called the ICW and runs from ground zero at Norfolk, VA to Miami, FL which is about milemarker 1090. There are mile markers all along the route to aid in navigation.
So, aside from watching the naval activity, this day we encountered many bridges that either had to lift for us, or that we could safely pass under. The novelty wore off until we passed under a roadway bridge near our final destination whose road was made of those metal grates. Imagine traveling underneath that thing with cars passing to give you the shivers!
We traveled the Virginia Cut route since the ominous sounding Dismal Swamp is closed. Too shallow anyway from what I hear. Went through a lock too. We were right behind a single handed sailor whose boat waves the Belgian flag. We got to our destination at about the same time as "everyone" else. The marina was full and with no other options close by, we asked another boat if we could tie up (raft) next to his. Not a problem. We then gathered our stuff for a walk to the grocery store (best we've seen on trip). Hauled our packages back and met a Father and Son out on the dock outside their boat. Family boats are scarce this time of year so it was a treat to meet them. Luckily, we clicked and ended up sharing a potluck dinner on their boat which happened to have a large, covered outdoor deck, and bonus, it was a little warmer than our boat as we have no heat outside of the marina hookups.
So, young Christopher age 3 and something, his mother, Heesook and his father, Don from Kingston, Ontario in Canada have become new friends. They are on a similar travel course as us but will go on to the Bahamas. They are sailing for over 1 year and have a similar story to ours--a break from longterm job too seek new possibilities and the attitude of why wait to see the world?!

Day 2 Great Bridge, VA to Coinjack, NC
This day was an easy trip to Coinjack. I was happy to be leaving VA and can't say the people there were particularly friendly. Not that they were unfriendly, but unhelpful, disinterested, bored, reserved, or some label I can't put my finger on. Was it me? Was I having a bad day? Were they having a bad day? Too many people, too many times most folks were the same. So, my opinion is now formed. Sorry Virginians you could take a lesson or two from Minnesota nice!
The day was pretty much spent traveling 4.5 knots down the Elizabeth River into the Currituck Sound. All a big swamp but actually quite pleasing to the eye. You may have heard about a cruise ship that ran aground this morning and had a huge hole bringing in water. Well, that was on the same waterway as us and we passed right by it and then the Coast Guard passed by us carrying some passengers to safety to be met by news crews. Liv said we were filmed and was happy to be on t.v.! The waters were calm today so I was in the cabin cleaning up and missed all the action!
Arrived here at Coinjock early. Due to the ferry incident the waterway was closed at the lock we just passed and then opened later. It was quiet here until around 5 p.m. when massive cruiser boats came to dock. We treated ourselves to a Prime Rib dinner, then a nice shower and folding laundry from this afternoon.
None of gorged ourselves silly expect for maybe Hanna who ate up all her steamed shrimp and baked potato! Bring on the meat!
A big day tomorrow so best hit the hay!
More later,
Carrie

Deltaville VA to Hampton, VA

2007-11-06T19:29:00.000-06:00

Day 1- Monday
We were ready to leave Deltaville and with Mattias' finger feeling better, we got an early start today. With all the happenings of the day before, we forgot to remove the kid's carseats from the rental car on Sunday so had to wait until the marina office opened at 8 a.m. where our keys were left. After that, we immediately headed out of the marina. It was a gorgeous sunny day with Southwest winds that picked up some in the afternoon. We had another 45 nautical miles to do this day so with that in mind, motored some and had the jib up the entire way. There was plenty of military traffic in this area of the Chesapeake Bay and on our 6 1/2 hr. sail, we enjoyed watching the boats and listening to the radio. "Reminders" from the warships told boats that got a little too close that they were required to stay a distance of at least 500 yards, if not 1000 yards away from any military warship traveling in the area. One innocent sailing vessel was reprimanded and was told to move now or there would be swift military action. The sailor replied feebly back to the menacing ship and quickly got out of the way. We are now out of Chesapeake Bay and entered Hampton Roads. We arrived Hampton Public Piers at around 2:30 p.m. and set up for two nights.
Day 2- Tuesday
We decided since were were still in the area to visit Yorktown, the last of the Colonial Triangle of Williamsburg and Jamestown. The American victory at Yorktown was the last major battle of the American Revolution and secured independence for the United States from the British. It was a rainy morning so we watched the orientation film and toured the museum to see the tents that George Washington used for his headquarters among other things. Took a 7 mile driving tour and saw the major battlefield sights as well. It's pretty interesting to tour these sights considering they are so close to current inhabitants and traffic use and the areas the soldiers covered are immense. Today rounded out our history lesson for the Chesapeake Bay part of this trip. We got back to modern life by a shopping fix at Costco and Walmart to do some provisioning for the boat.
We are sailing again tomorrow and need to figure out the best destination tonight.

More later,
Carrie

A great start, and then....

2007-11-04T19:23:00.000-06:00

Woke up early and discovered it was daylight savings time. In actuality it was 5:45 a.m. but we got the coffee and breakfast started, kids woke up and got dressed. It was record time and ready to go on our way to Hampton, VA. It was a beautiful sunny and calm morning. Several other boats in this marina were also heading out today as the weather had been so windy previous. Mattias was out loosening some lines that were wrapped on the pilons. He came in and mentioned that he doesn't really like pilons but prefers cleats to tie up lines. In the next five minutes he peeked in the cabin again to say that he had a sliver under his fingernail and needed something to remove it (got it from the pilon). Well, the sliver was more like a plank, all the way under the nail to the quick. My clipping and plucking did nothing. I wasn't brave enough to offer up a whisky shot and do the deed myself (as our friend Dr. Doug did on Andrew when he had a fishhook in his finger). We knew the next stop was the doctor. Who's open in tiny Deltaville on a Sunday? No one, so we climbed back into the rental car that thankfully the agency did not pick up the day before and drove some 30 miles to the nearest ER in Glouscester, VA. Long story short, the doctor, (who happened to be from St. Louis Park and previously worked at our Family Practice Clinic in Edina before retiring), gave Mattias a few shots under the fingernail to numb it. By the third, Mattias was being restrained by two nurses, gauze in mouth while the doctor could loosen the nail to remove the sliver fragments. A couple tetanus and penicillan shots and then a vicadine sedative by mouth later and he was good to go. So now he has to walk around with the hand elevated as if giving us the "bird"! We hope to have a better start tomorrow when we will attempt Hampton again...
More later,
Carrie

Day at Colonial Williamsburg, VA

2007-11-02T20:07:00.000-05:00

The winds were quite strong by the waters today so to be prudent, Mattias stayed behind at the boat while the girls and I drove an hour to Colonial Williamsburg. When we arrived, they were outfitted in costumes of Young Misses and were able to participate in several activities including gardening at the Colonial Gardens, picking up a letter at the post office and going to the printer to place an advertisement for a woman needing a nanny for 10 naughty children. The girls also learned some manners such as the proper way to curtesy (sp?). We visited the DeWitt Decorative Arts/Rockefeller Folk Art Museums and created some Christmas Ornaments as well. It was a fun day and we were not hampered by winds on our trip.
We intend to be in this Deltaville location until at least Sunday when the winds and waves are intended to die down. On the coast the waves are expected to be over 30 feet tall. Luckily we are inland! More later, Carrie

Halloween Day visit to the Jamestown Settlement

2007-10-31T22:03:00.000-05:00

It was Magnus' final day with us and with a few hours to spare we took the opportunity to visit Jamestown today. It was a beautiful drive through the Colonial Parkway National Park toward the Triangle of historic sights, Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown. We only had time for one sight today. We chose Jamestown which is the first place the English settled in America in 1607 to be met by the Powhatan Indian tribe. Jamestown is also known as the place where Pocahontas and Capt. John Smith hooked up. When Liv heard that Pocahontas lived here her little ears perked right up as she remembered the story from the Disney film. Nothin' like a Disney film to provide a little American history!
Mattias drove Magnus back up to Dulles for the flight and the girls and I cleaned up the boat, did laundry and they were treated to a little Nick Jr. in the Harbor Lounge while our laundry was being done. We didn't Trick or Treat this year. The girls were aware it was Halloween but surprisingly, didn't ask to go out trick or treating. That might come to haunt us tomorrow! It can be dark at this marina and since I was alone this evening, I didn't feel comfortable venturing across the vast darkness in search of candy. Instead, I fed them each a tiny kit-kat bar and sent them to bed!
More later,
Carrie

Annapolis, MD to Solomons, MD to Deltaville, VA

2007-10-31T21:06:00.000-05:00

Our first day of sailing started at 7:30 a.m. Mattias had moved the boat the night before because the tide was so low due to Northerly winds that the boat got stuck in the mud at the dock. He waited until high tide to move it and we left when the tide was high in the morning and we were sure to get out. All the way down the Chesapeake we had a nice west wind and going with the current for most of the day we could go at a nice clip. It was a brisk day and of course I had forgotten to pack my longjohns! The girls and I stayed warmer with blankets.

The GPS and downloaded charts were up on the computer which was strapped to the navigation desk. This has proven invaluable to have available as it makes for easy going in regards to knowing where we are and want to be and since we traveled by a couple of prohibited military zones used for training, we don't want to bump into any bombing practice sights do we? So we are off for the approximate journey of 8 hours by motor and sail to Solomons Island, MD. What do we do for that long? Well, the girls like to do their "homework" on the boat, tie knots, listen to books on CD, take an obligatory afternoon nap if you can,eat and fiddle around. And we watch the traffic that goes by. These days were a parade of boats on the same course headed South as us, some barges and container boats. The second day Solomons to Deltaville, VA., was just as successful. Mattias and Magnus got an early start and were up and out the hatch before the girls and I. I was not aware that on sailing days you really need to be up by 6 a.m. if you want to get a good start to the day. This day they were up by 5 a.m.! Cousin Magnus was at the helm much of the day (despite a cold), and was given the opportunity to assist as much as possible on his second and final day of sailing.
While he was with us, we all missed out on alot of the sailing due to poor weather, but he will have other memories on his vacation to the U.S. from Sweden. So, we arrived Deltaville at around 3:45 p.m. so settle into dock. At the end of the dock was the Godspeed Ship, a replica of the original ship from the Jamestown Settlement. She was en route to a festival up the coast and stayed at our marina for the night. We also saw a Swedish boat anchored outside the marina with a home port of Stockholm on it's stern. Mattias may try to get in contact with them by radio tomorrow and find out how their story.

More later,
Carrie

Meet Windfall!

2007-10-28T14:33:00.001-05:00

I've purged but still dream about more storage on the boat. With it at a minimum, we use every nook and cranny possible. Below left is under the girl's beds. We've tucked some sails, car seats and luggage bags there. On the left under bed is the toilet holding tank so that takes up alot of space. All there clothes fit on the shelves above the beds. Also some "friends", purses, etc. Below right is my kitchen dishware cabinet. Our galley has an oven, range, cold storage and hot water! Stylin'!

Our berth has more storage and a full+ size bed that compacts into a nice reading sofa space. We really have three separate spaces for separation and a place to get away!

Our boat has a dedicated navigation station with radios; gps; cd player and fuses. Here is Magnus using the computer at the desk.

This is a picture of the Bert Jabin Yacht Yard where we've been living for the past two weeks.
This is how they get the boats in and out of the water. Huge lifts. This boat must be 45+ feet long.

This is the center cabin where our dining/main living space is located. It is where our guests also sleep. To the right, we are having a seafood dinner. Fresh shrimp of the day! Under the table is a small hatch the size of a small rubbermaid container. Aside from what is in their berth, that is the girl's toy and craft box.

This is Mattias on Windfall!

Annapolis- False Hopes

2007-10-28T14:19:00.001-05:00

I guess I learned my lesson about preplanning with sailboats. Today we woke up and expected to take off early, we tuned into the Marine Forecast and learned the winds were up to 35 knots. That combined with a cooler morning would make for a potentially miserable sail, not so much for our fearless captain, but the crew of two young girls, the wife and unsuspecting Swedish cousin. We instead enjoyed a morning on the boat (a nap by Carrie) and then a long walk to a delicious Chinese lunch. Thanks Magnus!
We hope for better luck tomorrow but I will not post any promises from now on.

Carrie

More Pictures....

2007-10-28T14:01:00.000-05:00

Liv and Hanna are taking a sunny rest at the Reflecting Pool outside the Capitol.
Outside the Capitol Liv found this Osage Orange Tree with funky fruit looking like a warped broccoli.

The blondies are Shannon and Matt's Corina and Raleigh.

Final Night in Annapolis!

2007-10-27T21:21:00.001-05:00

Saturday
For real, this is our final night in Annapolis! The rain stopped late in the morning and the sun came out to create another balmy day. The seas should be relatively calm for our first sail tomorrow on the Chesapeake Bay. After four days of solid rain, our boat was pretty damp feeling so Mattias and Magnus opened all the hatches, removed the bedding for the wash and tipped up the cushions to dry out. It felt much better in the boat this afternoon and after laundering the bedding and other clothes we are in tip top shape below deck!

I met Shannon for coffee at Starbucks in Bowie MD, halfway between her home in Silver Spring, MD and our boat in Annapolis. This was our final meeting until who knows when? We are hoping for a reunion perhaps in Utah or Southern Italy sometime in the future! I tried not to linger to long saying goodbye... It's probably better that way and with good friends you know that you will see them again but was wonderful to spend time with Shannon and family in any case.

After coffee and reflection on friendships, I arrived back in Annapolis and took the girls for a much needed walk. We needed to stock up the boat grab steaks for dinner in the evening so we walked many blocks to the grocery store and back. I did the laundry at the laundromat today and the guys and young girls cleaned and hung out back at the boat.
Mattias returned the van at the car rental place and we continued to stow and/or purge everything that didn't have a home. The girls and I created Halloween crafts and "decorated" the interior to surprise Mattias when he returned.

Dinner was steak on the grill (we have a nice gas grill hooked up on the boat), asparagus and salad. Mattias and cousin, Magnus are listening to the marine forecast drinking a Glenmorangie Whisky. Conditions are changing to be 1+foot waves with 15-20 knots wind. Might be bumpy tomorrow so I'll try out the bio-bands that Erik our realtor gave us before travel for motion sickness prevention. We have a long day ahead so I best make the beds and hit the hay.

Carrie

Still in Annapolis

2007-10-26T20:33:00.001-05:00

Friday
We have been held up in Annapolis due to poor weather conditions. It has been raining non-stop since Wednesday, our original date of departure. We expect to be leaving now on Sunday when the weather is expected to take a better turn. We'll have to put in a long first day of sailing and hope to get to Solomons Island, MD.
In the meantime we've taken a couple more trips to D.C. to get in more sightseeing. On Wednesday we contacted Adam, in Senator Amy Klobuchar's office at the Capitol. He arranged for us a nice tour of the Capitol with Diana, the Intern.

We walked the bowels of the building; saw some beautiful interiors and took the Capitol subway. We sat in on the Senate Chambers but missed some action packed sessions that day. We saw Trent Lott in the Chambers and just as I told Mattias I was hoping to see Nancy Pelosi or Hilary Clinton, there Nancy walked right by us on the way to her Speaker of the House chambers. She was followed by several body guards. After the Capitol, we went to the White House and snapped some photos of the grounds.

Both girls have acquired ear infections now and Liv's eardrum has perforated so we they are both on meds since going to Urgent Care clinics on two consecutive nights. I'm learning that the Blue Cross Blue Shield computers somehow/suspiciously, always go down when I ask pertinent questions about our new plan and going to doctors in another state than MN....
Today the girls and Magnus and I drove into D.C. again and went to the Museum of Natural History. We stayed some hours there and miraculously, made it back to Annapolis no problem with driving!
Still waiting for Mattias to assist me with loading pictures onto this blog. Thanks for your patience. He's on the phone now helping his new Yugoslav/Canadian friends with boat questions. They just purchased a boat and will be taking the same trip down the ICW as us.
Me, I will hit the hay early listening to the raindrops on the boat...
More later,
Carrie

Last days in DC/Annapolis

2007-10-23T13:46:00.000-05:00

It's been a couple of days since writing. Happy to announce that we have a digital camera and with Mattias' help, will get some photos up soon.
Sunday
We spent a lovely Sunday in DC touring the monuments and beautiful gardens and green spaces on the way. It was a sunny, 75+ day and we packed up the kids and Burley and off we went for some monumental walking! We made it from the Capitol to the Washington Monument and only overlooked the Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Memorial from afar as we ran out of time.
The builders were packing up from a Solar Decathalon on the Mall outside the Smithsonian Museums--modular homes built green. We walked outside the homes and saw some peat moss blocks for insulation as example. Mattias and I are into the Modular homes anyway and picked up some design tips for our next project!
Stopped for lunch--4 hotdogs; 4 bags of chips and 6 drinks for $34.50! Next time, I'll boil up the dogs and throw some in the thermos for a fraction of the cost!
Really appreciated the Burley purchased from a friend, Tracey, at our garage sale. It came to use today. Hanna conked out in the Burley and Liv ran and did her tricks beside us as we trekked up and down. She was exhausted at the end!
We were out of time before heading to Shannon and Matt's home for a bbq. More fun for the girls and us as Shannon served some special Mango Margaritas (a recipe that she's been perfecting) and Matt grilled up some yummy burgers.

Monday
Monday was a hang around Annapolis day. I took the girls and myself to get flu shots. We went to the library for Spanish and English reading and computer games. I caught up on some magazines...then off to the park for the girls to play. Annapolis has more girls at their parks per capita in comparison to Mpls, which has more boys in my estimation. The girls made some new friends as usual and had fun. Mattias was working on the boat some more and loading charts into the computer. He "found" a govt. chart program that hooked up to the GPS can be downloaded for free. Scarily enough, we were able to pinpoint to the exact dock where Windfall is at the moment. That's how accurate the program is! He is working with cables and wiring and getting it all rigged for action. All very James Bond like.
Stopped at the grocery store to do some provisioning for our trip South. Our galley is stocked to the gills now and I will have to remember all that we have since it is not always easy to access the food. I figure with 5 persons aboard, we'll go thru it pretty quickly. Days of dining out are over as we will be traveling now. I do enjoy to whip up gourmet meals in the galley. Tonight we'll grill some Turkey Fillets on the gas grill; some powdered mashed potatoes and fresh broccoli and we have a meal!
Mattias' cousin Magnus is on his way from Sweden now. He'll join us for a week while we get going South before he heads to North Dakota where he did an International Exchange on a farm a couple of years ago. We leave Annapolis on Wednesday (tomorrow).
I am cleaning the bilge space under our "Master Bedroom" now while all are away, waiting for it to dry before covering up with the beds again--our berth is smelling like diesel and since we need more storage space, this might help us out.
More later,
Carrie

Final preparations and fun with Raleigh, Corina, Shannon and Matt:

2007-10-20T17:23:00.000-05:00

I picked up the hatches today from Maritime Plastics in Annapolis. They look like new and probably at half the price of new ones. Windfall is looking better and better. I also fixed the last deck plug today. Our good friends Shannon and Matt with daughters Corina and Raleigh stopped by mid-morning with some cinnemon buns. Picked up some coffee and chatted for a while. We all packed into the rented momobile and had a great time in old downtown Annapolis. Great company, good lunch (and ice cream) and some fun at the park for the four girls.

Windfall

2007-10-19T23:33:00.000-05:00

Here is a bit of information about Windfall. She is a 1984 Storebro Royal 33 built by Storebro Bruk AB in Storebro, Sweden. She is built on a 1/2 ton IOR hull designed by Dick Carter. The interior is classic Storebro (lots of nice mahogany) and she is built to a very high standard. Windfall has been in Lake Superior for almost all of her life and is mechanically in very good shape. I think that she will be as good as new with a bit of TLC and elbow grease (and yes some updates and fixes). She is perhaps a bit small for long term cruising for a familly of four, but she does provide two separate quarters and suits our current and intended future use perfect.

I will add some additional pictures, but this is an older picture taken by Al (the prior owner).

Mattias

The Search for Starbucks...

2007-10-19T20:57:00.000-05:00

Today is Friday, a sightseeing day planned in D.C. We set out after cleaning up the breakfast mess. Hit the Beltway (endless road that surrounds D.C.) to get to our destination. The highways here are very long--you can see for miles but you can't see homes, stores, gas stations, Starbucks, Best Buy or whatever you are looking for. You need to have a trusted friend tell you what is off each exit--if there is an exit, as they come few and far between I think.
We arrive in D.C. using the little map from the "Unofficial Guide to the Mid-Atlantic with Kids". It is helpful. After driving past the Capital, Bureau of Engraving, Department of Interiors (nice that D.C. has something design related! (a Sophie Kinsella if you know who she is, observation) and many other official buildings, we found what we were looking for--the National Air and Space Museum, but no parking.... So...circle the blocks up and down, up and down and around again. Liv announces, "I have to go potty", then Hanna chimes in, "I have to go potty too", soon it sounds good to Mattias and I...circle some more. Okay, Mattias says, I'll drop you guys off at the museum and meet you...he rounds the corner, past the parked tour buses, and voila!!, a magical parking spot appears out of no where. Right on the corner. Meant for us--really!
So we spent some nice hours touring the museum. Saw firsthand Astronaut gear from the various space missions; the experimental rhesus monkey taxidermied and put into his original space gear finery; airplanes and uniforms from WWII; rocks and the Rover from Mars but no Martians; a nice IMAX film on flight and some things from the American History museum like Dorothy's ruby red slippers; Scarecrow's costume; and Seinfeld's puffy shirt. Much more but Fun!
We went thru Georgetown on our way out then Liv announced those famous five words, "I have to go potty". So we began our search of somewhere to stop. After some desparate minutes and some encouragement, found nothing else than a trusty Starbucks across the street, only we had to park some three blocks away in order the snare the parking spot. Grabbed that one and whew! We made it!
So we hit the road again and take a National parkway part way home and it is early enough to go for dinner somewhere. We decide to use the guidebook again and try Buddy's Crabs on historic Main St. in Annapolis. There are dozens of options but the book said it was loud and good for kids. We give it a try but leave early has Liv has this nagging cough, cough, cough and is not feeling well. The food was okay, not great anyway so we didn't miss out too much. Get home, give Liv a steam shower, meds and a movie and off they go to bed.
The winds are picking up now and it is raining outside. Our hatches will be back tomorrow so the plastic sheeting covering the openings are making a racket. It is still very humid and we have the fan running--hot water in the boat but no a/c!
Our second french press is broken (same as the first one) and inevitably, we will be in search for Starbucks tomorrow morning.
More later,
Carrie

Annapolis-Thursday, Day 4

2007-10-18T16:22:00.001-05:00

We are on our 4th day in Annapolis. Today was fixing day for Windfall (Mattias doing most) which gave the girls and I an opportunity to spend time with Shannon and her girls. We missed our alarm and woke up to Shannon calling by cell phone wondering where we are?! No, we were late in leaving, and another 45 minutes stuck in traffic in Annapolis while trying to get out of town. There was a bus being towed away and blocking a lane so that was the problem. Since I don't know the alternate routes I was out of luck stuck. So we got to Silver Spring to pick up the friends and went off to the National Zoo in D.C. Turns out Shannon lives only a few miles away from the Zoo and we drove a very scenic parkway to get there. The creek was very dry due to drought but it was beautiful all the same. At the Zoo, we enjoyed seeing some "new" animals to us Minnesotans--and esp. in the Asian exibits. There were the Giant Panda Bears on loan from China along with their interesting story in a museum setting; and then the Sloth family of bears. They call them piggy back bears since Mom can get the baby on her back for a quick get away. We also saw the zoo keeper feeding the huge hippo. That was a sight! The four girls enjoyed their day once again and my two "passed out" in the car on the way home. I got mixed up on direction only twice but it didn't delay me too much in getting back to Annapolis.

We arrived to the boat to find Mattias finishing up an oil change down below deck and a guy hoisting himself up the mast to install a stay for the halyard. On one of our first sails while still in Wisconsin, we let out the halyard and it was spinning and got a little tangled, if that's how you describe it so it was a good thing to intall.

We have had gorgeous weather here so far but expect some rain tonight and tomorrow. Mattias removed the hatches for replacement and they won't arrive till Saturday. A nice plastic sheeting is covering now and hopefully will keep out the rain this evening.

My family has gone on some mission now and this will give me a chance to pick up the boat. Mattias promised me some out of this world seafood from a nearby restaurant so perhaps tonight we'll get the chance to sample the East Coast delicacies!

We haven't acquired a digital camera yet but will try to get one soon. Shannon emailed some photos which with the help of my techie husband, will try to install.

More later,
Carrie

We're in Annapolis

2007-10-17T19:00:00.000-05:00

The last two days have been spent catching up on rest, organizing the boat and seeing friends. Yesterday we saw my old friend Shannon from our days in a gang of single people and neighbors in the Lakes area of Minneapolis. Shannon lives here in Silver Springs with her husband, Matt and their two daughters, Corina and Raleigh. We spent Tuesday with Shannon and the girls catching up at their house and then out for lunch and play ground time in Silver Springs. So nice to see her again as it was at her wedding that I saw her last! The girls mixed nicely together and it is a great time to see Shannon in action as a mom.
Today Mattias tackled removing the hatches for replacement and collecting other parts for repairs tomorrow. I worked on removing more unnecessary items from the boat and packed into boxes for an additional shipment to Sweden. I have one more box left and am inspired to fill that up too! (not sure what to get rid of though...)
Mattias and the girls walked around the marina which is also a working shipyard. Huge sailing boats are in the water and yard sparkling clean. It is a neat and tidy place. It is very quiet here as we are almost at the tail end of the season. Kind of nice as we are getting settled.
This afternoon we took a drive to the P.O. to mail the packages and look for a Radio Shack or similar store. We took a wrong turn and ended up driving past the United States Naval Academy. Quite impressive on the banks of the River Severn. The cadets were out in the sports field where competing builds spirit I guess.
The girls weren't thrilled with my salad nicoise lunch so we stopped at Rocco's Pizza on the way home. They enjoyed watching Rocco tossing the dough.
Home now and trying to get the girls down for an unsuccessful early night- We are joining Shannon and girls for a trip to the National Zoo in D.C. tomorrow.
More later,
Carrie

Leaving "Home"

2007-10-15T14:43:00.000-05:00

Our final day in Minnesota was yesterday, Sunday, Oct. 14th. We were up early and got right to work. There was much to do and I personally put off alot until d-day. It was nice to have family and friends come over because they left with car loads full of what we left behind as were were living in the house until this day. Boy it adds up and I don't want to have that full of a house again!! (I say that now...) Every bag (and we had 8 of them) was stuffed to the gills and what small treasures we found in empty drawers, on shelves etc. got stuffed at the last minute. While we were packing and picking up, Liv and Hanna went to friend's Mary and Corina's house for some playtime, lunch and Halloween decorating. So grateful to Roger and Karla for taking both girls! Last minute goodbyes to my sister and neighbors and off we go! I would have been okay except for Mattias who uttered "goodbye house" as we were sitting in the driveway ready to go. Okay-there went the tears!! That lasted until we rounded West 41st St. onto Wooddale and then I regained my composure.

In true form, we were running late--and thankfully for the friendly folks at Sun Country, we were able to sneak to the front of the security line. Saw Shelly (Ollie's mom from DFC) who was taking our same flight to D.C. for a meeting she was attending. She was there when we should have been--early! But we made it in the nick of time and off we went. I enjoyed a Chardonnay on flight with my yummy cheeseburger/cookie combo. (was that really hamburger?). After landing, renting a minivan and driving, we got to the boat in Annapolis after 10 p.m. We unpacked some of the 8 bags and left the rest in the van. Toddled off to bed for the most part. I was working on a Paul Auster book started the last time I was on the boat; Mattias was using the wireless connection.

Today is now Monday. A beautiful 70 degree day. Liv commented that everyone is wearing longsleeves. We're in shorts and t-shirts. We are having a lazy day as the exhaustion from all we accomplished lately has set in. Late breakfast of good pot of coffee, cereal, milk and fresh bread; drive to search for play area with girls; a stop at post office to purchase boxes to mail off more packages of belongings to Sweden (eight bags was one bag per person too much!) found a nature park right next to the Marina for a fall "clue seeking" hike with Liv and Hanna while Mattias caught up on work phone calls; pasta and lunch on boat; kids on deck enjoying the sunshine; tracing leaves and playing with acorns found. I made a nice pot of coffee for Mattias and myself. We will get a game plan together for our stay in Annapolis. We will book a flight for Mattias' cousin who will stay with us on the boat when he arrives next week. Some bills are due tomorrow that I'll have to tackle as well. So that means I'll have to sign off now.

More later,
Carrie

Minnesota to Sweden Planning

2007-10-10T18:36:00.000-05:00

We didn't realize how much time and effort this move would really take until now but Mattias and I are used to working under pressure and are pretty good and getting it all done! We've researched this sailing trip which originally was going to take us from the Great Lakes to the Mediterranean but now we are limiting it from the Great Lakes to the East Coast of the U.S. Regardless, most folks take three years to plan out a trip like this we've found from the sailing chat boards. We're more like 5-6 months and most of that was prep work to the boat (our Storebro Royal 33'), and for getting the house ready to be sold. All that other stuff went by the wayside until end of August thru mid-Oct. and that's including Mattias' 3 week sailing and travel trip to Sweden and our annual summer trip to Sweden! We are a few days away from leaving on the jet plane and there are still more details to wrap. What went right? Well, biggest hurdle which turned out to be little was that our family house sold in a day! That took pressure off and knowing the new owners will close in a couple of weeks is great news to us. The belongings have been packed and the container has arrived in Sweden. There are a few paper details to deal with in regards to the container (Swedes have more sailboats per capita in the world, but don't know what to do with goods considering the owners will be living on their boat for the next few months and don't have a permanent address yet). Mattias has a unique job lined up in Sweden which he will plug away at some now and full speed in January. I am applying for Permanent Residency status in Sweden, which we found, requires Fed Ex-ing paperwork to Sweden and back to the U.S. We found the Swedish tax office doesn't have us registered as a married couple! Yikes! Paper, paper, paper. Since I won't be able to enter the country until I've had our interview and are approved by the Swedish Consulate--this is a big deal. I don't want to be waving to Mattias and the girls from Denmark! It has been tricky to locate information here when most of the files were sent to Sweden. Again they sit in that big container! So, our new Jeep owner will have his car title mailed to him! (luckily, a trusting friend). What's left? Deciding what final paperwork travels and what gets shredded; child parties at school; farewell lunches and dinners with friends and family; doing laundry and packing up the "one bag per person" for the boat. A few more crazy days of details and then we can settle into our airplane to meet Windfall in Annapolis! More later, Carrie

Ashland to Annapolis - Planes, Trains, Trucks, Boats and Automobiles

2007-10-08T20:54:00.000-05:00

Windfall is now in Annapolis, Maryland, but I thought I would give you an update on how we got here from Ashland, Wisconsin. We took the advice of the pros on the sailnet forum and hustled out of Lake Superior. Carrie, I and the girls had some great sailing from Ashland, WI to Black River Harbor. The harbor was very low on water and we also managed to come in the middle of a fishing contest. However, after some checking around, a few kind UP'ers made room on the outside and also offered us a nice (very fresh) trout dinner. We were the only sailboat in sight, but the power-boaters took pity! Next stop was Ontanagon (40 miles later) which was a much less pleasant experience with 15 to 20 knots wind from the west and unpleasant Lake Superior waves which made for a bumpy ride and did Carrie in. The marina in Ontanagon was closed to us because of a lack of water in the entrance to the marina, but this time Tom on the house boat in the harbor took pity and let us tie up next to him. We need 5.5 feet of water and Tom had measured only 5 feet in the entrance that same day. With assistance from Al and JoDell (Windfall's prior owner), Carrie and the kids headed back to the Twin Cities on Labor Day, while Al an I took the boat to Houghton in the Keweenaw Waterway (off course a nice and calm ride with no wind nor any waves).

Al and I left Windfall in Houghton for 10 days and then we returned for a great but windy sail to Marquette. Magnus, my long time friend and sailing buddy from Sweden met up in Marquette. Magnus, Al and I then sailed from Marquette through Sault Saint Marie to Detour Village. Magnus and I dropped off Al in SSM on the US side which I am sure was bittersweet for him. We had a beautiful overnight to SSM with good wind. The only excitement was a lot of water in the bilge in the middle of the night. Later found a hose that was cracked and needed replacement. Normally the through hull is over the water line, but healed over not so. My approach in Detour Village was more of an attack than an organized approach. Tricky 25 knot wind in the side and dark did not help, but I am glad we were pretty much alone in the marina.

I had decided earlier that instead of going through Lake Huron and Lake Erie, we would take the boat through the Trent-Severn Waterway. So, Magnus and I headed through the North Channel to Gore Bay with plenty of wind increasing from about 10 knots to about 35 knots during the day. We were however mostly protected from the waves. We had a remarkable but lonely day on the Great Lakes and Windfall is showing what she can do in harder weather. We have noticed that she likes a bit of pressure to get her down on her "bulge". Being an older IOR 3/4 ton design (by Dick Carter) she is a bit narrow in the waterline. She also has a rather narrow stern. However, once she heals over a bit, she is very solid. We blow out the first reef line and new lines are on the list of things to be fixed. Good thing we had enough wind so that the second reef worked just fine. We saw only our second sailboat on the water since leaving the Marquette bay as we entered the marina in Gore Bay. The chartplotter and the charts that Magnus was trying out on the laptop was superb in entering both the marina in Detour Village and in Gore Bay in the dark. It was the first time I have used one and it made life a lot simpler in the dark. My approach in Gore Bay was perhaps one notch better, but Magnus amazing agility also helped (not sure how he got traction with his toes on the dock after that jump!).

From Gore Bay we took a shorter day to Little Current (what a treat) where we filled up on diesel and then continued on to Killarney. Killarney was also a great experience, though I would have been fine without the run-in with a local viper. Happened while on the phone with my realtor who got an earful of expletives! I am just glad it was not one of the rattlers they apparently have up here and also that I was completely ignored as he slithered away.

We left Killarney before dawn and crossed Georgian Bay under power and sail to arrive in Midland, Ontario, just before dark. The crossing was uneventful in very light winds and a warming sun but we had a nice day on board and it was nice to be completely out of sight of land. Both Magnus and I are starting to appreciate the size and the power of the Great Lakes. One thing is clearly different from where we grew up sailing - it is very far from port to port. If you run into trouble, you need to be able to deal with it on your own.

Having spent the night in one marina (cannot remember the name for the moment) we crossed the bay in Midland and settled in at Doral Marina who had a do-it-yourself mast crane. Doral Marine ended up being a tremendous resource (will come back to that). We unstepped the mast and loaded it on deck and headed up towards the entrance of the Trent Sever Waterway. We where a bit disconcerted about the comments in relation to our draft (5.5), but ignorance is truly bliss.

We got through the meandering path up towards the first lock in Port Severn just fine until we came to the bridge about 100 yards before the lock. The marked channel was perhaps one boat length wide and we had a 2 to 2.5 knots meeting current. We hit bottom three times under the bridge in the marked channel (once pretty hard), but there was not much to do but to head upstream because of the narrow channel and the current). Windfall has a very deep rudder and turning around was not a practical option. We did get through but with some seriously chattered nerves.

I should note that I had called the appropriate Canadian park service office twice to confirm that I could go through the canal. Unfortunately, the six foot controlling depth had become something between 5 and 5.5 feet by the time we got to the second lock. We decided to turn around and head back to Midland. On the way I worked the phones and with the help of Doral Marina located Andrews Trucking who had an opening to ship the boat a few days later. We agreed on Annapolis as an appropriate destination (and also a good starting point for the family trip down the East Coast). With expert help from the folks at Doral Marine in Midland and Steve (our driver from Andrews Trucking) we got it all organized in two days. With a bit of luck we also squeezed in just ahead of the Annapolis boat show and got a spot at Bert Jabin's Yacht Yard (another great group of professionals).

It ended up being more difficult to get two wayward Swedes out of Midland than Windfall, but our driver Steve came to the rescue. Magnus and I have now had the chance to see upstate New York, rural Pennsylvania and Maryland from the commanding viewpoint of a semi truck. Windfall, me and Magnus arrived safely and quickly to Annapolis where we again made Windfall into a sailboat and made a few repairs (we broke a few minor items on the way through Lake Superior's and the North Channel).

I flew back to Minneapolis via Sweden and we are returning to Windfall after having wrapped up the last things in the Twin Cities.

Until the next time,

Mattias

First post!

2007-10-06T11:31:00.001-05:00

Time for the going away party. Annapolis next!