If you’ve never owned a boat you might not understand just how great a feeling washing your boat while at anchor is. If you have, then you know the immense difference between having salt on every surface, and a freshwater cleanse. The single best upgrade to a boat has to be a beast of a 35gph watermaker. Along with our boat’s stabilizers, the watermaker just puts the icing on the cake to this life.
When we got back to Indiantown, Florida, after the boat had spent a couple of months on the hard, our teak looked like someone had come and rubbed black mud into the grain. Today I started the laborious process of cleaning it up again. Laborious, but still not nearly so much work as it would be if we varnished the whole thing.
It’s that time of year again—Christmas is upon us. Our kids have the somewhat unique experience of debating each other over what their favorite Christmas tree is. Was it the driftwood tree Santa brought us in Todos Santos, or the palm tree in Sayulita, or… This year we added an actual fir tree to the mix.
Look around the house and find stuff to decorate the tree with. Each year is unique.
I know people tend to wonder about how kids on boats find other kids to play with. Well, today this 9 year-old girl paddled over on a SUP from another boat, and they all spent the entire day playing in the water together. We never even met her parents.
We’ve been stuck on the boat a few times here in Key West—when the wind moves around out of the north the ride is too long and wet to dinghy in. It’s funny to us that the kids don’t care one bit, only the adults seem to get cabin fever.
It’s so fun to watch Lowe on the kayak. He digs in and paddles hard, drags the paddle just right to make turns or to catch a wave, and just generally cruises around on it like it’s an extension of his body. Both kids excel in water sports that we never even attempted as kids growing up in Minnesota. Ocean and sun versus ponds and ice.
The Hemingway House. Fun to learn a bit more about the man and, of course, his six-toed cats that roam the property to this day.
7 Comments on “Hemingway”
What do you use for unvarnished teak? Semco?
If you have unvarnished teak just spray with 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water, leave for a bit (eat fish and chips maybe) then rinse off. Takes out all the green a muck and leaves it looking like new.
What a great childhood your two are having and what a stress (ish) free life, as far as boating allow, you are having!
Lowe looks like a pro on the water. Merry Christmas to you all.
Perhaps the most gratifying thing about Bumfuzzle’s is watching your naturally adapted aquatic kids, so charmingly at home on boats, the ocean, and shores.
Happy Holidays, Dear Bums. Let’s see a picture of the fully decorated tree, please. Have fun. Love, Mike and Lorraine
Lovely pictures as always. I love the photo of Lowe on the kayak, his mouth shows his concentration. Happy holidays to you all.
Another wonderful year following your posts. Thanks so much.