Stardate 65208.94 - Kate's Birthday

Wow. Not a single post in over 2 months. We've had a lot going on I guess, and I have been extremely busy at work with a series of full-week meetings, including a trip to Dallas and a trip to London. Some other events happened in January, like Kate turning 2. Here are some pictures of her birthday part at the beach house.

The girls enjoy sitting together and watching Dora in the morning while Kate plays with her new Barbie.

We also had another birthday party to attend of a former pre-school classmate of Loren's. It was a pirate-themed party.

We also had a loss in January as we had to put our cat, Squirt, to sleep after a 6-month battle with kidney failure. She was almost 15 years old, so she had a good long life but it was still a pretty sad event around here. I'll put up a memorial post for her as soon as I can dig up all the good photos of her we have digital as well as scan in some of her early photos.

NYC

Stardate 64905.87 - Loren's Actual Birthday

On Loren's actual birthday we made a Bizzie Beaver snack that she found in one of her magazines.

This is supposed to be a beaver with a propeller-beanie on his head.

Cheryl got cupcakes from Crumbs for birthday dessert, which the girls just love.

Atlantic Highlands, NJ

Stardate 64903.14 - Loren's Birthday Party

We had Loren's 5th Birthday Party at the Galli Children's Theater. They put on a play for the kids and then there is pizza and cake. Exactly what a bunch of 5-year-olds enjoy! Multiple parents came up to ask us how we'd found the place, as they were thinking about it as a venue for their children's birthday parties.

Atlantic Highlands, NJ

Stardate 64511.27 - Sailing to Martha's Vineyard

So for my Birthday / Father's Day gifts this year, I took 3 days off from work and went on a nice, long sail out of Newport, RI to Martha's Vineyard. I went with Thomas (who I always do these log trips with), Terry (who I used to work with), Jay (who I have sailed to Block Island with before), Tony (a fellow member of the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club who I sail with a lot on his 30 foot Pearson named Saga), and Justin (co-worker) and his girlfriend Jackie. Tony and I left early Thursday and met up with Thomas at his house and he drove us to Newport where we acquired Summer Magic, a 42-foot Beneteau. The rest of the crew trickled in throughout the evening so we could get an early Friday morning departure for Martha's Vineyard.

I don't know if it is because I'm such a Science Fiction fan or what, but I just think the navigation stations on these bigger boats are the coolest things. Especially since I know how to operate everything.

Here is the helm, which is what I like doing best. Tony had to pry my hands off the wheel a few times so he could get some time driving the ship.

We spent the night in a small slip at Fort Adams. The company we got the boat from, Bareboat Sailing, is based there.

Friday morning we left for Martha's Vineyard. Winds were light throughout the 5-day trip and we had to motor a lot more than I would have liked but when you go before the season really starts you take you chances. At least the rain held off for the trip. Below (left to right) are me, Tony, Justin, Jackie, and Thomas.

We put into Menemsha Friday afternoon, which is a quaint fishing village. There are only two mooring balls in the harbor and we took one. Since it was pre-season we couldn't hail the harbor master and subsequently didn't have to pay for the mooring. Thomas, Terry, Tony, and I got talk-out seafood from a super fresh store (Lawson's) and ate dinner on the boat. The rest of the crew took an excursion ashore.

Here is the narrow channel I had to bring the boat through in order to reach the harbor.

And here is Summer Magic, with the dingy off the stern, on the ball in Menemsha.

On Saturday Tony, Thomas, and I (the early risers) went to Edgartown for an early lunch while the rest of the crew slept off the night before. There is a pretty good and not too terribly complicated bus system for going all over Martha's Vineyard, and we frequently availed ourselves of it.

The next stop was Oak Bluffs, which had a village within the town of these small gingerbread houses (a former Methodist camp).

We met up with the rest of the crew for drinks at a local watering hole in Oak Bluffs. Here is the entire crew (left to right)--Jackie, Justin, Terry, Tony, Thomas, me, and Jay.

Then we split up again with Thomas, Tony, and I heading into Vineyard Haven to visit the famous Black Dog Tavern (although I got the t-shirt, we didn't actually go in).

Sunday morning we headed back under cloudy skies to Newport.

Once we got to Newport the breeze freshened and we decided to turn for Block Island. Then the fog rolled in, however, and although I was game for the trip (I also had the radar going with the AIS overlay in place) most of the rest of the crew seemed to be ready for an early return to Newport. So we turned back to Newport and located our home base mooring ball where we took in a cheese and cracker snack on deck.

I climbed into the dinghy for a shot back of the rest of the crew. That evening we ate in town and Justin and Jackie departed for home.

The next morning it was incredibly foggy.

After fueling and watering up the boat, we offloaded all the supplies and went our separate ways. Well, Jay went his separate way. Thomas drove Terry, Tony, and me back to Queens where Tony got a car service to return him to the ferry back to Jersey, while Terry and I shared a car back into the city.

It was a really good trip, and I had never been to Martha's Vineyard before! Sailing someplace is way cool. I mean, day sails are nice but to actually have a destination is really, really cool. And I love sailing the big boats that I cannot actually afford to buy! ;-) And although we didn't make it to Block Island this trip, I have sailed there before back in May 2008 and October 2008.

I'm already looking forward to the next time!!

Atlantic Highlands, NJ