Life on a Boat: January 2023

Highlights

I kicked off January 2023 with many good intentions for our life on a boat – eating healthy, exercising, spending less $$, getting stuff done and so on and so on. I think it lasted a week before I started slipping down the slope paved with my good intentions.

But it was a fun month.

Among the highlights was a night out with our Canadian Tollycruisers at the local pub. Originally, I had planned it for November. But snow put the kibosh to that event. As it turned out, even more people came to the January event so I’m calling it a win.

The next weekend, Handsome Hubby’s son came over from the Island for a couple of days. It was his first time spending a couple nights with us on the boat. Turns out he enjoys sleeping in the v-berth.

Other than that, there were lots of martinis, bottles of wine and dinners out. Yes, a fun month, even if I accomplished very few of my good goals

Life on a Boat: January 2023

Listened to…

Something new on the boat that I stole from the Sex and the City reboot: choose an album and listen to it in its entirety.

At first, we were trying to think of albums we wanted to hear. That was too hard. So I put together a list of rock albums that the internet says one must listen to. We’re starting with 56 albums – hopefully we’ll add more later

Our first listening experience was:

1. Amazing Grace (1972) Aretha Franklin: According to the expert who recommended it, “you’ll be hard-pressed to find a record more uplifting and soul-satisfying.” And it was a great album – she was an amazing vocalist.

Watched…

1. Lots of sports: College football bowl games, NFL playoffs and lots of hockey kept us entertained (for the most part).
2. Extraorindary: HH saw a preview for this Disney+ show. We binged it in no time!!
3. The First Lady (Season 1): We started this series in January and I truly enjoy it.
4. Banshees of Inisherin: I wanted to watch some of Oscar nominated movies (for a change) and we started with this one. I enjoyed 60% of it and then wished I had never heard of it, let alone watched it.
5. Turning Red: After the Banshees experience, I turned to Pixar for a feel-good movie. I loved that it was set in Toronto and it did make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Ate…

Even though my plan to eat at home fell short bigly, we did enjoy some tasty home cooked meals:

1. Oven-Fried Chicken: I’ve had this recipe for years and started making it again as meal prep for cruising and for hubby’s lunch
2. Pan de Agua: Added another bread to our rotation of carb-loaded goodness.
3. Smoked Oyster, Bacon & Spinach Pizza: Had to have pizza night while HH’s son was visiting.
4. Easy Lemon Mushroom Risotto & Pan-Seared Duck Breast: Yeah that sounds pretty decadent. Thankfully it’s easy and quick to make while tasting as decadent as it sounds!
5. Spaghetti & Bolognese (Vegan): My favourite plant-based Bolognese sauce – easy to make in the slow cooker and the leftovers freeze well for another dinner.

Drank…

1. Taylight Brewing reopened in late 2022 but I finally visited in person in January. Not only is their beer wonderful but the people are even better.

Read…

• Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House by Alyssa-Mastromonaco: I enjoyed this book. As someone who loved the West Wing tv series, it was interesting to see the real perspective.
• The Spare by Prince Harry: Just started this in January and already enjoying his writing style and the content.

Purchased…

• Outdoor String Lights for the cockpit. We have a timer out there for evening and early morning – life on a boat can be pretty dark!

Life off a Boat: January 2023

Our big adventure off the boat was a trip to Astoria, Oregon for the International Tollycraft Club Summit from January 28-30. The last time HH and I were in Astoria was with the kids in 2009! It’s been on my list of places to revisit but we just haven’t made it.

Among the highlights

1. A trip down memory lane with a visit to the Astoria Brewing Company which used to be the Wet Dog Cafe. The burgers were as good as I remember them from 14 years ago!
2. Seeing our Tollycraft friends and making new ones from the three clubs: Canadian Tollycruisers, Tollycraft Boating Club and Tollycrafters Northwest.
3. Our wrap-up buffet dinner at Bridgewater Bistro – yes a buffet dinner! These guys know how to serve a big group with great food and service
4. Taking the long way home on Sunday. We crossed the 4-mile long Columbia River (Astoria) Bridge into Washington on our way to Port Townsend. We stopped in Raymond, WA for lunch at Wild Man Brewing Company for great beer and oysters from nearby Willapa Bay.
5. Watching the AFC Championship Game at the Anchor Pub in Port Townsend. I wasn’t a fan of the outcome but enjoyed the drinks and gooey fries.

Challenges

• Our second Tollycraft suffered fatal engine failure in 2022. After discussing our options, we decided to rebuild the engine. So little Shifty was hauled onto dry land where HH and the staff at Westwind Marine pulled the engine out. It’s now being rebuilt while HH cleans and paints the bilge and gets ready to reassemble the engine.

Exercise

• I had grand plans to get active in January… but not so much… I did take the electric bike on a few rides, primarily to get groceries.

Coming Up Next Month on the Boat

1. Dry February! Or at least a damp February. Plus eating at home – our dining out budget needs a reset already. Oops
2. A trip or two to Washington. We’re having our first in-person Tollycraft Boating Club Bridge meeting since Covid started.
3. Super Bowl – well I’ll watch, but I’m really not into either team winning.

So there we go – life on a boat for January 2023.

Stay safe and happy cruising!