Happy memorial Day

Dear Friends and Family,

We are home from New York and back in our normal routine. As expected, we had a wonderful trip and experienced many different things. Of course we did all the usual and a bit more. We were on our feet constantly walking just about everywhere we went. Even using the subways could be exhausting going up and down stairs, fighting the crowds and having to stand during the ride. I am happy  to report that I did not once get caught in the subway doors though it was close a time or two. Lol After about five days and recovering from a couple of blisters my feet were broke in and not at all concerned with the amount of walking we faced.

The people were great and not what I expected. Everyone we  talked to on the street was friendly, polite and helpful. I could not have been more surprised or pleased. We stayed at an old brownstone in Brooklyn. We found it on www.airbnb.com. The price was right, the hosts were fantastic, and the room was comfortable. We thank them for their hospitality.

I'll touch on what we did and focus on a few things that stand out.

We took a ferry to Staten Island passing by Lady Liberty, we gazed at the Flatiron building, the Chrysler building, and the Empire State Building; though we did not got to the top of any of them. We explored the New York Library, Fifth Avenue, Macys (including the original civil war era wooded escalators), Tiffanys, FAO Schwarz  (the famous toy store from BIG), and the financial district with the famous bull. And Grand Central Station was grand! Buzzing with people coming, going or simply standing.

Parks we visited were Central Park, Prospect Park, andBattery Park. All three were warm, full of happy people and welcoming. We saw the movie Marvel Avengers in an old old theater and ate New York style pizza every chance we got.

We spent a rainy day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art along with everyone else in new York who had the same idea of escaping the rain. Lol

We walked the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges a couple of times each, as well as spent time in the parks near their bases. We also attended a free concert in the Brooklyn Bridge park listening to a brazilian band Nations Beat. Of course we lounged in Times Square imagining ourselves there on new year's eve. We chilled at a Jazz club one evening called Fat Cat. A really neat place housing dozens of pool tables, ping pong tables, shuffle boards, chess, scrabble games, couches galore for lounging and probably more unbeknownst to us; Jimi's utopia. We spent an evening at the Brooklyn Bowl with tickets to a unique music band called Beats Antique and another night we rocked with JJ Grey and MoFro. All were very good.

We walked around the Rockafeller Center hoping to catch a glimpse of someone famous, but settled for a bunch of tourists like ourselves.

We were lucky enough to attend a David Letterman taping and had great seats in the fourth row from the stage. Betty White was the guest, which was an extra special treat.

And off course lets not forget the Twin Towers Memorial sight. Water falls have been build in the footprint of the original twin towers buildings; carved on the perimeter of each are all the names of the people who lost their lives on 9/11. The memorial was incredible and something we will never forget.

Probably one of the most outstanding places we visited was a place called 5 Pointz,

We passed by it on the subway and decided to check it out. This large warehouse was covered with graffiti all around it. Upon further investigation we saw and spoke with many taggers while they were painting. We ended up visiting the area on three different occasions. Over the weekend they had underground rappers telling it like it is. This was the real deal. Amazing life stories and everyday people with incredible skills and talent. The man that curates the place allows people (with permission) to express themselves through their art. The curater, street name Meres One is probably the most famous grafitti artist in New York. Jimi spoke with him for a few minutes and was honored with a personal tag drawn on a subway map; Jimi's souvenir. While there, a lady was filming a documentary. We spent a little time with her and she interviewed us for her film of 5 Pointz.. And apparently the building with its grafitti will be in the movie "Now You See Me" to be released in January 2013. It was absolutely the coolest.

We witnessed a few other photo and movie shoots while roaming around New York. We stood around to watch for a while, but quickly became bored and moved on. Along with New York pizza we ate New York hot dogs, ate at the famous Katz diner (from Harry met Sally), and can't pass up the ice cream.

We have so many pictures, but have only managed to get a few ready for this email. I'll be working on putting scrapbook pages together and will let you know when they are finished.

I am pretty busy finalizing things with Cencorp over the next two weeks. Jimi is finishing up the exterior of Sanibel and we are both excited about beginning with the interior and my being able to devote my time helping him.

We are happy to announce the arrival of Jimi's great niece, Sophie, born on May 22nd to Tracy Nicolaus Faber.

That's all for now.

Love everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

Heading North

Dear Friends and Family,

Hey hey - great news - we've made great progress on Sanibel. Jimi is putting things back on the boat compared to the last six months of taking things off. He has reattached the hardware to Sanibel's deck; The life lines are back up, the cleats are bolted in place, and the windlass is rebuilt, painted and bolted to the deck ready to handle the anchor and its chain.

Jimi has varnished the teak hand rails and cockpit pieces. He hung the pieces from the lanai ceiling to complete this task. (see the picture attached

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Jimi bought two folding bikes from our boat yard neighbor. Some elbow grease, new tires and tubes, and a lot of lubricant brought them back to life. Our crystal ball sees them as being our main mode of transportation on land in our future. I know you can't tell from the picture, but they fold in half at the middle of the bikes. We'll send more pictures late

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I have finished my TEFL course. It has given me the tools I will need to teach foreigners English as their foreign language. I have another class to complete, which focuses on teaching young learners. I'll begin that class in June.

I'm still loving my Nook and have read another Nora Roberts book, "Birthright". I just began reading Arthur Hailey's "Detective". And I have an entire library of books to read.

Jimi was able to get a picture of a cardinal from our back yard and while at it he captured a shot of this little gecko. The cardinals are still abundant and lately we have seen an increase of blue jays too. We haven't seen any activity from our dove. We wonder if she has moved on.

I have learned that my last day with Cencorp will be May 31st. There's a chance I will do some part time work for them, but it is unclear right now. You know what this means right? I'll be at the boat yard everyday working for Jimi - oh boy.

This is a plus for us, as Jimi could really use the help on Sanibel. In June we will begin working on the inside with wiring systems and plumbing.

We leave for New York tomorrow. We haven't had a vacation in two years and are considering this our honeymoon.

We'll send out another update when we return. We will have lots of pictures!

That's all for now. An early Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere!!

Love everyone,

Lorie & Jimi

She's beautiful

Dear Friends and Family,

We are please to report some progress. After months and months of sanding and grinding,  Sanibel is taking shape. Jimi and I painted the primer coat on the top side of the hull and she looks fantastic. Jimi has since sanded the primer to a smooth finish and she is ready for the final coat of paint (hopefully to be done soon).

The weather has not cooperated; Jimi and Ray have not been able to spray anymore gel coat on the deck, but several sections are ready.

Next steps are: the non-skid needs to be painted on the deck when the gel coat application is finished and the bottom side of the hull and the keel need to be sanded, primed and painted. All the hardware needs to be reattached to the deck as well. Regardless of what's left, what's complete is encouraging.

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I bought myself a Nook colour and I LOVE it so far. I can use it to read books, watch movies, play games and when I have Internet, check email. I have already read one Nora Roberts book "Angel's Fall', gotten hooked on angry birds, and mastered Sudoku. I really want to begin another book on my Nook, but I'm trying to finish up my TEFL class.

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One day last week Jimi brought home a surprise; a large turtle he found walking down the middle of the frontage road. It's shell measured a little over 13 inches long. Jimi took her down by the river to release her, but she headed straight back up for land. The next day we saw her crossing the road in our neighborhood.

The cardinals are taking over our yard. Practically everywhere we look we can see a male and/or a female buzzing around. I've tried to get pictures but they are very fast and rarely stay in one place for more than a few seconds. Anyhow, we love having them around. Their unique chirps are without a doubt recognizable and pleasant for background noise. We've come accustomed to keeping the air conditioner off and the sliding glass door open. We enjoy the fresh air and sounds of nature throughout the house.

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A pretty little dove has made a nest in the tree right outside our lanai door. I watched for a few days as she gathered twigs and things from the yard, flew them to the nest and then came back again for more. I knew she was building a nest somewhere, but I didn't realize it was so close. Jimi spotted her and showed me. We're certain she's now sitting on eggs, as she always stay put. Jimi was able to get a great picture of her. We try to steer clear of the area, so we don't frighten her away.

We are expecting rain the next several days, which will slow progress on Sanibel down a little. We would really like to get the gel coat applied and top side hull painted, so Jimi can reattach the lifelines and other deck hardware and can move on to the interior of the boat for the upcoming rainy season.

That's the latest. More to come as we keep you posted.

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Love to all,

Lorie & Jimi

A new appreciation

Dear Friends and Family,

As Jimi works on the exterior of Sanibel, he alternates his time between the gel coat on the deck and the topside of the hull. Most of his days are filled with sanding and more sanding. He comes home daily covered in a white dust. He's a little concerned he will not have the exterior done by May, so he's increasing his time spent at the yard and recruiting help. He spent this past weekend there and I helped him half of Sunday. After sanding with him for half a day, I have a new respect for what he's doing. When Jimi would come home dusty and tired I thought I understood how hard he had worked all day, but actually doing it myself I see it differently; it's not just hard work, it's really hard work. I told him I was going to start being nicer to him - ha ha - I'm always nice, but we got a chuckle out of the statement anyhow. I can now honestly say I am very happy with our arrangement  of me bringing in the income while he works on Sanibel. I definitely have the easier end of the deal. Regardless, with the time strain I have committed  to helping him one day every weekend as needed.

My work load with Cencorp has not let up and when I'm not working I find myself putting a great deal of time in to my TEFL class, The class is coming along ok and I hope to be finished with the first half by May.

Other things to report.......we went to the Annual Charlotte County Airshow last weekend. The show was really neat. Ii was the first time Jimi had seen the US Navy Blue Angles. It was a little hot, but a great day.  Jimi was able to get some pretty good pictures.

One day this past week I discovered a 3+ foot black snake in our lanai. I watched it for a while and took some pictures and then opened the lanai screen door so it could go free. When it finally found the door and left I followed it to get more pictures.

We've gone to the beach a couple of times in the past two weeks, Jimi swims in the ocean, but it's still a bit chilly for me. I sit on the beach content to read my book. I uploaded a video to my Facebook page of Jimi body surfing the waves. Check it out. We found a secluded walking trail through the mangroves opposite side on the beach. It was a nice walk even if it was a developed trail.

As requested by many of you, extra pictures are attached.

BTW - what do you think about Jimi's Crocs? He loves these shoes and refuses to buy or wear anything else. How much longer do you think they will last?

Love everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

Where are we??

Dear Friends and Family,

The past two weeks has been a whirl wind for me and WAU (work as usual) for Jimi.

Jimi is excited to report that all the soft spots and holes on the deck are fixed and filled. He has begun working to apply the gel coat and has also sanded the top half the entire hull. This is exciting and finally, after months of the 'same ole thing', a sign of progress and accomplishment. This goes without saying "we still have a long way to go".

I, unexpectedly, spent the last two weeks in Texas. I tried to concentrate on my studies in the hotel while away, but as it turns out I spent  9 hours a day in the office and another 1-2 hours at business dinners with our CEO and Accountant from Finland. I was so exhausted by the time I returned home. Now I am busier than ever. I went from 0 to 90 in 30 seconds flat. Haha. Seriously, my work load had increased dramatically and I am barely able to find time to do my school work. I am hoping it is temporary though.

Jimi and I went out for a few drinks to celebrate St. Patty's Day. It was nice and after a few drinks, Jimi even admitted being around all those tourists wasn't so bad after all. We spent a couple of hours at the beach on Sunday taking sightings with the sextant. We first ended up in St Louis, second try we were in Colorado and the third try we were in Washington DC. It sounds to me like we've got our longitude correct, now if we can move south to find the right latitude, we'll be good.

Jimi had planned on taking a swim in the ocean, but forgot his swim trunks. Haha - that didn't stop him. When no one was looking, we dropped his drawers and ran into the ocean in his underoos. Of course then he had to wait until gain no one was looking to get out. It was funny.

That's all for now.

Love Everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

Stepping the mast

Dear Friends & Family,

Not a lot has changed since I wrote two weeks ago. Jimi is still working on the deck, however, he is making progress. He completed the repair to the internal support arch under the mizzen mast and reset the mast, actually called stepping the mast. He now continues with the port holes and other miscellaneous deck work. Jimi ordered and we received our main chart plotter for navigation, which will also handle important instrumentation, most importantly depth and boat speed in the water. He is sorting out the navigation charts we need to get them on the unit.

School is going well for me. I slowed down the last two weeks, but am hoping to pick things back up again.

Last weekend I drove to Orlando to visit my girlfriend Melody. On Saturday, we unexpectedly drove to her brother, Rick's house in Jesup Georgia for the night. It was a real honor to spend the weekend with her and her family. They laid her brother, Darold to rest on Friday, March 2nd. Darold was loved and will be missed. I wish him a peaceful rest and serenity to the family.

His obituary:http://www.newcomerorlando.com/obituary.asp?src=value&obitid=55393&name=Darold+William+Chrysler&city=Orlando&st=FL

Jimi and I went to Sarasota this past weekend to buy more teak (that stuff is expensive) and pick up some boat parts at the marine surplus store and then spent some time at the Siesta Key Beach. It was nice to get out. The weather on Saturday was absolutely beautiful; however, on Sunday it was cold and windy. We took the car to the car wash to clean it up. Jimi will list it on Craig's list.

That's all we have for this update. More later.

Love Everybody,

Lorie & Jimi

Sanibel is a work in progress

Dear Friends & Family,

Jimi is still working on the deck: cutting, filling, grinding, sanding...repeat and repeat and then moving on to the next spot. He's also working with Teak, which is our main wood source. We made a trip to Sarasota on Saturday to pick up enough to replace some worn pieces he took off the deck. After going back and forth between covering the deck with gel-coat or paint, he has decided to use paint. We think this will be the best decision.

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We found a speedway not far from our house and planned on going last Saturday night, but at the last minute we were both feeling overwhelmed with things we needed to do, so we didn't go.

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I enrolled in and started a class from a school in the United Kingdom. When I am finished with the course, I will be a certified TEFL instructor. This will allow me to gain employment nearly anywhere in the world teaching English to Foreign learners. After I receive the basic certification, I will take another course to specialize in young learners. Even though the classes are not accredited, the certificate is recognized worldwide. Each course is equivalent to about 2 1/2 college classes. I am excited to be in school again; however, I am expecting those ups and downs.

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I finished my Valentine cards and just wait now to mail them. I had to take a break from our wedding scrapbook to get them completed, but I am back on the wedding album now. I really want to have it done by the end of February, but I'm being pretty picky. I've already thrown two pages away and started over, because they were not wedding album worthy. :-)

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We don't have anything else to report on. I just wanted to check in with everyone. Hope all is well with you.

Love,

Lorie & Jimi