A MINOR DELAY

After the boat left on October 11 on the back of a truck from Marina Del Rey, it was anticipated that she would start her 1600 mile journey to Rockport, Texas, House of Boats, on Monday, October 18.  Well, as is so often the case, the trip has yet to begin.  It seems the truck developed some sort of issue with its rear differential (the U-Joint) and so could not leave as originally scheduled.  It's all good, however.  I spoke with the owner/driver today and he tells me that the part necessary to fix this problem has arrived and they are working on it.  Unfortunately, because of the rules regarding super-loads such as this, it may not be possible to leave until Monday.  So, we are sort of stuck for the time being.  No big deal, right?

In any event, after leaving Marina Del Rey, we spent a week with Brenda's folks in Carpinteria, California.  Larry and Bonnie Donovan could not have been more gracious hosts.  They made us feel quite at home, fed us well, and entertained us.  They threw Thanksgiving early this year, and almost the whole family showed up.  This was very important to Brenda as she wanted to make sure she saw her siblings one last time before we leave for a couple years.  The food was good and there was plenty of it.

The next day, we went to our sailing crew party hosted by George and Kyoko Fitch.  I had planned on showing up early so Kyoko could teach me a thing or two about making sushi and tempura.  I learned a lot and had a great time.  All the folks we had been sailing with all year were there.  These are my best and finest friends and it sure was great to see them all one more time before we leave. 

For the time being, Brenda and I are now at my mom's house in Van Nuys.  It is still possible that the truck could leave tomorrow (Wednesday) and make it to Rockport by Saturday, but it does not appear too likely and I am not getting my hopes us.  In the interim, we will very much enjoy spending some time with my mom and step father, Ron, while we wait for word that the truck has left the building.

That's it for now.