Busy as Bees...

Seattle, Washington

Busy as Bees...

Well the time has arrived...sort of.  The past month has been busier than anyone could imagine and we have been trying to get as much done as humanly possible in the short amount of time that we have left.  I'll try to recap the events of the past month so people can get a sense of what we've been facing.





My last day of work was July 27th and as most of you can imagine, I was doing the Aretha Franklin Freedom dance the moment I sealed the corporate laptop and mailed it back to the company.  What I couldn't possibly have predicted was that I would be busier after I left work than when I was actually still employed.

Gary (r) and me getting ready to drop the pig into the imu.

The week after I stopped working, my parents and younger brother Gary and his partner, Stephanie, arrived for a Bournival get together at my other brother Gregg's house in Ridgefield, Washington.  In what has become a Bournival Brothers tradition, we cooked a pig luau-style.  As this was the second time we had cooked a pig in the ground we feel as though we handled the whole affair like seasoned pros.  The weather was warm and everyone enjoyed cooling off in the pool and playing the Bournival version of "Extreme Bocce".  Gary and Steph were the undisputed champs and will be taking their skills back to the East Coast where they will continue to dominate in the mixed couples leagues there.  We all wish them the best of luck in their upcoming tournaments!

We still have a bit of packing to do.

After seeing my family for a few days it was back to work on house and boat projects. Richard has been spending every day at the boat while I have been staying home to pack the house up and get everything ready to move into storage.  As you can see, there is quite a bit of work to be done.  We will be renting out the house while we are gone and putting all of our stuff in storage.

Richard and me, Kathy and Tim of s/v Rhythm.

In a random twist of events, a friend of mine from when I was working at Children's Hospital forwarded an Evite I had sent him to a mutual friend of ours who I hadn't seen since we had been skiing/boarding together about 5 or 6 years ago.  It turns out, Kathy, our mutual friend, and Tim, her fiancee, were also planning a cruise south beginning in September.  We connected and started making plans to "buddy boat" our way down to Mexico, if the opportunity arises.  Call it safety in numbers or just additional company, but I'm excited about the idea of sailing south with another like-minded couple.

The Hosts, Richard and me.

On Sunday, August 19th, Richard and I hosted a casual get together of friends at the Montlake Alehouse (which is conveniently located 2 blocks from our house).  It was great to see some of our friends that we hadn't seen in a while and have the opportunity to raise a pint and talk about our trip. Thanks to everyone who made it and all who wished us luck on our voyage.  Here are a few pictures from the get together.

John, Beth and Mark.

Richard and me and The Neighbors, Jack, Leslie and Fraser.

Otts and Will.

Bruce, Richard and Joe.

Ken and John.

Joe, Bruce, Richard and me.

Kathy, me, Richard and Tim.

Richard, me, Ken and Otts.

Me, Beth, Mark and Richard.

Richard, Ted, Ed, Kaler and Will.

Michael, Darren and me.

John, Michael, Ted and Darren.

Michael and Richard.

Back row: Ed, Richard, John, Wil, Michael.
Front row: Darren, Kaler, me and The Map, aka, The Tentative Plan.