It's been how long?

OK - so it's been over a month since we updated the blog, but we've been very busy.  Here's what's been happening...

September 3 - 13:  In preparation for our upcoming trip back to Canada, we packed things to take back and leave in storage, made lists of things to pick up from storage and bring down to the boat, and continued checking off items from the to-do list.  We had arranged to have the boat hauled while we were away, have the shafts repacked, the bearings replaced and the bottom painted, so part of our preparation was to clear the salon of furniture to give access to the engine room, and to clear the mattress off our bed to give access to the rudders.  This meant complete upheaval while we piled everything in the galley.  So it was off to a hotel with Edee the night before our departure.  We left her in the room the next morning, and came back for haul out at 8 a.m.  The discovery of blisters on the bottom of the boat was cause for some concern, and an adjustment in the estimated repair costs, of course.  Blisters are just what you are imagining...small holes in the fiberglass allow water to penetrate, resulting in blisters on the surface.  If left untended, they can eventually damage the integrity of the hull, so we gave them the go ahead to do the necessary work.  Then it was back to the hotel, pick up Edee and hit the road north.

Sept 14 - 30:  It started raining at about noon - somewhere in Ohio, so it was not a particularly pleasant run home.  We got Edee settled in her temporary home, and us settled in ours, and the whirlwind began.  Michael and I both had a number of medical visits to make (and all is well for both of us!), and there was business to take care of, and family and friends to visit - generally too much to do in such a short period of time.  We did manage a weekend on a friend's boat in Georgian Bay, which was terrific despite changeable weather.  We tried to make an early start on Saturday, and between picking up Edee and picking up our new dingy, we got to the border late morning.  Seems it was our turn for a closer examination by the US border guards, and we lost close to an hour of travel time waiting, and answering questions, and having our money counted, and waiting again while they looked through the car.  In the end, they sent us on our way, and we happily continued our journey, arriving back in Scottsboro Sunday evening, in the pouring rain.  It rained all night, sometimes driving so hard against the hotel windows it woke us all up.   Thank goodness we didn't have to try to unload the car into the boat.

Oct 1 - 7:  Still pouring rain on Monday morning, but the boat was scheduled to be launched.  Again, we left Edee in the hotel room while we got everything back together on the boat.  All of the maintenance and repairs were complete, and the bottom looks terrific.  A run on the river confirmed that everything appears to be in good working order. After putting the furniture and the mattress back in place, we went to fetch Edee.  As we opened her carrier, she made one or two tentative steps on the deck before she recognized where she was...HOME!  Her tail went straight up (always a sign of happiness), and she began her inspection, visiting all of her favourite places to sit and watch the world go by.  I feel the same way...this is home, and it's great to be back.  We're still crazy busy, but now its the final prep for the real adventure.