Category: Events and Guests

Looking forward to 2023!

Well, here’s hoping that all had a great and safe Christmas holiday. I know that we certainly did. We left our home in the Newport News, Va neighborhood of Kiln Creek around 7ish on the morning of December 24th, and headed out I-64 to connect with the I-95 interstate north. We do our Christmas Celebration on Christmas eve to allow my son and his family to spend Christmas Day with his wife’s family.

We had hoped to make the trip with minimal travel constraints and were pretty successful for the majority of the distance up the infamous I-95. Our GPS took us up to the exit for VA123 and then onward to the Loudoun County Parkway and my daughter Kurby’s home.

Gathering together with my small family (daughter Kurby, son Cliff, daughter-in-law Becky, granddaughters, Rebecca, Hattie, and Camilla; and Phyllis, Cliff and Kurby’s mom.), we spent several hours talking, catching up with everyone and exchanging small gifts. Then came the Christmas dinner food. The old skipper was not cautious with the intake, since it was a holiday feast.

At around half past three pm, we gathered up our goo0dies, and said our farewells until the next time. The Bride ( still consider her the bride, cause it’s only been over 40 years together at this point) once again took the helm of our pretty blue Buick SUV and pointed her nose southward toward our home. Once again, we were blessed with a reasonable amount of traffic crowding, excepting the section between the DC area and Fredericksburg. Once we cleared that constant jam up, our path was clear, and we were able to make the voyage home without problems and arrived safely at our home.

Christmas Day dawned with clear skies again. We had a nice Christmas Day with a great homemade Spinach/Bacon/Mushroom Quiche for our Christmas Breakfast. We then spent most of the day watching seasonal movies and the Christmas Dinner that Charlotte prepared. Yum, along with homemade desserts the Christmas Day feast was wonderful.

So, at the end of the day, we had a very good Christmas holiday. Monday was also a quiet day for us, since most of the country was also taking that day as an extension for the Holiday. We celebrated one more holiday at our new home in the Tidewater area of southeastern Virginia and let those 20+ degree temps stay outside.

Once things warm back up, we will look into the idea of more Hampton Roads Day Trips.

Here’s hoping that we survive the changes in our current Congress.

Next Steps

Some changes will be made over the next few weeks.  Following the next sea trial, we will begin the process of upgrades and redecorating to make this vessel truly ours.

The Bridge

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This is the bridge of the Misty Lady.  Note the instrumentation on the left, the two large devices are from a former navigational system that the United States shut down quite some time ago.  These two units will be replaced with up to date, digital technology.  The gauges in the center, just above the wheel are to monitor the functioning of the two diesel turbo charged engines.  the plastic cover is the plotting table, but no one uses paper charts anymore with the GPS and digital navigational aids that are currently available.  Beneath the chart plotting table are the two radios, one is a radio telephone and the other is a VHS radio.  Bow and stern cameras will be installed, and we are also considering the installation of a camera in the engine room to monitor this critical section.

Also note on the two sides behind the captain’s chair, you can just see the two settees that are aligned along the sides of the bridge.  This sitting will accommodate about 6 – 8 people.

The Salon and Master Stateroom

The salon will be redecorated under the supervision of Charlotte, the Misty Lady’s First Mate.  New Furniture including a sleeper sofa, side chairs and the carpet will be replaced with new teak flooring.  The wet bar shown alongside the chair boast a brass sink. Below, behind the larger door is a small refrigerator for cold drink and supplies.

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The Master Stateroom will have a TempurPedic mattress (we just bought this a few months ago and it will go with us to the new home.  There are not a lot of things necessary for the Master Stateroom but we will definitely look closely at anything that might be a chance to upgrade.

This shows two sections of the Master Stateroom.  This cabin also has a hanging locker (a closet for land folks), and a private head (bathroom).

The Davit and the Dingy

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This is a photo of the Davit and under the cover to the right is the dingy (a 10 foot Zodiac style boat with an outboard 8 hp Honda motor).  The davit is in essence a five ton rated crane/hoist that is used normally for bringing heavy items, such as the dingy on and off the boat.  This davit will also be used to bring aboard the new furniture and other items that are heavy and hard to handle.

Over the coming days, I will share other photos and try to present an overall image of what we will be encountering as we adjust to a life afloat.  In these early photographs, please remember that a majority of the views will be considerably changed as we go forward with the upgrade and redecorating.