1. Adventures in cat ownership

    July 3, 2011 by JillyBean

    Recently K and I were working from home. He had taken a phone call, when I hear him tell the caller to hold on a second.

    “I think I hear a kitty screaming, can you go check?”  he says to me

    Now let me tell you that our kitties scream all the time, usually about nothing. I have actually seen them scream so much that they need to stop to take a drink of water before they can continue screaming.

    So I did find this a  little weird and my first thought was that he heard them fighting with the stray cat that sometimes wanders by our house.

    When I went downstairs though I heard a distressed squeak that sounded like Pothole.  So I called her name :

    “Pothole?”
    “Meow!” she answered me

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I looked around but didn’t see her anywhere so I called again

    “Pothole?”
    “Meow!”

    It seems to be coming from the refrigerator so I look at her usual hiding places – on top of the fridge, by the garage door, on top of the cabinets – and I don’t see her anywhere.

    At this point I am starting to get a little panicked since I can’t see her right away.

    “Pothole?”
    “Meow!”
    “Pothole!”
    “Meow!”
    “POTHOLE?”
    “MEOW!”
    “POTHOLE!”
    “MEOW!”

    Although this game of Kitty Marco-Polo is amusing, I’m getting more worried wondering where she actually is.  It sounds like its coming from the fridge but she’s not on top and there is no room on the sides or bottom for her to get back there.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Then I have an idea! When I was younger one of my family’s cats wandered into the refrigerator while we were getting out some food and subsequently got locked in. So I assume thats what happened to Pothole.

    I open up both the refrigerator doors and pull out the freezer.  I don’t see her (a 13lb cat in our refrigerator would have been obvious) but it doesn’t stop me from repeating the game of Marco-Polo by yelling into our open refrigerator – albeit a little more frantically this time.

    “POTHOLE!”
    “MEOW!”
    “POTHOLE!”
    “MEOW!”
    “POTHOLE!”
    “MEOW!”

    It’s been about five minutes since this all started and I can’t find Pothole and I’m all out of ideas. K must have heard the rising panic in my voice because he called down.

    “Do I need to come down there?”
    “Yes! I don’t know where Pothole is!”

    He hangs up the phone, comes downstairs and rounds to corner to see me yelling my cat’s name into an open refrigerator and he bursts into laughter.

    I, however, am not amused.

    While still giggling at me, he pulls out the refrigerator to release a very perturbed Pothole. How she got behind there I don’t really understand since there is literally a 6″ gap to the back of our refrigerator and the only place she could have accessed it from had lots of stuff in the way.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Somehow she managed to get stuck and totally upset my morning. Ahh kitties…what would we do without them :)

    Category General Chit-Chat | Tags: , , | 3 Comments

  2. of Beaches and Boats

    June 14, 2011 by JillyBean

    Today I received my sticker for my ASA 110 sailing certification. This is a day sailing standard on monohull or multihull sailboats less than 20 feet in length and without a fixed, weighted keel. I don’t expect to use it much (I like big boats, and I cannot lie!) but I really enjoyed getting it since it was with Out-Island Explorers in the Exumas, Bahamas.

    Out-Island Explorers (OIE) does many sailboat and kayak trips during the year for happy tourists in the Bahamas but this excursion was sponsored by the American Sailing Association (ASA). You have to join or be a member of the ASA to go on the trip (due to the discounted rate) but in exchange a certified ASA instructor comes along and helps you along the way. At the end of the trip you can take the test for the ASA110 cert.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Overall the trip was fantastic. You sail a 21′ Sea Pearl to get to your destinations but the guide boat is always close by in case you run into trouble.  You visit 5 or 6 cays on the trip and camp on 3-4 different beaches. The weather was great for most of the trip (I think it only rained one night) with a steady wind and light waves. Although breakfast and lunch were standard camp fare the guides worked magic with dinner – most of which was cooked over a campfire – including fresh caught Mahi.  There were activities to keep you busy almost every day such as snorkeling, fishing, daysailing, swimming, hiking and more.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    OIE did a fantastic job of making sure that everyone was happy, taken care of, and as comfortable as can be on a camping trip. Tents, food, snorkeling gear, and necessities were taken care of. All you had to provide were clothing, alcohol (if you wanted it), and a good attitude. This was an active trip and I would caution you against going if you can’t swim, don’t like to camp, or won’t pee in the wilderness. I would also suggest that you do have some sailing experience, although if you don’t Out-Island Explorers will make sure that you are put in a boat with someone who does.

    If you have taken ASA course stateside this will not be the rigorous program you are used too. I don’t think that had much to do with OIE and more to do with the ASA instructor that was assigned to our trip; I heard that the previous week the instructor was more involved. As the ASA is fond of saying, “remember that your sailing education begins, not ends, with your earning the certification sticker”.

    If you have the opportunity I highly recommend you try Out-Island Explorers for a trip. Whether or not you attend the ASA Flotilla sail or just attend one of OIE standard excursions, I am sure you will have just as much fun as I did!

    Category Hobbies, Travels | Tags: , , , | No Comments

  3. Off The Grid

    April 28, 2011 by JillyBean

    Where I will be staying

    In about 36 hours from this post, I am heading off for a week long sailing trip in the Bahamas.  It is sponsored by the American Sailing Association (ASA) and hosted by Out-Island Explorers.

    Here is what the brochure says:

    “Spend 6 days/5 nights on the water exploring the Exuma Cays with fellow ASA Members. Earn certification in ASA’s 110 course while sailing your own 21′ Sea Pearl. Enjoy exploring caves and grottoes, stargazing, bonfires, great food and all the while improving your sailing techniques”

    Which sounds great, right?  Then I got more information about the trip and read this:

    Once you leave your hotel in George Town, you won’t see a bathroom, shower, or air conditioning until your night in Staniel Cay at the end of the week.

    Suddenly I am not as excited to take this trip :)

    Honestly though I am not too concerned about “roughing it”.  I have camped before, I know my way around a fire, and I have seen the cats use the litter box enough that I am pretty sure I know how to poop in the sand.  What I am most concerned about is being “off the grid”

    Usually when I go on vacation I have a laptop, cell phone and access to internet. I can instantly find out what’s going on half-way around the world no matter what beach I am sitting on or check my email regardless of the timezone.

    I won’t have that opportunity on this trip and even if I did I don’t know how good the reception will be in such a remote location.  I will not even be bringing my laptop. I haven’t been able to give up my cell phone and although I am going to try and keep it off I did borrow a radio from my sister that allows me to charge it via a handcrank.

    What am I scared of? I’m not sure really. Maybe being out of touch? I think this is even harder since its not only no internet access but I will also be without my friends and family so I’m feeling like I’ll be completely alone. 

    So depending on how strong my will power is and how bad the reception is, you may or may not hear from me for the next week.  And if I don’t go native, I will definitely post pictures once I am back to civilization!

    The type of boat I will be in - 21' Sea Pearl

    Category Hobbies, Philsophy, Travels | Tags: , , , | No Comments

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