Ruminations of a Sailor: Life in Portland!

Our 3 part boat cover: thrilled it's installed

Pura Vida is fully covered in the dusty yard

After our 2,000 mile drive from Guaymas via Phoenix, Laughlin and Las Vegas NV, Sacramento and Ashland, visiting friends along the way, we arrived safely in Portland.

We miss our home/boat and the warm sunshine in Mexico, although we hear that it's getting hot - and it's only May! Friends who also store their boat in the Guaymas dry marina logged 140 degrees last summer, so we needed a better solution to protect our home than the giant dark tarps we'd bought 2 years ago. Paolo and Jesus carefully measured from stem to stern and we ordered three custom fit covers that straddle our 2 masts and cover the entire deck and the teak toe rail that Judy is responsible for cleaning and oiling. It was finished after we left so friends sent photos to show us the finished project. We love it!

The view from our deck at our housesitting gig

Looking N on the Willamette River

During our first week, we enjoyed visitation rights to our belongings in storage, bought Mike a Ford Escape so we both have wheels, picked up 6 months of mail which fit in a single grocery bag thanks to Ilene, and started the transition to a hectic urban lifestyle. We are thankfully already working multiple jobs and currently housesitting for friends on the Willamette River - check out these beautiful early morning photos on the river from our deck. Wildlife abounds along with tons of fishermen in various types of boats, hoping for their limit.

One of our jobs is at West Marine where we've been welcomed back by our associates and found two wrapped Christmas presents in our locker! Must say, the only wrapped gifts received for Christmas, and what a lovely surprise (thanks to Santa Chellie!).