Life on and off a boat...and more progress (maybe)...

“Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don't have to like it... it's just easier if you do."

~Byron Katie

A lot has happened since I began this blog...a lot has happened since I last blogged!

I lived aboard Empress Bennu from April, 2013 to November 2013. I really loved this time on my boat, and looking through pics for this post really made me miss her!

November in a marina in Cincinnati is a very quiet, cold place to live:

Snow makes the walk down the dock seem a lot longer...

Snowing at the marina.

Iced cobwebs.

A cold and frozen marina.  

In an attempt to keep the boat warmer against a very cold winter wind, Gregg and I insulated the windows using this product (it worked great!):

I also added some additional space heaters and a super cute electric "fire place:"

These things helped keep the boat cozy, but I soon discovered that a marina in November is a deserted, quiet (and boring) place.  Gone were the nightly impromptu parties and visits from neighbors. This is not the kind of lifestyle I enjoy, so I moved downtown for the season.

When boating season was over, I decided not to move back onboard. I loved the time I spent living on my boat, and I am so glad I had that experience.

This winter, I had the boat pulled out of the water so that work on the engines could be completed, the sacrificial metals could be checked and the hull could be inspected. More on theses things as they progress...

Another update: the previous owner of the boat, Bruce, will be doing a little more work to the Empress.  This is not a result of any request (or preference) on my part, but of an out-of-court settlement. Lesson here: have your attorney carefully inspect and approve any contract before you sign it. Anyway, he has until January 31 to complete this list of items:

• Fix the generator, have my mechanic inspect and approve it, then install it back in the boat,
• Install the antenna and horns,
• Install the fuel lines, fuel filters and fuel/water separators, and
• Install the upper helm to working order.

Either way, it is beneficial to me.  If he completes these things on time, it will cost me less than it would to have them done by a mechanic.  If he does not complete these things on time, I will not be required to pay him the settlement amount.

So, I am deciding to like this new development.  After all, it is reality whether I like it or not, and it's just easier to decide I like it and to believe that this happened at exactly the right moment.