Monday, November 26, 2007

Annika's 2nd Hike On Tam

We started near the Mountain Theater and went down Simmons trail. Then went to Barth's Retreat followed by the Mickey O'Brian Trail to Laurel Dell. We took the fire road over to Potrero Meadows and gave Annika a needed diaper change and feeding. That's where these pictures were taken. This one was the favorite. I have her in the Erog baby carrier facing out and she really liked it. Perhaps the forest was bit much because she lost it just before we finished the hike.







I played tour guide for Annika.



We found some mushrooms growing in a tree.
After Potrero Measdow, we linked back up with Bernstein Trail... we'll save the old Air Force Base for another hike... this one got a little overwhelming for the little one.

I stuck half a tangerine in my mouth and pushed it out with my tounge, bugged my eyes and Annika giggled at me. I thought, if all it takes is for me to entertain her is make a goofy face, we are in for a lot of laughs together.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Exploratorium Web Cam


So, where do you keep your boat? I get this question all the time. I tell people it's right up against the Golden Gate Yacht Club and most people have no clue where that is. The Exploratorium has a web cam you can use to see exactly where I keep the boat. If you look closely, you can see the boat with the green mast and grey cover... that's it. Somebody's chimney vents are blocking most of the view, but you get the idea. Click on the link below and then click this button that says 'Controls' and it's all yours or you'll have to get in line. When there is a line you get one minute, but you can get back in line if you wish. The zoom feature has been added and it magnifies up to 25 X. It's now perfect for watching a Wednesday Evening series race if we are going into a flood tide. Check your tide books and log on to look around to see what I call my playground (the bay). http://cams.exploratorium.edu:8010/1/control.html

The Talented Mr. Jeal


Folkboat sailors are talented and this article is proof that our local guy Peter Jeal can do more than sail fast. Not only can he fix or build anything, he is also an artist with his craft. I stole the below picture from the Chronicle... I'll probably be in trouble for this, but... click on the link and check out Peter's good press from the Nov 17th SF Chronicle.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/11/17/HOCQT85JA.DTL

Friday, November 23, 2007

Good Smiles are Hard to Photograph


But this one is the winner.

The Kitty


I Don't know what's up with this card with a kitty on it, but Annika digs it. She could going completely ballistic, but place this in front of her and she's with her new BFF... kitty.
We found a mobile with it and then today a plastic pocket thing with a bigger version. I took out the kitty and put in my pocket just in case she decided to act up at my mom's house today.
Well, I didn't need it, but I took it out anyway just to show my mom how powerful the kitty's magic is and sure enough... animated smiles and coos... and drool.
We propped her up on the couch and partied for almost an hour with this stupid kitty. Any Child psychologists out there understand what's happening here?
Funny little kitty, huh?

Uncle Bill Comes to Town


My Uncle Bill drove in from Vancouver to... what else? See the baby. Oh, and my mom too, I guess. The Annika World Tour continues... next stop, Flensberg! Well, not til next summer. But until then she will be making appearances at the Grandparents' houses, Babies r Us, and more hikes on Mt Tam.

The Annika Show! Starring... ANNIKA!!!


I get confused easily. Thank you for nodding your head in agreement. I got confused by this little outfit because when I first saw it Annika was being changed on the table and it was unzipped and all I saw was "ba" and "by" separately. So, I started calling her the ba - by pronounced "baugh-bye". Cassandra thinks I'm nuts. I guess it was just too obvious that she is a baby for me and I had to make something up to entertain myself.



Folkboats Get Launched


A little over 4,000 pounds, but still agile enough to leap small fish with a single bound.




I bet the whole thing shuttered a bit when she finally landed. It's almost as good as the classic stormboat photo. Ditte tells me she was actually on board when this was taken.. she was 6 weeks old?
With the racing season over I find myself dreaming of crashing through waves and thinking about how to go faster...and to all my European friends who have long put their boats away for winter... I'm sorry. Maybe we should host a mid winter international event here?

Per Buch's Sails in B.C.




I received these pictures from our new friend Scott in Vancouver. The following text was from the same email:






This is my boat, her name is TRIO. She is a Nordic Folkboat built in 1948 in Copenhagen Denmark. She is the second oldest folkboat in North America, the oldest is in the marina right next to my moorage (FD 36.) As far as I am concerned she is the most beautiful boat in the whole world, no joke. I became her owner the end of August this year, and have had to wait until now to sail her due to her lack of sails. I purchased a set of hardly used North Sails from San Francisco and had a customer of mine haul them up on the plane for me, he basically made my whole entire year. This weekend was our first weekend with enough free time to actually get out sailing and there was plenty of wind to keep us thouroughly entertained. Saturday morning I woke up on the boat at 6:30 AM to a stiff southwesterly, blowing 27 knots. Andrew Dean and Frank Parish came for the shakedown cruise. We sailed off the mooring and had quite an adventure, she handled it all with stride, even my poor gybing ability... we suffered a minor broach, got a little wet and gave us all our wits about us. needless to say it was fun, the sails where perfect, and fast. We went out three times this weekend and so far I can't believe how blessed I am to have this little boat in my life, she is so forgiving and easy to sail.

And from a later email about the same weekend of sailing:

...I did have alot of backstay on, I was forward taking the picture and then went back and let it off a bit, she seamed to like that better, I had both ribbons flying for most of the day, winds where steady at 17 to 20 knots. It was my dads first time sailing too so we all had alot of fun. I don't have a traveller, just the blarney post and I am gonna keep it that way, keeps the cockpit nice and open for cruising and camping. We where out on Saturday and it was wailing out, thirty knots, I would have felt better having a reef in, seamed a little over canvased (understatement) kept it sheeted out a bunch and played with the backstay and found a comfortable place. I played around with the wind on my beam and then had to come right up because of some swell, we worked our way out past oak bay golf coursewhere the old rich people where actually trying to golf... and the wind through Juan de Fuca straight was coming up and up big fetch and lots of gusts... but she handled it so well, we never heeled over so far that the deck was in the water, but she did seem comfortable with it just above the bottom of the sheer plank. We all got our bums wet sitting on the rail. Andrew and frank are big guys and I was glad to have them there they seamed to bring her down a bunch. I had to gybe in a nasty swell to get home, three to four feet, quite long though. I have never done it and didn't have any crew on board who knew much outside of head knowledge. We had the wind on our quarter and I kept trying to bring it right behind me but the swell kept pushing it on our quarter no fun... boom came around a bit too soon on a gust and we dug in and laid over hard for about two seconds until the sheets on the main kicked out and she stood up. Scared our wits into us and the shit out of us, didn't break anything, just felt stupid and spent the rest of the day trying to do it right, took it alot slower.. finally got it figured out and gybed over nice and flat and clean and reached back home on the swell I swear to god she was surfing... water flying out off the bow and the boat picking up and out like a magic carpet. My friend andrew brought his GPS and it said 6 knots. I just know I was going so freaking fast, left the backstay loose like you said but not too loose, it makes me nervous about breaking the top of the mast. I've got to get my boom vang more solid, have a reef put in the sail and get a longer whisker pole before we go out like that again. until I am more confident having that much canvas up. I have a friend thomas who is considering getting his brothers folkbboat... he is awsome to have on board, focused and has alot of experience with the conditions on this coast. Might be good competition... though Trio is very very fast. She seams to relish in the windward work and I could actually tell she had a better tack, so I adjusted my shrouds and that seamed to bring it up a bit... that mast is solid down low and pretty flexy higher up. it seams like the sails fit really well. I am really liking having it on a mooring keeps the air moving through it and she isn't pushing up against the dock, we just sail on and off rarely use the huge ass outboard that sends the balance all off. It blew fifty knots plus here last night and into today, we went down to see how she held up and she was snug as a bug in a rug, though some other boats actually came off their moorings, tragic. I hope you like the pictures, we'll get you more soon, of various north coast folkboats and maybe a little mid winter racing action, it's gonna get cold here soon but I am not gonna let that stop me. they are such forgiving boats, and so well balanced. too fun.say Hi to the family, you guys should come visit, you could take Trio camping if you wanted. lots of places to go.

Peace,
Scotty.



For more about D 55 - Trio see a previous entry: Who Bought Per Buch's Sails.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Cleaning Teak is Fun


2 part teak cleaner is amazing stuff. I cleaned and brightened up the door, hatch, hand rails, seats and cockpit floor. Then I used what was introducted to me as the "Danish Method" for teak oil. One half penetrol, one quarter turpentine, one quarter teak oil... this is how it looks on the door, hatch and harnd rails... I'll get the seats later.



Next project, the captain's draw and the cup holders.

Annika - The First 3 Months


We all started somewhere.
Annika started out 3 months ago.
She didn't say much at first and I got scared.


Then she started to scream... but it wasn't ear piercing... it was cute.
After the initial shock of entering the world, she was tired and slept.

... and slept.
... and slept.
Did I mention she slept a lot?
Then she slept some more.
Followed by more sleep.
Occasionally waking to eat, we changed her and she slept.
This is her little foot.
This is her little foot against my big thumb.



She has a birthmark on her ankle.
This was the first time she grabbed my finger and held it tight.
This made my heart melt.
First time she stuck her thumb in her mouth.
Wrapped up like a burrito



I'm blind! I can't see!








This next series of pictures I took as head shots for her modelling agency... just kidding.























Trapped in the car seat again!


Struggle, struggle, struggle... whaaaa!






Ok, daddy... let me out of this thing or I'll poop.
Where are we going now?
This seat belt tastes good!
Have you seen my pacifier?

Maybe if I sleep when I wake up I'll be out of this thing.... zzzzzzzzzz








Crashed out on daddy's chest.
Drooling is my hobby.
Please, no photos.
At the Dipsea in Mill Valley.



We take turns eating, all 3 of us!









I was told if you put one of their arms up against their ear the other has to stick out straight... it's true!
I know I'm cute on the changing table, but I'm also cold.































Kinda looks like a red head here, huh?
She gets this from my grandma Helene.















The Peek a boo series.


In the Bjorn... sold it, they suck. Got an Ergo Baby... much better.

















In her Thanksgiving party dress.
With Grandpa on the couch.




With her hoodie on with mom at Bill's burger place on Clement.