Holding Pattern

Things are moving right along in Stamper-land, but never as quickly as I hope they will. We have made significant strides towards downsizing. Got rid of the much-cherished 1970 VW camper bus. We have owned it since the mid-90's and it has tons of great memories for us. If that car absorbed good vibrations, it should be a pretty happy vehicle for someone. Practically gave it away, but that's what you need to do to re-home things in this fantastic "new economy" we find ourselves in. We want things to go to people who actually appreciate what they are getting. I think we have accomplished that mission so far, at least for the most part. Try digging from the "Craigslist" pool to make that happen--not a small task, I can assure you. A few other items have left the property. No huge money-making going on. The profit is in the fact that it has a new home somewhere else in the universe. I take comfort in that.

Fifer is safely tucked away in a new slip in the same shipyard (Tom-Mac, Richmond, B.C.) marina as she has been residing in for a few years. She is in a far safer place than she was for the last few Winters--right in the Fraser River at the very edge of the marina. Logs and barges freely collided with her in that spot, in which she sustained some fairly significant damage to her starboard side. Her new place is right in the heart of the marina, far from traveling barges and giant logs being hauled up the river.
We have completed a considerable amount of work since we bought her in March. The engines are in, the shafting in in place, the transmissions are ready to connect. We also replacing her old and ailing battery system with a new 24-volt set up. Much better and more reliable. The guys in the shipyard make sure everything is well taken care of, but a bilge pumping system that isn't working is just asking for trouble. I will, at a minimum, sleep better knowing that water is not in her bilges. We have also ripped off the problem area on her roof (over the engine compartment) and are getting ready in the next couple of weeks to replace the wood and repair all the damaged areas. The shipwrights at Tom-Mac are fantastic, and have really done great work to get her back up to where she needs to be. They re-did some seams on her hull that needed replacing. This process consists of figuring out which seams are weeping, then tearing out all the old caulk and cotton, then replacing it with new--this time they re-did it in cement. It was beautifully done and should last many years. As I painted the bottom a few weeks ago before she went back in the water from the last haul-out, I looked at how gorgeous the work was. It seemed a shame to it cover up...(yes, I "geek-out" with this boat stuff).
We were going to make the mad-dash to have Fifer down here this Winter, but the further we got towards our deadline, the crazier the idea seemed. We still have so much more to do, and that's not just Fifer I'm talking about. The house still needs to be readied to sell in the Spring, and all this fantastic crap we've collected over the years still needs to go. It's a daunting task, and I try not to get overwhelmed with it all.
All this work hasn't left a whole lot of time for socializing and recreation. Friends have been left by the wayside to some extent, and I'm still trying to figure out balance while feeling like I'm going insane! Friends are necessary to give perspective at times like this. I have been pretty unavailable, and I know that the situation is far from ideal. When I eventually get out and interact with people I enjoy being around, I'm never sorry. Now that I'm blogging again, I'll share some of the feelings I have about what things I feel like I'm giving up in order to give ourselves a better quality of life. It's work, this downsizing and prioritizing. I vacillate between feeling great about this complete overhaul of life, and feeling totally overwhelmed.