Taylor and Grandpa Dave check out the Hampton harbor. After spending some fun time with the kids and grandkids during the last 2 weeks of May, we left Hampton to help out as we could with Dave's dad, who we learned was terminally ill. He passed away less than 2 weeks after we arrived. Near month's end, we felt good enough about the state of things that we decided to return to Hampton for a couple of weeks.
Pirate Family Pirates! And more good times
Once again, we were surrounded by pirates the last weekend in May, as the cannons fired and the ships battled in the harbor off our dock. No matter how well we knew that it was going to happen, the cannon fire still caught us by surprise on occasion. It was a special year, having both our son's and daughter's family join us for the day. We volunteered again this year, helping the vendors get set-up on Friday as the festival was about to begin.
Once again, we were surrounded by pirates the last weekend in May, as the cannons fired and the ships battled in the harbor off our dock. No matter how well we knew that it was going to happen, the cannon fire still caught us by surprise on occasion. It was a special year, having both our son's and daughter's family join us for the day. We volunteered again this year, helping the vendors get set-up on Friday as the festival was about to begin.
Can we build a rocket or what? Every weekend, in May we managed to spend some time enjoying the family. The weekend before Pirate Festival was Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, we had some beautiful weather and a great time with Bonnie, Troy and Taylor at Busch Gardens, made even better with Troy and Taylor joined us for a couple of nights on the boat.
Boat Stuff
Orion doesn't demand a lot of attention, but she's a boat and that means she can't be ignored either. When we weren't traveling or entertaining grandkids, we got some small jobs done – another coat of Cetol, scrubbing the forward water tank, replacing the flag halyard, soaking and cleaning the halyards, and waterproofing the bimini. Dave finalized the de-winterization of the water system by restoring the water flow to the hot water heater. (We don't want antifreeze to flow through it.) And as a small nod to comfort on the boat, we hung a TV antenna from the spinnaker halyard, which gives us some spotty reception of a few local channels.
As for Orion Jr, she got even less attention. We mostly spent time making preparations for projects to be done later, taking measurements and investigating parts. Dave spent hours preparing routes for possible future trips from Kentucky Lake south to the Gulf of Mexico and across to Tarpon Springs. We're not sure when this will happen, but we know more about the trip than before he built the routes. That just means we'll have something to look forward to once she goes back into the water.
Orion doesn't demand a lot of attention, but she's a boat and that means she can't be ignored either. When we weren't traveling or entertaining grandkids, we got some small jobs done – another coat of Cetol, scrubbing the forward water tank, replacing the flag halyard, soaking and cleaning the halyards, and waterproofing the bimini. Dave finalized the de-winterization of the water system by restoring the water flow to the hot water heater. (We don't want antifreeze to flow through it.) And as a small nod to comfort on the boat, we hung a TV antenna from the spinnaker halyard, which gives us some spotty reception of a few local channels.
As for Orion Jr, she got even less attention. We mostly spent time making preparations for projects to be done later, taking measurements and investigating parts. Dave spent hours preparing routes for possible future trips from Kentucky Lake south to the Gulf of Mexico and across to Tarpon Springs. We're not sure when this will happen, but we know more about the trip than before he built the routes. That just means we'll have something to look forward to once she goes back into the water.
Dave and Dad sharing some time together Family Time in PA
Dave's father got a rare gift – the time to see much of his extended family while he was still in relatively good health and still himself. After his passing, this gift was one those who visited him cherish for themselves. Funerals, despite their sadness, frequently offer a time for reunion that offers solace, if not outright joy. Several of the Dieter family members and friends hadn't seen each other in years, and yet on Father's Day weekend, they were all together and promising to stay in touch once parted. That's a rare gift for the rest of us.
Dave's father got a rare gift – the time to see much of his extended family while he was still in relatively good health and still himself. After his passing, this gift was one those who visited him cherish for themselves. Funerals, despite their sadness, frequently offer a time for reunion that offers solace, if not outright joy. Several of the Dieter family members and friends hadn't seen each other in years, and yet on Father's Day weekend, they were all together and promising to stay in touch once parted. That's a rare gift for the rest of us.
