20090730: visitors!

20090730

can tomorrow really be the last day of july? no way! it all goes by way too fast.
but it's like the frog says, "time's fun when you're having flys!"

today we were blessed to have such good friends as jason and becca vandewettering! they loaned us their car for the day (thank you guys so much!), and this morning we went to gloucester for our final food shopping trip. our larder is now full enough for the last couple weeks on cricket.
cricket's decks were filled with the joy and laughter of david and anna this afternoon and evening, as we went out for a short sail with becca and jason's family. it was great fun to have them all on board with us! little jiminny did a fantastic job toting six people from the yorktown city dock out to cricket. he was perhaps slightly beyond capacity (perhaps), but jiminny kept us all afloat, and mostly dry.
all of the vanderwetterings got a chance at different sailing tasks, and did a fine job! all plied a hand at the wheel, jason raised and lowered sail, and worked the lines when tacking (becca and jason tacked a few times together, becca at the wheel, and jason at the sails) and were a crack crew! david was an excellent watchman, looking out for other craft, bouys, and helped navigate us back to our mooring. anna helped with the piloting, and many other jobs aboard. she boosted the moral of the crew many times over with her bubbly, joyful outlook.
we had a lovely sail! the winds where light, but where there enough to push us along to get the idea of sailing. we were excited to see a few bottlenose around us, and a few pelicans diving headfirst into the sea for fish. we also sailed near the coast guard's pier, where jason works.
when we were back safely at our mooring, we had a fine ship's meal together on the stern of cricket. grilled brats, beans, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, cherries, grapes, chips and iced tea (w/o the ice) were perfect as the sun set, and the city and bridge lights began shining on the york river's surface. a great day!
jiminny took us all back to the city dock, and after hugs goodbye with jason and becca and anna and david, pam and i got an iced latte, walked the historic streets for a bit, and headed back to cricket, tired but smiling! warm friends on a hot day is cool!