“Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.” –Alan Turing
In January we decided to get away from our cold wet winter in Texas. We headed to Costa Rica for ten days of relaxation and adventure.
Archive | The Pearl RSS feed for this section
Looking Back at 2018
2018 Travel Stats
Click here to go to The Pearl’s travel map.
(expand the drop downs on the right side of the map for more information)
This blog post is best viewed on a computer.
Stan and I both keep logs of information about our travels. Mine are more about the places we’ve been and the places we’ve stayed, his are more technical (engine hours, maintenance etc.). For information on where we’ve docked and anchored, please refer to my Travel Logs. This year we took two short trips from Ithaca. We spent two weeks traveling west on the Erie Canal and almost three weeks in the the Thousand Islands. Not as many miles as we use to put under the keel…but an adventure just the same. The totals below are from the time we left home in 2011 till the end of 2018.
Merry Christmas
“Whatever you do, live a life of adventure and meaning so brilliant that, like a Roman candle, it lights up the world. Dazzle us. Astonish us. Be extraordinary.” —President George H.W. Bush
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year…2018 was another wonderful year and we feel blessed to enjoy the life we have. We’re fortunate to be able to spend six months a year in upstate New York and six months in Texas…it’s the best of both worlds. In both places we get to enjoy being on the water and the company of our family.
CONTINUE READING HERE…»
A Day by the Sea
“Vicinity to the sea is desirable, because it is easier to do nothing by the sea than anywhere else.” —E.F. Benson
Our weather in south Texas has been dreary and cold lately, but today we were given the gift of a beautiful day. I guess we appreciate them more when they are harder to come by. We spent the day with our friends John and Janice at their beach house at Indianola. Their house sits on the point, the inlet of Powderhorn Lake on one side and Matagorda Bay on the other. It’s a spectacular place to watch dolphins play, try your luck at fishing, birdwatch or just relax. It was a wonderful day…with a breathtaking sunset to finish it off.
CONTINUE READING HERE…»
Dec. 2 – Beautiful Weekend
“May the waves kiss your feet, the sand be your seat and your friends outnumber the stars.” —Author Unknown
The first weekend in December was amazing here in Rockport…lots of sunshine, light winds and amazing temperatures. We enjoyed lots of community activities, visiting with friends at the winery, playing with our little girls and walking on the beach…I wish the weather every day could be this nice. People were out everywhere enjoying this beautiful weekend and the birds seemed to enjoy it just as much. Here are a few pictures of the entertaining pelicans I saw on my beach walk.
CONTINUE READING HERE…»
Nov. 20-22 Winter Visitors
“One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” —Henry David Thoreau
We had friends from upstate New York come down to Rockport for a visit. Our weather wasn’t great but it was quite an improvement over what they left behind. Having company is always fun and it gave us a chance to play tourist for a little while…rediscovering things in our own back yard.
CONTINUE READING HERE…»
Clearing Customs with CBP ROAM App
“Go, fly, roam, travel, voyage, explore, journey, discover, adventure.”
I didn’t take the time to report on the process of our check in when we returned to the U.S. after our visit to the Thousand Islands and Canada. Years ago while we were in Florida we went through the process and interview to acquire our Small Vessel Reporting System numbers. For years this was the quickest process for return to the U.S. from a foreign port, but the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has made it even easier now with their new CBP ROAM (Reporting Offsite Arrival-Mobile) app. As soon as we anchored in U.S. waters and had data on our phones, I reported our return through the app…no need to go ashore and no inspection. If you’re docking at a marina, you can either use the app on your phone or check in via one of the CBP computers located at the marina. I believe most phones have been removed and there are now signs telling boaters to use the ROAM app.
CONTINUE READING HERE…»
Summer’s Over
“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.” –William Cullent Bryant
Our last three days on Cayuga Lake were beautiful…the last warm days of Indian Summer. On Tuesday (10/9) Stan had a perfect day to move The Pearl up the lake to her winter home and he enjoyed the time on the water. While he moved the boat, I moved our car, stopping at two of my favorite parks along the lake and doing a little shopping in Aurora. Our relaxing day turn to a busy evening as we started winterizing the boat and packing the car.
CONTINUE READING HERE…»
Oct 5 – Boundary Breaks Vineyard
Wine is sunlight held together by water. — Galileo Galilei
Friday was beautiful day so we took advantage of having one last picnic on the lawn of a winery. We chose Boundary Breaks Vineyard on Seneca Lake. They have a gorgeous place over looking the lake. The wine was wonderful, the scenery amazing, the food was enjoyable, but company was the best part of the day.
CONTINUE READING HERE…»
Change of Seasons
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
Fall brings all kinds of changes…the weather is getting cooler, the leaves are changing color, the days are getting shorter and it’s almost time for us to put The Pearl away for the winter. We feel like we have the best of two worlds, a beautiful place to escape the hot Texas summers and another to escape the long cold winters of upstate New York. The bonus is we have family in each place that we can play with and share our life with. I thought I’d share a few pictures of our marinas…we like them both.
CONTINUE READING HERE…»
