Mike and Beth's Adventures

The team at Ocean Pacific Boatyard did a fabulous job repairing the prop damage we suffered in the Octopus Islands.  We were so fortunate that Campbell River had a first class boatyard and prop shop.  Despite having a full schedule, the yard found time to haul us and pull the prop.  We then went back in the water until the prop was repaired and returned.  We were hauled once again and the prop was re-installed.  We immediately sea-trialed the prop.  Performance was excellent and it is balanced nicely.   Here the yard team is checking the shaft to see if it was bent.  No damage to the shaft, keel or other components was found. Here is the damaged prop shortly after Amy Marie was hauled This is the repaired prop ready for installation.  Isn't it beautiful!  I wanted to mount it on my wall as a work of art.  The prop shop gave us one day turn-around!  Beth and I walked to the shop and saw it being repaired.  It required ...

We have completed the nautical portion of our summer of '23 in British Columbia.  Amy Marie has been hauled and it getting a well deserved "spa" treatment in Olympia Washington.  When we return, she will be sporting new bottom paint and be shining from a good washing and waxing. In the meantime, we are off on a road trip to the Canadian Rockies.  How could we be this close and not make the effort to see this fabulous area.  Our first impression is that the BIG up here puts Texas big to shame.  The vistas in every direction are breathtaking.  It is amazing that the earth's crust can be twisted and thrust at such harsh angles towards the sky.  The striations in the rock provide emphasis to the forces which displaced them.     Unlike many mountain towns that were initially were mining settlements, Banff got its start in the 1880's as a tourist destination.  During the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, in 1883, the stunning ...

Powell River is a transportation and recreation hub near the northern terminus of Highway 101 in British Columbia.  I felt as I do when I spend time in Truckee or a Colorado mountain town.  People were enjoying the outdoors and nature.  Cars had bike racks loaded with bikes.  Kayaks were loaded on roof racks. Healthy outdoor enthusiasts sporting a variety of headgear, and shoes or boots specific to their sport of choice were walking or sitting at outside eateries nursing a cold beer and nibbling at lunch.  The town has a good vibe. You feel like a slacker if you are caught sitting.  This town is about movement and engagement with Mother Nature!  I loved it. As you drive north from Vancouver, the road is interrupted by two bodies of water.  To cross these requires a ferry ride.  There is also a ferry from Powell River to Texada Island and west to Comox on Vancouver Island.  Scheduled Seaplane and Airline flights also operate from Powell R...

Fall colors on the Cumberland River Our return trip, down the Cumberland River from Nashville, was a celebration of fall colors.  Mother Nature used a much more vivid palette to paint the landscape than what was on display 10 days earlier.  She was clearly signaling that cold crisp nights, with cooler temperatures were on the way.  To me this also signaled that Halloween with all the accompanying festivities couldn't be far behind.  I appreciate and enjoy the shoulder seasons.  They signal a transition.  Smells, colors, foliage, temperatures, clothing, and seasonally favorite foods all under go a change.  In life, change is good, it piques the senses and reminds us to relish the world and experiences in which we live.  In this case, we were relishing our downstream journey on the Cumberland. A house blends with the fall colors The Cumberland River Farm is located mid-way between Clarksville and Nashville. It is an event center. Clarksville Tenness...