Pictures

Almost done

The deck is done! We are awaiting final inspection and all that I am missing is the light fixtures and the receptical outside. I had the great idea of installing swings underneath for the Girls! For now it is just the hardware, the swings will come from the Easter Bunny!
Pictures will follow! Now I am painting the inside...and hopefully within days the house will be back to normal!

Sailing!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous yesterday when Joachim, Ulla, Shelly and I boarded the "Da sind wir", a 31 foot sloop, at the Isle of Hope Marina. Wind was pretty good and we shut down the engine right after leaving the Marina and set the sails. We went into the intracoastal waterway and out to the Wilmington River past Skidaway and Wilmington Island towards the barrier islands, little Tybee and the Atlantic. The wind was great! All the maneuvers went fast and smooth. My hands are blistered, my fault for not putting on my gloves sooner! Near little Tybee we put the boat in the wind, anchored, had lunch, cake and coffee, and layed in the sun for a bit, then turned around opened the sails and cruised back to the marina. On the way back our skipper, Joachim (and owner of the boat) insisted that I do a couple of maneuvers. Unfortunately I am a bit short, so I had to stand on the skipper bench to be able to see where we were going....In the picture with me is Shelly who trimmed the main.

Am I excused?

For not blogging? I have some really good reasons/excuses.
The deck project is moving along. Slowly. Thursday it looked like we'd be done Saturday until "something happened". Anyway, the deck is still not done, actually less done than Friday (there was an issue over a one inch gap on the bottom of the reiling between the contractor and the inspector). However I am confident that it will look good for Easter! The French doors are in place, however the vinyl siding has not been reinstalled, a tarp covers that area at the moment. Downstairs the door is installed and I am only waiting for cosmetic touches to be done. It really makes a huge difference downstairs!

Going for a run...

On the week-ends I go for a slow, but long distance run. Our area gives me plenty of oportunities to vary and extend my routes. Not always the most scenic, but I am logging miles not going sightseeing! I am going in the middle of the day on the week-ends, to get a feel for running in the sun. Fortunately the humidity is not too bad, neither are the temperatures. I enjoyed 7 miles in the upper 60's, clear skies and sunshine today! Always with me on any run: Road ID on my right wrist, Garmin on my left, Ipod shuffle, and the fuelbelt with water for anything over 3 miles and especially when it is warmer. And yes, I do take my phone with me. It clips on the fuelbelt nicely.

Result:

27:54 minutes
8:59 min per mile pace

21st out of 74 in my agegroup

397th out of 967 overall

For the other Paul in my life

"little" Paul,
Today there is a 5K run, "Shamrock Run" benefitting the March of Dimes Foundation. When I heard about the March of Dimes, of course you came to my mind, born before we expected you. Whenever I think about your premature birth I am very glad that you are such a "big guy" healthy and happy and a lot of fun to be around!
So tonight I will run, my entry fees & donation supporting a foundation that supports research to prevent premature births, birth defects and infant mortality. I will be thinking about you as I will be running in the pouring down rain (really, a fundraiser and the weather is s***** at best?)This also starts off the St Patrick's Day festivities in Savannah, there should be plenty of people that will all claim to be irish, all in a good mood, to cheer on the runners. And the good mood will have absolutely nothing to do with all the beer that is to flow around here in the next week!
I am not sure if I am brave enough to post race times afterwards....will see

Yoga-Lise

It is such fun to play with Emma-Louise's name. Louischen or Emmalise is what she gets called most often. This morning I took the Girls (I had an "extra one") to the YMCA with me, I didn't have time to drop off Emma-Louise in the Kid Fit room if I wanted a decent spot to put my mats down. She really wanted to stay and show how well she does her Yoga. The older Girls (Christel-Ann and her friend Walker) did great! I think Christel-Ann will be coming with me from now on, unless she has a different activity planned.

One last view..

Of our kitchen window! Soon there will be a door...and a deck!
We have all necessary permits and the work is starting. Not without delays...Friday we were ready for the first inspections, but the city inspector had a "full schedule". However we are moving forward with the exchange of the downstairs door, so Mr Inspector can check that out on Monday as well.