As we float here in Portland dockland, we are feeling a bit of nostalgia…hope you all enjoy another Halloween!
2011: Our first Tango Halloween
2012: Sandy and journey prep
2013: Goodbye hurricane hole
2014: A very Harry Potter day
2015: Zombies in the food bank
Two weeks ago a large marina warehouse burned to the ground, destroying 350 boats, about a 1/4 mile away from Tango. Today, after weeks of continued rain the smell is still noxious and probably contains pockets of smoldering heat. Tango, and many other boats in the rows near us, were covered with a gritty, petroleum soot.
Glad that we hadn’t done any spring cleaning yet, and thankful we didn’t catch on fire, we spent the weekend trying to scrub off the worst of it.
View of warehouse debris from Tango
After much scrubbing, we got to a point that was less gritty and smudgy. Once the rain stops (haha), we’ll have to get on our hands and knees and detail her thoroughly, but isn’t that’s a part of spring cleaning anyway? Time to buy a few boxes of magic eraser!
Before and after – took three passes. 1) gel, 2) on and off, and then 3) magic eraser…which really is magic
It’s been quite a year for the Beck crew, as we have adapting to a larger land life with our first full year back in Portland. These including things like selling the adventure bus, buying an electric car, modifying our home situation to help out an aging family member, moving to a long-term home marina (which is much trickier in this area than the east coast!), making new Portland friends, selling our Maryland house, saying goodbye to an old doggy friend, gaining two new rescue doggy daughters, visiting London, and changing a job. Perhaps we did need a stationary year to find time to breath and center…although we are still sailing nomads at heart.
We look ahead to the joys a new year brings, hopefully with more boating adventures in the Northwest (for now). We want to wish you all a lovely New Year as well!
Happy frigid, early winter day from Portland, where it is in the mid-30s. Brrr!
Thankfully this isn’t the start of a Maryland winter where the water would have already been shut off.
We started our marriage living afloat and sailing on our Cal 34. Still going strong. Cheers!
A perfect fall weekend in the northwest made for a beautiful outing on the eastern tip of Hayden Island. Truly our favorite time of year.
Having said goodbye to senior furry friends and then welcomed in two new rescue ones, we got plugged into the doggie rescue network. One dog, rescued several weeks ago, nicknamed “schoolgirl” by the doggie rescue network wormed her way into our hearts. Not just her looks or her personality, but her bittersweet story. We couldn’t let her go.
Last night, discovering that she hasn’t yet been adopted, we voted and decided she should live with us. On the crazy dog boat…full of dogs. Because why not, and sweet, and Abby needs a scruffy sister, and what are we thinking?!
But we publicly state here that this is it…no more…we mean it this time…even if we have to block pictures and news feeds from all the wonderful doggie rescue people…three is a FULL boat. Thank you to Bugsys Buddies and Kilby Kountry Rescue for your wonderful rescue efforts. Apologies if we start ignoring you now. 🙂
Our girls are over the moon excited. They love living in a dog pile. We get to meet her on Saturday when the doggie underground comes to Portland.
Ready to hear about “schoolgirl” now? Here’s her story…from an LA elementary grade school teacher.
“She’s a dog that was hanging around my school. She belonged to one of the students families. Then the family gave her away to someone who didn’t want her and she got dumped on the streets. So she would come visit the school every day and hang out with all the kids on the playground, and walk them to the classes. She’s great with kids! Those are pictures of her in my classroom with my students. The school I teach at called animal control and they came and got her. They took her from my classroom, and my kids cried.”
At school with her kids
Looking for love
Happy to be surrounded by little hands
Picture of “schoolgirl” by a student with the teacher’s dog, Lela
S/V Tango 
