Day 330, Year 9: Ziggy’s First Day of School in PR; Boat Work in MA
Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Weather: Partly Sunny, Daytime Temp 70 degrees F
Location: Quissett Harbor, Falmouth, Massachusetts
We were so excited to see a photo today of Ziggy on his first day of school. Justin and Jo had thought that they were going to home school him for his kindergarten year, but they found a Waldorf school that they love and he started there today full time (9am to 2pm). Justin said he went kicking and screaming but came home all excited about the tie-dyed shirt he made and a new best friend. So hopefully this is going to work out just fine.
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| 140916 Day 330 Cape Cod, USA–Ziggy's 1st Day of School |
We had a good day here working on Windbird. I attacked more cabinets, cleaning and organizing everything in sight. We have basically been sitting still for the past year and it is time to check to see that everything is battened down properly. So while I have everything out of a cabinet to clean it, I make sure all glass containers are surrounded with bubble wrap so they don’t rattle or break when we are underway. While I did this, Mark tore the boat apart to install the new auto pilot heading sensor also known as a gyroscope. When I reread last night’s log, I realized that I didn’t do a very good job of explaining what this ‘thing’ does. So here’s a second attempt. You can steer a boat by hand or you can turn on the auto pilot and let ‘auto’ do the steering job. When we do that, Windbird looks like a drunken sailor going from one side to the other. In the end, we get where we are going and when we are in the open ocean, it just isn’t a problem. But when we turn on the auto pilot in tight quarters, we have to constantly make adjustments to keep a straight course or just hand steer. This new heading sensor should make us look more like we are walking the straight and narrow when ‘auto’ is engaged instead of looking like a drunken sailor weaving all over the place. Mark completed the installation today, but he still has to wire the sensor to the ‘ship’s’ compass. And then we need to take the boat out to see if it really works. But little by little, Mark will get it done.
Cold season is here and I’m not talking about the outdoor temperature. Heather called this morning to invite us to dinner tonight and to also tell us that she was home with Ollie. He has his first cold of the season. At least we made it two weeks after the start of school this year before one of the boys got sick. Last year Sam didn’t get to go to his first day of first grade because he was so sick and Ollie had the same thing. So last year instead of the first day of school, the boys went to the pediatrician. This year there are indications that Sam and Jonah are probably coming down with whatever Ollie has, and the rest of us will probably get it as well. But let’s hope this is just a common cold and not some more complicated virus.
