December Island Trip 2 – Day 1

We got up quite early to ease ourselves out the door in an unrushed manner. This we accomplished, and then were slowed down by 6-accidents on our way to the ferry. The lack of respect people have for icy roads is astonishing. We made the boat without a problem, but may be docked $19 for not claiming our reserved spot 30-minutes ahead of time 😜.

It’s a stunningly beautiful, clear day. The mountain ranges are showing off their cloaks of snow… The ferry slides through almost still water. My DH snoozes. It is a gift to see him relax so deeply this time of day when otherwise he’d be knee deep in meetings and break/fix incidents.

Evening… We had a really good day. There were two inches of snow covering much of the property, creating a picture perfect scene. We got unloaded, unpacked, hooked up to water and propane (our AN had taken one of the tanks to get it filled), which allowed for hot water and immediate heat. Lunch was next. We deployed the new tire stabilizers before our AN arrived with the propane tank, proving that they could be filled (more on that below) He reassured me that the very slight leak I could detect was not dangerous and new hoses would be here Monday or Tuesday. He teased me in November that the propane I was smelling meant someone’s tank was being filled in town (nose of a bloodhound!), four miles away. We brought him some of our cordial, which he is planning to pair with vanilla-caramel-sea salt ice cream! We went for a walk to the official end of the road. Often we walk beyond but my right foot is healing from a grumpy metatarsal, so better to error on the side of comfort.

I was able to go through all the little quilt block kits collected from ‘shop-hop’s past to see which ones I could put together now and which ones needed further supplies. I need a yard of fusible interfacing to complete the majority of the block, which I can get in town on Saturday. There are enough that do not need fusible for to keep me entertained tomorrow should I choose to sew!

I also deployed the Velcro dots where the coach’s curtains meet. This seals the curtains together. The dots still need to be sewn on (being adhesive), but the promise of the curtains staying closed when it’s really cold out makes a huge difference in how the coach feels. I will have to hold the needle with pliers to get it through both the sturdy fabric and dots. Always an adventure!!

The 10-gallon aluminum propane tanks are original to Stella. This means they’ve ‘aged out.’ Propane tanks are good for 10-years. At that point they have to be re-certified or recycled. Our AN pointed out that usually it’s steel tanks that need to be decommissioned. He said Stella’s tanks are in perfect condition and no one would look for the stamped date on them. He is correct!

Reading, backgammon, and an appetizer have filled the last couple of hours. I bought and cooked a large crab yesterday for this evening’s dinner. We are settling comfortably.

Peace to all this Christmas Eve.