Zoom!

Dyna was our speed demon. She loved going fast and loved having her face in the wind. She also had no fear although she put my heart in my throat on more than one occasion. Here in Maine we have a small Boston Whaler that we use to tootle in the harbor and go to some of the nearby islands. The Whaler always makes me think of Dyna.

This afternoon we took a break from our attic cleaning chores and took the kids on a ride in the Whaler after putting the latest batch of free items out on the lawn. Dylan and Dee Dee love being on the Whaler where they are close to the water and can get a terrific snoot-full of saltwater smells when we open her up. We still need to take Dee Dee over to Indian Bar to swim but that's probably better done on a weekday when there's fewer tourists on the beach.

Today was Dee Dee's second Whaler ride. She spotted her first harbor seal, buzzed a mooring ball, and barked at her first lobster buoy floating in the water. All in all a successful day. Add a walk back up the hill for a round of bully sticks and a good drink of water and the only thing left to do is take a nap.

...dreaming of their next ride in the Whaler, of course! Dyna would be proud!

Amazing Crate!

Dee Dee has slowly adjusted to life onshore here in Maine. To her life on land can be summed up with one word - More.

There's more rooms and more space in the rooms. There's more stairs and more places to go by stairs. There's more grass in her backyard. And there's way more room in her king-size bed. She only wishes there was more food in her dish twice a day...

One thing we didn't think about was her crate. Dee Dee still loves her crate and the one onboard takes up a significant portion of the salon. Unlike previous crew who simply tolerated the crate (and who could be trusted to behave outside the crate), Dee Dee may spend the rest of her life in one.

While the crate onboard sure seems mighty big, it pales in size compared to the one at the house. Dee Dee and Dylan both fit in the house crate and even like curling up together.

Sorry kids, this one is not going back to the boat. That would mean either throwing the sofa overboard or getting a bigger boat.

Well, who knows what'll happen when we all get back onboard. But in Dee Dee's world right now, more is more.

Dylan & Dee Dee Homeless?

It's true. It's been a busy week. But now after living in Castine, Maine for almost 21 years, we've put our house on the market and are planning to live on the boat full-time.

We've started the process of getting rid of everything we've collected over 29 years of marriage. Some things were just put out on the yard with FREE signs and we've managed to sell a bunch of exercise equipment and office furniture on craigslist.

As for Dylan and Dee Dee, so far they only know that from time to time they're hustled out of the house to ride around town in the Jeep or sit on the town dock. Frankly, they think they could do a much better job of showing the house than some real estate agent (whatever that is...). Well, Dylan could anyway. They'll have more to say about the experience as things progress and we all transition to being fully onboard without any land base.

July 4th in Castine

If you cruise the US east coast and have never been to Castine's July 4th festivities then you are missing a unique piece of Americana. Last summer was the first time in over 20 years we missed July 4th here in Maine. So we were really looking forward to yesterday's celebration.

Dylan has enjoyed numerous Castine 4th's but for Dee Dee it was her first. The day always starts with the children's parade. Hundreds of children dressed in an array of costumes march at the town common. I worried how little Miss Dee Dee No would behave. How many hats would be stolen? How many children would be knocked over?  Would she ever stop barking?

So I told Jeff, "Take a picture for the blog right away so then I can take her back home."  I figured we had 10 minutes tops.

I don't know if the stars aligned or if there was just so much commotion she didn't know where to misbehave first. But Dee Dee was practically perfect.

We were so pleased it even made up for the fact the fireworks were canceled due to the effects of the hurricane. They've rescheduled them for next Friday and I'm left with the hope that maybe one day Dee Dee will be the good dog.

The aCappella crew hopes you had a happy 4th!!!