s/v Field Trip

                                                     A Welder’s Experience   By: Elizabeth and Michael Today a welder came on our boat.   He is very nice.   He had to train for a year before getting a license.   He is so good he never has sparks flying everywhere.   His hardest job was when he had to build a spiral staircase.   He likes welding and even creates paperweights and metal flower decorations.    The welding tool he uses is called a ‘tig’.   Its fire gets hot enough to melt metal. He sometimes burns his hands, but they get tougher. After he uses the tig, he puts acid on the new weld, which takes of the brownish-blackish burnt metal.   ...

Sure, Cyndi Lauper was right when she sang “girls just wanna have fu-un”, but, oh, there’s so much more girls want, isn’t there?  And, alas, all girls are not created equally, are they?  Thank goodness - no.  My group of friends back in Colorado is as varied as the items on the shelf of the general store we walked into yesterday, where the toothpaste shared a shelf with a lonely, last sack of locally grown tomatoes.  Some days I need toothpaste, but other days I’m relieved to snatch up those last few tomatoes.  Our wants and desires are what make us different from each other, and they are also how we connect and contribute to those around us. Some women want love and belonging, while others want independence and solidarity.  Some want calm, while others crave a bit of chaos.  Some want to be cherished, while others want to be challenged.  Some want quiet, while others thrive in a crowd.  I’ve realized in this stage of my life (why ...

Boats battened down out at anchor off of the Opua Marina in New Zealand Well, it is the epitome of a blustery day here in New Zealand.  All of my moanings that the warm New Zealand summer in December didn't really feel like Christmastime have been put in their place.  The wind is howling, the sea is swirling, and the sky can’t decide if it wants to cry or just weep constantly.  Anchors are dragging out in the anchorage, causing havoc, while we are lolling back and forth with the swell in the protection of a marina berth.  It’s one of those days when I can’t get warm no matter how much soup I sip or how many mugs of tea I steep.  But as I sit here in my coziest wool socks and glance at the tree, I realize something is missing… hmmm.  Surely I can find it online, I can find nearly everything online these days (except instructions on how to delete annoying tags and game invites on Facebook, that's impossible).  I hop on Google, and find this link ...

Let me introduce you to my new friend, the flat white .  After my recent blog about my instant coffee routine on board, I must say that I’ve indulged in many an afternoon flat white to get that much-needed caffeine fix after a morning of boat schooling.   Who knew that New Zealand was so into its baristas and brews? Kate, Johanna, Denise and I enjoying some girl time. I was first introduced to this coffee creation on the island of Niue, when a few women and I met at The Crazy Uga Café  to celebrate a birthday.  I was anxious to have a professionally brewed cup of joe after many months of my Via instant coffee packets.  The word ‘latte’ could hardly wait to escape my lips.  But as I reached the counter and looked over the menu for pricing, there was not a ‘latte’ to be found.  What?  A café that doesn’t serve latte?  Is there such a place?  Should such a place even be allowed to exist?   Thankfully, before I threw a...

View of Auckland from One Tree Hill Well, the Field Trippers are all back together again.  The kids and I decided to skip the risky sail (that turned out to be  not  so risky after all - more on that later from Mark).  The three of us took a morning flight into Auckland that first week of November.  Michael marveled that we would be in New Zealand in a mere 3 hours, when it would take Dad at least 6 days to sail there!  "We should just  fly  everywhere!" he innocently quipped.  Queue the "money doesn't grow on trees" and "life's a journey, not a destination" parental orations...             So, what DO cruising kids do when they suddenly find themselves on solid ground in the middle of the biggest city they've seen in almost a year?  Here's a few photos of how we made the most of our waiting time in the land of Kiwis and Hobbits… Michael trying to figure out the skateboard contraption! Ou...