Newport Rhode Island Boat Show

This is one of those fall days that I am so happy to be living in New England. Low 70's bright fall sun, blue blue skys. We bought our tickets and headed into the boat show. All sorts of yachts and sailboats and boating paraphenalia. We of course would love to live on a boat and tour the world but how do you swing it? I mean aside from winning the lottery or being born a Rockefeller, these boats cost $500,000.0 and up. Fun to dream though, that's why we went in the first place.

The Happy couple

I met Steph and Ollie at the Newport boat show. A lovely sunny day, boats, lobster rolls and some free gin shots.

Just one of many many boats!

This is a beautiful catamaran that we toured. You have to make appointments on some of them, other boats you can just walk on.

????

You explain this one because it was just plain too funny to me. An arrangement of cucumbers and roses.

The Workhorse

Here we were at this fancy shmancy boat show with it's million dollar yachts and across the way was this beautiful blue-collar guy getting none of the attention it deserves.

They even had a band that navigated the docks playing jazzy tunes.

Fall Begins

Here is our porch with pumpkins from the garden, bones collected from the woods and our gargoyle that keeps evil at bay. I love the fall, something about the cool nights, sunny bright blue skys and walking in the woods that makes me feel hopeful.

Joining the Army

So, the boy wants to join the Army. Not just join as your basic army guy, he wants to be an Army Ranger! His rational has to do with testing himself and feeling like if he were some where in combat he'd like to have the elite shooters beside him. Sounds logical but being his mom and all this is a bit hard to swallow. But swallow I must. If anything I have learned over that last 5 years it's that life starts and ends without much of my control. I think this is the struggle. You feel as a parent like you created, or took in and raised these lovely people why shouldn't you be able to control all that happens to them? No matter how smart we all are, this is what we wish and hope. It is also my job to support him in his passions ( provided they are legal!) He loves to hunt, he loves his dog, he loves to hike, he loves his friends. I came to the realization long ago that parenting is just one big lesson on letting go....for us I mean, not them......so hard to do. So, he is looking to leave for boot camp in November if all goes well. He wants to come out the other end in 5 years and get a job as an environmental police officer. He has always been the kid that has pushed my emotional fortitude to its limits and I see no end to this....I love him just the same and hope he gets to do all that he wants to do in life.

The trailer gets a paint job!

Finally Chuck gets to the outside. There was a lot of research into the best way and the best paint to put on the trailer. Chuck opted to spray on a high gloss enamel. Came out great! The accent stripe will be in red in keeping with its original color scheme. The end is in sight and soon we will take her on her maiden voyage into the mountains of Vermont, or Maine. Yay!!