I'm here, finally - with pictures!

Wow, this was a long time in coming and I apologize profusely.  Even with a long weekend, I'm rushing around trying to get things done so I can do this post.  What in the world keeps me so busy?  Rhetorical question, folks.  I ask myself this same question every day and night.

Anyway, I know you want me to be quiet and get posting those pictures I've been teasing you with.
So without further delay, here they are!

Tom B. got these pictures from the yard last Monday.  According to Mr. B., they are moving along nicely with the joinery work.  I'm told at this point, it goes very quickly, then slows down as the fine details are done.  We are all very excited to see these first pictures ever of the steps.  Typical of KKY, they actually listen to their owners and are always looking for ways to improve upon the perfection that is a KKY.  You may remember in one of my older posts (October, 2012) that I was infatuated with the new interior design for the 55 that was rolled out during the Krogen Cruisers Rendezvous that month.  It was that presentation that launched my dream of owning a 55.

The previous design had about 11 steps winding down from the pilot house to the main deck.  Those steps concerned me (especially since I'm not a graceful sort).  The idea of re-locating them and changing the  direction was a brilliant one that I thought would suit me just fine.  The re-located steps allowed for a true walk-in engine room instead of needing to go into a hatch.  That access design is for another post, so don't worry that I just glossed over that major feature.

The following picture shows the lower "landing" that was cut into the starboard wall that formerly held a bookcase above a cabinet.  The wall will be opened a bit more, much like the steps in a home that are partially open to the room for a few steps.  That is really going to open up the boat in an area that narrows for access to the staterooms.

You can see how the first few steps lead up to a nice landing that minimizes the curve and eliminates the several narrow steps that used to form the curve.  There will be a substantial hand rail on the starboard side.  When I asked about the height of the risers and was told they are 8", I was delighted to discover that 8" is only a 1/2" higher than household steps.

This next view is looking down the steps from the pilot house.

The top of the steps in the pilot house will be immediately adjacent to the fridge that abuts the settee.

This is a nice shot of the main part of the steps.  The lights in the risers will come in very handy at night if guests sleeping in the pilot house feel the need to wander around.  Oh, I forgot to mention that several of the lower steps will have storage space.  The KKY folks are discussing the best access to that storage - from the top or from the side.  I'm waiting for the concensus.

The following picture features how nicely the galley is taking shape.  You can actually see where the sink will go.........

The helm is really starting to look like a helm.  I can almost picture me at the wheel.  Well, almost...

The master stateroom berth fits snugly into the bow with all the necessary storage nooks and crannies appearing.

Mmm, I wonder if a luxury mattress should be considered.  That bottom looks awfully hard!

The master head looks like there will be plenty of shelves hidden away for all those necessities that seem to take up so much room.

I don't know about you, but I had to really look at this picture closely to see what was actually going on.  It's the guest stateroom showing the steps to the pilot house.  On the outboard side, there will be a nice bookcase to balance the steps.  Those 3 openings will be doors that will be able to hold guest's things, so everything will have a nice place to "live" and look neat.

As on the other 55s, this room will have a nice desk, hanging locker and a stacked Bosch front loading washer and dryer.  The desk will come in handy for folding clothes.  If you remember from earlier pictures, the twin beds each have an impressive set of drawers under each bed.

Well everyone, this post took over an hour which is why I knew I couldn't start it when I finally roll in here after 10.  I hope you enjoyed the pictures.  Please feel free to comment, ask questions or whatever.

This is my first Memorial Day without Tom since I was a teen-ager.  I kept the weekend jam-packed with activities.  Today was especially difficult since Tom was not here to produce his legendary barbecues complete with enough food to feed any passing parade.  My daughter did a beautiful job though (she learned from the best) and we had a lovely day in spite of our aching hearts.  We are optimists and made plans for celebrating next Memorial Day on the new boat.

 I hope you all enjoyed the holiday.  We have a whole summer to look forward to.

It's Been Awhile Folks

So sorry there was this dead spot in the posts.  While I completely planned to do a post tonight - complete with pictures - the horse took more time than planned.  I got to the barn late - around 6:30, had to graze for 40 minutes, walk him, humor him, then begin the arduous process of brushing, currying, and all sorts of getting pounds of dust off him.  Since he had a tooth pulled last Wednesday, I've got him on antibiotics.  So, you ask, what's the big deal?  Ever try to get a 60cc syringe full of bad tasting medicine into a horse's mouth who has other ideas?  I practically needed a ladder to get the syringe tip into his mouth.  Between the head tossing and trying to bolt forward, no wonder I had the stuff in my hair, eyes, and all over the ceiling of the barn.  Get the picture?

Now that I have your sympathy (I hope), you need to give me another day or so to upload the pics the yard sent yesterday, then find some time to sit down and type.  These are nice pictures since they show the new step configuration.  Though you'll have to use some imagination, you will be able to see where the steps are and a bit of how they'll look.

This past weekend was Tucker's 3rd birthday party.  We celebrated for 3 days and combined his celebration with my daughter's.  Their birthdays are a day apart.  Will send some of those pictures too in case you get bored with pictures of the boat.  LOL

Please have patience with me.  I'll try to make the next post well worth the wait.

A quick chat....

Remember what I said about those promises?   Well, it's a new week and I'm right on target.  Stopped what I was doing at work today when my eye fell on my little showcase.  Oh oh, better take the pic now said I to myself.  It's not much, but it's a step in the right direction.

This is a picture of the Uba Tuba green granite that will go on the galley and head counter tops.  Table tops will be cherry.  The Ultraleather swatch is Light Oyster and will go on the salon and pilot house settees and 2 helm chairs.  The Sunbrella swatch is Pango Buff and will go on the twin beds in the guest stateroom.  I'm also having 2 shams made to complete the neat bed look.

 Even though the color scheme is fairly neutral, I'm not afraid of color.  I plan to add accent colors of navy and green with maybe a touch of yellow.  Nautical but not cutesy.  Took a second pic in case the first wasn't good enough.

That's all the boat stuff for today folks.  Tom B. gets back from Taiwan this week, so I expect some phone calls.  Will keep you posted.

I couldn't resist adding this picture.  About once a month, I get home at a sane time on Monday.  Today I rushed off to a nursery near my apartment that is open until 6 pm.  I rolled in like a tornado, wagon in tow and searched for someone who could tell me what the flowers were and where they would do best.  A very patient sales person took mercy on me and followed me (and my wagon) around until I made up my mind.  Flowers safely stowed on the floor in the front of the Explorer, I raced home to plant.

That in itself was a scene of hilarity.  Since I haven't planted since 1986 when Tom pointed out that my row of impatiens was crooked ( I threw my gardening tools in the air and went to have a manicure),  I've had little to no interest in getting my hands dirty.  Now that I have this little apartment to dress up, I went to work.  Within an hour, I had 4 pots of flowers planted.  I had brought a 50 lb bag of potting soil from the old house (the movers thought I was nuts, but I knew better).   I potted the plants in the garage (with the Sunday Times Sports section under the pots), then carried each one up the steps and onto the patio.  3 pots went on the patio, 1 bigger pot went outside the front door.  Happily I discovered the watering can I also brought from the house and proceeded to water the pots till the water dripped out of the bottom - onto my neighbors car parked in his spot under the patio.  Then I noticed that the white resin chairs were more black than white, so out came the Clorox plus Bleach spray bottle.  A roll of paper towels later and coughing from the fumes, the 2 chairs were pristine.  Viola!  I'm ready to sip margaritas on my clean chairs while enjoying the view of my flowers.  Now, all I need is the time to do that!

Have a great week everyone!  I hope to be back shortly with the latest in the boat building saga.

Granite

Hectic day, but a good one.  After 8 hours of intense activity (riding and horse care), I set off to cram in some errands - starting at 4 pm.  Even managed to squeeze in a pedicure.  My daughter and I are having manicures tomorrow as part of our Mother's Day celebration.  Anyway, here I am cause I darn near forgot about the granite pic I promised.  Let me tell you about my promises - I mean well when I make them, but it kinda ends there, so don't put too much stock in them is what I'm trying to say.

For those of you who have re-modeled kitchens and baths, you know all too well how nerve-wracking it is to try to envision a lot of counter top from a small chunk of stone, right?  Now that the yard both sent a sample and accomplished the Herculean task of moving the slab to be photographed, I'm ready to commit.  I actually think I agreed to marry Tom in less time than it's taking to say yes to the slab.

Let's face it, this is one of those decisions that will be around a VERY long time, soooo it has to be right the first (and only) time.  Luckily I've lived in several apartments and 3 houses, so I have a fairly decent idea of what I like and don't like.  I have always preferred dark counter tops.  Our first home in Houston had a faux slate counter top in black.  It was a very dramatic back drop for the oak and butterscotch color scheme (miserable to clean, but it sure looked good).  Though the New Jersey house had faux butcher block counter tops, the faux wood was very warm and easy to care for.  The Huntington house started out with almond Formica counter tops (didn't they all in the 80s?) but then matured into very dark gray, almost black, granite. It had a lovely patina of silver flecks in it, but very subtle.  It reminded me of looking at a galaxy of stars.   I loved it.  Hard to keep spot free, especially in certain types of lighting, but worth the effort.  From the very first, I aspired to a particular color scheme born of the cherry used in the boat.  With cherry as the background palette, the color choices almost made themselves.

With that said,  I decided that the granite had to be dark and contrasting and could not have big inclusions.  Some of the more neutral-colored chunks I looked at seemed to compete with the cherry and had what looked like slivers of stone pieces embedded into it.  When I finally zeroed in on a color, I had no idea what the actual name was since the side that I was looking at had Taiwanese characters on the name label.  Since my Taiwanese is a bit rusty, I was in the dark.  When I turned the stone around in a few different ways to see it catch the light, I noticed the English name on the side of the sample.  Turns out, this color is one of the most popular, selected in many kitchen and bath re-dos.

I must admit I was a bit disappointed when I read that tidbit of news, but I can see why the color is popular.  Besides, I haven't cared about what's "in" or what others think or do in a long time.  I think not caring about popular thought was a by-product of turning 40.   Did I hear you say, "get on with it, girl"?  If not, then you're being too polite.  Sooo, the granite for this new beauty will be Uba Tuba Green.  Though the sample simply said Uba Green, I knew what they intended.  I think it will look fantastic against the cherry, don't you?

This slab is very stone-like, just what I had in mind.  I'm sure the folks who moved that slab and got it positioned for the "photo shoot"just wanted me to make a decision and get on with it.  Wasn't all that hard at the end of the day.  I just realized I "promised" pictures of the Sunbrella fabric and Ultraleather swatches laid out next to each other.  Since they're on my desk in the office, that will have to wait.

Not as exciting as last night's performance, but very important.

I'd love to hear your comments about everything so far!  Humor me.

Pictures - Inside AND Outside!

So, the day is finally done.  Worked until 6, visited the horse, took him for grass, groomed, fed treats, swept aisle and drove home.  Saving the pictures took less time and frenzy than expected, a good thing.

Tom B. is in Taiwan as we speak and sent a thoughtful email asking if I needed him to do or send anything while he's there.  He's thrilled that I'm thrilled, so it's a love fest going on with this boat build.  I remember building our first home in Houston and what a frustrating, mind-boggling experience it was. I think I spent 3 months second guessing every decision that was made under duress every step of the way.  Not so with the boat.  These people really want you to be happy and absolutely will not allow you to make a mistake on the big ticket items.  While nothing is ever promoted or forced, they are there with reasons for each question/opinion asked.  I really can sleep at night, knowing I'm in good hands.

So, the big moment has arrived.  The pictures posted last month showed the boat's skeleton; the following pictures leave very little to the imagination, a mere 5 weeks later.  The yard is blazing away.

This is the picture that nearly necessitated a 911 call when I first saw it.

...and this one too...

For those of you who will be in either Huntington during the summer of 2015 or in Stuart during the winter of 2014-15, this is where cocktails will be served...

I love the boarding gates now flush with the dock.  They were tough to navigate on Serenity when returning from shopping with a loaded cart.  Heavy bags had to be hoisted up and over the rail, then down onto the deck.  I also love that the swim platform is attached without arms.  It's a much cleaner look and two less items to maintain.  However, we giveth and taketh since I'm having staples installed on the swim platform to "assist" with trips from the dinghy onto and off of the boat.  Increasing age has a way of necessitating things once never even considered.

The next 2 pictures provide a peek topside of the pilothouse.  It makes me giddy with either fright or excitement - probably both - to think I'll be standing/sitting in the middle of that space navigating my very own boat.  Wow, seems so completely unbelievable!  An old friend sent me a note and referred to me as "commodore".  Tee hee and woo hoo.

You'll notice that the newly located steps have not yet been cut into the floor.  I'm very anxious for this part of the build since it is this new design that led me to the exact point I'm at at this very moment!
We can even see the pilothouse roof being made for heaven's sake....

So you all were the first to see the new girl's outside starting to look pretty darn good and very "boat-like".

The next pictures are of the inside.  I'll give a little intro of each picture for those who have never been aboard a Krogen (you don't know what you're missing).

This first picture is looking into the galley.  Unlike the other Krogens, this galley is to port.  It is also an open layout, with a slanted wall housing a 2-sided glass cabinet and double door Jenn-Aire fridge that is bigger than those in some homes (it's certainly way bigger than the fridge in this apartment, that's for sure).

If you look slightly to port, you'll see the slab of wood that will form the backdrop for the stove, back splash and micro convection oven. There will be a wall and counter between the stove and fridge.  The tiles I'm considering will form a nice focal point for the galley, adding just a touch of interest.  The glass cabinet will be lighted and nicely light both the galley and passageway at night.  I didn't even have to sacrifice beauty for utility since there is room under the glass cabinets for less exciting items.  Storage on this boat is a non-issue.

This is a photo of the guest stateroom with the twin bed design I opted for.  Since we never used the "office" on Serenity, configuring this room as a full-time stateroom was a no-brainer.

The beds will have ample storage underneath each one; there is also a good-sized hanging locker in the room.  To the inboard starboard side, the electronics cabinet will protrude into the room above the bed; the steps to the pilot house will be built into the room as well.  Both will be cleverly concealed within a cherry header.  I've seen pictures of 52s and 58s with the fly bridge access steps barely visible above the bed closest to the window.  Within the guest stateroom is a Bosch front loading washer and dryer as well as a desk ideal for folding clean laundry.

While we're on the sleeping quarters topic, the next photo is of the master stateroom bed.  You can see where the drawers will go and note the platform for the bed.  The space under the bed is cavernous - it's where I plan to store my NY winter clothes and other sundry items.

How clever it is to design the bed right into the bow.  This is the one place in the boat that one really knows one is on a boat, how could you not, looking at those curved walls?!  That design takes full advantage of the perfect spot for a bed.  When at anchor, it's wonderful to hear the water caressing the bow.  Those drawers are deep enough to hide in, believe me!

Quite considerate to design a master stateroom with an ensuite head.  Essential when sharing the boat with those who might not fit the category of family or close friend.  We're looking at the vanity and shower.  This shower will not have any teak in it - too hard to maintain.  The windows will have clean edges.  The seat in the shower is another thoughtful addition - makes shaving one's legs possible without having to get your hair all wet (I know, TMI).  These little conveniences all add up when one is living aboard, so don't laugh.

The next pic is one of my favorites.  I can actually see myself standing in the salon looking aft at a rising or setting sun...

You can see the area to port where the TV lift will be housed.  I loooove the size of the windows.  This is a very bright and airy boat - I'm very much a light, airy person.  As a treat, we can peek down into the engine room through the hatch.  The hatch is a brilliant design - if an engine (heaven forbid) or other large item needs to be taken off the boat, the floor won't have to be ripped up - it can just go out through the hatch.  It's great that I won't need to shimmy into the hatch - I can just open a door in the guest head and walk down a few house-hold size steps.  Nice.  I also like the way the engine room can be accessed through the cockpit lazarette.  Very handy; no need to traipse throughout the boat with storage or other bulky items that can be stored in the engine room.

This is one more view looking forward that is taken a bit further aft in the boat.  You can see a bit of the engine room from the hatch and get a glimpse of the port engine.  Even though I've had 2 other Krogens, the sheer width of this girl never ceases to amaze me.  This boat truly will be a comfortable home.  How wonderful to see exotic places, make new friends, have new experiences and still return to your own bed and blankie at night!

This last picture was sent by Tom with the caption: "where does all this go"?  I hope someone has the answer!

I hope you were not disappointed and enjoyed seeing these pictures as much as I did.

 I must confess, I printed them out and have them spread out on the counter.  When I feel that this whole journey is really just a dream, I need something concrete for immediate reference to get me grounded.  While I'm making confessions, I have to also tell you that when I opened the first picture, I  burst into tears.  To think that it's only me seeing these fantastic images of our dream taking shape is almost too much to bear.  I so wanted to call Tom and share this momentous event, just as we shared everything else over these past 42 years.   But then I'm comforted when I think of how this boat will be a forever tribute to the man whose thoughtful generosity allowed me to not only dream this dream, but make the dream come true.

G'nite folks and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms grandmoms reading this blog.

Pictures from Taiwan!!! But not til tomorrow...............

Oh boy!!  Do I have pictures for you!!!!!!!

Tom B. is in Taiwan as we "speak" and sent back pictures from both the outside AND inside of the new girl.  The yard has made incredible progress since Tom's last visit in mid-April.  When I opened the pictures this morning, I nearly passed out at my desk, so stunning they were.

Unfortunately, I'm at work and my computer refuses to save the downloaded pictures.  Even more unfortunate, my golf game is rained out - again - so I made plans to meet some friends for dinner.  These are the friends that usually close restaurants, so it'll probably be a late night.  I may only get to save the pictures since there are 16 of them.  If at all possible, I'll post what I can, but if not, I'll sit down and get it done after I take care of my horse tomorrow evening.  Dull, boring, not much going on - definitely does NOT describe my lifestyle.

Anyway, since it's been awhile since my last post, I wanted to at least let you know I'm still around.  Oh and by the way, I also have a pic of the granite slab of the color I finally selected (wait for it....).  Those wonderful folks at the yard actually dragged the slab out of the warehouse and positioned it so that they could get several pics of it.  Good thing I didn't need to see a variety of slabs.........

So folks, though late in coming, the next post should be a nice one to read with lots of pictures and not too much dialog from me - yay!

Be back soon!

Quick Note

I'm puttering while my grandson sleeps peacefully in the bedroom.  Since I have several minutes to call my own, I decided to have a quick chat about my one of my favorite topics - the boat.

On Friday, Tom B. sent an email telling me the yard had enough of the Sunbrella fabric to cover the twin beds in the guest stateroom.  Laura and I chuckle every time this topic comes up because the name of the fabric is Pango Buff, but Mr. B. insists that it is Pango Puff.  So typical of men.  He also thinks all neutral shades are created equal, so there you have it.  Not only does the yard have enough fabric for the beds, but now, do I also want pillows in that fabric?  Pillows?  That is one thought that didn't even cross my mind.  So typical of the folks who aim to please, the next hour was devoted to pillow sizes, piping vs. no piping and shapes:  rectangle, square, bolster-type, round, sham edges, no edges???????  Removable covers, and if yes, where to place the zipper?  Rigid or floppy?  The choices would have an interior decorator rethinking his/her chosen career!

Once we put this topic in for a nap, guess what came up again?  The back splash conversation.  I know my Tom would be wringing his hands by now.  If the faucet conversations put him over the edge, the back splash saga would truly be the straw that broke the camel's back.  Luckily, I don't have those issues, so chat we did.  Actually I have to confess that this conversation was launched by me.  In one of my typical nights of thinking and re-thinking that day's boat conversations, I thought it might be a good idea to bring the granite in the heads up to the bottom of the mirror.  Laura sent me several photos of the heads on an earlier 55 and she's right, they look fine the way they're usually done - no back splash at all.  The area is not large enough to sport a back splash.  There is such a thing as overkill I guess.

Now that I've made myself crazy again, I think I'll complete the insanity by trying for the 2nd time to sync my new Fitbit with this laptop and my other devices.  Amazing that I can build a boat and not be able to sync a tiny spec of technology with another piece of technology.  Where is a 10 year old when you need one?  Wait, maybe I should wake up Tucker.  Hmmmm, let's not lose our heads here.  LOL

Once all the decorating decisions are made, I think I'll set up a collage, something that I've seen decorators do once a room is ready to be coordinated.  I can set up the Ultraleather swatch, the Sunbrella fabric, the granite, tile back splash behind the stove and any other items that figure into this scheme of things.  Oh happy day when I get to that point!

Rained out

I'm sure even those of you who don't live in the recently water logged northeast heard of our biblical rains yesterday.  It poured with a roaring sound for at least 12 hours straight.  Places that were thought impervious to mud slides had mud slides. Things that are not supposed to float, floated -  including some of those Smart Cars.  Anyhoo, the reason I'm here tonight is because the golf course decided to close and thus protect itself from us early season golfers (and the resulting divots).  You may have even heard the collective groan from tonight's league players.  My foursome is a resilient bunch though;  no golf, well then, how about dinner?  Dinner it was.  No sense wasting a perfectly good night (without rain) and finally warm temps.

Today's phone conversation with the Krogen bunch was an eclectic one - we discussed in this order: tiles, granite, backsplashes, wall angles, EPIRBs and life rafts.  See, I told you it was eclectic.  The call was actually generated by a 10 pm text message to Tom B.  I was reading the Sunday Times (finally got to it) and came across the story about the family who took their 2 young daughters to sea in a sailboat.  The youngest child fell ill and the family had to be rescued.  The article mentioned the safety items aboard the boat, one being the EPIRB.  Holy cannoli (we Italians always exclaim in terms of food), I hadn't even thought of the EPIRB so busy was I with granite and tile!  So being my impulsive self, I immediately texted Mr. B.  Method to my madness - now someone besides myself would have this item on the radar.

True to form, I received a rather long and very detailed email message discussing EPIRBs along with a list of suppliers and their websites.  Now I'm not totally unfamiliar with these life-saving devices.  We had one on Serenity.  It was a category 1, automatic hydrostatic release (see, I really do know something), mounted in a nice case on the starboard side of the pilot house, above the propane locker.  Through some quick research done during lunch, I discovered that the best of these devices contain an integral GPS and digital readout so that one can see what is going on with the device.  They retail for just under $900 but there are promotions around the time of boat shows, so I'm going to wait until the fall to get one.  No sense having one before it's needed since they do require battery checks, etc.  During my reading, I decided it's also wise to purchase the less expensive, but no less necessary category 2 model and keep it in the ditch bag.  I bought a ditch bag at the 2011 Newport Boat Show when I wasn't even sure what a ditch bag was.  Though it's still empty, I have a list that goes on for at least a mile with all that should be in that bag.  Another good thing about the Krogen folks, everyone is happy to share their findings, ideas, and what they've found to be practical, necessary and downright fun to have.

That conversation segued into life rafts.  We had one on Serenity, mounted on top of the pilot house.  It was my job to crawl over the flybridge coaming to check the hydrostatic tag since we could never remember the date it needed to be re-checked.  Turns out we were a year too early, but better to be safe than sorry.  Since I won't be doing any offshore runs at first (expect for the trips north and south), I'll probably rent a life raft for the trip north next summer so that we can go offshore to make up time; same for the trip south in the fall.  Then I'll reassess my options and plans for using the boat.  There is just too much to think about right now and if something can be rented rather than purchased, then that's fine for the time being.

Since none of our recent conversations seems to be complete without a discussion of granite and tile, this one was no exception.  While the yard sends its person to photograph the slabs of my 2 color choices, I'm going to keep visiting tile stores here for ideas.  Thanks to the many pictures of boats Kadey Krogen maintains, I'm able to see tons of examples of how folks have used tile.  I seem to be leaning towards stone in a neutral shade that will complement the cherry walls and granite counter tops.  I like the natural look of stone as opposed to shiny tiles that show all sorts of cooking errors.  I'm also thinking of perhaps using a few accent tiles to add interest and lay the stone in a pattern to further add a bit of style.   That's as far as I've gotten, but considering all that goes on in my day, it's pretty good.

I'm amazed at the level of detail we get into regarding backsplashes.  Should there be a backsplash?  Yes!  A backsplash will protect the cherry walls since the cherry will extend down to the counter top.  How high should it be?  2 inches, 3, 4????  Where should it start and end?  Since this galley has a unique shape, care must be taken to be sure there aren't a lot of things going on where the walls meet: backsplash, outlets, etc.   Dave, the esteemed naval architect whose drawings make these boats the masterpieces they are, is very detail-oriented and doesn't miss a trick.  His attention to the most minute detail is astounding!  He is very quiet and unassuming, so when he mentions something, everyone's ears go up.  I for one, am thrilled to have him on my team.

Tom B. is going back to Taiwan next week.  I hope the pictures he sends show greater detail and progress.  Though I'm excited about the build process and enjoy all that goes into it, I am getting impatient for this girl to be finished and make her way here.   With that said, I had better get on the stick with a name, hadn't I?  Yes I do have a favorite selected and say it out loud when I think no one is listening (it seems someone is always listening when I'm on the phone), but it's a huge decision and it must have meaning.  Nothing cute or whimsical for this girl.  Though I did say I welcomed suggestions, no one has come forward with any.  How about it?

Well folks, that's all for this week - I think.  It's entirely possible that another topic will come up for discussion tomorrow.  If it does, I'll be back, though maybe not til Saturday.  I have a very full dance card tomorrow night.  Dinner with my daughter and a Colgate mentor, then off to an awards dinner the barn has at this time every year.  The riders with the top scores from the previous show season are recognized.  I'm donating a trophy to the Rider of the Year in honor of my horse Wiggles and want to be there when it's presented.  The awards are a surprise; it's wonderful to see the excitement on each winner's face as the awards are announced.   So no blog tomorrow.  If I'm not back til next week, it just means we have everything in hand and can rest our minds until the next round of decisions are required.

Have a great weekend!