Lila OVERBOARD in the Night!!!

       Lila swam to that boat in the picture.

          She stood on that red rudder under the water and probably jumped as high on those ladder rungs! 

          This is what we think she was playing with there is a string hanging down from the mooring ball that she loves to play with any string. OR she wanted to get onto the mooring ball since most of the day she watches to see it move close to the boat with the currents.

Lila fell in the water during the NIGHT!!!!

Last night around 1:30am Lila fell off the boat.  We did not hear her nor did we know she fell off until morning when a man in a dinghy  pulled up and knocked on our hull.  I came running out of the cabin with sleep still in my eyes as it was 7am. There in his boat was Lila!! I said, “What is she doing in your boat?” He said she was not only in my boat but at 1:30 in the morning all wet she hopped in my cabin of my boat!”  I was still in shock and dazed at what the implications of what he was saying! I held Lila as he pulled away and thought??? How did she get there? What did she do?  The man said just before he left, “I have had sailing cats of my own too and cats fall in when the water is so calm it looks like you could walk on it.”  It was super calm that night. Still I can’t help but think of the terror in her eyes when she went in and then the current must have taken her to the next boat.  Luckily or Divinely she clung on to his rudder. (His rudder sticks out from the boat and is flat.) She could have sat on that then looked up at the thin ladder bars.  I wonder how many times that poor little Lila tried to get up that ladder??? Today she is super tired! She is lovey-dovey and cuddly.  I hope she remembers that experience.  She is such a daring cat with little fear and a huge caring heart for all to pet her. Ben and I wish we had a cat-cam (camera) to see where she goes at night and follow her around the boat when we are gone.  All is well.  I’m so glad I was relieved of the terror I would have been if we had known she fell off.  I’m glad that someone brought her back to us safe and sound!

Today we went back to Portland inland to walk around town.  Portland is a cute port town teaming with fishermen and wharfs, seagulls and lobster pots, metropolitan places among old quaint buildings.  I have to say Portland also has their share of homeless.  Or it could be they have the same ratio it’s just that Portland lets the homeless hang out in and around town. We got to talk with a few.  My favorite was the guy collecting pop and plastic bottles.  We had two bottles in our backpack and I said to Ben, “Hey lets give it to the guy dumpster diving!” He was an old guy and fun to talk with as we walked down the street together going to the next trash can. He had no teeth but was happy to talk about Nat King Cole and not talk about “rap-crap” as he put it. His recycling buggy was well organized with the glass bottles on the bottom.

Yesterday we went through town but Ben decided not to take his camera. (I don’t know why? It was weird? Then most of the day he seemed like he was missing something.) Today he brought his camera and that made all the difference in the world.  He said I might be getting tired of him and his camera, that I have to always wait for him, ha ha I love to wait plus many times while waiting for him to take the perfect shot I’m looking or reading my work emails.. it’s all good.

Yesterday we decided to take the bus to Portland Head Light House.  A famous lighthouse.  We went to get a bus pass for the day but it seems that Portland has 3 different bus companies.  So that was silly.  We got on a bus that took us 1.5 miles from our designation – good enough for us! We played at the lighthouse. It was fun. All the pictures you see are from my camera and me taking them – not a professional photographer like Ben and now his daughter Annie, but hey I love a good snapshot with a cheap camera now that takes skill when all the odds are against a good picture yet the pictures tell the story too. (maybe just a little more pixilated)

       

I know you are not supposed to feed the birds. there was no sign up. Wow they were ready to stalk any movement of food!!!       Ben let them have a frenzy.       We sailed past this on the way here! Right past the famous Portland Head light house! Way cool!       Ben loves his cliffs!       Ok who can make the best rock tower? This looks pretty good! right?       Ok, Ben wins, He's a winner. but I won at slug bugs that day!       this umbrella is really the bathroom key! yup that is right! Ben is manly enough to use it when it rained. ha ha ha

Ok you would think that getting back from the bus would be easy. Ha ha ha.  We went back to the place were he left us off.  Right? Normally the buses go in a circle path.  The last bus left at 5:50pm for the day other wise at night it was 8p. We hussled to get the second to last bus the 5:20 bus.  So we stood in the place he left us off at and here came a bus from the other side going the opposite direction!! What … zoooom … we stood there but zoom there went the bus… Ok on the other side of the road is a bus stop lean-too.  We walked to the other side and it showed the bus schedule and the next bus is 5:50pm.  Oh funny.  Now we are standing… waiting … waiting … 6:05 finally a bus comes flying up on the other side of the road.  We waved big, “HEY!!! HEY!!!”  He looked right at us and waved back and kept going but luck was on our side… he had to wait at a stop sign.  We ran up huffin and puffin! He opened the doors for us but was disgruntled and said, “I’m way behind schedule, I’ll be going the other direction again soon.”  Ok how were we to know what side of the street to wait on or what time he really was going to show up? We hopped on and zoom he was in a hurry he even went right through a stop sign! Then turned around in a bus lot and out he came to start his route.  Phew we made it.

The trip’s scavenger hunt was to find Pam a winter jacket for sailing in the cold.  It is not even cold yet and at night sailing in only 62 degrees I’m chilled most of my shift unless the seas are so big and I have a huge workout keeping the boat on track. We googled goodwills.  There are 4 “goodwills”  but iphone is not always the best. We went to the goodwill charity place where they feed the hungry, a goodwill pull up a cot and sleep for the night, goodwill offices… no good will. Well I hope I find a jacket between now and late August! 

Last night we did our laundry and email at the marina. When I say, “marina”, you all should have different pictures in your head … places ranging from the hotel sofetel complete with dinghy service too and from your moored boat, curbside ice, curbside pump out poop service, fancy showers with hair dryers (this year I did not bring a hair dryer cuz last year the places we went all seemed to have even an old one – this year – nope – none – nada! Oh except for Deltaville) then there are the other side where the washer and dryer might work and might not, the showers are worse than a state park shower in MN – complete with mold, bugs, and slime.  Here in Portland it is more on the camping side but hey the washer and dryer worked great! I’m good to go for another month since I have brought 30 pairs of underwear. (A girls got to change her underwear everyday – this way I know how many days out to sea we are by counting my underwear) and that’s the truth thhhhhhh. (that was my Edith Ann impression for those of you older than 50) oh man I’m on a roll. Ha ha ha I might even laugh out loud myself, LOL LOL LOL just like the kids say lol-mom, lol!

We are now going island hopping this next 4 or more days in Casco bay. We are not sure if we have cell phone coverage so if we don’t there will be no blogs.  Today I decided to stay one more day in Portland cuz the weather looked iffy, and I knew I wanted to have a staff meeting since there was so much to chat about. That’s all for now folks! Blessings and thank you God for keeping Lila safe and sending her back to us!!! AMEN!