Visiting Cruising Friends in Friday Harbor

After several years of promises we finally made it up to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands of Washington to visit some cruising friends we met in Menorca.

They sailed on Gambit - a custom made catamaran from South Africa - which we visited in Roche Harbor while there.

Michael, Don and I had an anniversary drink at "our table" where we met 30 years ago.

Don and Sue Leff's oldest daughter, Joanna, was away at college but the youngest (not so young anymore), Rebecca, was home and she challenged Michael to many a ping pong game.

They also have a nice young Swedish girl, Emma, as a foreign exchange student at the moment.

Saturday we went to the girls soccer game - they won!

On Sunday we explored the island a bit and climbed up to Mt. Young and saw the incredible views. Walked down to English Camp, the West side lighthouse and Roche Harbor. San Juan Island is still a lovely place to be.

On Monday we got in line for the ferry early then spent time walking around downtown Friday Harbor with Don and Sue.

Had a wonderful trip!

Moving the Piano from our friends' home

The piano Michael's parents bought for him when he was a very young child has been stored in the Pliskows' basement since 1990 when we left to go cruising.

We now have a home for it in Tucson so we hired Big Al's Specialty Movers to pick it up from their home, take it to their warehouse in Vancouver, and when we arrive in Tucson to deliver it to us on their next trip south.

Apparently Big Al is just that. 6'8" and 340 lbs. He is from Samoa and one of the movers was also from Samoa.

One of those quirks of fate - we know some of the same people in Samoa!

The guys were great!

An Afternoon at the races

We went to dinner with our friends, Stacy and Rose Kanda recently and learned that they now own a small share in a race horse and she was running the next day at Emerald Downs in Auburn.

Our luck held as we had thunderstorms and a lot of rain while at the race course but we had a great time.

Latest trip to Tucson

Mother and Clem were returning to their home in Apache Junction, Arizona mid August and we had another load of 'stuff' to take to our home.
They very graciously agreed to tow a UHaul trailer behind the truck they usually use to tow their Fifth Wheel motor home so it easily handled the trailer.

Our friends, Randy and Scotty, from the marina loaded the trailer and did a great job! No breakage and the trailer tracked beautifully.

Our friend Derek helped us unload the trailer once we got to Tucson - of course, that was after Clem managed to back the trailer down our driveway - no easy feat!

Both Mother and Clem took a deserved rest after the trip.

We followed another pickup hauling his earthmover - see above.