Dream Over - I think.

The plan is and always was that at the end of August we would take Haku to Port Napoleon near Marseille and sell her. On the 24th we dutifully sailed in with a very sad crew and in particular skipper. A series of rather contemplative songs over the last hour through the bimini speakers ending with Disney's Hakuna Matata brought our long journey to an end.

Over the next few days we emptied and cleaned the boat ready for removal from the water and listed her for sale with Ancasta. We took all our belongings to Karen's in the Dordoigne and the came back to Port Napoleon for our haul out - only to find tht they couldn't lift the boat as she needs to be lifted. Nowhere else nearby can lift and store her so we now need a different solution and possibly a different place from which to sell.

So, is it back to Spain, off to Greece or Turkey? Or is the best place to sell her Fort Lauderdale via the ARC and the Caribbean?

Don't know yet, possibly Port Napoleon can solve the lifting problem perhaps we will move. In any case we can't stay here in the water as there is no space.

In the mean time we are in England gearing up for the new school term and wondering what the near future holds. Is the saga over?

Barcelona by Go Car

The first time we left the Marina in Barcelona my eagle eyed son spotted what he thought was a two person go Cart and immediately wanted a go. The helmeted occupants of these New York Taxi coloured vehicles whizzed past from time to time and when one came close enough we were able to read that it was "Go Car Tours - the talking tour car" which sounded like fun. The next day we booked one of these for two hours and started exploring the streets of Barcelona. Built into the car is a GPS and speakers so it can give you relevant directions and commentary while you drive as well as cracking jokes and embarassing you by whistling at passers by.

We had a great fun afternoon and I added on an extra hour or so in order to go and get my daughter so she could try it too. We saw down-town Barcelona, the Olympic area, Guadi's Sagrada Familia - stopped to do some shopping and then took the Go-Car's rather too exciting secret short cut back to their offices through pedestrian streets, impossibly small gaps, a game of soccer and diners at a pavement cafe.

The only complaint was that the GPS lost signal in the built up streets a couple of times but it did let you know that you had gone wrong and redirected you.

As a first generation these things are great and you can imagine that with a few more features like a "take me straight home" button for when your time is running out it will be even better.

D Day and B Day

I woke up very excited today because Sam our flat coated retriever was arriving from England and Jamie did too because it was her 11th Birthday.

Kim and I have been very worried about Sam coming – will he be seasick, will his claws scratch the hatches or damage the deck and most importantly will he wear his boots? Consequently the day started with me heading off to the local DIY store for vinyl flooring to cover the inside of the boat, Astroturf for Sam to pee on during long passages and clear vinyl sheets to cover the hatches. The flooring worked a treat and as it is cushioned is rather nice on our feet too. The clear vinyl works OK when covered with clear sticky back plastic to hold it around the edge of the hatches – Astroturf I haven’t managed to get yet.

Jamie’s birthday celebrations started last night with dinner at a very good Asian restaurant and continued this morning with present opening (iPod Nano + cover and iTunes voucher, box of chocolates, makeup and a gold plated leaf necklace plus of course the hoard of clothes already received from Gran and Aunts) and a rather nice Sacher Torte from Carefour as her birthday cake. I had planned to take her and Alex to a water park but with having to run errands and lay flooring I decided we would have to put that on hold for a day or two.

After a number of logistical planning phone calls (apparently the 27metre long dog trailer can’t be turned around in anything much less than the length of a football pitch) Sam’s couriers arrived. I met them at the top of the marina and jumped in the cab to show them where we were. As soon as Sam heard my voice he started woofing at me (to be fair, he does have a lot to complain about). He was obviously very pleased to see us all and also fairly hot which we dealt with by hosing him down and making a token effort to clip him with the noddy clippers we bought yesterday.

Our plan was to get him used to his “All terrain non-marking” boots and then take him for a boat ride. The boots worked surprisingly well except that he spent the first little while prancing like a dressage horse. He also seemed quite comfortable on the boat and we were able to keep him on it with the occasional “NO” if he got too near to the steps at the back and appeared to be heading for the water.

A short ride out into the bay, down with the anchor, on with the wetsuit (me) and Sam had his first swim. We have a couple of things for him to retrieve and I came in to get him confident in getting out using the ladder. Unfortunately, although he is losing weight the ladder is a bit tough and at the moment he needs a hand getting out. I think this will get easier with practice and as he loses weight. Sam enjoyed his swim and on the way back started walking confidently around watching what we were doing.

After dinner on the boat we all got in the dinghy and motored into the marina restaurant and shopping area which is quite crowded. I think Sam sees the dinghy as just another type of car and he just relaxed and lay in the bottom. He must be very tired as he completely ignored all distractions including red Indian street musicians, an animal impersonator and a fully costumed planet of the Apes character.

He is now peacefully asleep in his travel cage. Jamie had a happy birthday and Sam a happy return.

Jamie's Yellowstone Poem

Fir and pine trees making forest of green,
White snow on the ground makes a Christmas dream.
Rhyolite columns way up high,
Snow still falling though summer is nigh.

Mud pools bubbling, glop, glop, glop.
Hot springs steaming, hot, hot, hot.
Geysers erupting through the light and dark.
Yellowstone, the very first National Park.

Elk, marmots, foxes and eagles in the sky.
A bison charging down the hill, nobody knows why.
Canadian geese singing their song, being really loud.
Critter jams along the road where animals stand proud.

Below the ground, pressure builds up, right to the max
Meanwhile above the surface, a Park Ranger chats.
Too much pressure, Old Faithful will now blow.
The most famous geyser in North America, you know.

Tranquillity, peace and harmony.
Excitement, joy and awe.
Serene, calm and beautifully still.
Yet the most moving place that I ever saw.

Yellowstone: Last Day

Once Jamie had been awarded her badge, it was Alex’s turn to be a Young Scientist today. The observations for his task also centered around the hot spring basin at Old Faithful, so off we trotted again. While we had lunch in the fantastic Lodge, the heavens opened and dropped tonnes of white fluffy stuff and we were forced to stay inside (in front of a log fire)till it all went away. So we spent a little time gift shopping. When the weather lifted, Alex finished his work – he thinks geysers are not alive and can provide evidence – was awarded his badge and we celebrated by finishing our time in Yellowstone in the enormous gift shop buying souvenirs of our incredible time here.

Yellowstone: Bears, Wolves and Old Faithful

Heavy snowfall greeted us this morning. Since we have a rental car, trainers, jeans and light raincoats we decided to visit the Bear and Wolf Centre in Yellowstone and wait for the weather to get better.

So we did finally get to see wolves but it’s just not as exciting when you’re not on safari! Jamie and Alex were able to join a group of children and hide treats in the bear enclosure and then watch the bears find them; I took some pictures of wolves. The weather got better and we made our way back into Yellowstone to Old Faithful. On the way we saw a bald eagle in its nest along with a couple of eagles perched on surrounding trees and a herd of bison shaking off the cold of the snow shower by laying down on a steaming hotspot!

At Old Faithful, Jamie and Alex finished their Junior Ranger worksheets and had their badges presented to them in the Visitor Centre. Yellowstone also have Young Scientist packs in addition to the Junior Ranger badges and we decided to do these for the next couple of days. They are, again, incredibly good value learning resources that teach the children good, well founded scientific method. Alex’s had him formulating an hypothesis about whether geysers were alive and then gathering evidence to support his theory. Jamie’s had her observing, gathering evidence and prioritising it to support the hypothesis that there is a volcano under Yellowstone Park. Both were accompanied with an investigation trail and a cool backpack filled with instruments such as laser thermometers and colour wheels to help the young scientists.

We did Jamie’s investigation this afternoon. It did involve walking around the Old Faithful trails which caused some grumbling but was actually extremely enjoyable.

Yellowstone: Canyon