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Food for the soul

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Good Morning. The sanders have finally been put to rest for a short while.It's been endless days and hours with Mr. Makita. Time for him to take a break and bring out the ole Mrs. Chinabristle to let her play. Today's the day we start to paint the galley and main saloon. A welcoming job (one of Mary's favorite places to paint!)as this is our last for this season on the boat. The temps are getting chilly on the boat, only getting up into the 40's. The shop with the woodstove seems to be calling us from afar...

Every year when I, and I'm sure this goes for Mary as well, work at an endless sanding task (which there are many!) my mind keeps me occupied with flashbacks from the summer. I remember the beautiful sunsets, the whales that graced us with their beauty, the eagles that soared overhead, the smell of the pine forests on shore, the mossy fairy houses found, the list goes on and on. And with the sights I'm seeing I can still hear the laughter ringing throughout the boat, the songs gently making their way from the main saloon to the foc'sle, the funny stories told and the funny games played on the "quarter" deck. The smells from the galley are long gone, but memories of endless mouthwatering desserts that I said no to and ended up eating anyways are still here. And with all that running through my head I see flashes of people, with warm hearts and souls that shared it all with us. So as I sit and sand and sand some more, I'm kept busy and happy throughthout the day. It's the food for my soul that makes the day complete.

At the end of the long day with very little said to each other, we just coil up our sanding cords, dust ourselves off and head up the dock with a quick, "thanks and see ya tomorrow". And yet a glance from with a twinkle in her eye lets me know that we both just finished a day of sailing throught the past, not another day of sanding.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.
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