To Hell And Back. But Back, Thanks To A Few Heroes

OCEAN GIRL AND RAIN DOG DAY BEFORE SURGERY. I DECIDED TO DYE MY HAIR REBEL RED/PURPLE, BUT DONT GET USED TO IT, I MISS BEING A BLONDE ;-)




MY HUSBAND BRIAN, MY SUPERMAN, MY HERO. HE SAT NEXT TO MY BED, IF I SO MUCH AS TWITCHED HE WAS UP AND LEANING OVER ME TO SEE WHAT I NEEDED. ONE NIGHT MY VITALS WENT CRAZY DUE TO ALL THE DAMN MEDS. MY HEART RATE SPIKED, BLOOD PRESSURE GOING CRAZY, MY BODY WAS GETTING OVER LOADED WITH FLUIDS AND ELECTROLYTES UNBALANCED (A COMMON REACTION POST BRAIN SURGERY). THANKFULLY EVERYTHING WAS OK, BUT I WAS SO SCARED! BRIAN, MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND, WAS RIGHT THERE WITH HIS BIG STRONG ARMS WRAPPED AROUND ME, KISSING MY FOREHEAD, AND TELLING ME I WAS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT. MY HERO (SIGH).



ME IN ICU





BRIAN AND I IN THE CAR MAKING A RUN FOR IT. THEY FINALLY DISCHARGED ME AFTER TEN DAYS, 6 OF WHICH WERE IN ICU. I DIDN'T EVEN WAIT TO GET DRESSED.





MY NEPHEW AND HERO WARREN, ALWAYS TRYING TO MAKE ME SMILE. MY NEPHEW CAMERON, AND NIECE ERIKA LILY CAME BY TOO TO CHEER ME UP.






DR HAMILTON AND MY HERO MOM.
WITHOUT MY MOM DEMANDING MY PATHOLOGY REPORT I WOULD PROBABLE STILL BE IN THAT GAWD AWFUL PLACE. DR HAMILTON, WHO PICKED UP THE BALL MY DR DROPPED, FOUND OUT WHY I WASN'T GETTING BETTER. My TUMOR WAS RARE SO IT MADE THE ROUNDS AT THE MEDICAL CENTER, IT EVEN WAS THE STAR OF THE "WHAT THE HECK IS THIS" PATHOLOGY CONFERENCE. SO WHEN THE DECISION WAS FINALLY MADE TO NAME MY DIAGNOSIS, TO DECIDE WHAT THE GROWTH WAS, THE JOB OF TELLING ME AND MY ENDOCRINOLOGIST DR HAMILTON WAS LOST IN TRANSLATION FOR A COUPLE DAYS, UNTIL MY MOM (HERO)STARTED CRACKING HEADS.








MY BROTHER-IN-LAW AND HERO NOEL. HE WAS THERE DURING SOME ROUGH TIMES, READY WITH A COOL WASH CLOTH AND ALL THE FIJI WATER I COULD DRINK. CAME EVERY MORNING TO GIVE BRIAN A BREAK AND BRING A CUP OF MY FAVORITE TEA. PLUS HE WOULD GET BRIAN OUT OF THE HOSPITAL FOR AN HOUR OR TWO EVERY NIGHT FOR A NICE MEAL. IT WAS SUCH A COMFORT THAT SOMEONE WAS LOOKING AFTER BRIAN TOO.






MY SISTER AND HERO ALECIA, SHE WAS ALWAYS READY TO FLUFF MY PILLOW, KEPT THE COLD WATER COMING. MY SWEET GENTLE SIS NEARLY CAME TO BLOWS WHEN A NURSE WHO WAS OVER 45 MINUTES LATE FOR MY PAIN MEDS CHOSE TO TAKE A PHONE CALL RATHER THAN ADDRESS MY UNCONTROLLED PAIN,NEEDLESS TO SAY, I GOT MY PAIN MEDS (MY HERO).





THANKS TO MY BROTHER BILL AND WONDERFUL SISTER-IN-LAW BRENDA FOR VISITING ME, THOUGH THIS IS ALL I REMEMBER (SEE PICTURE ABOVE)






MY MOM AND HERO, WHO DID THE DIGGING TO FIND MY PATHOLOGY FROM SURGERY. WHEN THE FINAL REPORT WAS TRACKED DOWN IT SHOWED THAT I NEEDED FURTHER TREATMENT TO REDUCE SWELLING. WITHIN HOURS OF THE FIRST DOSE OF THE NEW MEDS MY EXTREME HEAD PAIN WAS DOWN TO A SMOOTH AND EASY THUD.






BRIAN'S SISTER REBECCA CAME ALL THE WAY FROM AUSTIN TO HELP OUT THE FIRST COUPLE DAYS, I KNOW SHE WAS A GREAT COMFORT TO BRIAN AND TO ME AS WELL. AND THANKS TO BRIAN'S PARENTS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS AND COMFORTING PHONE CALLS.




MY ICU NURSE AL, WHO CAME BY TO WISH ME WELL ON DISCHARGE DAY. DAMN GOOD NURSE.




THANKS TO FRED AND LINDA FOR THEIR WONDERFUL DAILY EMAILS OF ENCOURAGEMENT, THE DOZEN OR SO CHURCHES PRAYING FOR US, AND ALL THE PRAYER WORRIORS.

AND THANKS TO ALL OUR FRIENDS CALLING AND WRITING WELL WISHES, YOU ALL ARE SUCH A COMFORT. BRAIN AND I SHOOK OUR HEADS IN AMAZEMENT MORE THAN ONCE OF JUST HOW BLESSED WE ARE WITH SUCH AN ABUNDANCE OF WONDERFUL LOVING FRIENDS, THANKS.

ps
sorry for the typos, I had brain surgery after all :-)
PPS
Sorry for the ALL CAPS, I didnt even notice it until Brian pointed it out(very Freudian).

SURGERY MOVED TO JULY 5th

DUE TO A LITTLE GIRL WHO NEEDED MY SURGICAL SLOT, MY SURGERY IS NOW ON THE 5th OF JULY. I WILL BE IN NEURO ICU THE FIRST NIGHT FOR PRECAUTION. HOPEFULLY THE NEXT DAY, I WILL MOVE ON TO MY SISTER'S HOUSE FOR A WEEK OF RECOVERY. THEN IF ALL IS WELL, ONTO OUR BELOVED BOAT, RAIN DOG (WE MISS YOU RD!).
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE LITTLE GIRL AND ME TOO! :-)
HOPE ALL IS WELL,
ERIKA AND BRIAN

Rodney, the pain in my arse.

Well, a week after Brian and I got engaged the docs found a BENIGN growth on my pituitary. The growth, which I named Rodney, is about 9-11 cm and kinda wraps around my pituitary. The cure rate for this is 80-90%. The risk of mortality is only 1%. So this is not a life changer, just a damn big bump in the road.

Brian has been fantastic, taking care of me and making sure the Docs do their job. I will need surgery, which will be on the 6th of July by one of the leading pituitary surgeons in the country (thank God for the Houston Medical Center!). After the surgery and sufficient recovery time Brian and I are going to have a "Rodney is Toast" Party, which includes a burial at sea for the dearly departed Rodney (good riddance to the thug!).

Having said that, Brian and I got married!! :-) We wanted him to have more say in my treatment so we hot footed it down to the local courthouse and declared we were married. It was surprisingly romantic, but everything Brian does seems to be :-).So I am officially Mrs Bearden (hooray!). We will still have a big boat wedding aboard Rain Dog in on November 5th (parr-tay!)

Well that is our life in a nut shell right now. We are deliriously happy to have each other. I will update when I can.

Hope this finds everyone well.

Erika and Brian

BRIAN AND ERIKA ARE ENGAGED!!

Brian proposed and I accepted (of course!), we are so happy! I cant believe what an amazing man Brian is, and I feel so blessed that I will be able to call him my husband :-)! It will be so fun to grow old with this man! He is adventurous, kind, loving, funny, smart, and all around perfect (sigh!)As it turned out he was in China on business when the engagement ring came in, so he proposed via skype videophone :-) I cried (of course), it was so beautiful!



The ring is a white gold mermaid with her arms wrapped around a black pearl, it is amazing! I will try to post pictures, my Internet is spotty and I am on Brian's computer (mine died).

We will be married in the fall, on board Rain Dog at our Marina. Brian has a dear friend that will preform the ceremony and all our family and friends will be invited ;-).
Cheers!
Erika

Nautical Flea Market, a Sailors Paradise

Our booty from the Nauticasl flea market at the Elks Lodge.

Pair of snatch blocks - $25!
2 Sunbrella canvas cockpit chairs - $30
Perko chromed bronze folding step- $20
Winch Handle $5
two blade bronze prop- $1!
Spending $81 for $800 worth of stuff - priceless


Brian mounted the step at the v-berth so I can get in easier(it is a little high).

Damn Head

We bought a new Damnhead, that is what I am calling our new head (toilet) Damnhead. We paid over 800 dollars for it, installed it, then discovered the bolts were not tightened so it leaked. Plus it did not have the inlet hose to pipe fitting (standard on cheaper toilets) so we had to order that from groco (35 bucks!). So far not feeling the love for this head.

Even after adjusting the bolts it still leaked around one bolt (forward left)So I took it apart it appears to have some kind of liquid gasket around the rubber gasket.

Will call groco in the morning to see what they say. Would hate to have to change out the head.

On a brighter note we got our new anchor! Sweeeeeet, check it out.45lb Manson.




45lb manson and our old 35lb CQR.




Fit like a glove ;-)

Restoring the Exterior Teak

Restoring the exterior teak. Step one- sand the bajeezes outta the teak to get down to good oily wood and smooth grain (It took a lot of 60 grit and my fingers are so raw that I have no finger prints :) ). The wood looks much better now, though it needs more lovin. I will give it a nice Murphy's oil soap bath and let the sun silver it out. The teak may require some "re-seasoning", will keep an eye on it.

Weekend getaway

Brian and I just got back from a fun weekend with Brian's sister and her Husband. We met out in San Antonio on the riverwalk and then explored the Caverns out near New Braunfels.


Brian in the caves.



There were college marching bands playing music on the boat barges that weave their way around the river walk.



Brian's sis enjoying the river walk boat ride.


Good times :-)

New curtains!!

^Here is a picture of me making curtains :-) or rather my mum making curtains.


^Brian drilled a pilot hole at each end of the dowels for the brass tack that holds the bungee in place.





^the curtains can cover an open or closed port.


or rolled up out of the way for sunlight.


I made curtains this weekend for Rain Dog! Well actually, Mom made the curtains and I assembled the dowels and bungee to complete the project. Mom has attempted on several occasions to teach me the fine art of sewing but I just don't have the fortitude. As soon as she talks of hems and stitches my eyes glaze over, I get grumpy, and develope a rather negative disposition. So in the spirit of peace and good will towards man my mother made the curtains for Rain Dog. Beautiful! The design is simple. A dowel cut to length for the curtain rod. Upholstery tack at each end of the dowel to secure the bungee cord. Once assembled you simply wrap the bungee around the port so the bungee is around the hinges when port is open, or under the hinges when port is closed (see pics, it is hard to explain). No need to mount anything on the boat.



^OPEN PORT



^CLOSED PORT



^FINISHED

LAKE TRAVIS SAILING

Joe (above) took us sailing out on Lake Travis in Austin. I don't have any shots of the actual sailing because I slept most of the time we were under sail (couple of hours!!). It is funny how relaxing sailing is for me, or really, it feels like the first real sleep since the last time I was under sail.Anyways it was a great time, Joe got to try out his new mainsail, Brian got to sail on his old stomping ground aboard his old boat, and I got to sleep like the dead. :-)

Some Pics

Brian did a beautiful job mounting the oil lamp.




A rare picture of the elusive short haired Ocean Girl, few can capture her image on film and live to tell the tale! Yes I am still getting used to the new do.




Beautiful bird. We saw a Black swan (very rare!) but couldn't get it on film.




Groucho fishing at night. Funny thing happened a few weeks ago. Groucho was fishing and right before he pounced on a fat juicy fish a cormorant swam up under water and snatched it right out from under his nose! Hence Groucho's name, he has never recovered from the affront and now has permanent grumpy disposition.





Hey do I hear wedding bells?
To be continued...

Mermaid Picture

Brian hung my mermaid picture. The picture is hinged so we still have access to the shelves. Though we keep it down permanently, the table still folds up neatly for storage.
My mom cross stitched this mermaid during the completion of my parents circumnavigation aboard a Tartan 37 named "Tigger".

Brian bought me flowers again (sigh) he is so sweet.



OK enough of the boring hair stuff back to the boat work. Brian and I have ramped up our departure dates to 18 months!!!

Some project are:
rebuilding all stuffing boxes
canvas dodger with rainfly
new VHF antenna
new head
new foam mattress
cushion covers
rebuild windlass

We are also adding spice racks in the galley, shelves in the storage compartments to add capacity. Pretty much the rest of the to do list can be done along the way. We also need to build up our spares for the engine and rigging. We want to be a bit minimalist, at least start out that way, then see how it goes.

Today Brian and I organized and cleaned Rain Dog, tomorrow we will work on Ocean Girl to get her ready to sell.
Cheers,
Erika

Locks Of Love

What he cut off weighed over a half a pound!! BUT my hair did a funny thing, and it surprised my hairstylist, it started to stand straight up. So we had to rethink the hair cut strategy, out with a bob and in with a pixie (short pixie too). We will tweak it over the next few months because it is rather boyish, but I love it.
Since I cut off all my blond I now have mousy brown hair, so tomorrow is my hair color appointment to blond it up until the summer sun can do it el natural.

Will post a final results picture for all to see :-)

This short hair is perfect for cruising, it dries so fast, reqires very little shampoo, and is easy to style.

Erika

Off with her Head

Actually, it is her hair that is coming off (gulp). Will let you know how it goes (with photos). Alecia, I know you think I am crazy but ever since I discovered Brian loves short hair I have plotted the demise of my long locks.

The big plus is my hair is long enough that I can donate it to Locks of Love!!! This will be the comfort as I am crying myself to sleep tonight...a little girl with cancer can have a pretty blond ocean girl wig.

If anyone wants to cut their hair (and it is longer than 10 inches) LOL can use it!! Here is their link. Locks Of Love

Brian and I took Rain Dog over to my marina (Waterford) to use the free pump out and to haul Ocean Girl's (the girl) stuff to storage. We looked like the Clampetts.


My whirlwind romance with Brian did not allow an official move off of Ocean Girl and on to Rain Dog, I just became a part of Rain Dog and her crew. This Saturday Brian and I cleaned out Ocean Girl of all personal items, it was a bit sad and a bit stressful, but it is finally done. Please don't think that I want to keep her or wish anything else than what I have now, my happiness is complete. After a good cleaning she will go to the broker dock at the marina. What a great boat she was for me, she really kept me sane and grounded, and was a great friend.




A northern blew in last night, Brian had to coax Kaela to go for her morning walk. Yes I bought her a sweater, much to Brian's chagrin.