When I was 10 years old my parents, ever involved, had us help paint our local grade school, St John the Evangelist in Denver, Colorado. What could a ten year old do? Prep work and clean up. I hated both. I still hate both. Now that I am an adult I see the need for both but that does not lessen my dislike of both prep and clean up when it comes to painting.

Yesterday we were so excited when we saw how great the bottom paint looked on Charisma when we were lifted out of the water. Unfortunately that does not mean there is little work to do. We spent yesterday afternoon and all day today cleaning the propeller and bob-stay and cleaning the waterline so we could throw a quick coat of paint on and get on to the varnish work. It is NEVER that quick. Bob and I spent the whole day sanding and scraping. When I called it a day Bob looked at me and said, “You look awful! Go take a shower!” He was right. My dust mask provided little protection from the rain of powdered red dust that I was creating as I finished prepping the waterline. The pictures did not do it justice. Even after a long shower I noticed red lines on my knees…collections of red powder. The only solace is that we are saving a lot of money by prepping and painting…a job we hired out last year because it involved so much more work.

So the good news is that we are now waiting for a clear day to put a quick coat on the bottom and then on to the varnish work! Nothing is easy in cruising…you earn the fun times!