the reality, part one

spring is here - we think.  there are fabulous, shorts and T-shirt days when the hibernators start showing up at the marina armed with hoses, rags, brushes and cleaning solutions.  then mother nature says april fool's and throws us temperatures in the 30s, high winds and torrential rain.  i guess we're not quite THERE yet but we are moving in that direction nevertheless and part of the reality is preparing the boat for the season.  unfortunately, last fall, we discovered  a nasty surprise with tadhana's barrier coat failing and the bottom paint peeling off in sheets.  it is always something, i know, but this one is MAJOR.  the plan is a haul-out, soda blasting to get all the old paint off, a new barrier coat(s) and then several coats of bottom paint.  aside from the expense (considerable), there is the  inconvenience of living aboard while on the hard for god-knows-how-long, i.e. no showering or washing of any kind until we are back in the water. did i mention getting consuelo on and off the boat via ladder while we're blocked?  consuelo is our aging 13.5-year-old beagle who ABSOLUTELY detests being carried (she finds it undignified and the little drama queen consistently gives me a hard time about this).  i can't say that i blame her, however, HER reality is that she is going to have to be hauled up and down on my shoulder like a sack of potatoes for however long it takes before we are launched again.  i am so not looking forward to this!  MY reality is that on top of all of the noise and dust of boatyard living and the deviation from my daily routine (i am an old stick-in-the-mud), i still have to worry about work and the availability (or lack) of an internet connection which might require me to work somewhere other than at my own desk (no!) - for sure on the day of soda blasting, in any case.  tom's reality is that he is going to be doing some seriously hard labor underneath the boat.  yes, of course, it is all still worth it, but we are allowed to whine.  regular folks have work done on their homes which can last a lot longer than a few days.  at least i don't have to deal with workmen tramping through my home - just underneath it.  i have to remember that part and suck it up.  in any case, tomorrow, april 21, 2014, is haul-out day.