Taylor is Seven!

Poem by Grandpa:

Today you leave another year

So now you are no longer six.

Will you wear your karate gear

And practice doing kicks?

If you do, please watch your rear

Because it’s hard to fix.

In any case we want to send

This Happy Birthday Cheer.

Love ya, Taylor!!

Poem by Grandma:

It will be absolute heaven

When our grandson who’s seven

Comes to visit us on our yacht.

We won’t be zip-lining

Or be mountain climbing.

But will we have fun? – Yes! A lot!

Happy Happy 7^th Birthday, Great Tate!

November 16, 2011

How sweet! Grandma and Grandpa were with Tehja and Taylor on this Sweet 16 Day.

In one way is was a HAPPY day, but in another way, it was a SAD day.

We were happy because we were with our grandchildren.

But we were sad because we had to say GOODBYE to our grandchildren.  We spent seven wonderful days together at Club Coco in Costa Rica, but then everyone had to go back home.

We had so much fun with you!! We loved it when you knocked at our door in the morning and asked, “Can we hang with you?” We loved helping you with your homework, swimming in the pool, walking along the beach, zip-lining, going out for lunch, getting hugs, and just “hanging” with you.

Here are a few reminders of the fun we had:

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“There’s a flea on the hair on the wart on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea”.

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“The ants came marching …

One by one, the little one stopped to suck his ??

Two by two, the little one stopped to tie her ??

Three by three, the little one stopped to climb a ??

Four by four, the little one stopped to shut the ??

Five by five, the little one stopped to dance a ??

Six by six, the little one stopped to pick up ??

Seven by seven, the little one stopped to look up at ??

Eight by eight, the little one stopped to shut the ??

Nine by nine, the little one stopped to step out of ??

Ten by ten, the little one said “Let’s do it again!"

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For the card trick, if these are the cards left, what three cards are missing?

7 … 4 … Jack … King

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Don't plug your nose!

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And now we have some news for you: We are not selling CanKata after all! So we hope you come to Thailand someday for a great adventure and to practice up on everything you learned in Costa Rica.

Bye for now, wee ones, and we hope you had lots of fun telling your friends all about your trip.

All our love,

Grandma and Grandpa Sailor

Walking a beach in Costa Rica

Grandpa's sand castle/resort

One of our regular walks around Playa del Coco

Grandpa waiting for us in the golf cart

Making your mark on the beach

Playing in the sea

Taylor zip-lining

Tehja zip-lining

October 16, 2011

What a day! Besides being a Sweet 16 Day, it is also the day that Aunty Marleen and Uncle Larry have been married for forty years! Wow – that’s a lot of years.

It’s a Sunday, so we know that you two didn’t have to go to school, and we are wondering what you did instead.

Here’s what we did: we sailed CanKata from Ao Po Marina to Ao Chalong.  “Ao” is Thai for “bay”.  If you say “ow” it sounds just about the same.  We had left CanKata in the marina while we visited Northern Thailand, and then we stayed a while longer while we moved some of our stuff into storage.  We’re trying to get CanKata as empty as possible while we get her ready to sell.

Sunset at Ao Po Marina on our last night there.

Grandpa at the helm on the way to Ao Chalong.

Grandma on watch on the way to Ao Chalong.

Ao Chalong is a big bay, a safe anchorage, is close to good shopping and restaurants and massages, and it’s free! So that’s why we went there.

The trip took us about five hours and it was wonderful – calm and sunny. Both Grandma and Grandpa took turns at the helm (driving the boat) and we enjoyed some snacks on the way. Too bad we didn’t get to a restaurant, so we’ll have to have our Sweet 16 Beef another day.

Grandpa tidying up the boat after arriving in Ao Chalong.

All done tidying

And now we’re getting ready to head to a marina in Langkawi. That’s where we catch our plane to fly to Costa Rica to see … guess who?!

And finally, here are a couple more SpongeBob jokes:

Squidward: What’s the best day for a Krabby Patty?

SpongeBob: Fry day!

How is SpongeBob’s favourite squirrel like the beach?

Both are Sandy.

Bye for now. All our love, Grandma and Grandpa Sailor.

Tehja is Eight! - September 16, 2011

Poem by Grandpa:

Hey mate,

Look at the date.

Tehja is eight.

Ain’t that great!

What about Tate?

Nope, he came late.

Another poem by Grandpa (who has been practicing his ABCs):

While the cake was Ate

We had a deBate

Whether Tehja Cate

On this Date

Was really Eight.

Was is the cow’s Fate

When it opened the Gate

To love rather than Hate

Not being Late?

Hey, Mate,

Getting off track at any Rate.

And don’t forget about little Tate.

He can Wait

Because today Tehja is Eight.

Poem by Grandma:

On a horse with a gentle gait,

Rides a little princess named Tehja Cate.

She’s our granddaughter who just turned eight,

And we’ll see her in November … we just can’t wait!

Happy, Happy Birthday, Sweet Tehja!!

August 16, 2011

Hello wee ones! We were very excited to hear that you went to the wedding of Shaylynn and Louis, and we were very happy to hear that you recognized us in our video. That little wave at the end of the video was JUST FOR YOU GUYS!

A lot has happened since our last blog. We met some rock climbers who are about the same age as your mom and dad. They took us on a couple of hikes.  One time, Grandpa did a big climb – the rock climbers said he was “a natural”.

"The Natural"

Another time, Grandma did just a little bit of climbing. No one called her a natural.

Trying!

The climbers followed all the safety rules and made sure we weren’t in any danger, so we are happy to tell you that we made it back to CanKata safe and sound.

Darrel (with Sylvia and Gerd who didn't climb)
safely back aboard CanKata
looking forward to fried tuna cakes

We also did some clam digging. Did you do any clam digging when you lived in PEI? We love steamed clams and hope to dig some more. Our rock climbing friends climbed some coconut trees, and we drank the juice from the coconuts they cut down. We’re pretty sure you don’t have any coconut trees in Alberta. Have you seen any there? 

Another yummy snack we like is fried tuna cakes. Have you ever had them? If you want the recipe, let us know.

August 16 was a great day. It started off with Grandma cleaning and oiling CanKata’s cockpit table. It’s a fancy table with rows of square holes that make it a nuisance to clean. As she was cleaning it, Grandma noticed that each row has 16 holes. What a coincidence!

We also went out for a special meal of red meat – something we plan to do on every Sweet 16 Day – and this time we took a couple of friends.  A long time ago in 2008, we played a game with you on our web page called “Who is who?” and we had three pictures and you had to guess who were Grandma and Grandpa Sailor. Well, Sylvia and Gerd, the ones who came to the restaurant with us, were in one of the pictures!

Something else that happened on this Sweet 16 Day: we had people come to CanKata to see if they want to buy her. They don’t know if they will, but they said that CanKata was “the nicest boat they have seen”. And we’re pretty sure if they met you two, they would say that our grandchildren are “the nicest kids they have seen”. We think so!

"The nicest boat" anchored in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand

Before we go, here are another couple of SpongeBob jokes:

Why did SpongeBob wear two shirts to play golf?

In case he got a hole in one.

Why did Mrs. Puff bring birdseed to school?

She had a parrot-teacher conference.

Bye for now. All our love, Grandma and Grandpa Sailor.

July 16, 2011

We’re very glad that our “sweet” day wasn’t on July 15, because on that day we had a bad storm. The sky turned black, the wind howled, and the rain came pouring down. We were okay on CanKata (still anchored in Ao Chalong) because her anchor holds very well and we can close everything up to stay nice and dry.

On July 16, the weather was lovely! We rode our bicycles to a very nice restaurant and had red meat – which we don’t eat very often here in Thailand. We have decided that on every Sweet 16 day, we’ll go out for a special meal and eat red meat. We wish it could be Alberta beef but we will have to settle for Australian beef, which is almost as good.

That evening, we had friends over to visit and play a dice game called “Farkle”. Next time we meet up, we’ll bring our dice so we can teach you to play. Here is a coincidence: one of the friends we had over was celebrating her birthday – another Sweet Sixteen!

By the way, we have a couple of SpongeBob jokes for you:

How does Gary get to the beach?

He takes the shell-evator.

Why did SpongeBob buy a new karate outfit?

It was on his chopping list.

Bye for now. We hope you are having a Super Sweet Summer!

July 15: These buckets are ready to catch rain. We love fresh rain water!

July 15: Grandpa is watching the coming storm very carefully.

Grandma and Grandpa enjoying red meat to celebrate Sweet 16 Day.

Grandma, Grandpa, Gerd & Sylvia (SY Daedalus), Richard & Susannah (SY Ultimate Dream)
(Susannah was celebrating her birthday on the 16th too)

June 16, 2011 - Grandma and Grandpa have an address

Today, Grandma and Grandpa Sailor are still anchored in Ao Chalong, Phuket, Thailand. It is very windy today! Our wind generator is making lots of noise (but giving us lots of electricity) and we can’t put up our shade awning because the heavy wind might rip it.

The big news we have for you is that we now have an address in Phuket. We have bought a little apartment at Nai Yang Beach and we will move into it after we sell CanKata. It might take a long time before we find someone who wants to buy CanKata, so we will rent out our apartment until that happens. So don’t send us any mail just yet.

This is our address:

Loretta and Darrel Smith

#1403, Dewa Phuket

65 Moo 1, T. Sakoo

A. Thalang, Phuket 83110

How to say Dewa Phuket:  day-wah poo-ket.

We are also very excited because you two are just about done school for the year, and then you will be on summer vacation. We hope you have a great summer and have lots of fun adventures that you can tell us about.

This is "Jenny", our wind generator, working hard.
The Canadian flag below Jenny is wrapped up so the wind won't rip it.



A job for Grandpa on a windy day:
Fixing a pump in the bilge
(which is something like the boat's basement)



One of the pools at the Dewa Phuket
and the apartment building in the background



Grandma thinking she might go for a swim

Grandma swimming in the bubbly section of the pool
(the little pool with the elephants is for little kids)

May 16, 2011 – Cycling in Chalong

Today, Grandma and Grandpa Sailor were anchored in Ao Chalong, Phuket, Thailand.

It’s not great for swimming, but it is nice and calm.

 

Do you recognize CanKata?





This was a busy day.

First of all, Grandma and Grandpa did some cleaning on CanKata.

This is Grandma cleaning the cushions.

Then we went shopping at one of Grandpa’s favourite stores.

We rode our bikes.





Grandma didn’t fall off her bike,

but this photograph reminds us of what it was like

when we were learning to ride.



Grandpa never falls off his bike. Well, hardly ever. 

 



On our way home to CanKata,

we passed a ship that burnt and sunk two days ago.

Nobody was hurt.



Later today, we’ll have a game of Chess

and then probably watch a movie

and have some popcorn on the foredeck (unless it rains!)

We hope we get some photos of you riding on your bikes.

Bye for now.



April 16, 2011: Thinking of selling CanKata

What a busy day this was for Grandma and Grandpa Sailor!  We were still anchored in Nai Yang Bay. We love it here so much that we might buy a place on land and stay forever! Then we would sell CanKata.

One of the things we talked about on this Sweet 16 Day was trying to talk you two into coming to visit CanKata before we sell her.  We know it’s a long way away and that means a very long flight, so we know it might not be possible. But we’re hoping!!

Here in Thailand they just celebrated their Songkran Festival, which is their new year but seemed more like a July 1 Celebration in Canada. It was lots of fun because people celebrate by throwing or splashing water on one another. We got very wet when we went to the festivities! 

Here are some photos of people in Thailand having lots of fun during the Songkran Festival.

Everyone who passed this crowd got very wet.

Lots of cars and trucks lined up to get into the Park
where the festivities were held.

 

Grandma got very wet when she cut through the traffic.

There was lots of yummy Thai food at the festival.

Having fun in the back of a truck, and getting very wet.

Someone is going to be busy trying to get this car clean again.

 

If you look closely, you can see CanKata.
She was the only boat in the bay during the festival.



March 16, 2011

On this Sweet 16 day, Grandma and Grandpa Sailor are anchored in Nai Yang Bay. We’re going to be here for a while, maybe until May. Here’s a map of Phuket Island (which is in Thailand). Can you see the airplane? That’s very close to where we are. And yes, we see and hear lots of airplanes everyday.

These days, we also see lots of jelly fish. Normally there are none, but lately they are a bit of a nuisance. Today we will see if we can count 16. When you were in PEI, did you ever see 16 jelly fish in one day? Are there any jelly fish in Alberta?

To celebrate today, we rented a motorcycle and went to Boat Lagoon Marina to join some friends for a yummy Thai food lunch. While we were there, Grandpa bought 16 stainless-steel fasteners for CanKata. Then, when we came back to CanKata, we had a very special Sweet 16 snack: 16 M&Ms, 16 peanut pieces, and 16 raisins. We wonder what you did on this special day.

Grandpa, Grandma, Mike, Rosie, Ray, Judy, Irene, Rolf and JJ

4 times 4

Dylan and Laura and Tehja and Tate

If doubled up would equal 8.

If you took that 8 and doubled once more

You’d get the same as 4 times 4.

And what do you think that number would be?

It’s Sweet 16, as sure as can be!

4+4+4+4

Is a number that we truly adore.

It’s 4 times more than the number 4,

It’s also 16 – which we adore even more!

                                                     How many Smiths below?

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These are "operculums" from the Andamans.
They act as doors for some snail shells.
What is 4 x 4?
What is 2 x 8?