Author Archives: Mary Laudien

About Mary Laudien

If you’re searching for carefree, cheeky blog sites that inspire belly laughs and tender moments from family drama and post career lifestyle choices; then please follow, FUN HAPPENS! Mary is many things (a long list…), but TODAY she’s a post innovative educator, who writes KIDLIT and humorous blog posts for “DOGGIE PEOPLE” (French Bulldog MG Series), “BOAT PEOPLE” (WHO’S the CAPTAIN? picture book), and “HAPPY/FUN PEOPLE” (Blog Posts) who relate to the amusing warmth in everyday life!
Jul30

TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #39

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TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #39

TwoCan XL Renamed…IRP

(Inheritance Reduction Plan)

Episode Four

Maintenance…Maintenance…Maintenance

Totally pumped and provisioned for a Desolation Sound adventure, Prairie Girl and husband set off with anticipation of meeting up with their SCYC friends in Gorge, Rebecca Spit, or Cortez Is.  They hadn’t travelled that direction since the TwoCan XL had been purchased. They were anxious to try new anchorages and revisit some of the coves they had enjoyed in the past.  That’s why they set off on a lumpy crossing to False Bay on Lasqueti Island. Of course, the wind was coming straight at them, so no sails went up that day.

The anchorage was lovely and all went well, until evening when husband went up the … Read the rest

Jul22

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #38

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #38

TWO CAN XL Renamed… IRP

(Inheritance Reduction Plan)

Episode Three

Maintenance…Maintenance…Maintenance

Apprehensively, the next morning, Prairie Girl and husband departed Port of Sidney to return to the shop that had neglected to replace the seal.  To their mutual relief, they made it without incidence.

As expected, it took till after 5:00 that day to finish the job and splash the TwoCan XL. Their buddy boat friends were hailed and just before entering the BC FERRIES NO SAIL PASSAGE… SURPRISE! You guessed it! The motor was dead as a door knob and wasn’t coming back to life.

Luckily husband was prepared and set up his 20 litres of fuel to go directly to the motor and THEY … Read the rest

Jul22

Tender Tuesdays-Prairie Girl Series #37

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Tender Tuesdays-Prairie Girl Series #37

TwoCan XL Renamed…IRP

(Inheritance Reduction Plan)

Maintenance…Maintenance…Maintenance

EPISODE TWO

With the next weather window a few weeks later, the trek to Sidney was repeated, to have the shaft seal replaced, with Prairie Girl aboard. Their friends had to leave a day earlier than them, so no buddy boat accompanied the TwoCan XL that day.

All went well until they came out of the Sansum Narrows, before entering the NO SAIL area of the BC Ferries. Suddenly, the motor stalled and would not start.  Prairie Girl looked at husband and husband looked at Prairie Girl and then they sprang into action. Immediately, the sails were hoisted and the (somewhat inept) Prairie Girl was left at … Read the rest

Jul22

TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #36

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TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #36

TwoCan XL Renamed…IRP

                    (Inheritance Reduction Plan)

EPISODE ONE-  MAINTENANCE…MAINTENANCE…MAINTENANCE

Due to Covid restrictions and travel bans, husband was more anxious, much earlier than usual, to have the TwoCan XL serviced in preparation for an early spring sailing adventure.  We’re talking January, dear readers. You know, the time of year on Vancouver Island from which one normally escapes to sunny international destinations. The kind of weather that is hovering around 0-6 degrees Celsius, wet, and smattered with serious gale force windstorms.  Prairie Girl put her foot down and pressed for the end of March, early April to deliver the boat to Sidney for this IMPORTANT service. The compromise made, you’re wondering?  The next appointment booked in Sidney … Read the rest

Jul12

TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #35

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TENDER TUESDAYS-Prairie Girl Series #35

STERN TYING- 3 TIMES A CHARM-NOT!

Now I know you avid cruisers are asking yourself, “What’s the big deal about stern tying?” And for most, it doesn’t appear to be so. However, every time Prairie Girl and husband have attempted the manoeuvre- it’s been somewhat of a gong show.

This time they set off for Smugglers Cove on the Sunshine Coast. Husband had the TwoCan XL outfitted smartly with a new Sunbrella covered reel of floating rope chained to the upper rail.  Motoring into the cove on an unusually windless June heatwave day sounds simple enough. This should have been perfect conditions for stern tying in a tight cove, right?  Their buddy boat friends positioned themselves first and then … Read the rest

Feb23

TENDER TUESDAYS- Prairie Girl Series #34

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TENDER TUESDAYS- Prairie Girl Series #34

SAILING COVID-STYLE DURING the 2020 SUMMER

In spite of the pandemic and restrictions in place, the TwoCanXL became a welcome distraction from all of it.  Prairie Girl and husband would provision the boat and sail away from their marina  for 2-3 weeks at a time, without having the constant barrage of news updates invading their space each day.  Don’t take this the wrong way, they were still concerned with the progression of the Covid stats and read about it on their Globe and Mail downloads, but it just seemed easier to ignore the crisis from the deck of the TwoCanXL.  They weren’t alone in this, most boat owners made substantial use of their vessels last summer, as no one … Read the rest

Jan6

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #33

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #33

PACIFIC YACHTING MAGAZINE’S TRIBUTE  to their “COCKPIT CONFESSIONS” CARTOONIST –

                       DAVE ALAVOINE

Returning from an extended sailing trip in August, husband and Prairie Girl opened up their August magazine to discover the five page feature: A TRIBUTE TO LONG – TIME PY ILLUSTRATOR DAVE ALAVOINE! And when you looked in the corner of the front cover, you saw that cheeky little seagull of his, saying, “ABOUT TIME!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dave Alavoine has entertained us with his clever cartoons found on Cockpit Confessions since 2005. He is a treasure to all his followers, and Cockpit Confessions will not have the same appeal without Dave’s wit pulling together the humour of the submitted … Read the rest

Jul11

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #32

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #32

         FIRST SAIL OF THE SEASON AND IT’S THE MIDDLE OF JULY!

                                                                                              -UNHEARD OF!

How could it possibly be the middle of July and the TwoCan XL had just left the dock? Let’s face it, 2020 has been a most unusual year! It’s like nothing any of us have ever experienced. You will recall Prairie Girl and husband had a shortened sailing season last summer when she tripped descending the stairs on the last night of their first sailing vacation aboard their new (older) boat- the TwoCan XL.  This meant they had 2.5 weeks on the water last June and then couldn’t get back on the boat until 6 weeks later, as the 3 broken ribs took their time … Read the rest

May19

TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #31

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TENDER TUESDAYS-PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #31

NO SAIL PAST THIS YEAR?

NO PROBLEM…

   WELCOME To The SCYC DRIVE PAST 2020

You will recall last year’s Sail Past when husband was the Commodore of their local yacht club. (Refer to May 20, 2019 in the archives on the Blog Roll) TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #28 (SCHOONER COVE YACHT CLUB’S NON-TRADITIONAL SAIL PAST 2019) Last year(due to gale force winds) the members manned their boats tied up to the dock and toasted the COMMODORE (husband), as he was ferried past their sterns in a dinghy, waving his SCYC burgee. This year, the club could not even assemble on the docks for their Sail Past Ceremony, as gatherings that size are prohibited … Read the rest

May4

TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #30

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TENDER TUESDAYS- PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #30

HUSBAND’S DREAM BOAT SHOW

(IN MIAMI, OF COURSE!)

Normally when couples rent a beach house in Florida for the month of February, it’s to escape to the sunshine and relaxation on the beaches. This didn’t seem to materialize for husband this year. No, he had a nefarious scheme planned, ahead of time, that would ensure he had a full-on day at the MIAMI BOAT SHOW. How, you might ask, did he manage to make that happen?

Well, for starters, the happy little vacationers had set up for a 33 day stay in a Beach House in the St. Petersburg area. Husband had already scoped out the MIAMI BOAT SHOW, knowing that the last day of the event would be … Read the rest