What I Wouldn't Give for a Target...

What I wouldn’t give for a Target...

August 2

I admit it; I am totally spoiled by the ubiquitousness of Target and Wal-Mart in the US.  We’ve got this whole list of things--domestic things--that we need for the boat and nowhere to buy them.  I refuse to pay 18 Euroes (about $20) for a bath towel that I don’t even like simply because I am a captive audience in a not-very-big grocery store.  This situation is made worse by the fact that I want 4 of them.  We need a good bread knife and a couple of others, but again, I am not going to spend that kind of money and get an inferior product.

Part of the problem is that we’ve been in touristy areas which are not conducive to this kind of shopping and I can understand that, but since what we are doing is basically moving house, I need a Target or some sort of European equivalent.  The thing that’s irritating is that we had some of this stuff on Behan Street but it wasn’t practical to trek it with us.  I will feel much more at home once we’ve got the things in place that will make me feel like I live here rather than like I am camping.  I know we’ll get there, but being me I am impatient.

Max likes the boat but unfortunately has been seasick.  This would be pretty easy to deal with (I came fully prepared with lots of Bonine) except that I don’t think there is anyone on the planet more resistant to taking a pill than he is; he has constantly refused to take a Bonine, even wrapped in something.  I told him this morning that if he didn’t take it in a piece of banana that we were going to hold him down and I would put the pill in the back of his throat and stroke it like I used to do with Hobbs (my dog-of-my-life who died in 2004).  He didn’t like that idea at all, but I didn’t either.  Unfortunately by the time he took the pill it was too late and I think that he knows now that Bonine will be part of his breakfast for the next couple of days.  (In the evening:  I think he is convinced now.  Since it’s a beautiful night we are sailing through.  It’s nice and smooth but I managed to convince Max that if he took the Bonine BEFORE he needed it that he would have a much nicer evening than he might have otherwise--and guess what?  I was right!  I made omelettes for dinner and my plan was to do Max’s first since all he likes is cheese and then do one for the rest of us with more interesting stuff.  I put two eggs in Max’s and he inhaled it.  Then he wanted another cheese omelette!  I told him I’d share mine, and he ate about half of it.  Guess my plan worked...)

On the upside, though, everything I’ve read says that the first couple of days are the worst, so I am really hoping that is true.  The other thing we will do is get some of those patches that go behind the ears for him; we tried in Empuriabrava but they didn’t have any.  Once we get to Portugal, we’ll be in the harbor 90% of the time, but we don’t him to be miserable the other ten percent, obviously!

We are sailing along the east coast of Spain towards Gibraltar in the event you want to follow us.  Max is getting quite good at holding a course.  I am not getting any better at it, but I’m working on it.

Even though there are a lot of lines, they are hidden on deck so there is no chance of anyone tripping on them or their getting tangled, and even though we don’t have automatic furling, when you turn the winches the sails go up or down without anyone having to fold them and stow them.  That appeals to my sense of order and dislike of clutter!