Updates 2015 It

Updates 2015 It's been great being back in San Francisco. I've been able to visit my mother and help her with several health problems (dementia and falling). At 88 years old, she's doing fairly well, but it is always a concern.

Pat has been working at a mine in Nevada at the beginning of the year. He accepted a 3 month project in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa, and will be finishing at the end of October. It's been hard on us being apart, but we will have two opportunities to meet in Europe.

Armand is in Arcata, northern California and is busy working and enjoying the great outdoors. Isabelle and Niko are finishing their one year assignment in Kabul, Afghanistan in September, and are preparing for their next assignment with USAID in Dakar, Senegal. Isabelle and Armand pictured below in France, July.

Niko and Isabelle in Thailand this year:

Pat is gearing up for retirement by early spring 2016. He's been dreaming of getting another sailboat for more adventures. He looked at a couple before deciding on one located in Ventura, CA. It is a 1994 45 ft. Catalina Morgan. It needs additional equipment and of course a makeover....sigh. Initial work we had done in Ventura : new sailcovers, cockpit cushions, reupholstered interior cushions, fabrication of sail cradle and work on the genoa. We hired a lettering artist and had the black stripe replaced with a blue one, and renamed the boat from Black Opal to "Cosmos". We had a captain sail the boat to Coral Marina in Ensenada where we plan to work on it. Our next base will be San Diego since it will be easy to visit the boat. Here's a couple of photos; I hope to start a blog next year of our new adventures. Can't wait to sail...and fish!