My kids climb. There are days when I’m fairly certain Zoe has been upside down more than right side up. Kinsley spent a good portion of her infancy snuggled in baby carriers and must have grown used to the elevation. She’s been seeking out high places since she could move.

Located barely a five minute walk down the sidewalk is a small stone building with gold lettering announcing itself as the Constitution Museum. We walked past it half a dozen times on our way to and from the ferry and playground without more than a glance. Then one day it was pouring and a boots and raincoat walk was in order so we wandered to the museum, just to have a destination. Two hours later I had to convince the kids to leave with the promise that we would return again soon. A weekend family trip the past weekend was a success and we still have more to explore.

A floor, a lee cloth, all Kinsley needed was a bed. It took longer than expected for her mattress foam to arrive but it was worth it.

I ordered a custom sized piece of three inch medium density foam as the mattress. Thank you Amazon, you really do have everything. I had shopped around but couldn’t find better prices for the oddly shaped piece I needed. Zoe and Kins spent three days enjoying their new trampoline on the salon floor before I had a chance to cut it down and sew the cover for it. Boat challenge #127, severe lack of storage for large crafting materials.

Completing the platform for Kinsley’s bed was a good first step. Making her room kid safe was phase two. While I waited for the foam for her mattress to ship, I switched gears.

Kinsley, like every other two year old I have ever met, is a bundle of energy. Within the first week aboard she had managed to push through the pillow barrier on the v-berth she and Zoe have been sharing to fall three feet to the floor, head first. We’ve found a temporary solution for that area but knew, in planning her bedroom, the we needed something more permanent to limit the number of future swan dives.

We bought Goblin as a two bedroom, two bathroom boat. This past weekend was the right time to start our first major renovation, converting the forward head into a room for Kinsley.

Once the faucet was ripped out, Alex built a hardwood rail around the room at the same level as the vanity, to hold up the bed itself. Leveling anything on a boat in the water is just funny but it worked. Then came the fun of cutting the plywood for the platform itself. The board needed to be 40×40 from one corner, have a triangle cut away from another corner for the doorways, and still be able to be get into the room and onto the rails. The doorway is only 20 inches wide. Hello geometry class.

Even before moving on board, I knew there were two places I wanted memberships to, the aquarium and the science museum. I wanted to be sure we had air conditioning to escape to in the summer and warmth and dry for the winter. The aquarium was such a hit, I decided to go ahead and try out our second choice as well.

The crew page finally contains content. Enjoy.

One of the things I am coming to love about Goblin is how much storage space she has. Deep compartments under the settee and kitchen counters, long boxy storage under the beds, small drawers and cabinets all over. One thing I’ve been missing though is a drop zone. I’m sure you have one, though you call it something else. It’s that place to toss keys, wallet, and glasses when you come in the door, as well as to pile the things you need to remember to grab when running out, the letters to put out in the mailbox, library card, that kind of thing. For me, kitchen counters have been my drop zone. I’ve tried tables by the door or making a habit of putting my bag down in the same place but I have consistently returned to the kitchen counter.

“What are you going to do about your cats?”

I heard this question over and over while we were preparing to move onto Goblin. My answer has always been the same. Our plan is to move them aboard and see how they do. As of three weeks in, both Peter and Wendy are very pleased with life as marina cats.

I am not a city girl.  Friends will talk about how there’s so much to do, great food, public transportation, variety. Yup, I’m still not a city girl. I love the woods, I love sending my kids out into the yard to play while I cook dinner. I love looking up at the stars, noting how loud the peeper frogs are at night, and waking up to the neighbor’s chickens. Not a city girl.