Visitors from Texas

Blog Post March 18, 2014

What a fun last 6 weeks.

1.      February our doctor and wife from Sherman came for a 9 day visit.  Dr. Grant Craig and wife Kathleen (Kat) were wonderful guests.  So easy to get along with and it was hard to keep them from working.  Dr. Craig wanted to keep Don busy and Don tried to tell him that he was retired and on vacation, but Dr. Craig did insist on helping Don weld some gates.  We went to the rain forest, Old San Juan and rode the ferry to Culebra and went to the famous Flemco beach.  We also took our first sailing trip since our wreck to Salinas.   Sad to see them go home. 

2.     March our good friends Jerry and Jeri Fuller came for a 7 day visit.

Jerry was a fireman with Don for over 20 years and great buddies.  We all had a blast.  We went to the Caves, went to Culebra and Flemco beach.  On our way home we went to the rain forest.  Don and I have tried to see Briton at least 4 times and it has been raining, closed or too late each time we have gone.  This time we made it.  It was only .8 miles up and .8 miles down, but to me it seemed like miles and miles.  We all did excellent straight up the mountain.  I felt like I had really accomplished something!!!!!!!!!!The lookout tower proved to be well worth the pain of climbing the mountain.  Loved it all!  We are missing  you  tonight as I write this note..                               

3.     Now we are looking forward to our next visitors.  April we will enjoy Dons relatives from Norway. Helge and Ann Berit Flostrand will be with us for 11 days.

4.     One day before Helge and Ann Berit leave our daughter Holly and family will arrive and stay 7 days.

5.     We look forward to May 27 when Don’s brother, Ralph and family will arrive from Iowa for 7 days.

6.     AND last, but not least we get to be in TEXAS in June.

More later from Plane to Sea adventures!!!!!!

Update 2013

Blog Post February, 28, 2014

New Year!....... maybe I’ll post more.

After catching you up in January about last year until April, I will begin in May, 2013.

Went to Texas in April and May and came back to PR in June.  Don was delayed a bit and he came back to PR in July.  We both separately and together had a wonderful trip back home. 

We started working on the house again after two months off.  It felt good to take alitttle break we needed that break I assure you.

Sailboats continued to come into the Puerto Patillas and we invited many of them into our home for a visit and a meal. It is so much fun to visit about everyone’s adventures.

In August our daughter, Holly and family came to visit us.  Maddy and Hannah were so cute playing in the water.  Hannah loved the dinghy, but not so much for Maddy.

In early November all my girlfriends from Texas that I have been friends with for 42 years came for a week.   Boy did we have fun.  Had two ladies come to our house to do manicures and massages. Fun time by all.

In November we had two different boats, which had single handed sailors.  We invited them in for internet and a meal.  They were both from the States and headed in two opposite directions.  We had 20 people at our home for Thanksgiving Day.  A really wonderful time! We had two sailors and the rest friends from Salinas.

We stayed in PR for Christmas, but we hope never again, we missed our families too much and Texas also.  We made it thru and on Christmas Day we were invited back down to Salinas for a big Christmas dinner.  It was pot luck and very good.   Beautiful day!

Until next time,

Don and Janis Furness

s/v Plane to Sea

Patillas, Puerto Rico

Blog post January, 2014

Since August, 2012 until February, 2013 we lived on our sailboat in Salinas, PR.  We went home for Christmas, 2012 for 3 weeks.  Then in February we moved.   The story below:

Plane to Sea is in Patillas, Puerto Rico.  Don and I bought a vacation home on the ocean, on the South side of PR back in late February, 2013.  We had not planned to buy a casa in the Caribbean anywhere. Plans changed and so do people.

While in Salinas, PR working on our boat, we met some very nice people from PR.  They took us all over the place.  One day we were driving on Hwy 3 and ended up at Kevin’s Bar and Grill to have a cold one, which is located by the ocean in Patillas.  When we left we went down the road beside the bar to see the ocean.  Low and behold here was this house right on the water (literally).  It had a big for sale sign and guess what?????  The bank, who owned the house and the Realtor were standing out front.  Our 2^ndmost fortunate day in the past year.  The month was October, 2012.  They let us see inside and we liked what we saw.  They told us that someone else had already placed a bid with the bank, but we could place one too, if we liked.  So we did right there on the spot.  Nothing happened between October and January, so we had virtually forgotten about it all.  Then late January, 2013 the realtor called and ask us if we were still interested in the Patillas property, we say WHAT?  Then as they explained we remembered and said of course we are.  The realtor told us the bank would be calling us that afternoon with details.  Two days later we were in Ponce putting our down payment on the table.  Two weeks later in February we owed a casa in Puerto Rico.

Much work was to be done on the outside and inside.  So we began by bringing our boat to Puerto Patillas bay.  It has one big reef and two smaller ones, so it is a great place to anchor our boat right outside our back door.  Another blessing!!!!

The Work Began!!!

Friends from sailing stopped by and they helped us off and on for several weeks.  This was such a fun time being with them and starting a new adventure and chapter in our lives.  Dave and Linda were starting a new adventure as well, as they were on there way back to California to be landlubbers once again and to arrive with a new grand baby (daughter) to spoil.

Until next time,

Don and Janis

Plane to Sea

January 21, 2013

Dear Bloggers:

"WOW time flies and I walk."  A very good friend of ours once said this to a teacher in my high school in Whitewright, and  if I remember correctly he was marched to the office.  But how true this is in our lives.  We have to enjoy every second, because time is just gone and you cant find it again.  Don and I have been in Puerto Rico since April 13th and it has truly been a blessing, but boy, time has flown by. 

As we finish up our boat, we have been talking a lot about all that we have been fortunate to see here in Puerto Rico.  It is a great small country and the people seem to be proud that they live here.  They seem truly happy! And they have wanted to know how our experience has been in the PR.  We went to a festival yesterday and so many people stopped us and ask, "how do you like PR and what do you think of our festival". They really care.  It has been a real pleasure to have visited PR and I hope if you haven't been here, that you will make an effort to visit this lovely country.  No passport needed!!!!!!!! If you think I'm promoting the PR, well I am!  Free and clear! And when you visit here, remember you are on Island Time and you will do just fine.

A few weeks ago we drove down to a little town called Patillas.  We had heard they had a beautiful little lake and we wanted to see it.  It was so quaint and pretty, no boats allowed, no swimming allowed, because it is where the water comes from for the small town.  We drove into the mountains and on the way back down we picked up a young boy and girl that were walking to town.  About 7 miles.  They didn't speak any English, so I used my IPad to translate my English into Spanish and then she used it to translate back.  They were such sweet kids, around 15 years old.  I can't imagine having to walk back home, it would be straight up hill. 

  

Well, I'll close for now.

Until next time......

Don and Janis

s/v Plane to Sea

December 10,2012

Hi bloggers,  we made it to TEXAS!  So glad to be home with family. Have already seen:  brother, (Joe and Jan); my nephew and wife and one great nephew (Brandon, Wendy and Clint); our son and wife (Justin and Brandi); our son (Jeremy) and two grandsons (Collin and Hunter) and Justin's daughter(our granddaughter Makensey) Our daughter and son n law and 2 granddaughters will be here Sunday for a week. What fun!  We even had a snow dusting Sunday night, just to welcome us home. We will be going back to our boat in Salinas on December 31st. Stay posted for sailing adventures to come.

October 28, 2012

Hi bloggers:  welcome back to P2S Adventures. Since the last post we have been working, swimming and shopping! Mostly all FUN. Yes, we are still in Salinas, PR. Our dodger, Bimini, and 2nd Bimini are all finished. Now it's on to the sail cover and screens. I talked to Maryann ( our cushions ) and she said they would be ready this week. She finished two of the small for a sneak peak. Love them!  

October 1, 2012

Dear Bloggers,

Welcome back to “Plane to Sea” Adventures.

What a great couple of weeks.  We got our window covers made and installed.  Oh how we love them!  The dodger frame was completed and the dodger cover was made and installed.  The dodger window pattern was made and is now ready to install the isinglass.  Bimini will be next.

Also, Maryann the lady making our new outdoor cushions came to make the pattern for our seating.  We are using white vinyl and black sunbrella.  I made the design for the top of each cushion.  Can’t wait!

We are moving along very nicely on the remodel of our boat.  I painted our countertops and they look refreshed.  We also laid new flooring in the head. 

See our Manatee?  His name is Baby and he visits us every day at our boat, his favorite food is lettuce.

See ya next time,

Don and Janis s/v Plane to Sea

We are hoping for an early November departure, headed to Vieques and Culebra.  We need to be in St. Thomas no later than December 12^th to fly to Texas for Christmas.  But you know how plans are on a sailboat. “They don’t exist.”