Let There Be Light and Soft Water and...

She said (actually she requested) “Let there be light … and soft water … and enough chairs at the kitchen table and ...” and there was. We may be off the boat, but David and his brother, Paul, have been up to their eyeballs in house projects. There always seems to be something to do and the guys have been busy. The kitchen lighting at the new house was the pits. Cathedral ceilings in the kitchen dispersed the light, which was already pretty anemic, making the lighting in the work areas shadowy and inadequate. Mary is a fan of the “industrial theme” and we chose lights (lots of them) that looked like inverted canning jars with brushed nickel trim and added vintage style LED bulbs. Since there were already light fixtures in place, the job of connecting them up was pretty straightforward other than the ceiling is about 12-14 feet high and required David's new super ladder to reach them. The result was bright, to say the least, and he's now thinking of adding a dimmer switch.

The water in the Las Vegas desert is hard, i.e. it contains lots of minerals, especially calcium and magnesium, which deposit and build up in pipes and eat away at sink fixtures. David did some research and was able to ascertain that on a scale where “1” is soft water, “2” is medium and “3” is hard water, Las Vegas' water is an 18. We needed a water softener to take care of the problem. We purchased one at Lowe's, the guys had it up and running in a day which included cutting into the incoming water main and then installing a drain for the regeneration outflow. There is a noticeable difference, especially in the shower. Soap actually lathers now.

The latest project was adding two pendant lights over the breakfast bar between the kitchen and family room which also provided more light over the sink. We kept with the industrial, brushed nickel theme and the result was awesome. This project was complicated by the fact that no lights existed in the area and thus new wiring for the lights and the switch had to be installed from the attic. Knowing me the way he does, David suggested that the girls find an outside diversion (go shopping) for the day while the guys tackled the light installation. Good thing because the mess was overwhelming. That said, the project was nearly done and the clean-up had begun when we returned home to find the lights in place and looking great.

Midst all the projects, we still find time to scour the local thrift shops and add to our home furnishings. We've added two dining room chairs, a sleeper-sofa and six new kitchen chairs plus a couple of lamps … all pre-owned and ridiculously priced. We also discovered a newly opened IKEA store on the west side of town and though we didn't purchase much, we got some great ideas.

It's time to start thinking about Nine of Cups again. Soon, we'll begin ordering boat parts and making our plans for heading back East at the beginning of September. Time flies when you're having fun.

Taking a breather...

Since we'll be off the boat during July and August, we plan to post only three times per week. The Captain will continue writing a practical Blue View post each week, we'll keep you up to date on what's happening with us and then throw in some cruising nuggets as well.

A reduced blog sched will give us a chance to put our writing efforts towards finishing up articles and books that are in process, make some progress on the much-delayed new website and, if possible, relax a little. We imagine the latter will take precedent. Just sayin' …

So enjoy the summer (or winter if you're down under) and be sure to check in with us frequently. We'll be back aboard in September to enjoy the prime sailing season in the Chesapeake.

A Severe Reprimand and an Open Apology

A disturbing incident occurred the other day and I thought I'd share it with you. I was frustrated with one of our vendors. I didn't think he was being very responsive and dealing with him ended up being quite inconvenient for us. Having owned our own small business for many years and having dealt with customers and their demands, I was disappointed in his level of customer service. When I called, the man with whom I'd been dealing was out. I talked instead with his partner and made my displeasure known. I do not think I was especially rude. I didn't raise my voice, but I did get my point across.

Well, she must have given her partner an earful because that evening I received a scathing e-mail from him in which he proceeded to call me all sorts of nasty names which included, but were not limited to, boastful, condescending, snide and a bully. He said I had upset his partner tremendously and then listed all of my transgressions. He demanded (yes, demanded) an immediate apology to his partner.

I picked up the email late at night and didn't sleep a wink after reading it. First, I was livid and once that passed I was left with a hollow feeling in my heart. I'm usually made of tougher stuff than this, but I think he was describing an ugly American, a stereotype we try hard to avoid, and it hurt me to the bone.

He continued by attacking our blog. “Both she and I would like to know if you consider her one of the third world people you mention on your blogs of Trinidad” and “Your schedule clearly has time to tour our lovely third world country, berating anything that is not good enough for you on your blog.”

Ouch! I went back and re-read the blogs. I didn't see anything that denigrated Trinidadian people nor did I ever use the phrase “third world people”. We didn't like one of the hotels we stayed at and were vocal about it. We were disappointed a couple of times in activities we'd chosen. I think we have the right to be disappointed and write about it.

After seething, I decided that responding immediately would be counter-productive and only add fuel to the fire. He'd only heard one side of the story and I think I had some valid complaints of my own to share. No matter, in order to get the job done and in the name of international relations, I called and apologized to his partner. I made no excuses ... just a straight-out, “I was wrong and I'm sincerely sorry if I upset you” apology. There was no graciousness or sincerity in her acceptance of my apology, only a reluctant “OK. Bye.” and a hang-up.

Once the work was completed (which turned out to be a very good job), the man who had sent the e-mail apologized to David and me. He said his response was not directed at me personally and he was sorry. I guess I need to chock it up to frustration on both sides or a bad day or an over-reaction. Whatever … it saddened me. I wish I could have discussed it more so that he saw my side of the story, but I felt it was best forgotten.

I am, however, sincerely apologetic to the woman who felt I bullied her or was condescending (and all those other things of which I was accused). Whether I intended it or not, if she felt it, I regret it. We have tried in the past 16 years, and all through our lives, to be respectful of all the people we meet, their culture and their countries. Sometimes I guess we fail, perhaps due to impatience, cultural differences or misunderstandings.

If you're a Trini and have been offended by our blogs about your beautiful country, we sincerely apologize. It was not our intent to be snide, nor condescending, nor rude, nor haughty. Our goal is to provide an honest picture of what we see, feel and experience in the places we visit.