Of Stove Pipes and Chinese Lanterns ...

Life is busy, busy right now, folks! And it'll only get busier from here to the end of the year. There's a wintery peace that falls over me, after Christmas, and I'm eager for it this year.
Have you missed seeing boats? Yesterday while at the farmers' market, I noticed this interesting vessel bobbing at the town dock:

She's called Lapis, crewed alone by a French Canadian named Miguel. He was quite nice and invited me aboard.

I like all the windows on this boat. It gives a bright, friendly feel to the cabin. He's live-aboard (has been for about 6 years, I think he said, so he needs a good living space inside).

The greenery first caught me attention. He had several plant containers like this full of greens and herbs. He covers them when it's chilly at night.

Then he pointed to the front deck and said, "See my stove pipe?"

Yep, he has a woodstove in his catamaran cabin! Adam says this isn't too rare among boaters, but I'd never seen it before. He invited me below and allowed a photo of the cabin. He has a hanging basket of fruit, a cabinet of essential oils, a comfortable bed, wood stowed in the front, lots of cooking equipment. It was quite homey. I'll blow this photo up large so you can see it.

I wanted to take more photos, but didn't want to be annoying. He was kind and welcoming. There was a single burner for cooking. He doesn't have a boat cat, but he says he's willing to have a pet.
In the midst of our busy, sometimes stressful life, Adam brought me ~

I'm making progress.

Julia is enjoying a silly art project she found at Michael's store. Have you heard of "Wreck This Journal"? Each page has a silly instruction like: Drop this book from a high place, or Document your dinner on this page (with food samples), or Splash coffee on this page, or Rip this page out and throw it away.

Julia chose a Chinese city scene for this page. I love the lanterns.

This is my favorite page so far. The lanterns!

The pages together.

Julia and I made a bet that Philip would (my bet) or would not (her bet) remember the little yummy treat they used to make together in Statesville about 5 years ago. It's called a caterpillar: graham crackers with nutella slathered, topped with large marshmallows and baked in the oven till soft, with chocolate chips or M&Ms atop.
Oh yes, he remembered, immediately. That made her happy, but I won the bet! Haha -- so as a reward I get the B&W pictures above with the Chinese lanterns! Yay! I will preserve it. If it stays in that crazy journal, it's sure to die.
And last but not least, a picture of a crazy squirrel, hanging upside down by his feet with a pecan in his mouth.