SailingKnitter

JONESY AND THE NIKI WIKI

So here we are in our slip at the Brunswick Landing Marina. We're way down on the new Dock 15 which means that we can enjoy lovely views of the marshlands, sunsets, and all the birds. Oh, and watch the steam rise from the cellulose (pulp) mill up river.

The ShadeTree boat covers are in place and the A/C is running 24/7 to keep us cool from the Georgia summer heat. We know how to do this after 8 years in the tropics and actually it has been cooler here than it was anywhere else we've been. Being farther north does have it's advantages.

The downtown area of Brunswick is just a short walk from our boat. It's a sleepy little town that has seen better days. Back during World War II this town was busy building the large cargo "Liberty Ships" for the war effort. Over 3 years they built 99 ships! There sure must have been a lot of people and action around here in those years. It's kind of eerie to walk the streets as most of the old buildings are vacant, and the styles haven't been updated. I like it!

OLD CHUNK OF ROSIN

The other day one of our dock neighbors shared with me some rosin. He was out shrimping (which is what he does for a living) and the nets hauled in a mess 'a (that's southern speak) pine rosin from a site where a barge had sunk many, many years ago. Back in the early 1900's Brunswick produced products called "Ships' Stores". These were pine tar, rosin and turpentine made from the pitch of the numerous pine trees which grow here. So this yellow chunk may be almost 100 years old and is still good after spending time in a barrel on the sea floor!

Pine tar and rosin were important to ship builders and owners to prevent the wood from rotting. These days with most boats being made from steel or fiberglass, there's not much demand for pine tar. Now rosin is still used a little. I remember the small piece of rosin that I used to draw my horsehair violin bow across. It had such a great pine smell. In Brunswick there is still a factory which produces modern rosins, resins and other chemicals out of the pines. I'm having so much fun learning about the history of this area.

LOADING UP THE VAN

We have wheels! Jonesy put in a lot of research trying to find a used minivan for us (because they aren't very popular), but he did it! Yep, this is our 4th Dodge Caravan and no, it isn't white like the first 3 were. This one is silver. We have flipped all the rear seats down into their hidey holes in the floor and are getting it ready for our cross-country car-camping adventure.

Yep, we are leaving the boat all alone for a few months while we go-see-do from literally, coast-to-coast. Guess what? The cushions from our V-berth fit perfectly in the back of the van as our bed!

LINDA P. SOCKS #3 FOR KAZ

We didn't have to buy any foam or a mattress which saved us a lot of money. We are leaving early Thursday morning for our trip to see how many National Parks, Monuments, Historic places, etc. we can see before we arrive in Oregon.

In the meantime, there has been some local sight-seeing and knitting going on. We took a drive to nearby St. Simon Island and toured the Ft. Frederica National Monument. This was an English fort build in 1736 to fend off Spanish ships from this territory. There's not much remaining of the fort or all the houses which were there, but the site itself is beautiful.

VAL SOCKS #2 FOR KAZ

The knitting has been mostly simple socks knit with yarns donated by Linda P. and Val. Yes, there is a new sock design in the works but I can't share anything for months. Also finished recently was a pair of Socks for Soldiers olive drab socks. But I did cheat on these. Another group member sent me the ribbed legs already knit on her antique circular sock machine. I only had to pick up the stitches and work the heel, foot and toe. Again, easy and mindless knitting.

Yes, I have a large amount of donated sock yarn already in the van for our trip. What could be better than being driven through beautiful country, camping in natural places, and knitting socks?

Life is good.