Living on the water, I think I'm staying

Long time between updates but there isn't a lot to talk about that is new.  I'm settling in and living my life!  It's still cluttery, despite my 'best' efforts.  Slowly but surely things are being put in the 'get donated' or 'place in storage' and as I move things around it's starting to feel more like home.

Today is just beautiful, it's not raining and the sun is out!  Part of adjusting to Seattle is the lack of sun and the past week or two has been rough.  Today we were sitting out on the back 'porch' and now I've got the windows open and am enjoying the mild Seattle fall.

I've managed to cook a bit on my tiny stove!  I got one of those meal delivery services, but I can't get the pre-made meals since no microwave, and reheating in the toaster oven is kind of slow.  I've cooked twice now and it seems viable.  This weekend is the 'clean out all the stuff in the fridge that you know you're not going to use' (possibly) and using a service like this will save room there too.

A big question at this point would be 'what is different than if you just got a condo', and I think being on the water itself is my favorite difference.  The gentle (sometimes) rocking of the boat is nice, but, after I got used to it, being on the water is a real selling point for living on a houseboat.  The things I miss are more that this place is super small than where it is or what kind of dwelling.  I think a few changes, like maybe a dishwasher, would fix my challenges inside, or maybe I just look for a bigger one in a few years.  I do think I've fallen in love with living on the water.  

Now that all being said, I still haven't had a *huge* storm (though there was a big one it didn't get that rough) and I haven't done a whole winter here, so I still reserve the right to change my mind next spring.  But if you asked me today, I'm not going anywhere :)

My neighbors are back! And more about hulls

My neighbors went into dry dock in late August, so just a week or so after I moved in.  They finally came back!

They did a bunch of work on their boat, and it looks awesome!  They had their roof redone with railings (so stealing their ideas later) and a new aluminum hull.  I so want that hull... It looks awesome but it took a long long time.  I did get a chance to talk to the people who did all of the work, they are absolutely going to be the people I use when it's time.  I also got an idea of how much the hull alone will be.... yah need to save my pennies.

I'll admit though, seeing their place makes me want to add the master on the roof and get the new hull right about now instead of waiting.  I can't afford it right now, but that is the dream!

Speaking of hulls, why am I so excited about their hull?  I mentioned when we got this inspected that my hull will only last about 10 more years due to some moisture damage.  General consensus is that Aluminum hulls are the best.  The Pro's include not having to haul the boat out of the water every three years to be cleaned and repainted (about 5k process), along with being more sturdy and less prone to tipping.

These hulls are expensive, more than I can save in those 10 years, though I can make a big dent in the cost.  I would combine this with the 120 sq foot expansion I'm allowed by law and get it done all at once.  I'm already mentally rearranging things here, which is dangerous.  I can't afford to refinance already or take out a second to get the work done.  I just need to wait.

Back from Vacation and to my Boat -- wow it's cold!

I just spent 10 days in Florida enjoying family, sunshine, and parks.  I'm super tired and adjusting to fog and rain and cooler days.  Now it's time to keep working on organizing my houseboat and getting ready for my first winter on the lake!

The first problem to solve is heat.  There are a few in wall heaters (required by law) but they specifically say I can't have anything near them for safety reasons.  This is a problem, so the only one I can actually use is in the bathroom.  So far I am using that and two stand alone heaters, but I think I'm going to get an oil radiator heater too.

I am lucky that my bedroom can be closed off so it's a lot easier to heat.  It also has only two small windows and I installed curtains along the bed so it's easier to keep it warm.  If I get all of my stuff into my bedroom or bathroom I can get ready for the day and leave without entering the larger part of the house.  So far so good!  I am having electric challenges with the heaters and other appliances, specifically my electric tea kettle, but it's all workable.  I'm just going to have to get a low power one or break down and get a stovetop tea kettle.

What is next?  Now that I don't need shorts anymore, I need to swap out winter/summer stuff from storage.  I'm still looking for more space saving/organisation solutions and eventually hook up with a boat handyman guy to see if I can get some shelves installed and possibly some other things.

Update! Rain on a Boat!

I know it's been a few weeks, work is crazy, I had a birthday and I'm finally getting settled and used to living on a boat!

I managed to get into a state where I just couldn't deal anymore.  Too many boxes, too much stuff and I couldn't get a handle on it.  So two wonderful people came to my rescue and cleaned up, unpacked and got my house in a much more manageable state.  Now people can actually sit on my couch!  You can walk through and not have to dodge around all of the stuff!

I also got curtains and a second shower curtain.  The way this place is set up people enter into the bathroom.  I had mild anxiety about someone coming to the door while I was peeing, so now there is a second shower curtain to give privacy!  Also my bed is between that door and the living room, so I got curtains made to hide the bed! Now I don't have to feel bad about not making the bed (note just making the bed wasn't an option I considered).

Curtains in front of my mattress

Shower curtain in front of the head

The other thing I have been doing is listening to the rain.  It is so super peaceful, especially when there isn't any wind.

Lazy Sunday on a Houseboat

Had lots of people asking how things are on the houseboat.  The answer I give is 'cluttered'.  I'm slowly unpacking but it is really amazing how much stuff I still have!  The end is in sight though, I"m getting down to the last sets of boxes so hopefully I can start having people over soon.

It is a beautiful day in Seattle, we've had rain and wind but today is amazing.  Friday night was my first real storm and while it was tippy it wasn't too bad. 

Happy Puppy enjoying the sun

The advantage of having 353 square feet is that it's relatively easy to clean :) today I'm working on the kitchen, cleaning the counter, putting dishes away and trying to organize all the things.  I have put in my first 'tiny house' functionality with hooks to hold mugs.

Mugs and Instant Pot rings

I may have found a boat handyman person, he is going to try to get over this week to start giving me estimates.  I have a laundry list of things, but once I know the cost I can start deciding.  The biggest thing is some shelving, modifying the bed and moving the hot water tank to under the bed so I have more space in my closet.  Oh I need more shelves, so may shelves.

Beginning automation

I have mixed feelings about home automation.  Part of me wants to automate *all the things!!* but the other part of me wants privacy and doesn't necessarily trust all of these companies who want me to install an app to use their individual automation items.

I do trust Alexa and Amazon's security, as long as I am not a dumbass.  I am also limited by 30 amps, and while modern automation technology doesn't use a ton of power when compared to the AC or a heater, it does add up.

I have had an Alexa since the first pre-sale, and I love it.  Yes it listens, yes by activating different 'skills' I am enabling whoever wrote those skills access.  I do limit what skills I use and currently it is only automation it is hooked up to is the Roomba (because how cool is that??) and the door lock.

I started with August's third generation lock.  When considering automated locks I very much wanted to make sure that a key would work in case everything dies.  A friend told me the horror stories about how someone couldn't leave their house because the firmware was updating.  True or not, it makes a good point.  My lock does not replace the deadbolt, it just turns it.  It works with Bluetooth and Wifi and it physically turns the deadbolt.  I also have a keypad so I can give someone one time access, or for the same friend mentioned above, this way he doesn't have to download an app. So far I'm happy with it. 

Back in SD I was automating all the things, here I'm going to take a bit more time and be a bit more discerning when adding things.  I haven't done lights yet, I keep going back and forth on Philips.  I don't think motion detectors are going to be useful since my neighbors and wildlife is so close.  I don't have central heating or AC so that isn't possible to automate. I may consider blinds depending on price and amount of power used.

The one thing I do want to get is humidity sensors, even if they don't integrate with Alexa.  I want to put sensors all over the hull with a way for them to report to me the humidity levels down there.  That isn't automation as much as early warning on possible damage.  I also need to put timers on big appliances, though I go back and forth on if those should be good old fashioned timers or something fancy.  Either way many less automation opportunities and I'm surprisingly ok with that.

Goodbye Summer -- here comes the long dark

It's raining, and the forecast says it may do this all week.  You'd think the whole 'living in Seattle' thing would not make this a sad thing, but it is.  It is a mixed feeling this year however, so that is an improvement.  Summer is over and now we have the slow decent into cold, dark, and dreary.

I spent most of my adult life in San Diego, and it just doesn't rain much down there.  I was concerned moving up to Seattle that the long dark winters would be detrimental to my mental well being.  I've made it through three of them so far, and while they're not easy I can deal.  I do mourn a bit in September every year.

See there is nothing more amazing than Summer in Washington.  It doesn't get too hot (though hotter than it used to, I insist on AC), the days are gloriously long, maybe 8 hours of darkness, it is amazing.  The summers are why I've decided to buy in WA.  But something that amazing must be paid for, and oh do we.

Our winters are relatively mild, snow is rare (first winter I was here didn't didn't even snow once), while it gets cold it doesn't get *cold*.  I went to college in Utah and grew up in New England, I know cold,  it doesn't get that cold here.  But we are lucky to get 8 hours of daylight, it's overcast for a good majority of the time and it is just depressing.

So I sit here on my houseboat listening to the rain.  I think this winter will be at least a little bit different.  Being on the water will make storms much more exciting, and it will probably be a bit colder, but the sound of rain on the boat is very soothing.  Sitting on my couch with my dog listening to the rain is something that I have found I enjoy. 

I need an oil heater, I'll dig out my winter clothes and the fuzzy socks will get used.  Heating the boat will be interesting but I think I can deal.  Getting things from the car to the boat might be a challenge, but I have a cart and I'm already getting groceries from Instacart so I think I'll be ok.  I am going to need to decide what to do with the plants (and make sure that any I bring inside are not harboring spiders) and bring in the ones that won't make it through the winter along with securing the ones that can't come inside, Mr Japanese Maple I am looking at you.

So I will begin my winterization of the houseboat, try to finish unpacking and getting everything ready for the long dark.  But tonight I will listen to the rain on the roof and mourn the long warm days of summer.