Sitting inside the Francis Lee.  She's standing on Crolwey's Yacht Yard soil in Chicago, near the Calumet river and close to the Lake Michigan. This is where she stayed the past 6 months as we were in germany and this is where Bob worked for the past 2 months. The white fluffy seeds from the poplar trees growing nearby are gliding through the air. I can hear someone sanding a boat, heavy machinery, a crane stepping a mast. a forklift reversing, a train crossing the railroad bridge across the river with loud honking noises and right after it passed the creaking sound of that very same bridge lifting for a huge Great Lakes freighter to pass through.                                                                                                                                           The air smells of coal dust which also covers everything in this yard, sticking to hot sweaty skin. - Very industrial, you might say - and you are right. It is. But nevertheless we are back on the boat and living our life outside. And she is getting ready to be launched soon. Bob sanded her bottom - amongst countless other things he did on her and already applied 3 coats of paint (3 yesterday and 1 today) before the 2 coats of bottom paint can go on, protecting the bottom of the boat from any crawley creatures attaching to it. Unfortunately, due to the poor organisational skills of his boss, Bob's working on a customer's mast in the rig shop at the moment, even though he officially finished work as of June 1st. But it is extra cash and he's doing Dan a favour who is already freaked out and under immense pressure as it is.                                                                                          We both had a shower last night. not a conventional, of course. Cannot use our through hulls as we are not in the water yet. So to get some of that grime, paint and grease off you heat a saucepan of water on the propane stove, which is then taken into the head (bathroom). You wet yourself with the water, soap up and scrub really good until you have the colour of a lobster, then you use a little bowl and rinse it all off. It works!                                                                                                                                                    Been eating at 'Phil's Kastle' 2 x a day. Skipping one meal that way. It's a little diner run by Chris and her Greek boyfriend Phil. VERY standard food. Good people. They've been taking good care of Bob these days. Like a substitute family. We always seem to find those in every little and big town wherever we go. No way to cook in our galley yet.