...at 49 feet it is still just a boat

Well, we made it back from B.J.'s mother's side of the family get together weekend in Seattle.

I'm pretty tired right now, so I'm going to attempt to be short and sweet (ha ha ha).

On Saturday the family festivities began. We started out our day at Pike's market (I'll post pics later). Then it was on to the lake to take a cruise on N. and C's BIG A** BOAT: Oasis.

This is the 'boat' that they bought off of some NBA star, Walter Peyton. Ever heard of that guy? Guess the story goes that he owned the boat (formerly of the moniker: Glove) and got traded from the Seattle Super Sonics to some team in Boston (or somewhere East of the Cascades--do we even care what states are beyond that geographical boundary? No. I. Don't. Think. So._) thus making it logistically impossible to enjoy his boat. This is where N. (my father-in-law) and C. (his brother-in-law) purchase it. They change its name to "Oasis" and the rest is current history.

We get to the docks and expect to see a substantial sized boat. We didn't expect to see the bloomin' QE2

At this point in time my jaw does a half-gainer and crashes through the deck. I immediately turn into the country-bumpkin-poor-relation and GAWK shamelessly at this BIG A** BOAT. The picture I snapped as C. single handedly piloted this beast into the dock (truly, piloting a boat is an art form--especially the bigger they get----For a little perspective, B.J. and I had some difficulty landing and mooring our little 20' ski-boat....) scarcely shows its sheer size.

Absolutely breath-taking.

Once on-board we got underway for our little cruise through the lake around Mercer Island. The weather sucked--was somewhat chilly and it drizzled all day--however it was warm and dry inside the boat.

This is the most beautiful boat. I do believe its square footage is about 1.5 times the size of our cozy little home, and the amenities were most certainly much more luxurious than those at home.

It has 2 state rooms and one smaller room with bunks.

(This is just one of the state rooms)

Uh. Could I just move in, please? I've been a lot of places in this wide world, but truly, nowhere quite so fancy as this floating castle.

After while I went above decks onto what is called the flying bridge--essentially where one can pilot the boat from, well, the top of the boat. I was chit-chatting with C. while he captained away, pointing out the way cool sights along the lake (I'll post those pictures later) and I asked him:

"So, C., just how big does a boat have to be in order for it to be called a yacht?"

And C. replies, with a smile:

"To be called a yacht a boat has to be larger than 49' in length."

"Really?" I replied. "So, what is it called if it is, for instance, 48' long?"

"If it is 48' or 49' it is still just a boat." He said.

Uh. Yeah. A really big boat.

"So," I casually ask, "How big is the Oasis?"

"79'."

"So, it is more than just a big boat. It is a Yacht, right?"

"Yep."

Uh huh. And all the while I was just dying to ask what the mooring fees were for this BIG A** BOAT (even more so I was curious how many zeroes were in the purchase price)however, hick though I may be, even I decided to zip my lip because, well, it would be just too tacky to ask that. We Americans can talk about politics, abortion, gun control, bowel movements, but heaven forbid we bring up the taboo subject of money. No way Jose. So, I thought it best just to "not even go there."

All I do know is it is a beautiful boat. Let me correct myself; it is a beautiful YACHT. The whole afternoon I half expected to sit down and elbow Robin Leach and say to him, 'YO! Bro, quit bogarting the caviar and pass the Cristal.'

Who knew, we'd have our own day in the life of the 'Rich and Famous'.

I'll post more later. So much for being short and sweet.

Well, you knew that wasn't gonna happen, even if I didn't.