What do sailors do in November?

This is a difficult time for most sailors. Our boats are out of the water, sitting on the hard, and the weather is turning colder. Most of the leaves are off the trees, and we are waiting for the first snowfall of the season. The Buffalo snow belt already has been hit by Lake Effect snow, and the south-eastern area of Lake Ontario has also tasted it's first lake effect snow.

I am a fair-weather-friend. I would rather sit in the nice warm house then to venture outdoors in the cold damp breeze. I wore my winter coat and gloves yesterday just to take our dog Ernie for a short walk. I know what is ahead of us, and I'm not liking it. We try to get away to the south for a short break from the winter every year, but this year the economy is heavy on my mind. I have seen my 401K lose 1/3 of it's value, so just like many Americans, I feel I cannot afford a winter vacation this year.

So, I sit here at my trusty computer, working on website designs. I have just released a new version of the Lake Ontario Hunter Sailing Association website at www.lohsa.com, and it looks pretty good (in my opinion). I am almost finished with my son Jay's photography website at www.photopalmer.com and only waiting for new images to publish the new version. I am also working on a new website for the Genesee Yacht Club at www.geneseeyc.org. The present one is old and tired. The new one is exciting; easy to open and easy to find what you are looking for. I hope to get it up within a week or two.

All three websites are being developed using Microsoft Expression Web, which has replaced my old and not supported Microsoft FrontPage 2003. The learning curve is steep, but I am getting the grasp of the essentials. I wish I had a mentor here in Rochester to turn to with my many questions. Being self-taught, I have a DVD collection for learning Expression Web, and I have gone through 2/3 of it. But everything doesn't stick like it used to, and I find myself having to go over sections that I have already visited; again and again.

I would love to see a users group for Microsoft Expression Web in town. It would be a plus for everybody. I have a fellow Harris retired co-worker that is just beginning his Expression Web adventure. We meet about once a month with other ex-Harris guys at lunch, and talk about everything under the sun. Maybe this could be the start of a web designer group.

Anyway, I have really drifted off course on a sailing blog. But winter is coming, and what could be a better way to spend my non-sailing days. Stay warm my friends.