The Pink Flamingo in Arizona

Finally some decent pictures!!  Mainly because our friend Gene was in town and he actually knows how to use a camera.  And he had a wide angle lens along which greatly helps in the small space.  We’ve been in the water for 6 months now and met some great friends at the marina.  The Pink Flamingo is the preferred boat to pile on and go for a later afternoon and sunset cruise.  Partially because of the large top deck it has for a 34 footer and probably partially because I’ll stay sober sometimes to drive.

But either way I must say I’m pretty impressed with what we have been able to do with it over the years.  I don’t know if I ever want to tackle a project like this again and I know I’ll never ever get remotely close to what I have invested in it.  But for us it’s perfect.

The queen size bed is so much nicer than the twin or futon that I slept on for 10 years.  The huge upper top deck has plenty of room to move around on and it’s not crowded even with a dozen or more people up there.  The swim platform is awesome being able to lower it down since much of out time is spent in the marina.  Dixie will swim and fetch the ball off it where before she wouldn’t jump in the 10″ off the old platform.  It has also become known as “The Pool” and tends to open up when the bar at the marina closes down a 9 p.m. in the summer and it’s still 100+ out.  We have the dual reclining sofa if someone stays over or plenty of room up top to pitch a tent or throw down a mattress.  Plus not having a separate spare bedroom means we don’t have guests staying every weekend.  And best of all we have the room of a 45 or 50 footer but get to fit it in a 40 foot slip saving a few hundred a month.  And also important in Arizona is the marine air that can keep the bottom half nice and cool in the 115 temps.

I’ve lost track of how many people have come aboard and been amazed at how nice it is for a boat, especially one that is 40+ years old.  We often here the “Damb, this is nicer than my house” comments from guests.  Granted they must not be looking too close at things because I’ll admit I’m not master carpenter especially when it comes to trim work.

I can’t thank enough all of the people who have help or inspired me with this.  Although I many times cursed out Steve who had originally made his Chris Craft larger or Jimmy who cut my railings off and started the ball rolling.  It’s been a once in a lifetime experience to say the least and looking forward to the second half of our lives on The Pink Flamingo.