Basten Family Blog-Grace of the James

We have been trying to stay warm and enjoying all the wonderful gifts of our lives (our beautiful little girls and their wonderful grandparents not to mention all the aunts and uncles). Living on the Banks of the James also allows us to enjoy her in all her splendor as well. The ice broke up about three weeks ago and we were able to take the girls out on their first Batteau ride of the New Year. The boat is doing well however we are hauling a lot of extra weight in ice (about 2” thick in the bilge of the boat). I’m not sure how the Batteaumen of bygone era dealt with this problem, but I think I am going to take care of it with a ball-pien hammer. Katy and I are so excited about the approaching 24th annual Batteau Festival, we can barely stand it. Katy, like me, has realized after last years trip how big of a deal the Batteaux and all of you are to us. We can’t wait to see you on the river. We anxiously watch the days slide by, counting the months as if they were hours and the minutes as if they were seconds, like a small child waiting for Christmas morning. Will it ever get here?