More waiting ... more heat ugh!

November 6, Friday

So we are waiting for ANOTHER part...the one we got to cover the shaft where it was scored is too small so we need an extra one. In the meantime we are painting the boat decks white. OMG what a difference! It drops the temperature by about 10 degrees in the boat...covering up the primer finally and getting a reflective white paint to deflect the sun.

I know that you guys are getting colder up here and I am finally going to admit this heat is really getting to me. It is abnormally hot here... everyone is complaining about it!  We are starting to work at 6 am just so we can do it without passing out !

Yesterday was a surprise!  Joe and Yvonne stopped by to see us n their way to their boat in Okeechobee. It was nice to see familiar faces!  And just as they were leaving Gail and Mark called us to say they were starting out for their boat! Quentin will be losing his friend tomorrow or Sunday...Daniel and his family are heading over to the Abacos and Hopetown, so he won't see them until we get over there and only if they head down to Georgetown. So he has the day off today from school so he can spend the time with Dan. He's helping them get the boat ready... good practise for when it's our turn.

Yvonne gave me some good shopping tips for Ft. Pierce...places that I hadn't discovered yet.

Today is going to be clean up the inside and re-pack the sail locker and the workshop.  Our goal is to get everything done so the last thing we need to do before we launch is assemble the prop shaft.

Not much news today. I'm sitting in Wendy's parking lot using their internet...not too stable right now, so I'm going back to the boat. I've checked email and sent some messages. So ttyl...stay warm J

Whaddya mean it's November?!?!

November 4

OMG - one month away from Christmas and we are still stuck in Florida!!!

Sorry, I've been slack here but things are heating up literally and its taking longer than we ever expected to get off the land. Hopefully we can be in the water by the weekend. For some reason Rick is dragging his feet...not sure what that's about except that we are still waiting to find out if our dinghy motor will live and I suspect that's what's taking so long.

If you caught Liz's message on facebook re: Quentin and his focus, I had said that he could go back to Canada next year and re-do grade 10. Liz's comment was that he could leave paradise now and go home to do it.

Let me be clear: THIS IS NOT PARADISE!!! 

·         It is 239 +/- steps from the boat to the bathroom...one way. How far do you have to walk to YOUR bathroom?

·          Lots of times there is a wait time of 10-15 minutes before someone in there finishes their cigarette, their book or simply wakes up. 

·         Does the expression "Crapped a cow" hold any meaning for you?  The bathrooms are revolting at the best of times

·          You cannot drink the water. It is so sulphur-y that it is hard to believe we don't smell like rotten eggs after we shower.

·         The freaking trains are unbelievable. We compare notes in the morning as to how many times we heard them. I think engineers here get to pick their own horns and they hold contests to see who can blow it the loudest and longest!

·         The dust in the yard is a combination of limestone and shells. There is the constant feeling of grit in your teeth, in your hair, in your eyes, in your ears...

·         We are buried in the back of the yard and all the other boats around us block the wind so there is no breeze that reaches us in the boat.

I think if it weren't for his friends he might have opted to go home already...I know I've been considering it!!

Hallowe'en [I don't care what your computer tells you...this IS the right spelling] worked out better than I expected. Quentin wanted to go trick or treating with Daniel and Pace, and their parents were fine with it. I was a little iffy since he is 5'6" and doesn't look like a little kid but that's me.... so I had a brain wave!  We dressed him up in his ordinary clothes, including socks and a tie. Put on some nerdy glasses frames and I made him up a name tag that said he was from Statistics Canada, and he carried a clipboard. His question was: At what age should kids give up 'trick-or-treating'?  Brilliant, right?  He didn't look like he was begging for candy but he got a good haul anyway: some people recognized that he was a nerd right away; some people even had a name for him!! The only problem was everyone wanted to talk to him and he was holding up Pace and Daniel!!

Sunday night we decided to go back to the Steak and Shake because I was too tired from working to cook, and it is still stupid hot here.  We took Daniel with us and then stopped at the Carnival...good move. Quentin and Daniel each got to ride all the rides and we didn't have to! They were on the assorted shake-up machines for about 2 hours and we just sat on the grass and watched the world go by! The toughest part was getting back on our feet!

This morning we were up at 5:30 and by 6:00 a.m. I was painting the decks. Rick got up and helped and then Quentin came out and we got it done by 8:00 a.m.

The parts arrived for the drive and Rick is taking them up to a machine shop today to have the bearings pressed on and then we can re-assemble it and try it out.  MY worst job is to try to re-organize all the stuff we have on the boat that has to stay there. I am putting most of the cold weather clothes in the van and they will be ready for us when we get back next year but not take up so much space.

So, time to go and find him. He went out to the van 20 minutes ago to get a chocolate bar and hasn't returned yet. I think Daniel is upstairs working and that's where he's gone. I need a leash! ttyl

The nerd but you can't see the socks!

Swimming again

The new toy

A stormy day ... too rough to swim

Friday Oct 30...oh,no Hallowe'en is tomorrow

So, I might have been a little hasty in my assessment of our neighbour. According to his mechanic he was a high ranking officer with the military and is used to talking to people that way. I can't see it winning him friends, and maybe he wasn't paid very well [state of his boat] so that's why he's pissy, or maybe he's missing his meds. One day nice, next day not so...anyway, he did warn us that one of our other neighbours had an infestation of termites, so we should watch out for them. He actually smiled and said hello today, and joked that we shouldn't work so hard. [We were sitting under the boat having a break]. I'll stand down for a few days and see how we progress.

Yesterday was NOT a good day for problem solving. It took me 3 hours to do a month's worth of laundry and I had nothing but issues with the change machine and the washing machines that I picked to use. There must be 30 machines in the place and the 3 that I chose all gave me a hard time!  We went to Goodwill to find Quentin some shorts that he could paint in and not worry about them. We couldn't find any crappy ones, just really nice ones, so he will just have to be careful...for $1.50 do I care???

Last night we went to a Steak and Shake for dinner. We went to the beach in the afternoon. It is still hot here and by the time we got back we had to get ice and milk and bread, so we just changed and went out. We were going to go to Ihop but it was a long way away, and we decided to go to a Cracker Barrel instead...better food and more vegetables, but we saw a sign for Steak and Shake All meals under $4.00. How can you not???

It is basically a fast food place with attitude!  But the choices!!! I had a taco salad that was amazing! Rick and Quentin had burgers that were great according to them. The fries were iffy...shoe string like McD's, but the shakes were...anything you can imagine! Quentin had a Reese's peanut butter shake! Not the healthiest but mine was dark chocolate...that's good for you, right?! You can also get spaghetti, chili and chicken there. Good thing we didn't find it when Todd and Tasha were here, although it would have been cheaper than some of the places we went!!

On the way back to the boat, we passed our favourite ice-cream place and noticed that there was a carnival midway set up in the park next to it. Of course, in the dark it looked pretty spectacular, so we told Quentin we would go back there tonight and check it out.

But this afternoon we need to pick up the starboard and get the back deck repaired...I feel like I am living in the twilight zone or an alternate universe! I can see the universe I want to be in but I can't break through the barrier!!   Sigh!  OK, Sue, I know... the universe never sends you more than you can handle but, really, is there no end to the testing??   Acronym for boat ...Break Out Another Thousand

Wednesday Oct 28...getting a little crazy here

Wednesday Oct. 28

I probably shouldn't be writing this but I can't believe that it actually happened!

The boat behind us was being moved out to the water. The "boys" from Jersey came down to get it ready for "Ma" so she can spend the winter at the dock in warmth and comfort rather than the winter up north. These guys were hilarious although I'm sure they didn't mean to be! They spent the whole three days talking to "Ma" as if she were a mob mother. They were loud, and sounded almost like they were rehearing lines.  They bickered with each other and complained about doing the work. One of them offered us a grand to paint the boat. [We were painting our bottom at the time] They were pleasant enough and funny although the "F" word surfaced once in a while. [They reminded me of "The Goonies", but they reminded Rick of "Married to the Mob"

On the second day while they were resting with all their picnic stuff on the staircase of the monster boat beside them, the guy who owned the boat came roaring up in his super-truck, leapt out and said, "What the hell?  Get that shit the "F" off my stairs" [Rick helped him and the yard workers move this staircase into place a few days before.]

They all jumped up and apologized all over the place. He wandered around muttering, and one of the 'boys', Danny, tried to introduce the family and explain that they didn't mean any harm; they were just trying to stay cool.

Everybody wandered off and nothing more was said.

Yesterday, "Supertruck" came back and said to us, "Ok if I unplug you and plug into the line?"

Rick hesitated and was trying to process what he meant, and said, "Yeah, but I'm not sure my cords have enough power..."

The man said, "Well, then, how about I unplug you and take my cord since the grey one is my cord anyway, and you won't have ANY power?" 

He stomped off [as much as you can stomp through a gravel pit] and as he walked away, he said, "Are you staying on your boat?" I hollered "Yes" right away. [Rick has a hearing/speed-processing problem apparently]

He came back and said, "I'm running a low-voltage fridge - that's all."  He left.

We just looked at each other WTF?

Last night his mechanic from Massachusetts arrived and along with another person [a marina upholsterer] he met on the bus, he went onto this boat. The owner must have seen them arrive because he was right behind them, scrambled up the staircase and said, "You", to the upholsterer," get the "F" off my boat!" and to the mechanic, "You have no right bringing anyone on my boat. You're here to do job."

His truck sports a license plate that says POW - MIA ...too bad somebody found him!  Sorry, Dan, I probably shouldn't have said that but I have NEVER met anyone so arrogant, rude, and just pain ignorant...and he has kids!! Can't imagine how they'll turn out!!  

I sure hope the mechanic is making bazillion dollars 'cause I sure wouldn't work for him!  And the next time he says something to us, he's going to get an earful from me about his attitude.

SO... the dinghy motor prop is broken and not fixable. We can buy a new one but first we need to see if our 30 year old motor is worth fixing...that's Rick's job today, along with securing the bearings for the drive unit.

I painted the back deck and got the non-skid on it yesterday before it rained. Today we expect more rain so tomorrow we may go up to St. Augustine to find the rest of the parts we need so we can GET OUT OF HERE!!!

Oh yeah, and now that the boats behind and beside us are gone the trains sound like they are coming through the boat at 2 a.m.; 3 a.m.; 4 a.m.!!

OK, enough ranting ... back to work. Just spent the last 20 minutes trying to give Quentin an unbiased history of unions after WWI up to present. ;)

Tuesday Oct 27

October 27, Tuesday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNTIE EM!!

The bottom is painted and we managed to get 3 coats on before it rained!  We also got the non-skid on the back deck. Wow, is it ever white! And clean! And I won't let any one walk on it with shoes on!!  I also got the boot top strip painted white so today we can add the blue strip and be done with that.

Rick has to go find the  bearings we need to put the drive back together and he also has to finish the rudders [epoxy the little holes] so I can paint them and then we can put them back on the boat. We might actually be able to launch on the first. Then e have to go to customs to find out if they want us to leave right away or can we actually wait for a weather window. I think as long as we stay on the boat while we are waiting, we're ok.

It's still hot here [between 28-32C] so the afternoons make it hard to work much. We're always looking for something to do on the shady side of the boat. The Pacific hurricane, Patricia, is moving across Texas and is affecting the weather systems here. Although the east wind is persistent across Florida, the winds from the west are starting to hit as well, and both systems are creating a constant swirling wind...as long as it doesn't get too hot to form a tornado, I'm happy to wait until they both clear out! I just wish they were strong enough to kill the bugs! Quentin looks like he has flesh-eating disease because he won't stop scratching! All the redheads and former redheads [old people] in the boat yard are sympathetic. They all feel the effects of the mosquitoes. Of course he would rather suffer than spend the few minutes putting on bug repellent! I have given up offering it.

Oh, and Liz, making him go home at this point would almost be a blessing to him! This is NOT paradise right now. They yard is grimy, dusty, boring and there are no kids to play with. We are trying to get as much done as fast as possible so spending every afternoon at the beach is not an option. He manages to get Internet time by sitting at the office, but I can't watch him every minute or hang out with him all day. We play cards at night or the games that Barb gave us, but...

We picked Joseph up in Indiantown and drove him back to the boat so he could leave his truck there. He and Diane are heading across on Friday to Bimini, and will be there for 3 weeks before they come back, so Joseph can go back to Canada for some stuff. We expect to catch up to him in Bimini...that's our cross-over destination. 

So... time to get some other work done. Will try to post some pics when I get back here to the library... Hope you have a good birthday, Aunt Muriel!! 

P.S. Barb, I get all the comments but I might not reply because I can't do it through the blog.

Friday Oct. 23

Friday Oct 23.

Can't believe that the week has gone so fast!

We went swimming yesterday for the first time in a few days. The water was actually cold enough that Rick and Quentin only swam for about a half hour. I got wet up to my knees thanks!

We stopped into the Smithsonian Aquarium at the end of the park. Quentin didn't seem too interested at first but when he started to watch them feeding those tanks and hear about the fish in them, he started to ask lots of questions and seemed more taken by what was there. We were there for about an hour and a half, then we stopped at the market and bought some shark for dinner. I am getting sick of pork chops and ground beef. Canadian walleye [pickerel] was selling for $21.50/lb. The meat guy asked if I wanted to try a sample. I told him I used to catch my own and he laughed. Shark was only $7.99!

We are still having issues about timing and focus but hopefully we will manage to get a pattern going when we get offshore. Worst case scenario... he repeats grade 10. He knows this!

We are still trying to get the boat painted, but seriously we have not had a single day without rain!! The only thing in our favour is that even if we were ready to cross the Stream, the weather is not co-operating. The winds are out of the northeast and would be pushing us back to the continent. We can wait...the Homeland Security guy said so!  It would be nice to be ready when it's time! 

Today if it doesn't rain, when we get back from the library [where we are now] it isn’t raining, I am going to try *painting* and get the waterline painted as well. Anything else will be a bonus. I just hate the idea of putting on the primer only to have Mother Nature wash it off an hour later. We need 4 clear hours of dry to let it set up. Then we can put on top coat and be done.  There are still a few other little jobs that need to be done [now that I found the list], like checking the small sail attachments, and greasing the rudder pins.  I am still looking for a spinnaker but I think I may just have to make one.

The trains are still an issue. I tried to take a picture from the deck of the boat so you could see just how close we are, but they are travelling at about 200 miles an hour! Sigh... interrupted sleep...the night I said I didn't hear them was because there weren't any that night! OK ... on to Canadian history.

Wednesday Oct 21

Quick note... we are at the library in Ft. Pierce... free internet. It's another hot day and Q is in a pissy mood. His friends are here working too and I won't let him go find them...until he has accomplished some things on his own.

If anyone who may be a history buff is looking for an eye-opening interactive website, try the Canadian War Museum. Go onto "games and fun" ??? and "pick over the top". It's an interactive story that will really show you something! Quentin is working through the website now and it's interesting watching his facial reactions!

We have almost finished sanding the bottom and the underwater lights, so now we can re-apply the primer, wait a couple of days for it to set and THEN paint the bottom. Rick does this all the time...oh, I forgot to tell you, first we have to do this...

But today I am in the cool library and he is fussing in the heat with the boat :)

It appears that Quentin has been adopted by the family on SaltShaker. He is a ...ROLE MODEL... for their boys and they really like having him around. I have to go over and drag him home most days. I think he might have a better appreciation for Todd when he gets back.

But I have work to do, so...ttyl