2 days in a row!!!!

Call me crazy but I thought I'd put up some pics I downloaded off of my phone before I sat around long enough for the urge to go away.

 Remember the post about the daughter giving this guy her "Best Look"

Resulting in a union of marriage..

Then something didn't feel quite right.......

Resulting in this profile......

That upon farther investigation revealed the above photo.....

Resulted in this large little guy, Maksim Alexander or Max for short.

New roof going on the other boat.  The one that floats on the St Lawrence River.

A sample of the results of lightning strike discovered when we returned to Florida

Dealing with this at the same time....

But quite confident that it'll all work out in the end.

The type of work I do often results in little cuts and minor infections but this one got hold of the tiniest cut and ran rampant in such a short time that I was worried myself which is unusual.
They put me on some antibiotics that buckled my knees for awhile after taking it and warned me of potential tendon ruptures for up to 6 months, lesser of 2 evils I guess.  All better now, looks like a cat chewed on it for awhile but otherwise healed.
The doctor explained that we're running out of antibiotics as we ingest so much of it in food, scary stuff.  We are heading back to a time when you could easily die from a small cut.
Maybe soon we'll be back on the water and I can post about new adventures and places newly discovered but for now this is what you get.
Later....

Teaser Blog

Well Hello:  We've not blogged in some time as we've not moved far in the same amount of time due to a bunch of imigration red tape, birth of a grandson, lightning strike on Daruma, Traci got a job and the type of life that I'm trying to avoid just keeps getting in the way.
Red tape -  We have applied for a green card as 99% of my work is in the USA, I'm getting old and don't like the cold and the sailing from the state of Florida is enough to keep me interested for years.  Last year at holiday time we were awaiting a grandson any day and holidays were approaching, I was asked to go to Chile for a month long job that would take place in January when I'm usually on holidays so I was chomping at the bit to do something, anything really and we could do nothing as we couldn't leave the US.  My visa had expired and the card had been applied for but for the meantime we were in limbo.  The lawyer eventually got us advanced parole cards that enable us to leave and return with just a little hassel but they never arrived until March or there a bouts so as soon as they arrived in the mail we were on a plane to Ottawa to be there for the birth of Maksim Alexander.  Traci was happy and that's all that really matters to me when it comes down to it.
I do need to talk to Byron, (Gringos blog) and see what the requirements are to live in the Turks as now the Bahamas are supposedly coming out with a 7.5% tax that is new to them.  Corruption has to have fuel and I can only assume that it got them in this state or will soon have them there.

Removed the old, little refridgerator.

 Jammed a clothes washer in there.

Hid it away.

Moved the stove-top, cut into the counter, added a new 3-way fridge and microwave.

Had installed the above as well as a new course computer, battery monitor, got the SSB radio fixed for round the world weather, had installed two new 1100 gallon per hour automatic bilge pumps, another new toilet in our bedroom bath, a new 105 amp alternator and smart regulator on the starbord engine and numerous other gadgets to go on holidays with last year.  We couldn't go due to the green card thing so we were ready for this year and adding more toys.  We got the chance to go to Canada for a month to 6 weeks as I had to work out of the office so we shut down all the breakers except the fridge, freezer and lights as they had food in them.  When we returned to the boat, around 2 a.m., it smelled as though someone had died in here a few weeks earlier and there was no lights.  Turns out the shore power utilities had been hit by lightning and the current travelled through the ground, through the on-board battery charger in which all the solder was melted away and throughout the whole 12V ground system of the boat and fried pretty much everything except a few led lights, 1 of the new bilge pumps, the windless although it fried the new remote I had put on it and the VHF radio but it did melt the antenna for it right off mast.  I'm still finding ruined stuff every day as I test this and that and the costs are enormous.  Insurance for such a thing is between 4 and 5 thousand a year so I don't know which is the lesser of the 2 evils seeing as we are living in the lightning capital of the world in the summer months.  I will without a doubt invest in a good surge protector and am going to install 2 gang breakers so that when they off, they are switching off the ground as well as the power supply to various trinkets.  There is a huge fuse on the ground buss right near the batteries that may do the same thing but I will need to leave some things on I'm sure.

Traci's motivational spirit keeps me slogging forward!  What can I say?

I'll update sooner, promise.

Expanding Family

:(  Kara won't be travelling to the Bahamas to see us this year and it saddens me at first but the reasoning makes up for it.  You see, I'm going to tell you a story in pictures.

Kara, our loving daughter gave some fellow her BEST look:

This resulted in the union we told you about in a previous post:

Then, a short time later, something didn't feel quite right:

And now this:

Soon to be our new Grandson (checked today), resides in here for now:

And this has made some folks real happy!:

And now all is right with the world.

The end.  (just beginning really)

Catch up post

"A rose by any other name...."  I know, it's an Orchid and Traci hasn't managed to kill it yet!
It was looking pretty sad, leaves all fell off, there was nothing but a stem and 2 little buds and voila, 2 beautiful flowers popped out.  I had to apologize to Traci.

The Hamrick vessel as it sits on the T dock behind us, in front of us really as we face that way.  You can see the anchor hanging back in the middle of the tunnel and it sits back from the bow about 8 or 10 feet and is really hard to see from the deck.  They left on Friday to head out to the Gulf to do a little relaxing, a little sailing and whatever and when they arrived and went to drop the above anchor it seemed to have other ideas as it wasn't there.  I guess the shiny stainless swivel had corroded in two and parted ways with the rest of the vessel.  I have a feeling it may be right below the water line in this picture.

Ever since we got the boat a few years back, the admiral said she could smell mould when we got in bed.  She has proven her nose in the past in stunning ways so I have no right to even question her smelling ability, you can't get away with nothing around her if ya know what I mean.  Well I finally ripped everything apart and found the mould behind the headboard and 1 job always leads to 10 more on a boat so I expect we'll have a nearly new room soon enough. 

Our new hypalon dingy sitting under it's cover on the dock.  We were in need of a new one but figured it would be another year or so before that happened but a couple weeks ago I was reading the classifieds on the cruisers forum and came across an add that had been posted in July for this brand new, in the box West Marine dingy and he reposted a few weeks ago as not one person had replied to the add and it was at least $400. to $600. less than you can buy it for new at the store for.  Seems a tour boat ran into and damaged their dingy while in the Bahamas and the insurance company purchased this one and had it sent to the marina they were heading to upon their return.  They had patched up their damaged one and used it for the rest of the trip and this one was waiting for them on their return to the U.S.  It was a little large for their boat and they were selling out and returning to "the real world" after a 2 year intermission anyway so I made an offer, picked it up the next day and saved over a thousand dollars, still get warranty, got it all registered and titled and we're ready to go.  If I could only find a 15 hp 2 stroke now we'd be all set.  I want the 2 stroke as they are 40 or so pounds lighter than the new 4 strokes and we have to lift it daily at the back of the boat.

It's getting to be the time of year when it's great to be in south Florida, not so hot you can't go outside and cools a little at night and the wildlife seems to return in force.
Normally the manatee munch on any floating weeds that come over the levee and as a rule only have 1 baby.  Today I watched as the mother, above, left the 2 young ones to play and roll around in the slip next to us while she seemed to be rooting something up off the bottom for some time.  When she finally came up they swam along beside her and seemed to be taking something from her mouth as they took turns sidling up to her like in the picture.

We got and I've installed a new 3 way fridge and a new clothes washer but I have no pics of those as yet so I'll put them in a future blog.
Thanks for reading and bye for now,
Dave

 

Family addition

I need to first apologize to Kara as she is very private and likes to keep things to herself but in this instance I just can't not tell everyone.

Growing up, Kara tried, only a couple times mind you, to drag some kid home or was followed home by some would be Prince Charming just so I could take pleasure in running them off and giving her some sort of lecture so it seems.  However, this one kid would not give up no matter what I did or threatened.  He used to sneak over to where she was babysitting, hang out where she worked and he even put his education on hold in College for a year so they could finish together or some dumb thing like that, young love, go figure.
 I must tell you though that while visiting us in the Bahamas the year before last Matt decided he wanted one of Traci's pickled eggs and proceeded to attempt to open the jar, he twisted hard while his fingers turned red, I suppose little beads of sweat formed on his brow, his muscles bulged and his face grimaced with effort involved but to no avail, the top would not relent to his manlike grip.  He finally gave up and said something to Traci eluding to the idea that he may get angry and break the jar or something similar so little Traci, small -  demure little Traci walked over, grabbed the jar and popped that lid open like it was never there.  He still hangs his head when you mention it and Traci vows to never ever let him forget it.  This is a TRUE story, maybe not the sweat and muscle bulging, I'm not sure as I never witnessed it, I only heard the lid pop open then a little sarcasm from Traci, but otherwise true as the day is long, I swear.  I think there was a real whisper like comment about "I must've loosened it" or something but his face was pointed at the floor so you couldn't really hear him.
     So this kid, the one that wouldn't give up no matter what, married our little girl on Monday the 29th of July, 2013 in a private little ceremony at the court house in Brockville with no one we know attending or witnessing, just the way we wanted to many years ago and just the way they wanted it I'm sure.  We could not be there as my visa is expired, a green card is being applied for and we can't leave the country but we could not be more proud of our little girl and the new son we've gained. 
Thanks Matt for hanging in there.

 The new Hamrick vessel sitting behind us, waiting for an adventure.......

I have a whole bunch of work I should be doing so I thought I'd sit down and blog instead while I drink my coffee.  I promise I'll add some more photos of adventure tonite but for now I'm just desperate to remain at the table till the boss pops something to eat out of the galley.
I'm kind'a sad to hear that Coyaba went on the market and sold, not that I wish them to keep a boat that doesn't suit them but the fact that they now have no boat at all when I know that Paul's blood consists of 80% water.  I've made the offer, I told him that when he can't resist the urge to upgrade and work on a vessel, they're welcome to come down and spend time here!  I got a paint brush that could have his name on it!  Trim to install, new fridge is going in (yes, we`re going to rip the galley apart again) new, or refurb the roller furler and on and on.
The main bedroom has it`s inner self exposed right now and I got side-tracked with a wind generator right in the middle of that project.

  
The new sewing machine had some technical difficulties right out of the box.  I was sewing 2 layers of Sunbrella which is supposed to be a breeze for this machine, and the feed dog broke.  We had watched the dvd before starting any project and it said that the foot tension should be pretty much left alone from the factory to which I have to strongly disagree as there is no other explanation for what happened.  They sent me another right away at no charge but it now has me worried as the thing is poorly cast with a moment of about three quarters of an inch which is supported by cast material of about 4 and half thousands of an inch at 2 little end points.

I`d best get to work or I may get fired or worse, not fed.  Later!
Dave
 

Figured it out!!!!

Sorry for the extreme delay in posting ANYTHING!  I went to log in some time ago and was all prepared with various sources of pictures scattered on the table, you know, camera, phone, video camera etc etc cause you're never carrying the same thing twice in a row, and when I entered my info to sign in to the blogger it was wrong?  HMMMM, remember some crap from Google coming through on my phone that I never really read and promptly deleted so posting went on the back burner for awhile.
I hate when anyone takes over my electronic stuff or basically any change whatsoever in anything really, creature of habit.
 As you can see, I finally figured it out and this a "please keep the faith and check the blog once in awhile" post as I will post the pics of new stuff I have or will have in the near future as someone amongst us keeps clearing all my good crap off the table, bless her heart.
We went on a little sailing adventure a couple weeks ago.  I found our neighbors a new to them catamaran on the cruisers forum, went with them to check it out, they bought it and Traci and I went with them to sail it from the east side of the Keys to the Gulf side and up the Gulf a wee bit to Port of the Islands.  It is now docked right behind us on B dock and Johnny is being indoctrinated to big boat ownership, you know, no more money, never ending job list, infinite list of "I wants" and the supreme test of your relationship.  I still think that the first time you reach a foreign shore of your own accord and you look across the crystal clear, never ending blue water, and you anchor in the middle of the banks on a calm night with not another hint of other humans insight and come to realize the lack of noise, odors and light that you've become accustom to, it's all worth it.
For us, we have our old, built like a tank Daruma and being true to form for big boat ownership, we have a list of new "stuff" that is really all I have to post about right now other than going for a supposed drivers license type medical yesterday for an upcoming job in Brooklyn that turned into so much more.  These American doctors have followed suit and commercialized their craft into a profit oriented only business along with the rest of the world, they up sell the crap out of you so to speak.  A simple "Department of Transport medical" turned into a more expensive "wellness" medical which meant being lubed and violated and paying extra for the privilege.  She started ordering all these additional tests and the dollar figure kept rolling upwards, finally I just said whoa and phoned the office to see exactly what was required although too late, I'd all ready been violated which as Johnny says is usually a 2 drink minimum.  She even called in a second female to observe the whole thing which was compounding the issue in my mind.  "Come on in and watch me fondle and violate this slightly aging guy.  It should be fun!"
For the boat we bought a new sewing machine, new wind generator, used - newer course computer, new spot light, enough new flooring to finish the floors, sent the USB radio I talked about in a previous post out for repairs, new - larger capacity bilge pumps, new engine thermostats and a few missing engine parts.  Just have to get it all done now.......