We start the countdown to Yume’s Marathon departure, and the beginning of our second trip back to DC up the east coast of America the Beautiful! We are ready!
In the flurry of last minute things, Shelly’s Mom and Aunt Joan came for a couple of days. The girls all went to Key West on the bus for a day and we heard a great time was had by all. No drinking anyone under the tables though…
We took them over to the bay side to The Fisheries for some fresh shrimp the first night. Yesterday we actually moved the boat off the mooring over to Burdines on the water so they could more easily get on and see the boat. The dock master was kind enough to let us sit on the dock while we ate fresh fish, fresh made tuna fish, and other delicacies, then they came down for a short visit. Nice.
On Friday we pick up a rental car, drive to Miami airport and pick up Ian who comes in at 1030am then we will grab a bite and let the brothers chat while we drive Ryan to the Ft Lauderdale airport for his 330pm flight to his buddy Sam’s house in Atlanta for 10 days.
Then we drive back the long (minimum 3 hours) trip with all the weekend ‘lets go to the Keys’ traffic back to Marathon.
We will probably hang around for the Saturday music playing at the Tikki hut so Ian can play some songs with me, then leave Sunday morning.
Two weeks ago, with the help of some friends we arranged an “Evening with Capt Jack” which was a lot of fun. A bunch of cruisers brought in pot luck for supper, then we gave Jack a microphone and I walked him through 94 years of life. It was fascinating!
We don’t see much of Ryan unless it is time for softball (we all play softball three times a week) or it is time to eat… It is easy to understand why with a pretty girl, and unlimited internet all day.
This all changes Friday as he flies out, then even more when we pick him up on the 12th and head north again. Back to school and animating on his new computer!
Goose found some baby chicks (doves we were told) that we mothered for a few days before they gave up the ghost. We either over fed or underfed them but they surely got lots of loving!
Yume has been testing me as usual. The generator turned out to be quite the project to stop the oil leaks and get the salt water pump working. I am tickled to report no oil leaks and I simply routed the air conditioning salt water pump to cool the motor until I can get a replacement pump. It is working even though this timing cover and I got very well acquainted.
This is what that hole looked like last year when I started – before the hot water heater was moved under the sink. No wonder no one ever fixed the generator!
The engine is still not exactly right, but close. I still have two small leaks from the oil pan, and now the transmission wants to leak at the rear seal. Drives me nuts, but all I have to do is remember what I would be fixing at the farm right about now and I just smile.
Last week, I was desperate for some generator parts that I could not find, when “coincidentally” an ad pooped up on Facebook for someone to come pull agenerator out of a boat about 40 miles away that looked very close to mine. Which meant I might get parts from it!
End result – a friend (David) drove us up last Friday and we removed a 500 pound generator from a trawler in about 5 hours and somehow got it in the back of his truck and back to Marathon. But the parts weren’t right so I put it up for sale.
Another cruiser moored two boats away from us traded me a great sewing machine we have wanted for a long time and 500 for it, then the boat right next to us bought our old Reads sewing machine the following day! Pretty cool.
We are really looking forward to Ian getting here this coming week, and getting underway again. Time has flown by so fast, and we have not been able to do all we wanted and visit as much as we would have liked.
Goose is ready too!
