Falcon's Log 28
February 21, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Everything points to this month as being the highest traffic month ever on this site. I REALLY need to get moving and get
some books printed. This morning I'm counting on getting some laminating done on Espin's hardtop. That job has to be
moved along so I can concentrate undisturbed on Falcon. I'm so close on so many fronts right now that I can hardly stand it.
Donny says he's going to leave me the keys to his car when he leaves in a week. We have to talk more because I won't know
how to get them back to him if he's in the Bahamas when I leave here. It would be a great help to have a car again, though.

As we speak I am envisioning sizzling shrimp circling my head. That time will come. Once I am again able to get to work, I
have to allow the presently pressing issues begin by leading the way. Let's see.

1.) Varnish the Dorade boxes - 2 or 3 coats.
2.) Install the water tank and fill - check for leaks.
3.) Install cabin sole up to computer desk pedestal.
4.) Construct properly strengthened sole section for pedestal seat and finish sole.
5.) Complete holding tank.
6.) Put finish inside head and install counter.
7.) Install head, shower, water heater, and finish plumbing.
8.) Install water maker.
9.) Install last 2 aluminum angles on hardtop.
10.) Install secondary stiffener pipe on hardtop.
11.) Make and install hardtop canvas sections, including splicer for forward section.
12.) Install 3 sole hatch latches.
13.) Finish sorting and storing tools beneath sole.

At that point, I should be able to move some stuff around and empty the aft section of the cabin so I can finish the cook top,
wire up the entire boat, including the solar system, and complete the reefer. When those tasks are done, or at least, well
underway - I will HAVE to have enough electrical operating to legally navigate and anchor out - I can leave the dock.

So, there you go, I'm already mentally squared away. Now I just have to complete my obligations to others and not allow any
more to be stacked upon me.
It was only a little bit like a monkey pile - we even had a cheering section, Jim and Paul - but we got the first laminations done
a little while ago. It did not go as easily as hoped. The Gorilla glue was not enough - I had a bottle below that was also
needed - and it was very difficult to spread. Still we managed and then got the assembly on the mold. That's when we got
another surprise - the gorilla glue took up so much space between the layers that there are significant gaps along the edges.
All we could do was to clamps and tie everything possible and now wait for it to cure. Tomorrow we will move to the second
stage and see about layering the FRP to the wood. I think it's time for shrimp.

The shrimp with melted cheddar was awesome, but that was almost 3 hours ago, so it's time for me to finish that up. I'm not a
fan of old fish without refrigeration. The rest of it is cooking right now. It's an absolutely fabulous day outside and I have the
portholes opened and the boat is bright and sunny and warm. And smells of cooking fish.

I'm sure I should be pretty ashamed of what I've done to my cholesterol today, but it was real tasty and supplied nutrients and
minerals I don't ordinarily get. I'll start working real hard tomorrow and work it out of my system as fast as I can, and start a
new pot of beans and rice tonight so it'll be ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow I install the water tank and the last aluminum on
the hardtop. And whatever else I can manage to get done. Oh, yes, there will be progress on Espin's hardtop as well. I'm not
sure what yet, but I'll figure it out.

It cooled off and rained in the afternoon and I stopped by Nemo and talked with Ken and Sandy and a couple they know from
Buffalo who come down here each season. It was a good time.

I also stopped in with RJ for a while as he wrangled with the exact fit of his new soft Bimini. It looks real good now. Jammer
called and we talked for a while, but it deteriorated into a ridiculous argument about who was worse, Iran or Israel. He sees
Iran as a wonderful, happy land of friendly generous people who have NEVER done anything wrong or aggressive, and Israel
as a nuclear threat to the peace of the Middle East. He thinks I am a NeoCon who gets all his information from Fox 13. I
suppose for the same reason that party-line republicans see me as a die-hard liberal. The 'if you're not with me, you must be
against me' mentality marks the extremism of both parties right now. It's tiresome, but it doesn't affect me. I'm a pure
independent by philosophy and not party doctrine. I have NEVER allowed anyone to do my thinking for me or dictate what I
am allowed to like or dislike. I've simply never met anyone that smart or that tough. Anyway, I got tired of the conversation and
said goodnight and he sort of clipped off with 'fine'. He may not call again. Too bad. I was hoping to convert him to the
Republic and the Dark Side. To make him an eager young Republican Soldier for Corporate Ownership of America. I would
have renamed him Darth Jammer. He would have called me 'Master'. Yeah, that's the ticket.
February 22, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The day is starting out good but we don't know how long it will last, so it would be best for me to get my outside stuff done
first and tear up the inside stuff later on. I'm scared. It's mind boggling the crap I have to move around just to get at the
missing water tank. And it's been so long I think I forget where it is.

The cabin is full of the smell of cooking beans and garlic. I added the rice an hour or so ago and it should be ready for final
spicing pretty soon. So far, it only has olive oil, sea salt and garlic. I'm trying to be more conservative with the flavors now and
be more patient with the time I allow them to seep into the beans and rice.

I got the aluminum angles on the solar panels and it came out good. I also helped RJ for a minute to confirm a leak he already
knew he had, and I gave him a sheet of gasket material I've had for a while but no longer have a use for. Ken came over for a
little while and I used about the very last of a shipment of stainless steel pop rivets that I got from Jamestown Distributors in
1985 to assemble a wind shield for their new outside cooker. Twenty five years it took to finally use up the last of the rivets.
Most of them were used to install all the aluminum angle on the solar hardtop. Ken and Sandy gave me some cash I didn't
ask for and two awesome brownies I did ask for. I will rivet for brownies. They were warm and I wolfed them down as soon as
I finished eating supper, almost exploding my belly.

I didn't get at the water tank today, even though it did get dark and rainy and cooled off a lot. Tomorrow. And I still have to get
that last piece of aluminum pipe up on the hardtop frame. Then one last minor adjustment to the attitude of the top, and all the
set screws will need to be removed and replaced with stainless steel rivets. Three sixteenth inch SS rivets that I had to
special order and get a special riveter for as well. It should end up pretty darn strong.
February 23, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Woke up with the killer headache at 4 AM this morning but was able to turn on the weather channel and sleep on and off until
7 AM. I got up and dressed, made coffee and went outside to get water and noticed it is very foggy and not at all cold outside.
So I got the camera and took a few shots and am just now sitting down at the desk. Next step is to take some aspirin.
I forgot to mention yesterday that Espin and I made a good job of applying the adhesive to the FRP panels and getting them
attached to the laminated wooden plies for the hardtop. We actually did better than the similar operation the day before. It is
now wrapped with a tarp and not scheduled for opening for another day or two. The adhesive container stated that a
'minimum' of 24 hours was required for cure.

Below are a couple of shots of the last aluminum angles to go on the hardtop. I also finally settled on an acceptable method
of attaching the final pipe to the frame. It's so simple I'm amazed it eluded me for so long - rivet the outer tips and lash the full
open width of the center ( 9 inches) for a completely stiff method that requires the minimum number of additional holes in the
stock and will allow the canvas to fit over it without chafe.
I deliberately left the tabs long on the outer end of the last angles so they would be easy to hammer down around the
stainless, and they were. In the shot to the left a careful look will show two final items I want to adjust out of the hardtop prior
to riveting all the fittings. The first is that space between the boom and the hardtop is slightly wider at the from that at the rear
and that has to be tuned in or it will always bother me. The second is that the handrail on the outer side is not parallel to the
solar panels and that also needs to be corrected. I'm thinking I can do both with an allen wrench in short order.

You know something about retirement? Every day is the weekend. Donny just came and got me for a trip to the Island to root
through piles of boat gear, so I went. Ken and Sandy went out on Nemo to cruise around for a while and enjoy the boat.
I 'baloney cut' the ends of the pipe and secured it to the frame with three stainless rivets on each end, then lashed it to the
main frame pipe in the center with 180 lb test braided nylon fishing line. I'll paint a coat of epoxy over the line to secure it and
may seal the seam between the two pipes with 5200.

Ken and Sandy just called. They are being towed in by TowBoat US and need me to meet them at the dock to help them tie
up. Their engine quit. It sounds like a clogged fuel filter. . . . . pause . . . . Okay, I'm back. Donny and I just caught Nemo and
helped them tie up. It MOST DEFINITELY looks like a clogged fuel filter. All the recent wakes from passing boats and choppy
seas from high wind have gotten all the years of sediment on the bottom of Nemo's tanks all stirred up into the fuel. It's 4 PM
and I'm having lunch.
February 24, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The weather today is supposed to get bad sometime in the afternoon. I'm not sure when - who could be? - but I think I'm
going to leave Espin's hardtop for today and get some other stuff done first. I have to get a small job done for Barbara on
Dulcinea and she and Donny are due to leave in 4 or 5 days. I had to clear off the top of the reefer and dig into it to get the
right paper for Barbara's photo printing, then pack everything back. That particular chore also re-alerted me for the need to
go through my old books and get rid of some of them. I have so many on software now that there is no need to carry
duplicates in hard or soft cover.

I also really want to get the water tank in and get moving forward on that project. Once I get the floor sealed down, I'll even
modify the case for the Sailrite so I can easily fit it below the berth. Right after that comes ALL the storage solutions for
beneath the berth and the entire cabin gets less cluttered. Also, once the pedestal seat is installed, the lawn chair I've been
using forever goes out to the dock and that's the end of that. These are huge changes. I know, I made a list a few days ago
and I've only gotten 2 of those items done, but I have to pick my battles and be content that soon, they will ALL be done.

Once again emptying the reefer, I separated a few books I needed to move on and brought them to Ken and Sandy. I still
have a lot to go through and I hope I get them done today. I'll still have to get the reefer repacked with books and paper so I
can have the bunk to sleep on tonight. I went over to Nemo and ended up working on their fuel system for a while to help get
it sorted out and bled. Ken was changing the engines fuel filter and it's a real pain if you've never done it before. We got it
running soon enough and they gave me money and promised a cheeseburger for lunch. Which I sort of need to go get now.
February 25, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Time for a pop quiz. Where am I? Here are some hints: it's very cold and the wind is howling, very blustery. There are wind
chill and freeze warnings. The Montana/Canada border? Fargo? Good guesses, but no! I'm in Central Florida. We have
icebergs to go with the 'killer' killer whales. You know, I moved to Florida because it was too cold in the winter in Boston to
finish my boat up there. Ironic, huh? Oh well, at least I can have fun fussing about the cold down here. You can't do that up
north - cold is expected and whiners are just one more voice in a sad, sad choir. The weather doesn't matter. The economy
doesn't matter. I'll never give up and I'll be cruising soon in perfect comfort.

Espin came aboard last night and enjoyed how comfortable 1 little 1500 watt heater made it in here - on the Low setting. It
sounds like the wind outside is weakening. Hard to tell - the sun just came up and there is usually a lull of some sort right
about then. It has something to do with God changing the batteries in the wind machines, I think. I have to go through more
books to see what I can get rid of.

I brought about 15 books and a vase and special little glasses to Ken and Sandy. They invited me along on a trip to Walmart,
but I'm cooking and don't need the temptation to buy something I don't need. Like a Klondike bar or dark chocolate. Or a
skateboard. You know.

It has been cold and windy all day and I haven't really accomplished much. I have done a number of huge downloads of
literature information relevant to one of my important novels, and I went through a stack of books, and I did some reading, and
I went through my mail and had some sent to me. A first time for that. We'll see how it goes. I may really like this untethered
feeling.

It's after 4 PM but somehow feels much later. I'm so, so glad I'm in Florida instead of New England, weather-wise. This has
been a long, cold winter - for Florida - and it will be over soon. In New England, there's about 2 more months of this coming.
Even if I don't get much done outside right now, I'm adjusting and sorting and thinning out stuff inside, and I absolutely have
several jobs ready to jump on as soon as I can.
February 26, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The temp here was about 35 degrees this morning, but it was no big deal. I stayed inside with the heat and readjusted the
'Building Falcon' pages again in preparation for adding the old emails I have from Donny and Barb about their trip through the
Abaco's the year before last. I also added the shots of Jammer's new Suzuki Bandit to the 'Bikes' page and adjusted some of
the icons on the 'Home' page.

Espin just called and I know he's anxious to get the hardtop done. We might make some headway today, depending upon
how I feel about working out in the cold. I spoke briefly to Donny this morning and the weather is holding him up as well.
Taking off now is going to be like Thanksgiving Day sailing in New England. Same wind and temperatures. Brutally cold and
earaches all around.

I have to update the website and see that the changes are okay. The changes are good, but I discovered I left a barrier bar
wonky on 'Falcon's Log 3'. DON'T PANIC!! Don't panic. It's fixed. Sandy called and I went with her to the Island and bought
eggs, peanut butter, bread, olive oil, and Lindor dark chocolate truffles. I can have 1 truffle a day, like vitamins. The other day
Ellie Kreiger - from the 'Living Better' show - gave a list of 5 items that people used to say were bad for you, but they are not.
Peanut butter, eggs, potatoes, lean beef, and dark chocolate. In moderation, all these foods provide a healthy source of
necessary vitamins and minerals, though I am sure there are adherents to various specialized diets who will disagree
enthusiastically. My situation is that I will try to use my own life processes to make decisions so I don't have anyone to blame
if I'm wrong. It's that system exactly that prevented my falling into the 'margarine' trap. Whew! Dodged THAT bullet. I've heard
that people who went the margarine route developed bats ears on their foreheads! It's true.

I adjusted the hardtop on Falcon until it's perfect, except that the starboard handrail is just a tiny skoshe too long. Can you
believe the spell checker on this program doesn't have 'skoshe' in it? Anyway, I'll be fixing that soon. I also spent a couple of
hours with Espin on the hardtop on Minnie Pearl. That's getting sorted out as to just how he wants it mounted and cut.
Tomorrow he'll be busy at a marine flea market and I'll be busy not getting rained on - the weather reports predicts rain. I don't
want to believe them, but the fastest way I know to make it rain is to plan sunshine activities.
February 27, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I woke up at 3:30 AM and it's still only 4:40 AM. I may need a nap by noon. The weather is pretty insistent that today will be a
cold, rainy, miserable day. It's cold and the heat is running on high trying to warm it up in here, and doing a good job of it,
actually. The power just glitched and the computer rebooted but I'd already saved this file so I didn't lose anything. I have to
mention this microscopic victory because on all other occasions where the power has punted out and caused a reboot, I've
had much more written and lost it all.

I've started constructing the pages for Don and Barb's first trip to the Abaco's in 2008. It'll take some time to complete, but it is
a good look at the area.
February 28, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

It's the last day of February and I think I remember back when I said I was going to get out of here on the first of October of
last year. Yeah. Well, there you go. Who knew this winter was coming?

Yesterday I went with Ken and Sandy to the little produce flea market in Anna Maria Island, then to the Marine Flea Market at
the Bradenton Yacht Club in Palmetto where Espin, George and Celeste were all selling stuff. It was raining and cold and
miserable and we all had a great time. Sandy got a perfect little cooler for the dinghy, Ken got a good wiring harness to
cannibalize for wire and a fabulous 20 pound Danforth Hi Tensile anchor - the old awesome one, not the newer deep-set
piece of crap - FOR $20!!. What a deal. The thing is brand new. Celeste gave me a box of sandpaper and discs that can't be
beat. I SO needed the 80 grit and other stuff that was in there.

On the way back, we stopped into a tiny produce store and bought fresh fruits and vegetables. I got grapes, plums and
apples and they are great. $8 - can't beat that.

We've had a 'problem person' making a mess in the heads at night - a sometimes disgusting mess - so Paul changed the door
combination and we're hoping to see an end to it. I was going to hide out and get a shot of whoever it is last night, but I never
woke up until after 6:15 AM. They might never be back now that they can't get in.

Ken showed me a kind of photo-show presentation with music he put together of pictures running through his whole life,
including childhood, Viet Nam, building cabin and bridge in the forests of northern California and developing properties in
Buffalo, New York.  I think he needs to continue it to include his present life with Sandy and the boat and the new property in
New York. It's pretty cool.

I'll need to get something done on the hardtop on both my boat and Espin's boat today. One day soon I'll need to gird my loins
for the daunting task of emptying the main salon and tearing up the floor to install the last water tank.
I got an email from Ken Keenahan - the only
other owner of the Horne 33 hull I've ever known
of - and he sent along a picture of the last
snowstorm in Rochester, New York, where he
lives. I'm thinking that basketball net is not a
Smurf-sized item, and that makes the snow bank
about ten feet deep. And, he says it was that
heavy, wet backbreaking snow to shovel. So, my
word to God is, "I was just kidding about winter
sucking down here!" I hope he understands.

Ken was in Florida visiting relatives recently but
didn't really have the time for a long cross-state
drive to stop by. He was over 150 miles away as
the crow flies and everyone knows there are no
roads in Florida laid out as the crows flies. In
short, you can't get there from here - you have to
go somewhere else and start again. It's a lot like
Maine in that respect.
March 1, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

I got some done on both boats yesterday, but one thing led to another and I never got back to the computer. My son Matt
called from New Hampshire and they just got back to their house yesterday at noon after being gone for several days due to
the power being out. One of the topics he touched on was to install a modern fireplace conversion box to allow burning wood
efficiently in the fireplace for heating the house. They have a sweet house on a large wooded lot up in New Hampshire and
just taking down the problem trees and trimming up the lot will keep them in firewood for a while.
There is nothing simple about locating this half-shell. So far, more time has gone into adjusting the height and fore/aft
position, as well as the nose-down attitude, than all the rest of the project combined. Still, that's to be expected. If it is wrong,
it will always be wrong and that is unacceptable. Besides, Espin is considering other Vega owners who may well wish to
duplicate the project on their own boats, so getting it right the first time is important.

Originally, the lower aft corners were slated to be trimmed off, beginning at the aft cabin bulkhead and curving up to the aft
top edge of the shell. As Espin was sitting behind it yesterday though, he began to wonder if losing that much of the
protection it afforded was a wise move. We are now considering incorporating a small filler below that corner to make sitting
there at a cold anchorage a much more comfortable proposition. Meanwhile, we have to remove the half-shell today and trim
and seal the edges, as well as grinding out clearance pockets inside the clamping areas where the hardtop joins the cabin.

I got 8 of 28 rivet fixes done on my own hardtop yesterday. I will also have to do a tiny 'shorten' bit on one of the side
handrails to make them perfectly parallel to each other. Right now, I'm thinking more about Espin's Hardtop than Falcon
because that job needs to be completed properly before I can really swing back into my own boat. Meanwhile, I'll pick away at
things that are easy and self evident. And continue to post Don and Barb's Abaco emails from 2008.
Donny had a couple of issues to resolve at the masthead by way of measurements, so we quickly took advantage of the
rapidly warming day to zip me up there with the power winch and get the numbers. I thought to bring up my camera to get
pictures of the masthead fittings for him, then took a few shots in all directions for the log. Above are Sandi and Barb taking
pictures of me as I take pictures of them, and on the right, Nemo at the dock.
Next are of Annie's next door and the bridge from above it. Below are two shots to the north and two shots to the south. It is a
beautiful day today and I'm working hard to get as much done as possible today. Rain is once again forecast for tomorrow.
March 2, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Wild weather this morning. The wind and waves woke me up at 2:20 AM and I've been mostly awake ever since. It's 6:30 now
and the highest winds are on us and are forecast to continue for a couple of days. They are blowing almost 40 right now with
higher gusts. It is SUCH a pain in the ass getting anything done this year.
After grinding the edges smooth all around the half-pipe and rounding
the forward corners, we soaked West System epoxy into the edges
and clamped them securely. If we'd taken the time and expense to
make a real mold, we could have eliminated the possibility of
adhesive voids in the laminations, but that would have taken A LOT
more time and money for what would probably amount to a minor
improvement in quality. We knew going in that this would be needed.
As it is, the structure is fairly light - I can carry it around under one arm and I'm 62 and only weigh 135 - and it's quite rigid. I'm
also expecting it to gain a great deal of strength once it's bolted a sealed to the cabin. After doing this yesterday, I covered it
with the tarp once more and tied it to a piling on the dock in preparation for this mornings winds. Turns out it's a good thing I
did. The storminess is tapering off now, but it's also almost 7:30.
Donny and Espin and I are slated to go to Marine Surplus this
morning to root around for parts and pieces. I don't need
anything myself and will kick my ass if I buy something, but I
want to go to hang out with Donny and help Espin select the
pieces we need to finish his hardtop. He wants a topper that
could act as a boom gallows, but more importantly, gives him
a place to secure the leading edge of a Bimini and the top of
an Isinglass rain windshield. I forget what Donny needs just
now.

And I'm bothered by the creepy feeling that I may have pushed
my old docklines too far and that they should be changed. I do
keep an eye on them and move them around from time to
time, but they are old and have served for a long time. In truth,
the reason I stayed awake most of the night was because the
boat was lunging so violently that I expected a dockline to
snap at any moment. I'll have to do something soon.
Barbara sent me some shots she took of me going up the mast yesterday so I included 4 of them here. I usually have a lot
more gear when I climb myself, but in this case Don hauled me up with a power winch, making it MUCH easier.
March 3, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

The wind eased yesterday for quite a while, then slowly increased through the night until it was howling again by the early
hours. It didn't seem as bad this morning, however, and didn't wake me up until about 4:30 AM. I did get to bed around 9 PM
last night, so I was ready to get up anyway. It's cold again this morning, but not too bad. Even the weather people are
whimpering and hoping against hope that this will be the last cold snap of the season. What upsets me is that the Chilean
Earthquake has shortened the day by 1.29 millionths of a second. Now how will I get those things done I was going to do
during that time? Time gone forever. And you wonder why my boat isn't done yet. I think the world is also off it's spin axis. I
can feel it wobble. Either that or I have gas.
Sandy sent me these shots of a sunset that happened in the past few days that I missed. They are awesome shots. Wish I'd
seen the sunset. My thoughts are that it was cold and I was in an alley somewhere huddled near a small fire in an oil drum
passing for a trash can with other individuals of a less than savory nature, but maybe not. I could have been napping.

Espin and I applied more epoxy and clamping to the hardtop and covered it once more. We'll have to keep doing that until it's
done and the weather warms up. West epoxy is very forgiving as far as temperature and humidity, but it still needs adequate
time to cure and that stretches out the colder it gets.

I pumped out the dinghy yesterday. It kept banging against the hull to get me to pay attention to it. I pay attention - I just don't
care. I'll care more when it's warmer and my falling in trying to bail it out won't be so completely disturbing. No one wants to
see a pasty old man all wet and shivering - especially me, you know, when it's me.
These are a couple of shots of tonights 'great sunset' (weatherman's words) which prove that I alone can prevent a 'great
sunset' just by being out there with my camera. I zoomed in on the second picture to trick the camera into getting excited and
make it look better, but really, it was just an 'at least it's not snowing' sunset.
March 4, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Espin and I flipped his hardtop yesterday and added a bunch of epoxy to the other edge and clamped as much of it as we
could. It's still very cold outside, so we'll wait until later to unwrap it and see if we can finish the last section and clamp that
area. Once that's done, we'll be able to fit it to the boat and install it for good.

I went to Don and Barb's boat for breakfast this morning. A healthy version of sausage and eggs. Turkey sausage and - rats, I
forget - some kind of healthy eggs. It was yummy and I'm full. I'm going to have to dial back on the garlic in my gruel as my
stomach is phoning in that I might be overdoing it. It sends me a minor message from the pain faction that 'cooked or not, too
much garlic is too much'. Besides, I only do it for the cholesterol benefit, and my last check said that's fine. I'll cut way back
and see how it goes.

The warm-up has been postponed by the weather service. We don't know if it's related to global considerations or if they
already have more bad news recorded for future broadcasts. Either way, we never believed their 'pie in the sky' optimism
anyway. An ice age is coming. I saw the animated movie and I believe that.

When am I going to be able to get some work done on my boat? Good question. I'm glad you asked. Soon. You'll see.
I went over to Don's boat and helped him rig his solar panel mount to
the two masts provided for the wind generator and the radar. Everything
was all ready and perfectly drilled and all we had to do was carefully get
the structure in position and get the bolts started without damaging
anything. Wind and waves conspired to make it a bit difficult, but we
still managed to get it done in short order. On the way back to get a picture or two for the log, I ran into Barb and Espin and
stopped to get their picture as well. Espin wanted to change his clothes and put on some make-up, but I couldn't wait and just
snapped the shots.

The temperature is continuing to drop and we are looking at a very cold night tonight. It is colder now than it was at 6 AM and
will keep getting colder all day. It's stupid and I vote that Florida is a stupid state and should get the Great Stupid State Prize.
I think it is high time we let Cuba become the 51st State so we can all move farther south and complain about monsoon rains.
March 5, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

It's down in the lower 30's here this morning and not at all what we were led to believe Florida would be like. The weather girl
this morning forecast temps in the 70's withing 5 days, not because that's what she sees on the horizon, but because she's
just so sick and tired of announcing 'freeze watches'. You go girl - tell it like it is - screw the science - forecast what you wish
for, not what the charts say - my bet is you'll do just as well either way. I'm serious. She just said, " This is Florida and it's
supposed to be warm, so I'll forecast warming. All the weather services are all over the place and no one seems to know
what's going to happen, so I'll predict warming because that's what Florida is supposed to do." I like her. I hope she doesn't
get fired. The weather is suddenly fun again.

If it does warm up a little today, I'm for trying to get Espin's hardtop installed on his boat. Donny and Barb are scheduled to
head south some time today and if I know Donny he wants to make tracks to warmer southern waters. I have a feeling that
there will be little in the way of lazy days cruising for the first week or so and they will be in sight of Marathon sooner than
expected. Just a hunch. I wouldn't be surprised if Espin and Barbara aren't thinking the same way. There has been precious
few charters on Lil' Toot since they got here, and if the work doesn't pick up, they really would rather sail than sit here. Once
again, everyone is leaving and I'm still thrashing trying to get out of here. Someday soon.

As I just started working on the 'Don & Barb' pages again, loading the very first emails I got from them on their first trip to the
Bahamas, I discovered that I had the emails they sent all mixed up and not at all in order. I just went through them all and tried
to straighten them out, but I'll still have to re-sort the page I've been working, then change the entire set of pages to reflect a
more chronological order.

It is just after noon and everyone is eating. I have worked a little with Espin on his hardtop and we are preparing to install it
on the boat. It feels very stiff now and looks pretty clean. The temperature has gone up, but only enough to be comfortable
while working, or standing in the sun out of the wind. The new scanner I ordered two days ago has arrived. Unfortunately, it
doesn't include the film scanner. I'll have to do some research to find out what the real reason is, because the add online said
it did. . . . . . . . Okay, there are 2 scanners - one is another $20 that has the film scanning option - I selected the other. Just
as well - I don't really need the film scanner anyway.
March 6, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

We bolted the hardtop to Minnie Pearl yesterday and after much running around, Donny and Barb elected not to leave until
this morning - early. I couldn't find anyone from either boat last night and figured they might have gone off for a 'couples'
evening somewhere. I am never thought of on such occasions because they are really for the ladies to have time together. If I
was going to have a lady, she should have been here years ago to help finish the boat.

Today we will pull the bolts on the hardtop, one side at a time, and apply the sealer, then crank the fasteners up all the way.
The hardtop will be installed. At that time Espin can deal with the rest on his own. I will probably help with the boom gallows,
but that will be later on.

Eddie, on Ken and Gloria's old 'Prime Time', mentioned that Sid wanted some sewing done on Magnolia's cutter sail and he
would steer the job to me. I told him to forget it - after I watched over Magnolia for two weeks and pumped the boat out by
hand every day, when he came back he never once greeted me or said 'thanks' or even acknowledged my existence. Sid can
kiss my ass. Besides, no more jobs for anyone else, ever. I'm now shooting for the end of the month - 25 days away. Yeah,
yeah, I know. But I have to go for it. I'm still prepared for the never ending winter to stomp the guts out of that notion.

Espin's Barbara, or 'Babs' as I am told - Espin's fathers choice for differentiating her from another family 'Barbara' up north in
Panama City - is going to try out a small spot on the Bradenton Beach Flea Market lot this morning and I wish her luck. She
does bows with ribbons. I should try to get over there to get a picture of her stuff for the log. I will also get a shot or three of
Espin's hardtop installed.

I hope the guy for the laundry machines shows up today to empty the coin boxes. They are really full and you can't use the
equipment now. I have a big bag of laundry waiting to be done.
March 7, 2010 - Seafood Shack Marina - Cortez, Florida

Donny and Barb didn't get out of here until late morning - probably 10:30 AM or so. He lost his engine cooling water, though
he had it strong yesterday. It turned out to be a loose belt. After some hectic running around and hurried storing of stuff, they
got off the dock in slight wind with no current and headed south.

Then Espin and I took a ride over to the Bradenton Beach Flea Market to see how Babs was doing. I can probably call her
Barbara again now that Donny and Barbara have headed south. She didn't have any luck. A lot of people attended, however,
and it was a beautiful day. Maybe next time.

I got the hardtop secured but forgot to take pictures. I'll do it today. I also stopped into Ken and Sandy's Schucker just long
enough to eat some awesome blueberry muffin - right out of the oven that could not be beat. Then I went back later and
helped fish a wire through some structure to the engine room. It was from one of the solar panels and being led to the
location for their new charge controller. They also need a new 'House' bank of batteries. Their set of 4 Trojan 105's is kaput.

Today I desperately need to get some laundry done. I'll have to go up the street to the big laundromat because our stuff is still
on the fritz. I will also get the rest of the stainless steel rivets in my own hardtop and get varnish on the Dorade's. It's a little
cold this morning, but is slated to warm up even more than yesterday. I also might have to try a save on Espin's Toshiba
A135-2276 laptop. We tried to clear it of unneeded files yesterday and accidentally wiped out a secret Toshiba boot file. The
perfect magic that is Windows Vista.
The 46 foot Durbeck at the end of the dock belongs to a brain surgeon named Phil. Naturally, we call him Doctor Phil. He's a
nice guy with a young family, but he's always busy so we don't get to see them much. He also doesn't get to take the boat out
much. When he tried yesterday, that's as far as he got. I'm taking this picture over his empty slip between Eddie and Sandi's
Tarquin and Richard and Angie's Heritage. It seems the prop is a great round ball of growth and needs to be cleaned. He
couldn't even get it back into the slip.

Minnie Pearl's new hat doesn't have a price tag hanging from it, but it is firmly pinned to her head. It is very rigid and strong
and the seam to the cabin is all but invisible from here.
Volkar from Panama City mentioned not seeing the shots of Barbara's Fancy Bows I promised, so I asked her to show some
so I could get a shot. Of course, she decorated Minnie Pearl's hat. When I mentioned the missing price tag, she quickly
remedied that as well. I can't say what it is, but I like the bows and suggested that they keep the colorful hat band on the
hardtop.

I just went back to Minnie Pearl and drilled the access hole for the deck connector to hook up the solar panel. I also went to
Nemo with Ken to see what he wanted to show me concerning his new house bank battery accommodations. We were
talking about clearing out the entire old battery box where the old 4 Trojans were held in place by a half a trees worth of 2 x
4's and starting over, but I suddenly realized another possibility and measured the old fiberglass battery box. It actually has
room for 3 pairs of the 6 volt tall golf cart batteries, with 5 inches to spare for a ground buss and the windlass circuit breaker.

Paul needs me to take care of things this week while he goes on vacation, and Ken wants me to help him get his house bank
squared away.