I'm going to be be and strong when I grow up!

This transient Looper boat seems almost as tall as it is long....a severe duty, Great Lakes kind of boat.....

Would have survived the "Perfect Storm"....

Creative Solution to a Odiferous Problem

One of the unforseen problems with having no ravenous teenagers in the house has been that our trash compactor truly never gets full anymore before the organics begin telling the little woman and I that it needs taken out.  As a result we've invested in a mini-me conventional trash can for countertop duty.

The bags are compostable......

The little bag and all get dumped into the new dual chamber rotating composter with great frequency.  One the daily duties of the newly retired First Mate is to spin the cylinder and add some yard waste as needed.  Still figuring it all out but should be able to help the garden out next spring.

Here is What the First Mate's Last Morning as a Postmaster Looks Like :)

Employee badge, check.

Insulated mug of coffee, check.

A big smile because it's your last day at work?  Priceless!!

She's all smiles still backing out of the driveway.....

And still smiling and waving.....might be permanent :) 

And she gets to have her cake AND eat it too!!!!

Things are getting spooky around here....

54 Holly Lane is ready for the little goblins!!! 

Bushy Tail Tree Rats

After some recent rains we'd noticed that the water on one side of the yard wasn't soaking into the soil.  Looking for why showed that the gutter on that side of the house was not working properly---which was weird as the guttering has mesh covers to stop leaves from accumulating.  Once up on the ladder though, it was apparent that those cute and cuddly squirrels were the problem.  Every cover had teeth marks where the little furry vermin were trying to gnaw through. 

This particular cover had a hole completely through it and the gutter below was full of nuts, seeds and leaves.  Of course the blockage was next to the downspout and was essentially blocking the entire gutter from draining except for flooding over the top----and soaking the yard.

Personally I blame the cats for being lazy.....

Peppers-R-Us

Another crop of peppers as the season winds down...the banana peppers are finally starting to get into the act after the cool wet spring slowed them down.  Now with the weather cooling off, it looks like a good start for some awesome (and very spicy) chili---especially those little orange guys! 

Domestic Cover-up

The breakfast nook chairs have seen their fair share of life---cats, dogs, children, holiday cookie decorating, etc. over the past decade.  A bit rough around the edges.

The little woman is getting ready to fix all of that with the help of a pneumatic stapler, scissors and a few yards of eclectically selected material.

Lining up the new covers is critical before attaching it over the cushion.

Feeling the raw power of hand air tools, she begins the re-covering.

The end result is 8 "like new" chairs.

So what's next?  Bring it on says the First Mate with her new favorite toys.

Solar power panel installation

The location of the original solar panel.  It had never worked while we've owned the Time and Tide.

The original panel was a flexible 10 watt bank of cells that had a pretty decent weather-proofing that would be good for sun and rain but not constantly immersed in water.

This is the fiberglass frame that held down the panel.  Under this was a flat area with weep holes to drain water.  Unfortunately the weep holes would collect "gunk" preventing the drainage of water and the panel eventually shorted out some time in the past (pre-December 2011).

 

Recent installation of a aluminum framed panel in the same location.

The panel is rated at 50 watts and easily keeps up with the refrigeration requirements of the crew on sunny days.  The main reason though is to keep the house batteries "topped off".

Old Glory Watching the Sunrise

Watching the sunrise off the back of the Time and Tide.

Now in 3-D!

Breakfast at Moyia's Bed and Breakfast

Great start to the day :)

Sunrise over Green Turtle Bay

A 180 degree panarama showing the sunrise and the sun hitting the boats on the right side of the photo.  First cold front of the season brought temperatures down to 50F and help create the mists over the water. 

Gold Country

Where I spent my formative years in mining-Round Mountain, Nevada.  When modern mining started here in 1977, I'm sure no one thought it would still be in operation in the next century.  The far side of the pit is ~2 miles away. 

50% Complete on the Battery Replacement

The First Mate thinks the new batteries are "pretty".....the other two batteries connected (Bank 2) were having trouble maintaining a charge by themselves and will be replaced on the next trip.

Let's hope these last for a while.....a bit cumbersome getting down into the Time and Tide.

Pound for pound, about ~50% more energy in these bad boys.

Going Green

Installed the first solar fan on the Time and Tide.  Many of the other boats on the pier have similar fans in place on their hatches.  Should help keep the cabins fresh while we are away.

Routed in the 4.25" hole into the tinted plexi-glass

Simple fit with silicone caulk, gasket and interior trim ring.

A smorgasbord of controls on the bottom allow for air in, air out, solar power, battery power and a LED light.

The Nina and Pinta

We had some full size replicas of the Nina and the Pinta (no clue where the Santa Maria is) "sail" into the marina this past week.  Upon closer inspection, if I was the Captain way back in 1492, we'd still all think the world was flat today.