Hillary

Home Sweet Home

There is nothing like home.  We went to church this morning and we saw all our old friends and it felt comfortable.  So very comfortable and able to make one slide into the old groove.  The new pastor will not let this happen I am safe to say. So here we are, still unpacking, getting equipment ready for Spring and still feeling kinda under the weather.  This chest thing is getting me down I fear.  I keep coughing and there is a rattle now and again but I am expectorating and feeling slightly better now that I am home again in Indiana near family, friends, extended family and even old, but dear, enemies.

Even so, I am still researching ship born items like AIS and Chart Plotters on Alibaba.  My heart is at home and restful but my spirit wants to be at sea.  I am sure this condition is related to age and at 70+ years it is a malady confronted by countless generations that are getting old with or without Grace.  I am sure it is the peace of Christ that will finally give me the peace that I yearn for.

As far as we know, Inspiration II is resting at peace in her slip with double lines tied to every possible cleat and position that does not violate nautical protocol.  Steve and others look after her and this gives us comfort.  I hear SAM rattling the dishes above and this means grub is coming soon. Thank God for wives who, doing there duty, with a smile produce food that is tasty and edible but tempsts the palate with things to come.  Thank you SAM.

I feel right now like I must end this missive and find the place to contemplate.  We missed the church service tonight and were missed, due to tests that I received, so the guilty capitulate, but I am so weak I do not have the strength to counter the argument.  To DJ: fight, to Beth: Strength is your virtue, To Marc: I love you, To SAM: thanks for sticking thru thick and thin, boats and all, to Jessica: What a heart and Mind, use it or lose it.  The end of this missive.

Back Home Again In Indiana

We arrived back in Indiana yesterday about 1630 hours.  We quickly unpacked necessary stuff and sort of collapsed into a lethargic state for the rest of the night.  I turned on the Routers and Switches.  Lo and behold it all worked without fiddling.  I am now blogging on this same infrastructure.  Considering we left on Monday the 6th of April you might wonder what took so long.  We usually make the trip in two days. The truck was near capacity with weight and space and I was a bit nervous about that fact, arguably correct, as we did have a breakdown along the way.

Today is a clean up day and so SAM is washing clothes and I unpacked a bit more from the vehicles.  Most of the rest of the items go into the building down by the lake to be saved for our Fall trip down to the boat.  We left a lot of items on the boat, however; Things like rope, lines and bulky heavier items.

Our truck with the camper on it broke down in Knoxville, TN and it took three days to repair it.  Fortunately, and totally unplanned, my sister was camping nearby so we spent the time with them touring the area that they know very well. We were in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Cades Cove and the Great Smokies. It was very, very crowded with Spring Break families so we did not cover a lot of territory or very fast.  Still it was fun to do this.  My highlight was visiting the Great Smokies Knife Shop in Seiverville. This is an amazing place with a Cabela’s type venue.  The remainder of the trip from Tennessee to North Eastern Indiana was uneventful.  SAM & I shared driving of about 2 on and two off.  Still at the end-of-the-day, I was tired and not a little grumpy.

Repetitive: Still waiting for the truck

We are still waiting for the truck to be totally fixed.  We did receive a promise that it would be done today 4/2/2015. Yea, if we make it to that goal.  We will bring it to the marina and pop the top up and start to rearrange items so that we may pack boat items to be returned to Indiana. Moore on this in later blogs.

The sun is up and it is low tide.   The tide here is only about a foot± but you can see the water hyacinths floating this way and then the other way. The day promises to be another one in the mid-80’s with clear skies. Should be a good day for us to start wrapping up the winter on the boat. I am sitting here right now wrapped in a blanket because it is still quite cool and SAM’s fan is still churning out air.

Yesterday we walked pier 1 out to the paddlewheel boat replica.  The gentlemen working on the boat were quite happy to speak with us at length about her.  It is here for a complete refit and upgrade to ultra-luxury accommodations and galley.  Withing the year it will travel by paddlwheel alone down the intercostal  to Stuart and through Lake Okeechobee to LaBelle to Fort Meyers and then on to its final destination of Apalachicola, FL where it will ply the river.  The main base will be at the museum. I would like to make the trip up river some day: Another thing for the bucket list.

I’ll probably add more to this blogline if I get time later today.