Chores, Excel and Marina Life

Each day we get a little further along on our chores...but we only have 6 days to complete them here in Baltimore before we are back "on the hook" as Paul so likes to say. And, just so everyone doesn't think I've been slacking while Paul is working overtime in the engine room....I got the sewing machine out and these two pillows now have the sheets and blankets for the forward cabin inside them....We had bought these towels and I recovered the outdoor/cockpit cushions with them....We now have a "dive" closet....AND, we are taking inventory and marking each locker on the boat...and thanks to excel...now when we need to know where something is...we don't have to tear the boat apart...just click "find"!!! Of course, we are only completed with half of the boat...and putting things away AFTER Paul needs it...well that is another story...and speaking of another story....marina life....Since I don't want to swim in this water...I have had to become semi-content to take pictures of the creatures on top of the water...these guys figured out where we were in the Marina and have come visiting to get their treats....
The smallest one...
She seems to be a very good "mom"....
This turtle is one of the big ones. They sun themselves on the surface oil booms that are in the marina...

And, now....back to chores...

Dog Days of Summer

So much for the damn dogs...Here it is the middle of August and our To-Do list keeps getting longer. Last weekend I re plumbed the water and A/C pumps..repaired the high water alarm and started cleaning the engine room. Tuesday I removed both battery chargers...The fan had failed on the 100 amp and the 30 amp has not worked for over a year. When I opened the 100 amp, the case was filled with salt. Back in Jan on our way to the USVI we has a pin hole leak in the high pressure (1000 psi) hose in the engine room. This put a fine salt water mist in the engine room that condensed on all the surfaces. Needless to say that pin hole was right below the cooling fan on the battery charger, hence the charger innards covered with salt. I had spent 5 hrs bent over the generator....called the dealer about the fan...they wanted $125 bucks for a computer fan...screw them..ordered one on-line for $15 bucks. I found a blown fuse in the 30 amp so I decided to replace it and keep the 100 amp out till I replace the fan. I hit the breaker and bam...the thing started charging....but that was short lived...5 min later it quits... Damn...back down in the engine room...remove the 30 amp and install the 100 amp. I had Joyce unplug the 220 v shore power AND disconnect the 24 volt + and - at the battery. While using some needle nose pliers to push through the heavy 24v cable it grounded to something ... WOW...now the pliers are hot to the touch... have no idea where all the power was coming from....by 6:30 I had the 100 amp back in and charging...A quick dinner and we headed for the gym...me to the hot-tub for a long soak.
On Thur flipped the boat around in the slip and replaced the anchor chain with the new 250 foot piece I found online. The boat came with 10 mm Frenchie stuff and has been in the water for the better part of the last 5 yrs. The chain is fine but, the galvanizing is long gone. I had ordered 3/8 HT. 3/8 and 10 mm are close....but of course the new chain is a little longer and would jump out of the chain wheel. You guessed it...now have to buy another chain wheel for $ 225 or more. By this time my back and hips have had enough....Have been spending all the time at the gym in the hot tub. Yesterday was a do nothing day except to go out for calamari with Pete and Pam and a game of Mexican Train dominoes and wine.......

My "doggie" fix....

I love dogs. I keep teasing Paul that we should get one...chocolate lab...yellow lab...chesapeake bay retreiver. Puppies are so fun...and dogs are wonderful...they can be a great advantage security wise...even on a boat. But, then, reality is...that there really is no room...or truly no time on this boat for a dog. Living on "the hook" as we usually do means that to take the dog to the "restroom" we would have to dingy to shore at least twice a day...and that would be once the puppy (or dog) was potty trained! What a nightmare!!!! So while we were in Seattle visiting my family and kids....my doggie fix....
This is my mom's dog...Paloma. It means dove in Spanish.
A much longer story, but I brought her home from Zihuatanejo with me as a puppy two years ago for my mom....in fact it was a worker that I had working at my condo that named her....
I had her with me in my condo in Z for three weeks before I flew back to the U.S. with her...she is the sweetest dog in the world...very much like her owner...my mom...
And, then there is Chloe...my oldest daughter's dog...she is also a very sweet dog...and very loving....definately a one person dog...although she seemed to like Paul....And, then there is my son's dog...Annie...a very sweet dog as well...somewhat shy.... yet loves the outdoors and my son...wanting attention so very much...especially from my son...And then my youngest daughter's dog...Abu...also a very sweet dog...very loving...and wanting to always be by my daughter's side...no other person will do...


It's interesting to note...my entire family has dogs....and their dogs breed and dogs personalities speak volumes about them...sweet and loving...

Where in the world are we?

The easy answer is Baltimore. But then again, like any very large city, saying we are in Baltimore is like saying we are a needle in a haystack...well, sort of. We of course have to be on the water, which does narrow it down a little. So in fact, we are on the Patapsco River...which comprises the Harbor for the downtown area of Baltimore. There is a lot of American history here...a fort...references to Frances Scott Key...Fells Point...an open air music stage - the tent type structure. The music is loud enough that we can enjoy from the cockpit of the boat - or not - depending on the venue. We haven't done too much sightseeing...the aquarium is the one place that I do want to visit...
There are a lot of empty slips here...sign of the immediate times, I guess...because it truly is a wonderful place to be....downtown. From the Marina office we can follow the red brick sidewalk a mile or so to the Safeway store...or to West Marine...and just two blocks from us is a Whole Foods!
But as with all great and wonderful things...there is construction...and 6 days a week our first sounds in the morning are the hammering and crane sounds from this downtown "improvement"...a Four Seasons Hotel and a Legg Masons building.
Now...back to chores....

A floating "Liberty" ship

We saw this Liberty ship docked downtown on Friday and were planning on going to tour it this week after we had returned the car that we had borrowed from Paul's friend (thanks Jenny)...but then we saw the tugs taking it away Sunday night...

So these are the only pictures of a floating Liberty ship that we can share with you (if you remember we took pictures of the sunken ones in the south part of the Bay acting as a reef of sorts on our way up the Bay in June...Paul called them Victory ships in that blog).

As the tugs took it away they turned it around...
So while we missed the opportunity this time to tour the inside of the ship...we did get this view from the dock without going anywhere.