It's a Girl!!!

What a day it has been!
Just after 10am, we got a phone call from Len to say that they left the house at 3am  bound for the hospital, and Stef gave birth to Mia Carina at around 5am...Im not sure of the exact time...those details will come later, no doubt.

We listened in some disbelief to the announcement that we were now Auntie and Uncle!!! to a 6lb 7 oz baby girl.
To say that the birth was unexpected, sounds stupid, but it was.

We all sat down  around the kitchen table, last night, and enjoyed Chinese Take Out. We chatted until almost 9pm, which is traditionally Stefie's bed time, and came back to the boat.  Stef had spent most of the day doing laundry....baby laundry...and because the drier was on the blink, we hung most of the baby clothes et al, on the laundry lines on the boat. We sat around on their Lanai and chatted in between doing odd jobs, while Stef continued making a gorgeous crystal Mobile for the babies room. She had finished most of the long strands of sparkles by the time we called it quits for the day, around 6pm.
The men had spent part of the day with their heads under the sink in the 2nd bathroom....it is under renovation.

 

As we sat at the table talking, there was no indication that last night, or I should say, the early hours of this morning, would be THE DAY, as it were.

We had just said...when the baby drops (she was still carrying high) you will know it, and how you will feel etc, etc. The two hospital bags were almost fully packed...one for each car...but the house is in turmoil, because the 2nd bathroom is getting renovated, and the babies room is still getting the flooring done.
The joke of the day was that Stef thought Len had lied to the flooring guy by saying that his wife (Len's wife, Stefie) was going to give birth any day now....and that the flooring needed to be done poste haste.

I think you need to be careful what you wish for:)

As I said, the house is in turmoil, the cats think there is an alien invasion, with all the upheaval and change, and now there is another wee monster to enter into the equation:) 

We had to go out and about for various things, today, and on our way, (as we were passing - wink, wink) we decided to go and visit, after clearing it with the Boss!
Mother was bright and alert, and baby was crying when we arrived. Dad was putting clothes on her, and baby was busy looking at her new dad, when she wasn't crying that tiny baby cry, which is so appealing:)...well, I guess it is only appealing to those who don't have to get up every two hours to feed and change her, but for an old  'mom' like me, it was very appealing. Clucky? moi?? NEVER! Waz is now accusing me of such a thing...for shame!

A new life is always a cause for celebration, and even more so when we have a healthy baby and Mom. Life will never be the same, but those of us who have had children know this and mostly celebrate the fact. None of us knew what we were in for when our kids arrived, and they certainly didn't come with handbooks or instruction sheets. If only! or maybe not.

This little girl is much longed for and will be much loved and supported by so many caring, loving people. We look forward to watching her grow and become a young woman.

We enjoyed sitting over dinner with Len, when he finally had time to join us this evening, and hearing all the details of his day. He has gone back to the hospital to join Stefie and Mia, and we hope they all have a reasonable night, tonight.

So, folks, that is our day....other than we found some bike helmets, went to the German butcher and came home with some yummy German sausages. I cooked wonderful Kielbasa with some fresh sautéed asparagus and a baked sweet potato. A salad finished the dinner off, and we had a walk, and now getting ready for bed.

Sweet dreams!:)...we are now honorary Auntie and Uncle:)  Life is good!

Mia Carina, just a few hours old. Happy Birthday, little girl.

Thunder and Lightening and ...

...rain and Air Shows don't go together.
We have enjoyed watching the old bombers et al flying overhead since we have been back on the boat. What a shame it is raining today! No planes in the air today, and we were all so looking forward to some fantastic displays by the Thunderbirds, which we have seen in close formation flying, during the week. Perhaps that is all we will get to see?
Lightening, a minute ago, and the thunder seemed to go on forever.

So, tell me....why did I choose to clean the inside of the boat on a day when it is hot (79F inside) and humid...close to 90%, I would say...and especially when the south wind is blowing the water into the canal, and the boat is moving a whole lot? Vacuuming up forw'd was almost unbearably hot, with no windows being able to be opened, and the front of the boat bouncing up and down. This is a 55,000lb boat, so you might imagine the force of the water being blown into the canal that is making us rock and roll so much. Of course the water is now super high at high tide, and the water looks like it could breach the seawalls along the residential lots. It wont, but it sure is sloshing onto the private docks. We had a similar occurrence not so long ago and I took the following photos then.

You can see the water comes up to the bottom of the support beams on our dock.

This neighbors yacht looked like it might float out of it's cradle

Just across the canal from the boat, the bottom step on the right is totally covered.

Looking down the canal...she looks just like that today.

And..repeat, today!

 

It is raining pretty steadily now and the thunder just keeps rolling.

 

At least the boat is clean!:) but washing the floors was a stupid move, when there is so much humidity, coz they just don't want to dry...so here I am wiping them dry, only they don't want to dry! hmmm....fans are on, and hopefully they will dry over time.

 

We did a Sam's Club run yesterday afternoon, after putting it off for a couple of days. Out of berries and other fruit that we light to buy there, we decided at around 2.30pm, we would make the journey.

 

We found some nice fresh Tilapia fillets, which I portioned and put in the downstairs freezer, and two sides of Trout (Steelhead Salmon, by another name) which were also cut and portioned and frozen...except for last night's dinner.

As we don't eat potatoes or white flour starch any more, we have to be creative with our 'starch-type' vege. We really like the Zucchini Pasta' I make, and last night, instead of the wide 'noodles' I usually cut, I did 'spaghetti' cut. It is easy to do with the right tools! When we were in New Orleans, at a supermarket there, we picked up two 'cutters' that do the job nicely. First up, in the pot, is the fresh asparagus. No carbs and no sugars, this lovely veg is fantastic for those of us seeking fibre and lots of other goodies. I just saute the washed tips and ends in a little butter with sea salt added last. Yum!

 

The raw zucchini in 'spaghetti' mode...

 

 

 

 

The salmon goes into the hot pan with the left overs from the asparagus, skin side down, until you can just see the salmon cooking, along the sides. It then gets turned over, the skin removed and the capers and cream (1/2 cup) are added, and the 'spaghetti' placed on top to steam.

Eventually I mix the spag in with the cream and grind some fresh black pepper and sea salt into the mix...By the time the cream is sufficiently reduced, the spag, and the salmon is cooked. .Dinner in one pot! I love it.

A simple, great tasting meal, with asparagus on the side. Light and all good for you too!:)

 

As much as I like making one pot dinners...too lazy to make complex ones, I guess...I do occasionally welcome a Pork or lamb roast...both of which we haven't had for some time. I must remember to find some lamb and roast it, before we leave Florida.

Something we have rediscovered, is the baked sweet potato. Sweet and with plenty of fibre, they are and excellent, healthy starch. I often steam them and then toss in olive oil with sea salt to make home made 'chips'.

The other night (sorry, forgot to take pics) I made a cauliflower 'risotto', which was delicious.

 

I sauted  finely chopped 1 onion and a whole cauli full of florets (also finely chopped) in a small knob of butter. I then added spring (green) onion, and baby spinach and mixed them all together with some frozen peas. When all the veg had sweated for a bit, I added half a cup of heavy whipping cream and bubbled it until the risotto was tender , the cream reduced and it was ready to eat. To make it more colorful and healthful to eat, I added a handful of grape tomatoes to the plate, before serving. The risotto was delicious, filling and something I will make again. It is often a matter of looking in the fridge to see what moves me to make. Eating in a new way keeps me on my toes, and of course there is the added incentive of weight loss!:) Having lost the equivalent of two dress sizes, I want to keep the momentum going. It works!

 

As I write, we are watching a gardening show on TV. hmmm...How I wish I had a garden to get out into, today. I think it is the pottering around on the property, that I miss. Somehow, cleaning a boat just doesn't have the same appeal, lol. Making, growing and doing things that yield other things, is much more satisfying. It looks like I need to get on the road, doesn't it?

 

Waz has been busy down the 'hole' that is the engine room...painting, fixing and making like new and all kinds of awful smells are coming back up the hole...It eventually dissipates, but it isn't nice while it lasts. As I think I have said many times before....just when you think you are on top of all the challenges, another comes to visit! bah!

 

With the not so nice weather, we have had some interesting evening skies. This one (sorry about the power pole and lines, folks) was interesting...that is the setting sun..not the moon! and the clouds looked a bit like Ice-clouds, which I have photographed before. I doubt that these are ice clouds, but they were good enough to take a picture of .

 

 

And that, my friends, is that. Im going to enjoy a cup of coffee now and maybe watch a movie before dinner with Len and Stef...maybe. He has his head under the sink in the bathroom, right now. We aren't the only ones with the never ending fix-its!

 

A biking we will go....

Well folks, we just ordered our new bicycles. After much thought, deliberation and research, we have settled on a make and model....A Schwin folding bike..or two! They come with bags, which is a plus and we can pick them up locally at our Walmart. I will need to change the seat for my broad butt (It's a girl thing!) and we will need to try on helmets, also. Good job! No more losing sleep over THAT issue.:)

What have we been up to since the last post?

On Monday morning we were up relatively early to make our way across the state to Jupiter. We took Hwy70 across the top of Lake Okeechobee, through Arcadia and Okeechobee City, and then down to Jupiter where we had arranged to meet Robyn and Dave (our buddy boaters from the gulf crossing) for lunch. We found them, in the rain, at a Yacht Club marina, where they are preparing their boat to be hauled out, a little further north, for the rest of the year. They are going back to upstate NY for the balance of the year to accomplish some 'projects' and do some gardening (Robyn). I'm jealous!
We found out that they live across the river from some old Maui friends of mine who are currently wintering over in the Dallas, Tx, area. They may as well have stayed in NY, with all the cold and snow that Tx has had this year.
If we get that far, this year, we will look forward to visiting them both, either by boat or by car....leaving the boat somewhere while we take a road trip across the top of the state.

We had lunch at a really fun tiki hut place which had most of it's outdoors closed off due to the rain, unfortunately. We hung around waiting for someone to leave their table so that we could nab it, when vacated. Our meals were excellent, and we enjoyed catching up with Robyn and Dave and their plans for the future.

The view down river from the restaurant...on a wet day!

The up river view. Robyn and Dave had been here only in their dinghy, before:)

The 'waiting room' on the sidewalk, outside

Great sign, and great place! A good choice!

 

We left Robyn and Dave around 4pm, with an eye to avoiding the 5pm traffic...which didn't seem to be bad at all. We had sat on the cockpit deck for an hour and enjoyed the view from there, including watching two young Osprey trying their wings, on a high nest across the ICW, nearby.

 

It rained on an off all the way up the Hwy to our overnight stop...Comfort Inn suites, Ft Pierce. This was the least expensive place we could find, and we booked a room because it is something of a luxury for us...two queen beds all to ourselves. He got one, I got the other....stretch out time!:) A little selfish, I have to say, but we also got to spend a loooooong time in the shower; another luxury!

 

We are very economical with water, on the boat, because we have to be. We also have small spaces, so when we have the opportunity to take advantage of larger spaces, we do it.

We ate at Red Lobster, just around the corner....driving into the next door parking lot, because it was raining cats and dogs. I enjoyed a stuffed Tilapia with extra helping of broccoli, and Waz ordered Fish and Chips, which he didn't enjoy so much. The fish was dry and the chips looked pretty much the same.

 

Another benefit of staying at the Comfort Inn, was the included breakfast. Waz made waffles per usual, while I (not enjoyed) ate sausage patty and omelet...hmmm...say not more...and fruit.

 

We made our way east to Jensen Beach and a visit with Katie and Dean, who are staying at the Marina on Nettles Island. The island is reclaimed land, which is interesting...sticking out into the ICW, which is very wide at that point. Katie has many family members staying at the village there, over the winter, and it was great to meet them.

The four of us went across the road to Shuckers Restaurant, on the Atlantic coast (The Island is VERY narrow) for lunch, which we greatly enjoyed.

 

 

 

 

Looking right UP the beach from the restaurant...condos all the way.

Yes, though it was cool, and raining, that didn't stop these young people on Spring Break, from swimming and enjoying the small surf.

A few hardy souls out in the cool and damp.

Looking back to the restaurant. You can just see Waz's back, on the right.

After lunch we went visiting Katies Relatives...first Mom and Dad who are in their fifth wheeler, opposite Katie's sister's house, then Uncle Bob and Auntie Kathie, just around the corner. Such nice folks!  We left there around 3pm to make the trip back to Pt Charlotte.

We had passed the Historic district of Jensen Beach, on the way to Nettles Island, so decided to go and look for a coffee there. We were too late in the day, there, but took a walk around the village and visited a couple of Galleries, as we do. I was rather taken by this shrimp thing, outside a restaurant.

Down the main street of Historic Jensen Beach...the ICW is just at the end of this road.

Galleries in the historic villas

Quaint hanging things in one of the galleries.

A remodeled villa...into a gallery, of course:)

 

We hit the road again...Waz looked up the nearest Starbucks, on the GPS. We HAD to have a coffee before going home. That accomplished, we set forth, once again taking Hwy 70, back across the top of the Lake, to Pt Charlotte.

 

I hate that I don't have any photos to accompany what I am going to say next, but there was just nowhere to stop, and take any.

 

It appears that the highest points in southern Florida, are the Trash mountains. How sad!...BUT...we did drive through some 'pretty' countryside which was mostly ranchland, sod farms....miles of lovely green grass...palm and tree farms, Dairy 'Farms' the likes of which we have never seen before, they were so huge. This is farming on a grand scale!

Orange trees for miles, also. Trucks full of orange and green fruit pulled up alongside of us.

We wondered how the green fruit was going to be sweet, made into juice, which this invariably would be.

Yes, the trucks really are that long!!

 

We also passed a series of Jails, or Pententiaries, out in the middle of nowhere..which is why they are built there, no doubt! It was the other side of Arcadia, I believe.

Arcadia appeared to be a very rundown, low socio-economic area, and it was not just sad, but quite disturbing to see how many families are living, there. We were also appalled at the state of the Farm cottages, and couldn't believe people actually lived in those things. Inhumane, really.

 

It was good to be home, before dark...which is getting later and later, these days. Well, it IS the end of March already. Where did those first three months go to??

 

We had to chuckle...sitting and watching 'Swamp People' on TV....we know people like that, in Louisiana!...Gator hunters!!

 

Still not sure why we haven't see a Gator yet, but we did see a Manatee browsing on mangroves, while we were at the restaurant with Robyn and Dave. Fascinating watching it reaching out of the water to get the young end shoots.

 

Wednesday, Warren went into the County Building in Punta Gorda, to sit his Driver's test...well, the written one, anyway.

We always seem to have an issue with our Legal Residence, when we go and do any of these things....it is the BOAT! Most people cannot get their head around that. It appears that you should have brick and mortar addresses. Well, we are just being difficult, it would appear.

 

I also got my Driver's license changed to show the boat as my residence, where it showed the hosts address, as I have previously mentioned.

Waz aced the written test (on computer), of course and we have an appointment on April 9th, to do the 5 min driving test. It is cutting things a little skinny, time-wise, for us!. That is the day we take the car back to the rental company!

 

The vehicle license thing took us TWO HOURS! Just as well we had nothing better to do!

 

Thursday...We went out and bought foam and batting to re-fill the leather sofas. This has been the subject of discussion for a while, and we cannot afford to change the leather (which could do with a change) at the moment, so making it look like new was in order. Adding 2" foam to the bottom of the seat (under the leather) has made the world of difference in comfort. After 14 yrs, it was time!

 

Removing the old batting. We would have preferred to remove the old foam too, but that wasn't an option this time around. Waz carefully removed all the staples at the back and carefully took the leather off. It is a bit delicate in places, so it is good to reinforce those and make sure the upholstery will do us at least another year, if not more. We love the color, and they really are very comfy now they are re-stuffed.

The shoe box added the required weight, after spraying glue to attach the new green foam to the old yellow stuff, AND the plywood base.

TaDa! The new upholstery on the right and the old on the left. I think the leather will be better for the new foam!

 

It is a very physical job, doing all this, so it takes two of us to manhandle all the pieces back together. Waz has the heft and I handle the staple gun. Thank goodness we purchased an electric one to do the other chairs, because it makes the job 150% easier.

 

Today we have done a shop at Sam's club, put more photos on the website for sale (soon..be patient!!), attended to the end of the month business things, and made plans to continue the seating tomorrow. We have the dinette to do also, so this will keep us busy for a few days.

 

It really is past time for me to go and make some dinner. Trout for dinner...yum!

 

Ciao for now. Lets hope the rain goes away for tomorrow when the Punta Gorda Airshow is on. We have been watching some of the old aircraft circle overhead, and had the thrill of watching the Thunderbirds flying by...gosh they are noisy!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

SNAFU's by petty beaurocrats and more....basically a RANT!

How unusual! Me, ranting? ha!

Im not sure where to start this rant...
Well, let's just start with Insurance.

Did I tell you that we had purchased Geico Non-Vehicle -Owner Liability Insurance?
Well, we thought we did. Then we got a letter to tell us that our coverage was going to be all over on the minute past midnight on the 22nd March! Lovely!

What got us to this point??

A long time ago (2011) my Hawaii Driver's License expired and because I was no longer in Hawaii, I didn't renew it, though I couldn't do that online, anyway.
I did, however, keep the license 'just in case'. I brought it back to the USA with me, just to prove, should I need to prove, that I have held a USA Driver's license.

When Geico signed us up for this non-vehicle-owners Liability Insurance, they wanted me to FAX (who does that anymore?) a copy of the old license (at $11.30, from Staples, I might add!) to their offices to prove I once held such a thing. They acknowledged it's arrival in one of our phone conversations since!

However....the letter we got from them stating that they can no longer insure us, says...and I quote."Due to our (their) inability to verify a Valid and verifiable US Driver's License for Monica and Warren (Last names included) we regret that we have to terminate the insurance coverage".

HOWEVER....on Tuesday (yesterday) We went into the local county offices to get me a Driver's License, having ascertained on MONDAY afternoon (with a visit to the same place) what I would need in order to get one. The only thing missing at that time was my new US passport (which arrived in the mail while we were out! (hmmm...).
Returning on Tuesday, we showed all the necessary proof of identity, and thus got myself a genuine Florida Driver's License. Yayay!
Waz cannot get his until he sits the written test, then does a driving test with examiner. This is because we drive on the 'wrong' side of the road, in NZ! Never mind that he has been driving for 45 yrs without ONE accident. Ok,,.different country, different rules. We do what we have to to get by.

Armed with my new driver's license, I immediately came back to the boat and called Geico to announce that I now had a verifiable Driver's License and can we please reinstate the insurance.???

Pretty please???


NONONONONO>>>>!!!!

Never mind that I had just filled the one requirement that was requested, they have in the meantime made up a bunch of excuses so that we cannot, in any way, continue to be covered under their insurance.
We spent the rest of the day variously talking to Insurance agents from the Big Ones, friends of friends who should be able to help us, to no avail. Insurance companies do not like to carry this kind of risk!
WHAT RISK?

Ok..here is why we want the insurance in the first place.

You know how, when you rent a vehicle, they ask you if you would like the additional coverage for the car? Well, guess what? WE thought we had that additional coverage through the VISA card we pay with. Check the coverage you THINK you have on your own Credit Cards...it may not be what you thought!!It does not cover personal or third party injury!
It appears, after talking to VISA, that we are not covered for personal Liability, in the event of an accident...just rental car damage , nothing else. Any damage to your person, need for hospitalization etc, etc, is not covered. This is why we wanted liability cover. We do not have the means to dip into a vast storehouse of funds sitting waiting for such an event, so cover makes sense, no?
Yes!

Well, it appears that 99.9% of insurance companies do not provide non-vehicle-owners Liability insurance.

Never mind that Geico have part of their website devoted to just that kind of insurance. Yes, we have argued this one black and blue with them, which is why we got the cover in the first place.

The LATEST argument from them, for not reinstating our cover was this....Because we would be using a rental vehicle 'continuously'. HUH??? The occasional weekend car rental is CONTINUOUS??
I told them to go to the dictionary and look the word up = without a break or constantly...(depends on the source of the definition).

You see...we only want the cover for those weekends, about twice a month, where we get an Enterprise rental car for a three day weekend special, to replenish the larder and take care of business. THAT is NOT CONTINUOUS! rental. No matter. They then went looking for other things to say that really was a load of bullshit, and I told them so. Crikey! how infuriating...no matter that we have on paper, in legally legible language, that they only want a verifiable Drivers license!!!

AND HERE COMES THE OTHER RANT!!


We re-registered the boat at the same time I got my license, yesterday, and it was good to get that out of the way, even though it wasn't due until April.  We thought we had paid for the license AND the registration all in one go. It appears that we didn't! NOT OUR FAULT!!!

The young woman who provided all the documentation for both items did not only NOT charge me for the license, but she also didn't record my cell phone number correctly on the computer. This meant that when she wanted to call me and tell me to return to pay, she had to look up the owner of the address on record. She then called that person to tell them to tell us (the squatters on the dock) to return to make payment! Aieee! Most unfortunate, especially for the addressee, who is a very busy person and has better things to do than babysit us!

Thursday:

First thing this morning we went to the Rental Car company and asked to see their liability policy (for purchase), and what it would cost. An extra $14.99 will be charged, PER DAY for personal liability to be added to the rental policy. We figger it is worth it because the money we were being charged for the Geico policy was enough for us to rent AND pay the policy addition at the rental company, for 5 months!!!
We will return tomorrow and put a new rental agreement together for the rest of the rental period...including the Liability Insurance.


Word of caution for the traveler!!!!

If you DO take out the extra Collision coverage, your credit car (VISA) will not cover you for any additional charges. If you WAIVE the charges, you are covered under your VISA card policy. HOWEVER... You are not covered for LIABILITY and PERSONAL INJURY! You will need to purchase that cover from the rental agency. This is especially relevant in these United States with it's litigious society!..ONLY IF you are not a US citizen with retention of the liability portion of cover on your OWN vehicle policy. IF you do not own a car and have no other insurance for a vehicle, you MUST purchase the $14.99 per day insurance for personal liability.

ALSO:

If you do not own a vehicle in the USA or retained the liability portion of your car insurance when you sold your vehicle, you will not find an insurance cover for NON-Vehicle Owner Liability! We know this after two/three/four days of trying to find cover!

The rest of the morning involved making an early call up to Sam's club for fruit and veg, and a trip over the bridge to Fisherman's Village for my haircut. She kind of lowered my ears a bit more than normal, so I now look like a pinhead! bah!
I think I will try a new hairdresser for the last cut before we leave.

OH YES!...LEAVING!!!

There was some discussion today on the Loopers forum about when to leave for northern climes.
It appears that the 'normal' time to be in the NY area is around June!  With the record snowfall this year in those parts, (and they have another snow storm coming this weekend!) there will be some flooding from snow melt, along with spring rains/storms, so we are advised to take it easy until May-ish. We still have to get up the east coast, and that will take a month or so. Looks like we may be here for another month!

Itchy feet don't help us right now. We have many small chores (it seems endless at times) to complete before we leave...one of which is waxing the boat! Takes time and patience, but has to be done.
There is always something else to do, and some of the chores we have to admit to putting off for a rainy day...or a dry one, as the need may be.

I'm off to water plants...I can see that they are drooping, and I don't want the new basil plant to die before we get to use more of it. I also have more food to put into cold storage, that was purchased at Sam's club today.

I cant think what we have planned for the weekend, but we need to confer with our hosts on some of the chores they have scheduled to keep us our of trouble:) 
Waz and I have waterblasted the concrete around the house, walkway and driveway, and it looks good as new now:) Always satisfying to complete these things, and nice to help out where it is needed.

We are rather hoping Stefie delivers their little girl before we head north, so that we get to say hello to the new addition to the family. The alternative to that is that we will say hello to an 8 month old at Christmas time!!

Ciao for now...time to garden!!

It is the little things...

..that not only count, but totally get on the nerves!!
I guess one could say it is time to move on!!!
To what am I referring?

As I have said before, we seem to spend an inordinate amount of time driving up and down Hwy 41 in search of 'stuff'. Yesterday it was Bicycles, among other things....

Bicycles: The reason for this is the extension of the Insurance Saga. We have postponed thinking about and indeed, looking for, the appropriate mode of transport that might get us from A to B (close) with groceries et al, when we are in small ports and out of the way places where we don't want to rent a vehicle for same purposes and it is too far to walk.'

Another point here is that a rental car agency might not be within calling distance.

All this has come about because of our inability to find someone to sell us Non-Vehicle-Owners Liability Insurance.

We spent time yesterday walking in the front door of a couple of 'local' insurance agencies, who either hadn't heard of this kind of insurance, or didn't deal in it...but did health, life etc.

We had gone back to our car rental place first thing, to buy the needed liability cover for the remainder of our rental agreement. We had been told initially, that to ADD this cover to the policy wasn't possible, and we would need to start a new agreement for the remainder of the rental. This didn't make sense to us, but never mind...what do we know?

We were given the $$ amount it would cost us until the 9th April, the end of the current rental period (one month), and decided to go away and chew on it for the rest of the day, and frantically search for the insurance cover privately. BTW...the rental car company is charging $14.99 PER DAY for this kind of Liability insurance OVER AND ABOVE the cost of the car rental.

Feeling VERY stressed about this situation because the cover finished at one minute past midnight, this morning (the Geico cover), we needed to make the decision pronto.

Hence, the bicycle search. We ended up at K-Mart, where they have cycles on special until 9pm today (Saturday), IF the ones we tried out are still there! Chances are they are not.

Our friends on boats tend to have folding cycles for ease of storage and management, and Waz had found a truck load of different ones online. The decision was made NOT to buy the K-mart cycles until we had taken a good long look online. Such a wide variety!!!
It was good that we went to K-mart, though, as it gave me a chance to find what I didn't like about the bikes we tried out.

I have trouble even getting a leg over a bike...such is the state of my left hip, and I would require one of those nice fat seats because I refuse to have wedgies from the skinny kind..BTDT!

We had postcards to post to Waz's dad...he has now given up using the computer we set up for him, as he is almost blind. This is a bit distressing, because we cannot see him, and talk to him in person. He is 92! Waz's sister takes great care of him, though he retains his 'fierce' independence in a group living situation...but I digress....

We also needed to go to the Mall to try and find a light jacket for me, which was a fruitless search.

Coming back down the Hwy (you find you have to sort your stops really well, up one side and down the other) because there is no way you could walk from one stop to the other...well, it would take a LOT of time. As it was, it seemed to take us more than the rest of the morning, and well into the afternoon.

By 2.30pm we were back at the car rental place and accepted that there was no way we were going to get outside liability insurance..bah!...so we decided to take the rental car insurance offered.

The folks at the rental company were fantastic! They not only did all the math for us, but actively sought the best and least expensive solution for us, as well as giving us a discount! They rock! They saved us at least $200 for the remainder of the rental!! HOWEVER...we will not be renting a vehicle for the balance of the time here!!!

Hence the bikes!

So, today we need to make some decisions on the bikes. It makes sense to purchase them (folding bikes which you can get bike bags for) while we are here, so that we don't have problems with delivery addresses elsewhere. This will mean we can still go to the grocery store down the road, and anywhere else close by, that we need to.
We have a time line now, which is a good thing, otherwise we would 'cruise' on into the next month without dates.

We managed to get a couple of loads of washing done and hung, and dried (warm day coupled with good breeze!!) and a few other things accomplished.
No wonder I felt I needed a nap, by late afternoon.

My mother managed to get hold of us on Skype, around 4pm...our last communication on Skype had been off and on...late at night, our time...so it was lovely to have a long chat with her and see that she is looking great, after about 6 weeks of not being too well. She is 86 this year, and we are grateful for the love and care given by my brother and other family, in NZ. She also retains her fierce independence, in a Retirement Village, which we value.

Waz has an ongoing project down in the bowels (nothing to do with toilets, this time:) ) of the boat, so his head was down for the rest of the day.
We watched the news on TV...Don't know why we bother, none of it is good!! and decided that I was not up to cooking, so we would seek the easiest, fastest method of consuming food...(I think low blood sugar had something to do with this!) which ended up being a choice of Pizza Hut ($13 for dinner for two) or the Kentucky Fried Chicken Buffet...just down the road. KFC won the toss, and we  (I wont say 'enjoyed') ate there. Not hard to take the batter off the chicken, and they have a good choice of veg. We ate a modest fill, and came home to some 'work'.

I have been choosing and editing photos for some time now, and finally had them where I wanted them to place on a website, for sale. Residual income of any kind is always welcome!!:)

This is an American site that is attached to a printing/art company, so that when someone buys an image, they also get to choose how they want it printed, all on the one page. I like that, otherwise we have to search for someone to print our images, and then send the finished product to the client, and that is troublesome. I don't know what kind of traffic I will get, yet, but need to do some promotion. When I have it all up and running, I will, no doubt, put the URL up here so you can go and take a look. Be warned...lots of roses!!lol. No, really?? and some French Country, as the category calls it, and some Abstracts. This is all under the banner of FREE Gallery, until I decide that I want more tags, key words etc in order for it to pay better and promote us better. Not sure when that will happen, so bear with us!

Well, time for shower and to get going for the day. No fog, as we expected, this morning (forecast!) and a beautiful day has dawned. It is already 75F in the Saloon!

Waz is eating his Grapefruit on the cockpit deck, and I need to go and eat mine.
Ciao for now.:)

Toilets! The Saga continued.

Not sure where I got to on this topic, but suffice to say I have HUGEEEE admiration for my dear husband. In fact, my admiration is SOOO huge that I think he is my HERO!

DONT LAUGH!!!

I cannot count the number of times he has had head stuck down the toilet, beside it, in the closet where the pipes are, breathed the foulness of it all, had muck all over him, sweated buckets while in the humid heart of the dunny, and still come out with a smile on his face!

Why the smile? He has CONQUERED THE LOO!!! YAYYAYAYAY!


Yes, he has!!

Right! This picture shows the proximity of the loo to our bed...just exactly two steps from the end of the bed INTO the bathroom. From there it is ONE step to the toilet. Knees, if not careful (and you don't sit sideways) will touch the back of the door!

As you can see, space is ..well, "limited" at best.

 

 

Here is the fun part. This is MY closet! Underneath all that 'stuff' is the space Waz has to work in...

right hand door closed...get an idea of the space?

 

Here is the best part.

Remember I told you about the 'bubbler' he installed into the waste tank to aerate it? Well, it works like a charm! seriously!! NO PROBLEMO!! He is a genius. But we knew this!!

Moving right along....

 

Now, we have had trouble with this master toilet since day one. We replaced the entire unit, way back in Houston, but things just have not been satisfactory.

Waz installed a restricter valve (or whatever you call those things...he isn't here to ask!) that limits the amount of water that goes with each flush. It has had it's ups and downs!

 

One of the reasons for all this is that the pipe from our loo to the waste tank is a looooong one.

To get the waste from our loo all the way down the pipe and into the tank would, by all reckining, take a lot of water...right?

 

Well, we KNOW that the tank fills up within 7 days...or up to 9, if the wretched pumpa truck doesn't come on time!! aieeee!!...and there has to be a better way to regulate not only the water that is needed to flush, but the time period before we need a pumpout...I guess one equals the other?

 

So...Genius hubby figgered that if he installed a 10 gallon tank (that was the size that left some space to work in the closet..(or under it)) for the waste to go into when it vacates the loo, THEN installed a timed pump to pump the waste down the long pipe, then logically, we should use less water!!! yes?

 

YES!!

Now, don't go asking me all kinds of silly questions about this. Waz is fast asleep, so cant wake him up to ask him all the details, like I normally do...ask, that is, not wake up...!!

 

So, just believe me when I say that this past week, the red light did not go on to tell us that the waste tank was full...why? because it wasn't full yet! 7 days use and it wasn't full. That says that we used less water over all to flush, and the new holding tank gives us 10 more gallons of tank to fill, therefore we have space to spare!

Got it? good!

 

So, things are working like a charm...no smells!!! yay! sweet:)

 

And, with that out of my head, I can now go to sleep. It is now 1am, and I will go to sleep in a bedroom that smells of...fresh air! phew!

 

Sweet dreams! and if I have any of this wrong, HE will let me know and I will let YOU know! never mind!!

Industrious us!

It is always a major effort to clean the inside of the fly deck. Well, it is actually even more of a major effort to clean the outside of it too...but that isn't what transpired last Sunday. I say LAST Sunday, because that is nearly a week ago! Wow! where did THAT one go?

Waz and I took ourselves out to McDonalds for breakfast, on Sunday. They still have the two for one special on Egg McMuffins! Who can resist? ok...lots of people, but the price is right for some of us cheapskates!

We then went home and started cleaning the boat. Well, I did! I was determined to hose out the Fly Deck, which can be a challenge when all the windows are closed...it can feel like a Sauna, on a hot day.. The hot day is needed to dry it all out.

Hosing is imperative to get all the dirt off surfaces, that just wont go away when they are wiped. It also isn't good to wipe dirt off the shiny surface, because that can scratch the surface. You get the idea!
Two hours later, I am still wiping her down, and the neighbor comes over for a consultation in regard to the colors for the outside detail finish on the front of their house...currently painted white. Her brother in law, who us an Interior Decorator in TX (I think) had sent color swatches for the couple to look at, but they couldn't make up their minds...and were arguing about them! How did I get in the middle of all this? Oh! I said I wouldn't mind helping...silly me!:) An hour later, I am making excuses that my poor hungry husband needs feeding (it was almost 2pm!) and leave. No color swatches have been painted on the house this week! We await the transformation....maybe before they leave to go back to NY at the end of April??

So, eventually I finished cleaning, wiping and drying the fly deck off...wow! what a difference it makes to how the space feels. :)

So, what have we done for the rest of the week??
Good question! One day rather slips into the next, and before you know it, we are facing another weekend.
Tomorrow is Saturday again.

Today, Friday, we decided to Tiki-tour down to Pine Island. We have actually been there before. Well, part of it. We went there when we were here a year ago, and the traffic on Hwy 41 is the same going through the little touristy parts, and still nowhere to park and enjoy the restaurants. In fact, the only place to park was at the Dairy Queen, where we 'enjoyed' a lunch that we would not normally choose...don't ask, ok!!NOT GOOD!!!

Well, that was a minor blip on the screen of our day. We went one way up the island to the top and then turned around and went all the way down the island to the bottom, and of course went up and down the canal streets looking at homes for sale, as we do!

In the process, we spied...well, we HEARD Osprey. There is no mistaking their 'cries'. They are piercing, and the call to each other while on the wing, so it isn't hard to find them. Lots of nest at this time of year, and we were fortunate, while perusing a dead-end street (of which there were many!) to find an Osprey atop a power pole, eating a fish almost 1/3 the length of the bird's body.
I was able to get reasonably close to the bird and take numerous photos, before my camera told me it was FULL! bah!...rushing back to the car, I was handed Warren's camera which has a longer lens on it, and fired off a few more....ok, about 30 more! I cannot show you those ones, but I can show you the ones I took with my camera....

The crow thought he might be in with a chance, obviously.

We never tire of watching or photographing them and get a thrill from being able to be close to them.

 

That left us feeling good, for the return trip.:)

 

We stopped off at the Super Target on the way home to buy some of the better steak we have enjoyed, on our travels. We also picked up some other good looking meat, which included some GRASS FED beef! Hmmm...coming from NZ where 99% of the beef is grass fed, this was a bit hilarious. I DONT WANT TO KNOW what the other beef is fed on! seriously!

 

We had made a note, on the outward journey, to stop in at a Farmer's market stand, on the way home. We did this and were delighted to find some gorgeous tomatoes and egg plant, among other things. We also found unpasturized Honey! yay! I have been looking for Raw Honey for a while now. This one is Black Mangrove, which tastes kind of wild!

 

We arrived home around 4.30 and put the kettle on. We rather hang out for our cups of tea, don't we?

 

Putting food away in freezers and getting some dinner going was the order of the day after that. Len came over with something for us and we invited him and Stef to join us for dinner. I made Rissoles, breaded fried eggplant and had fresh garden tomatoes with basil, mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic. Yum! A bit of a weird dinner, but it worked some how!

Stef took two hours to get home, tonight, due to a crash on the highway, so we didn't sit down until the sun was almost down, around 7.30. The air got cool, but it was nice and relaxed upstairs once I closed all the windows and doors.

 

We have watched another movie tonight...Netflix! Need I say more? and I was supposed to be writing blog instead. Now it is 12.30am, and Im still here.

I skyped with the NZ child and caught up with his life, and Waz went to bed!

I knew I wouldn't sleep with the blog hanging over my head, so here it is:)

I will write the Toilet issue after this...it is MOST important...as toilets tend to be!

Ciao for now..

 

some pics from today! just so that you don't feel deprived.!!!

At the top end of Pine Island, this fishing pier was charging $8 each to enter! we didn't!

One of the lovely homes surrounded by palms. We thought the Island should have been called Palm Island, because we saw WAY more palms than pines!

Looking out from the top end of the island, into the ICW

a little to the left...these rather ordinary waterfront homes.

lots of day trippers out on the gorgeous water.

See what I mean about the palms?

We liked this vacant lot...nice view out into the mangroves..and more palms.

How cool is this??VERY! THE most original Adirondak chair ever!

Cuteness abounded!

...and so did the 'Florida' colors! This house was for sale...a paint job would be needed to get rid of the neon color, first.

These Ibis are everywhere, grazing. I liken them to the NZ Pukeko....bird/sheep

Some 'cute' mailboxes! gotta love 'em!

These were outside a guest house! which was called "The Pink Seahorse Guest House'. Hmmmmm

Last but not least...these glorious Amaryllis lilies were growing all along the front of a house. Stunning, aren't they?

:) Night, night!