April 23rd: Made me smile

I looked in the freezer and noticed a grass fed sirloin steak. I was happily reminded how it got there.
I had pretty well completed a blog the day before Linda passed away. Although I've spent a lot of time looking at the blog since Linda died, I couldn't seem to finish and post this one. Seeing the steak did it. I smiled and thought others would also.

We went kayaking again Easter Sunday and it was an absolutely beautiful day. I towed Linda a long way and she really enjoyed it. When we got back, I decided I'd do a blog including the great kayaking. I finally finished it and here it is.

Bottom paint being applied

Found out boating was allowed for household groups as long as we stayed 50 feet from other boats. (Many boaters like to pull up on sand bars and have a big party, hence the 50 foot regulation.) So I decided it was time to get my new dinghy ready. I wanted to put bottom paint on  it to stop algae and barnacles from growing on it.








Dockmaster Scott helped me pull it out onto the dock, carry it around to the shade and then put it back in the water. Great to have a strong young dockmaster!

Last step, I used the hoist on the boom to put the outboard on and bolt it to the transom. Good to go!





Well.... still feels like ground hog day. Thankfully, the roads into the Keys are still blockaded so we feel quite safe. I had greatly minimized the trips to the grocery store but it had been about a week and a half since I'd shopped. Now everyone was required to wear masks in the stores so I felt safer.

Linda said, "I think we need some COVID#19 food". I told her we were very well stocked and I was just going for eggs and some fresh produce and fruit. She said, "No, I mean let's forget the low carb, low saturated fat diet and have some fun food." I said it works for me. The only specific request was Mac n Cheese. Other than that she said to see what I could find.

I knew that a frozen DiGiorno Mushroom, Spinach, Garlic Pizza would be a big hit. They are actually not bad on saturated fat. The carbs? Well that's why we save them for special treats. We really like those but they seldom have them at Publix. It was the first thing I looked for because I know they get cleared out early when they get some in. I was lucky, there were four in the freezer case. I grabbed one. (No hoarding here!)

Next went to get the Mac n Cheese. Wouldn't want to forget that!




Next I thought I'd try again for a corned beef. I say again because my last attempt on St.Patrick's Day didn't go so well. The fresh meat area was only about half full but you never know. I looked and there were three corned beefs wrapped in the plastic bags with the spice packet included. I took it home and put it into the pot to simmer all day. It looked kind of brown rather than red but it was Publix own brand so whatever. Simmered it along with the cabbage and potatoes. Went to eat it and found it was still brown, kind of tough and just didn't taste like corned beef. Tasted more like a pot roast. It was good, but not what we were expecting. I went to look for the bag it was wrapped in but I had already thrown it in the trash can outside.

I was in the store about a week later and looked for the same item. Again there were three sitting there. Checked the label and discovered it was beef tongue! Linda's dad used to make it at the farm and it was okay, but not corned beef.



This time I looked very carefully, and sure enough they had some clearly marked corned beef. Pizza, corned beef for Easter, going well so far.


Right next to the corned beef were some grass fed sirloin steaks. Quite low in saturated fat so I picked up two of those.









Might as well check the International foods section in the freezer aisle. Found some spring rolls and some vegetable pot stickers.







Across from the International Foods aisle was the ice cream aisle. Might as well pick up some Raspberry sorbet. I decided that should do it. But wait, on the end of the aisle were some Cape Cod Kettle fried potato chips which we actually buy on occasion. These also are very low in saturated fat.

I decided I better get out quickly after getting the fresh vegetables and fruit.

This was Tuesday. I arrived back at the boat and showed Linda the pizza. I said it would fit in the freezer and we could have it for a special occasion. She said, "I think today is a special occasion!" Patience might be a virtue but I believe Linda was passed over on that one. Of course I said, "Works for me." It was great as usual.

Planned the rest of the week's special treats. Pot sticker appetizers Wednesday. Spring roll appetizers Thursday and Sirloin steak Friday. Mac n Cheese for lunch Saturday and real corned beef and cabbage Easter Sunday. Maybe we're adapting to this COVID#19 problem pretty well!

The weather was beautiful so we again reminded ourselves how fortunate we are, but its difficult to put the pandemic out of our minds. We're hanging in there and actually there is little we're not doing that we were before. Little projects, reading, swimming, kayaking and Linda playing her Christmas present video games, Link's Awakening and Luigi's Mansion, while I watch and yell, "Look out".

Linda went for a short kayak ride Wednesday. I offered to pull her but she said she would just slowly paddle around outside the marina and see how it goes. It went well. Friday I towed her up-current pretty far so she could coast back with the current. Great to see her enjoying kayaking again. She decided she'd go every other day (winds permitting) for exercise.

Headed to Crane Point

It was dead calm on Easter so I towed her out to Crane Point which has some little bays, mangroves, birds and often fish.

Egrets near Crane Point

We spotted a flock of Egrets and We  decided I'd try to slowly paddle us past them for Linda to get a picture. We were getting pretty close and she got some good ones. Tried to get closer and she got a good picture of them flying away! Beautiful birds. Very graceful flying and fun to see.





We arrived at the Point and Linda paddled around for a while. I towed her back even though it was with the current because it is a long way. When we got back she said, "That was great, I really enjoyed that. Thanks." What a wonderful job her doctor and the physical therapist did on her shoulder. Looking forward to a lot more kayaking.

On the way back we passed this fun palm tree trunk from a palm tree destroyed by Irma. Creative use of the stump and fun to see going by.


Ended the day with the corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and of course Raspberry Sherbet. What a great Easter. Finished the evening watching old Cheers segments. Linda found 11 seasons on Netflix. We started with the first season and plan to watch them all. Much better than watching the news, I highly recommend it.


Above is the blog I had pretty well finished. I realized there weren't any pictures of Linda so I added one from where it all began. In case you are wondering, that is the tux I was married in. It was the 70's!

Steve and Linda, July 10, 1971

April 21st: Donations in Memory of Linda Ann Franko

Linda overlooking the ocean at San Juan Capistrano, California

A clarification. To make a donation, you can call, send a check to the address below, or use the web site to make a donation. Donations will be designated to go toward scholarships exclusively.

Linda's family would appreciate donations to reflect a connection between Tom's 37 years as a surgeon on the Navajo Reservation, Tuba City and Linda's commitment to education. The American Indian College Fund does just that. Info click here

Donations can be made to:

   

American Indian College Fund

Re: Linda Franko Memorial Scholarship Fund (0076)

8333 Greenwood Blvd.

Denver, Colorado 80221

Phone: 303-426-8900

Or online at www.collegefund.org (click DONATE button, and select TRIBUTE GIFT option, please include Linda Franko Memorial Scholarship Fund 0076 in the HONOR OF line)

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful support the family has received. These are trying times for everyone but the communication has been effective and wonderful.

April 20th:Linda's Obituary

Linda and kidney donor brother Tom at the Perrysville Dairy near the family farm

Obituary of Linda Franko

Marathon, Florida- Linda Ann Franko, 70, died unexpectedly and peacefully on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. Linda felt so fortunate to fulfill her lifelong dream of living aboard a boat with her husband Steve and traveling the Great Lakes, the waterways of the Midwest, the Gulf of Mexico, the eastern seaboard and Canada. Linda enjoyed adventures with a “Why Not?” attitude and made plenty of new friends, many becoming like family. Steve and Linda wintered at Marathon Key, Florida, on their boat so appropriately named “Yesterday’s Dream.” Linda was exactly where she wanted to be, on her boat and with her husband Steve of 49 years, when she passed away.

Born in Ashland, Ohio on September 20, 1949, Linda grew up on a farm in Ohio with four brothers and her parents, the late Warren and Leona (Grosswiller) Drouhard. She was a 1967 graduate of Loudonville High School, and a 1971 graduate of the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Education – Mathematics degree. In 1971 Linda married Steve Franko of Cleveland, Ohio. She became a mother in 1974 and stayed home to raise her two daughters until 1984. She then attended The Ohio State University and was a 1985 graduate with a Master of Arts in Mathematics Degree, which led to a 25 year career as a mathematics instructor. Linda and Steve lived in the northern Ohio communities of Norton, Galion, South Euclid near Cleveland, and Sagamore Hills. Linda taught mathematics at Lexington High School and completed her career as a Mathematics instructor and Chair of the Mathematics Department at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. She led the college’s transition to computer assisted instruction of mathematics. She enjoyed connecting with students and finding ways to build their confidence in themselves and in math.

Strong minded is an understatement when it came to Linda, but she never took herself too seriously. She had a wonderful sense of humor that brought smiles to the faces of those fortunate enough to become close to her. She was a tenacious problem solver, whether it was in the classroom, working on the diesel engine of their boat, researching anything on the internet, planning her next trip, or winning at video games. That is perhaps why she was an inspiration to others as she overcame many physical challenges successfully while never complaining. She loved teaching, visiting with her family, and spending time on the boat with Steve. Her spirit of adventure was captured in her blog steveandlindafranko.blogspot.com highlighting their trips, finding ways to get together with family, and making many lifelong friends along the way.

In addition to her husband of 49 years, Linda is survived by daughters Wendy (Lieutenant Colonel Matt Limbert USMC Ret.) Limbert of Encinitas, California and Rebecca Franko of Studio City, California, respectively and brothers Colonel Warren (Elin) Drouhard, Jr. (USAF Ret.) of Lexington, Ohio, Dr. Thomas Drouhard of Flagstaff, Arizona, Patrick (Becky) Drouhard of Cardington, Ohio, Richard (Diane) Drouhard of Perrysville, Ohio, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents.

Linda and Steve are forever grateful to Linda’s brothers, all of whom offered to donate a kidney to her and especially Tom, who in 1985 unselfishly donated one of his kidneys to her and enabled her to live such an accomplished and wonderful life.

Due to COVID#19 restrictions, no memorial service will be held at this time. Celebration of Life services will be held at a future date, one in Florida and one in Ohio.

Due to the COVID#19 shutdown in the Florida Keys, Steve is residing on his boat at:

Banana Bay Marina- Franko Slip 8

4590 Overseas Hwy

Marathon, FL 33050

email: sfrankbb@gmail.com

Linda's family would appreciate donations to reflect a connection between Tom's 37 years as a a surgeon on the Navajo Reservation, Tuba City and Linda's commitment to education. The American Indian College Fund does just that. Donations will be designated for scholarships and can be made at:

American Indian College Fund

Re: Linda Franko Memorial Scholarship Fund (0076)

8333 Greenwood Blvd.

Denver, Colorado 80221

 

Phone: 303-426-8900

 

Or online at www.collegefund.org (click DONATE button, and select TRIBUTE GIFT option, please include Linda Franko Memorial Scholarship Fund 0076 in the HONOR OF line)

Info click here

April 16th: Followup to Sad News

Linda and Steve at Banana Bay point overlooking the Bay

I've had a number of questions which are certainly understandable given Linda's and my living on a boat. I decided to put the answers on the blog for anyone seeking information.

1. Do you have a current mailing address?

Yes. I will remain here at Banana Bay Marina for the next couple months. That had been our plan and it is as safe and nice a place as any.

Mailing address is:

Banana Bay Marina - Franko slip 8
4590 Overseas Hwy
Marathon, FL 33050

Ph: 216-256-7839
My email address is sfrankobb@gmail.com

2. Will there be a service?

Linda nor I would want anyone to travel nor gather given the COVID#19 risks. Many of us are in the high risk area. I plan to have at least two Celebrations of Linda's Life Gatherings once it is safe. One in FL and one in Ohio. I suspect that will be at least 2 months down the road, probably longer. In the meanwhile, your calls, thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated. One advantage of not having one big gathering is I am finding time to have many personal conversations. Often at a funeral or wedding I feel like, "But I never really had a lengthy conversation with half the people there. Too many people not enough time!"

3. Are you alone or will Family come?

The answer is "No" and "No". Linda and I have spent the last 11 winters here at Banana Bay Marina and have many good friends. They loved Linda and we are working through this together. I have a lot of support. I have told family, I am okay and the last thing I would want is to have someone get the virus coming to see me. In fact the Keys are closed to nonresidents so I couldn't set something up if I wanted to. Technology is wonderful. We are connecting through our computers and cell phones often. While it would be great to be together, it is even greater to know people are safe.

4. Can I make a donation in Linda's memory? My family is considering organizations to suggest if someone wants to make a donation in memory of Linda. Many of us would like to come up with something that would be a connection between kidney donor Tom in AZ and Linda. I'll post it in the next blog.

5. Will there be a green flash tonight? I have put in a request to Linda and fully expect a great green flash, which we can see from our fly bridge. learn more about Green Flash

April 15th :Very sad news

Linda with daughter Rebecca's dog Trevi

Linda passed away Tuesday morning. Something came on very suddenly at 2:00 am. She lost consciousness and even though I started CPR immediately and the EMTs arrived in less than 10 minutes, they could not get any response. They attached a respirator and CPR equipment and arrived at the hospital within 15 minutes. The doctor tried everything available but nothing worked. She had passed away. Don't know yet the exact cause of death.

I miss her terribly. We were married almost 50 years. She is my soul mate and best friend in addition to being my wife. It is too soon to think about what I'll do without her. I'll do a followup "Celebration of Linda's Life" blog later but for now I wanted to let everyone know.

April 11th: Safety Preparation Day

Our state of Florida is suffering due to the inaction of the governor. He waited far too long to take action. So if you are just looking at Florida you might think we are in a dangerous place. Fortunately, the Monroe County government of the Keys took early action to close the Keys to outsiders and has implemented mandatory face coverings in all stores. There are 58 cases currently in the Keys, most in Key West and Key Largo. We are half way between the two. People seem to be cooperating about being safe so we still believe we are in a good place.

I happened to have an N95 mask that I was using when I sanded the boat. I wore it to go to the grocery store, (which I do very sparingly,) but didn't like wearing the mask that everyone is telling people to reserve for health care workers.

So Linda took action. She did the research on masks and found some no sew options. She decided she didn't want second rate masks. She found a pattern for a mask that had pleats for a more comfortable fit, We needed a high quality cotton T-shirt out of which to make them.

Linda pulled out her bright green IronMatt Kona T-shirt. It was a T-shirt she wore to support Matt at the World Championship Ironman in Kona Hawaii. She said this is a great way to use it. It never really fit me right anyway so I'll never wear it again.

Making a template

The online directions said the mask could be made in five minutes. Linda said "No way" but it's not like we have a lot to do anyway.

Linda used the cardboard from our Veggie Straws box to make two templates, one for her and one for me. After a couple "measure once cut twice" situations we were ready to go. Fortunately, the cut twice was just the cardboard template and not the T-shirt.

Pinning the pleats

I did a lot of cutting and pinning. The pleats were kind of a pain at first but I got the hang of it. We were doing three masks, one for Linda and two for me because I do all the shopping.









Linda of course did the sewing. She did a great job getting the pleats nicely sewn, probably due to my excellent pinning job.






The masks turned out great. I modeled one here along with what is left of the sacrificial T-shirt

We're looking forward to a Happy Easter tomorrow! Happy Easter to everyone!

April 10th: We're not bored yet!

Linda has had a recurring nightmare since we've been on the boat. She wakes up, steps out of bed and her feet are under water. I kept telling her, "We have two bilge pumps, I think we're covered." I was wrong. I stepped out of bed in the morning and the carpet was wet. I knew Linda had gotten up during the night and I thought, "What did she spill?" I looked down and realized the floor was covered with water.

The boat drains to the front and our bed is in the back, so that meant the bilge was filled with water. I checked outside and neither of the two pumps were pumping water out.  Yikes! Looked in the engine compartment and the water was above the oil dip stick. That meant water had run into the oil pan.

First, find where the water is coming from. I tasted the water and quickly determined it was fresh water, not salt. At least that was a good thing. That meant a fresh water hose came loose inside the boat. Ran outside and turned off the water. Fortunately,there is a manual switch to turn on the biggest bilge pump. It kicked on and it was wonderful to see water being pumped out.

I found the leak was from a supply hose under the forward head sink. The plastic hose had popped off. Next we waited for the water to get pumped out. It took almost an hour but it was finally all gone.

Next concern was the engine and transmission. Both had surely gotten water in through the dip sticks. It was Sunday morning and I hopefully sent a text message to Billie, our wonderful young diesel mechanic. Thankfully, he called me and told us what to do. The water would sink to the bottom of the engine oil pan and transmission oil pan. Drain the oil and transmission fluid and because oil is lighter than water, the water will come out first. That meant no water in the engine itself nor the transmission. Change both oils and that should do it. Then said to run the engine to make sure all the water was mixed up and drain it again. Told us to make sure we ran the engine as soon as possible. The starter, which was under water, would probably work for a day or two. It did start and I completed all the cleanup. Two days later, sure enough the starter died!

Next I checked the pumps to find out why they were not working. The high water float switch on the big pump was no longer working. It was pretty old but we never had trouble with it before. The bilge pump in the bow was blocked with an oil absorbing material that I use to make sure we're not pumping any oil into the ocean. That never happened before either.

Reconnected the plastic hose and put two hose clamps on it this time and everything was back to normal.

I still needed to use the wet vacuum to get water out that was trapped in various places in the bilge. I completed that chore the next day because it took until 5 PM to do all the engine and transmission work. I finally deemed the project complete except for replacing the starter which is on order.


And that's why we're not bored yet!





We've had some very calm days. Great for kayaking. I went for a long kayak ride past Crane Point which is where I usually go. There is an island out there that always has a lot of birds on it.








I approached slowly trying to get some good pictures of birds. If you look closely you will sort of see a white Snowy Egret at the back of this large flock of cormorants.

Cormorants take flight

As you can see they decided I was too close.

I went all the way around the island and got plenty of exercise. The current was against me going around but I knew once I made it around, the current would carry me home. :)

Crane Point Bridge

I paddled under the fun little bridge on Crane Point. Crane Point is a wonderful nature preserve designed to keep the point completely natural. A couple from New England, (named Crane) bought the property in the 1940's and kept it a nature preserve. Now it is maintained by volunteers through a nonprofit organization. There is a tram tour and a docent explains the history and environment of the area. Unfortunately, it's closed due to COVID-19, but I can still kayak along the shoreline and in the small bay on the other side of the bridge.

Old Cuban boat

Next to the bridge there is an old wooden boat that I believe was used by people escaping Cuba to come to the U.S. Cuba is actually closer to Key West than Key West is to the mainland of Florida. Still, you really have to want to go to try it in a boat that size! Very brave people!





The water was crystal clear and I spotted a lot of fish. A nurse shark, about 4-5 feet long, swam right under my kayak. Too bad I couldn't get the camera out fast enough. You can see some pictures and get more info here





It was such a calm day I decided to splurge on our saturated fat intake and make barbecued chicken thighs. The grill, which is attached to the railing on the side of the boat, is hard to use on the back of the boat when it is windy. They turned out great!

 Linda's brother, Tom, lives in Flagstaff, AZ. He has two ponds and has anywhere from 100 - 150 ducks fly in through the Fall, Winter and Spring. He loves seeing the ducks which he feeds grain every day. Small wonder they keep coming! As Linda was enjoying the evening in front of our boat, two ducks came walking through. We don't even need to feed ours but they did make us think of Tom.




And then of course, another beautiful sunset. This one had spectacular colors reflected on the calm water.

April 9th: Adjusting to "Stay at Home"

After Spring Break, our Monroe County leaders made the great decision to close the Keys to nonresidents and mandate all motels, hotels, and restaurants close.  The Sheriff's department and city law enforcement officers are manning a 24/7 road block keeping people out. There are only two roads coming in which really helps. As of today, there are only 52 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Keys - with 3 in Marathon.

The first week they stopped over 2,000 cars from coming in. We believe we are in a good place and practicing the safety measures. The hoarding seems to have subsided with the Keys closing down. We had heard that a lot of people were coming from Miami to get supplies. The grocery stores were being supplied daily but it seemed like there were a lot more people in the stores than usual. It's much better now. We seldom need to leave the marina and it has been easy to keep a safe distance from others when I need to get something. We are able to kayak, which has been a great way to keep exercising.

Sometimes it seems like time is standing still, but then I wonder how it got to be April 9th! I decided I have been neglecting the blog so over the next few days I will do several to catch up.

As I mentioned previously, I needed to clean the oil out of the bilge. It is not a fun job but it needed to be done. It involves a lot of wiping, cleaning and using the wet vacuum to capture all the oil and soapy water.

Oil from the bilge

The most difficult part about the job is getting under and around the engine. My body keeps telling me it doesn't fit down there!

At any rate I managed to get things cleaned up and sucked up all the oily water. Then I let it sit long enough for the oil to float to the top. Take the oil off the top and dump it into the empty oil gallon jugs. Then it goes to the auto parts store for recycling. I was happy to have that job completed.

London

Trevi

Rebecca sent some fun pictures of Trevi and London. We wish we could be in California as planned but at least we get pictures. I think they miss us!

11 year old dinghy

Just before we went on the Horseshoe Key anchoring trip, my dinghy bit the dust. It was a sad day. It's 11 years old. I repaired a few leaks over the last couple years and painted it with rubberized paint to keep it going. But when I came out that morning and saw, this I knew it was over. One of the major seems split open. It served me very well and lasted longer than is typical.


I thought about waiting until next year to replace it but someone told me West Marine had a great sale on them. Fortunately, they had one in stock and it was 30 per cent off.


Flint helped me pick it up at West Marine with his truck and several people helped me get it to our boat on a dock cart. Nice to have friends.



We carefully lowered it into the water and tied it up in front of our boat.

Very bright  new dinghy

It is very white and clean looking. Don't know how I'm going to keep  it that way but I'll try.







 The temperatures have been getting pretty warm. This 1/2 empty gasoline jug was opened and then closed when it was quite hot and in the sun. I was surprised the next morning by how much the jug shrank over night due to the cooler temperature. It only went down to 71 degrees. Must have gotten really hot! Definitely an air tight jug.





We are still getting many beautiful sunsets. Dennis and Lois came out to see this one and I got a nice silhouette picture of them from our Fly bridge.

Dennis and Lois at the point