Sunday, May 31, 2020

May 31st: Enjoying California and the kids


People keep asking me, "How are you doing?" I appreciate the support. I can't honestly say I know how I am doing, but I will pass along some thoughts in this blog.

It was great getting to Matt & Wendy's house Wednesday night. It was a long day, but I wanted to stay up a while and enjoy being with Matt & Wendy. We were all tired, so after a while we went to bed around 10:30 pm. Being on Florida time I woke up at 5:30 am (8:30 Florida time). I thought, "Surely I can sleep some more."After laying in bed till 6:00 am I decided I might as well get up.




Matt and Wendy's Encinitas house
Installing reclaimed doors
Wendy found somewhere



I started looking at old pictures of work projects on Matt & Wendy's house in 2001, and went on from there. People say "You have to remember the good times," and I agree.






Laying the tile floor

I truly enjoyed looking at the pictures and feeling the memories.





But I haven't figured out how to not resent, even more than I already do, losing Linda.





I'll share some pictures that I think will help you understand how I feel.



 Linda always made sure we had fun toys to play with when our family got together. This was a mini paint wheel.

It seemed like Linda was always cold but that never stopped her. The picture on the right is her enjoying the heater while we worked on the trawler in 30 degree temperatures.






 Linda and Becky, thanks to Becky, decided to have fun in a race car speedway. I think Linda won! (Becky might disagree).








 Linda loved dogs and they loved her. Here she is holding Misty, Matt and Wendy's off the wall dog. Maybe that's why she and Misty got along so well. She, Misty not Linda, jumped out of a second story window once and landed unharmed, and was able to climb and get over a 6 foot fence. She had very soft fur and liked to crawl under the covers and sleep by my feet. She was very toasty warm. Of course so was Linda but she never slept at my feet!






Red wood forest, California



We took many fun trips thanks to Matt being stationed around the country. Linda always made a point of arranging sight seeing trips to fun places when we visited Matt and Wendy.










Linda loved competition, whether hers, the Cleveland Browns, or Matt participating in Iron Man competitions.  Here she is, despite the cold, waiting to cheer Matt on.





Fortunately, Matt got up around 7:30 am and Wendy around 8:00 am. They snapped me out of the past. We spent the morning together before going to my new place Matt had found for me. I was excited to see the place because the pictures and location seemed wonderful. But spending time with Matt & Wendy was more important to me first. I had waited a long time for us to be together in person.





So that afternoon, we went to my new place, and it was even better than I expected. Six minute drive to Matt & Wendy's, 15 minute walk to the beach and an ocean view from the living room window.












Everything in my new home was first rate, and, the owners are wonderful. Nice dishwasher and a wonderful gas range with a double oven. Did I tell you I like to cook?









The shower is large and has a wonderful Rain forest type shower head.


The washer and dryer are very nice. No laundromat for me.









The entire apartment is very bright and airy. Because I am on the second floor above the owners house, the views are very nice. There are large windows, even in the bedroom. There is a cute little balcony with room for a couple chairs and a small table. The basil plant is from the kids. It's a start, with more to come. They gave me four additional flower pots. I see a spice garden in my future.





As you can see from the pictures Matt did a great job finding a place for me.

So back to the question, "How am I doing?" I feel very fortunate to have spent 50 wonderful years with Linda. I feel very fortunate to have Matt, the best son-in law imaginable, Wendy and Becky, fun and loving daughters, and a wonderful place to live close to them here in California. I appreciate my supportive family, the best in-laws ever, and the many fantastic and supportive friends. The logical part of my brain is on track to figure out how life goes on from here. The emotional side still wants Linda back. I've read that the more it hurts, the greater the love you had for your spouse. Apparently that's true.

Saturday, May 30, 2020

May 30th; Final tasks before California


The packing continued. As it turned out, I had four more boxes to take to the post office. Some things I'll use and some will go to the kids. I don't see Guppy in Canada happening this summer so I will most likely be in California for seven months. I decided to send a lot more things to California than usual.

The hardest job left was flushing the engine and air conditioning unit cooling systems with fresh water to get the salt water out. It is not a fun job. Its difficult to get to the hoses and difficult to get them off. I'm glad I'm getting smarter. This was always a two person job with Linda turning the engine and air conditioner on and off while I worked in the bilge. I decided I could do it myself, it would just mean crawling in and out and running some extra hoses. Then I thought, "That's what friends are for."


Flushing the engine cooling system

I asked Dennis to come over to the boat yard and help me. He was happy to help. Turns out it was really good to have Dennis. We were having trouble getting the water to get sucked out of a 5 gallon bucket to flush the engine. Dennis came up with a great plan. Hold the hose up, put a funnel in it and pour the water in as the engine was running was running. Took both of us to accomplish it but it worked great.
Flushing the air conditioner
cooling system 










Having completed the worst job left, I finished covering the windows to block the sun, packed the remaining boxes, and my carry-on roller bag.

Technology overload
Then I tackled the technology. Linda always handled all the tech equipment and I found all kinds of stuff in her desk. Some I was certain were no longer worth anything, but others I just didn't know. I wanted to get everything cleaned out so when I came back I would only have what I needed. I ended up packing my computer, my Ipad, several phones with numerous SIMM cards, two Kindles, two FIRES, music playing devices and the accompanying chargers. Definitely need to do a technology assessment with the help of the kids once I get to California.


It was 8:00 PM and I decided I could finish in the morning. I was looking forward to a little relaxation and watching some Cheers episodes on Netflix with Rebecca via Facetime. We've really enjoyed our Facetime together.

Yesterday's Dream getting
hauled at Marathon Boat Yard
The boat was scheduled to be pulled out at 9:00 am so I set an alarm for 7:15am so I had time to finish cleaning out the freezer, the refrigerator and tape up the last couple boxes. I slept well but woke up at 6:30 am thinking about a couple other things to do. The extra time was helpful and I had the boat ready to go just in time. The marina staff was very nice and helpful. They walked the boat over to the hoist because the engine was already flushed, and proceeded to pull it out. They took it from there and I left.




I stopped at Banana Bay to say good bye and drop off some remaining perishables to whomever could use them. Then a stop at the post office and I started the 3 hour drive to the Fort Lauderdale airport. Flight was at 3:50 pm. It was 11:00 am so plenty of time.

The airport was quite empty and I felt very safe as no one was anywhere near me. It was a long day as the overall flying time was 7 hrs and 50 minutes. Inevitably, I thought about how much Linda and I enjoyed our time together in California.

Steve and Linda at Point Loma, California


I was very happy to finally be in California with Matt,Wendy and Rebecca. I changed planes in Denver which gave me a chance to stretch a little. I arrived at San Diego about 8:30 pm (11:30 pm Florida time) and Matt and Wendy were waiting to pick me up. I was very happy to finally be in California with Matt,Wendy and Rebecca.


Thursday, May 28, 2020

May 28th: Made it to California


Just a quick blog to let everyone know I made it to California last night. Matt and Wendy picked me up about 8:30 PM. I felt pretty safe flying. I was the only person going thru the TSA line at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport. The airport was pretty empty and seating was 6 seats apart. Easy to keep a safe distance and masks were required in the airport. Southwest is leaving the middle row of seats empty and doing extensive cleaning in between each flight, wiping down and spraying everything. I'll do a better blog later.

Monday, May 25, 2020

May 25th: Time to move the boat





It was Saturday morning and I had several things I wanted to complete before taking the boat to Marathon Boat Yard where it would be hoisted out Wednesday morning and stored for the summer. I planned to take it over Tuesday at the latest, but was thinking Monday (Memorial Day) might be a safer plan, in case the weather didn't cooperate. I could stay on the boat at Marathon Boat yard while I finished getting it ready so either day was fine.



One item I had already checked off the list. Mychael, (with the parrots) does boat and car detailing. I had planned to wax the car before I left, to try to minimize the oxidation. Even covered, the sun is brutal in the summer. I thought, "Mychael could use the work, I can afford to pay him, win, win!" He did a fantastic job. He put some kind of clear coat on it and it looks much better than when we bought it. Linda loved that little car so I'm sure she is smiling!



Great little 2,000 Honda Generator





I needed to prepare our Honda generator for storage over the summer. Change the oil, empty the fuel out, drain the carburetor, remove the spark plug and spray the cylinder with fogging oil. Not really too bad a job. Finished it pretty quickly with no issues.








Next, get the 15 HP Suzuki outboard ready for storage. Pretty easy. Put fuel stabilizer in the gas, run the engine for 5 minutes, flush the engine with fresh water and it was good to go.






Last but not least, put fuel stabilizer and Bio Bor into the diesel fuel tank for the trawler. Diesel fuel can get bacteria growing in it over long periods of time and the Bio Bor prevents that. Put the additives in the yellow diesel jug and go to the gas station to fill it with diesel fuel. That assures the additives are well mixed in.


Finished all the projects before noon. Great. Started making some corn crab chowder to use up a can of crab that was in the refrigerator. While it was simmering, I thought I'd check the weather to see whether Monday or Tuesday was a better day to go.



Big change coming!Thunderstorms were forecast Saturday afternoon, then at 75% + Sunday, Monday and 50% Tuesday. Marathon Boat Yard is about 1&1/2 hours away on the ocean side.

One significant issue on my mind was storing the fly bridge top Bimini canvas. It's very large and cumbersome. I can't put it away wet and it was already starting to rain, just lightly, but too much. I checked the weather radar and it looked like the rain would pass by around 3:00 PM. Fortunately, Dennis and George were available to help me take the boat over after the rain quit. Not only did the rain quit, but the skies cleared and we had a very pleasant ride over. The boat ran beautifully. Great to be back in running condition!

Bimini Top down and stored

Fly bridge cover on 
The Bimini top dried on the way over. It was more sunny than the picture shows because the clouds were coming in again, but the top was down!

I covered the fly bridge with the cover Linda made..





So, I had the boat at Marathon Boat Yard two days ahead of schedule. I had power and water so everything was good. I still had three full days to get everything ready. More than enough time. And its only a 5 minute drive back to Banana Bay for docktails!  I finished making the corn chowder and delivered it to my wonderful helpers.

The rains came in as promised Saturday night. It was another continuous down pour. I had discovered two leaks during the last three-day rain and was able to seal them. I went to go to sleep in the aft cabin and discovered yet another leak. This one was over the bed. Just a small drip but not acceptable for sleeping. Put a pan under to catch the drip and slept in the v-berth.





Caulking repair
Not perfect cosmetically but works
The rain never quit Sunday. I went out to inspect and saw where the leak was coming from. The caulking had separated in a couple places. It appeared there might be some dry periods Monday. Fortunately, the rain did quit for most of the afternoon Monday and I was able to fix the leak. I'm actually thankful for all the rain because I was able to take care of the leaks. Otherwise they would have been leaking for the 6 months I was gone.

Everything is going well. Still have all day tomorrow to finish a few things and get packed up. One more box to the post office and I'll be ready to go.








Sunday, May 24, 2020

May 24th: Change of Address & Getting anxious to get to California


In an earlier blog I listed Banana Bay as my mailing address during the Corona Virus. I will be leaving next Wednesday and will be staying in Encinitas very close to Matt & Wendy. I don't anticipate anyone sending anything, but just in case, For now, I'll use Wendy's mailing address: Steve Franko, 245 Delphinium, Encinitas, CA 92024.


Banana Bay pool
With the boat fixed, it was a lot easier to have a positive attitude, without having to work at it. Of course, I think of Linda often, but its helpful knowing I'll soon be with the kids in California. We talk more than daily and have enjoyed using technology to stay connected.

I was swimming again for exercise, but not to work out frustrations. It's a beautiful pool with lush tropical plants and lots of birds. Too often I take it for granted.





Yellowtail
Mike on "Flyin Fish" wanted to hire Jeff,  the charter captain of "Catch em All", to teach us about fishing for Yellowtail. We enjoyed the Tarpon fishing with Jeff and had learned a lot. I fished for Yellowtail many times, but certainly was no expert so I went along. It was a little wavy and the wind and current were opposite. That makes for harsh little waves which makes it more difficult to catch fish, but over all it was a successful trip. Mike and I each caught a nice Yellowtail, (His was huge) and we learned a lot. We actually caught for or five others apiece, but didn't get them into the boat. Getting one on the hook doesn't mean it will stay on the hook!



Judith Lynn. Dennis is
preparing to leave
That night at Docktails, George on Reflection asked if I could help him move his friend's boat, the Judith Lynn, to Marathon Boat Yard for maintenance. It is a very nice 57 foot Carver. The owner went home to New Jersey in March and could not get back into the Keys in April due to CO#19. He had arranged for work to be done at a marina on the ocean side thinking he would be back to deliver the boat, but George informed him not to come back because the Keys were closed to non-residents. George said he would get the boat there for him. 






Salon of Judith Lynn
George and Dennis on
the huge fly bridge
He needed help from me as a deck hand and Dennis, who is a well experienced captain. Dennis can captain anything, so he came along to drive. It was a beautiful day so it was fun to help take it to the Marina for maintenance.





The boat delivery was successful and we were back at Banana Bay by 1:00 PM. My plan was to continue getting my boat ready for storage and boxing up items to send to California. I decided that given the hurricanes increasing in number and strength, I wanted to remove valuables and sentimental items just in case.

Flint & Leslie on Amazing Grace
However, as soon as I finished lunch, Flint came by and asked me to help him pull his boat out as he and Leslie planned to leave the next day. They have a 26 foot C Dory boat that they can trail. They spend the winter on the boat in the marina. Obviously they get along well! I followed Flint to the City boat ramp to drop off his truck and boat trailer. We returned to Banana Bay and boarded his boat for the short ride to the city ramp. Everything went well and we loaded the boat on the trailer straight (not always easy) on the first try. They spent the night on their boat on the trailer at Banana Bay and left early the next morning.


The marina is slowly getting empty. Flint and Leslie were the latest to leave. Docktails were now down to me, Dennis & Lois on Mystified, George & Pat on Reflection and Mike & Natalie on Flyin Fish. My arrangements were all set for leaving next week.

Banana Bay Marina behind Yesterday's Dream
The black teardrop is Marathon
The weather turned nasty for a few days. We had three days of rain with two nights of spectacular lightning shows. It was good to be tied to the dock. 





Jay" dinghy



We had a tremendous amount of rain. Yvette walked by my boat in the rain after the first night and told me the transom of my dinghy was about to go under water. It wouldn't sink because it is an inflatable, but still! Bailed it out. Next day, same thing. We must have gotten 8 inches of rain over the three days.

The picture of boat neighbor Jay's dinghy was better than the picture of mine. Note everything is floating and the transom is almost under water.





The rain gave me plenty of time to go through the entire boat and sort out what to keep, what to give away and what to send to California. Sent pictures to Wendy and Rebecca of any clothes of Linda's that I thought they might want, and packed the rest up to donate. I could hear Linda saying, "You know someone could be using these." Also cleaned out some obsolete stuff but actually not that much. In the process I found two N95 masks that I had purchased at Home Depot for when I sanded the boat. Didn't realize they were N95 until I looked at them, but will certainly use them at the airport and on the plane.

My plan was to minimize any contact while flying to California. My Nissan will stay at Banana Bay. I reserved a car for a day to drop at the Fort Lauderdale airport where the rental cars dealers are on site. That meant no shuttle. I had a 4:00 PM flight that had one stop but didn't change planes. That also was planned so I could leave Marathon and drive up the same day, no overnight stay necessary. I was packing things up and sending them to Wendy in California so that I would not need to check luggage. I felt pretty safe about the upcoming trip.

The rain cleared out that afternoon and I decided to make a good dinner. I bought some whole chicken wings to barbecue with my homemade honey garlic sauce.  (2 Tbsp. honey, two Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 clove fresh ground garlic). Also made green beans with mushroom soup and dried onions. It was a great dinner, and lunch the next two days!

Friday, May 22, 2020

May 21st: Still hoping to get the boat running before I leave for California.


Wendy, Tom, Linda, Rebecca, Steve
and Matt at Oceanside California
London & Trevi

It was May 18th and I had made arrangements to fly to California to spend the summer with Wendy, Matt, Rebecca and of course London and Trevi. 


We decided that perhaps I should fly to California now, while I knew things were pretty slow and less crowded. Also, there was talk of opening the road into the Keys, so my safe haven would be gone.

I started thinking I might need to have Tow Boat U.S. tow me to Marathon Boat Yard where I was keeping the boat in the yard for the summer. Not my first choice to be towed, but an option. I hated to think about coming back to a boat that wasn't working but, whatever!

Billie was scheduled to come Monday May 18th during his lunch break to check on our latest problem. He had a very busy day scheduled but he was almost as anxious as I was to get this boat up and running. He kept apologizing, but I told him I knew it was working fine when he left. I didn't know what else he could have done.

That morning I got a call. Billie said he slipped and hurt his back. Couldn't come today, maybe tomorrow. I thought, "Okay, I surrender, whatever happens, I'm just not going to worry about it anymore." It's not like I'd be on a tight time schedule when I came back if I had to delay repairs until then.

Fortunately, Billie is in pretty good shape physically. He called Tuesday and said he was okay as long as he didn't look up. He could come late Tuesday or early Wednesday. I knew Wednesday first thing would be best for him so we set it up. He came and started testing to discover why the engine alarm was going off.
Alternator pressure switch

Oil pressure switch
Turns out when the starter shorted out, it must have sent an electrical surge into the new oil pressure switch (which tells you whether or not the engine has enough oil pressure) and the old alternator pressure switch (which won't let the alternator start charging unless there is enough oil pressure). They both were still working when we started the boat the last time Billie did the repairs, but then died the next time I started the engine. Replaced both switches and everything was working great. Whew, what a relief. As I like to say, "It's like pounding your head against a concrete wall so it feels good when you stop!"

Of course, I still hadn't actually taken the boat out for a test ride. I was certainly a little paranoid at this point. That afternoon was the time for the test ride. I was definitely nervous about my first "cruise" as the captain. I had driven the boat often, but never when we left, nor returned to a dock. My job was to get the lines and jump ashore. Linda always docked the boat. And she was very very, good. I recruited excellent help from Flint, Leslie and Dennis.



Steve backing the boat out of the slip
I followed the first rule of cautious boating, go very slowly. I backed out of the slip and used the wind to turn us to the opening of the marina.
Heading around the docks
to exit the marina



Then I successfully maneuvered around the docks at the end of the marina and headed out.





Heading out of Banana Bay, thanks Natalie, for the pictures.

All went well and we were on our way.


The return to the dock was not perfect but successful. Good to have deck hands to push us off the pilings. As Dennis said, "Any docking you can walk away from is successful."

Slept very well that night looking forward to being with the kids in California next week.


Wednesday, May 20, 2020

May 18th:Really?

Flint, Leslie and I planned to take the boat out this morning because the weather was again perfect. Flint helped me take the mast down so we could get under the seven mile bridge, 3.5 miles closer than going to the raised opening.







I needed to take the mast down to store the boat anyway. All went well. I used colored zip ties to label everything so I can put the cables back where they belong. We learned the hard way that they are not interchangeable. I used zip ties on both ends of the cables and where they are attached. This system has worked quite well.

Finally I thought, "The boat was in good working condition". I was kind of bummed out thinking that this would be the first time the boat left a dock without Linda at the helm. Thoughts like that just keep popping up. Then I thought, "Linda would want us to take the boat out and have a good time."


Went to start the engine. Typing this I'm thinking, "Does this sound familiar?" Started the engine. The engine alarm was going off. Could be low oil pressure, alternator problem? Checked the oil pressure gauge. Oil pressure was fine. Flint checked to see that water was coming out for the cooling system. No problem. The volt meter was bouncing around. Not good. Turned the engine off. Checked for any loose wires. Couldn't find any. No boating again today. Called Billie. He's coming tomorrow.

Seriously frustrated at this point. This is getting beyond ridiculous. Decided to get my hour of swimming in. I seriously started thinking, "The boat just does not want to go without Linda!" "Am I subconsciously sabotaging the boat?" "Why does this keep happening?" Ended up swimming an hour and a half. It helped. Sanity started to return. Hard to hang on to a lot of anger after swimming an hour and a half. By the time I finished I saw a lot of interesting birds flying around the pool. Very nice.

Went back to the boat and rested a while. Then I decided I might as well clean the stainless steel cables that hold the mast up. Its not a fun job but needs to be done and I knew it would make me feel better to get it done. I had an idea. Usually I use metal polish to clean the cables. Its a messy, labor intensive, time consuming process. I thought, "I wonder if Barkeeper's Friend would work?" Barkeeper's friend works great on stainless steel sinks. You squirt it on rub it around a little and let it sit for 10 minutes or so. Then you rinse it off and wipe it down with water. It worked great. I finished the job in a fraction of the time it usually takes. Things were looking up!

As I was reviewing pictures for the blog, a couple made me laugh. Skip on Slew Foot, is a practical joker and perpetual joke teller. You might recall, I related in an earlier blog that he has an electrical contracting business near Myrtle Beach and was asked to come home as soon as possible to wire some buildings for a make shift hospital. He and his wife Sharon left at the end of March thinking they would return after finishing the project to bring their boat home to Myrtle Beach.

Trouble became, they closed the Keys to non-residents, so he couldn't get in to get his boat. He spent a week contacting numerous county officials and finally worked out that if he had notarized documents, a certified captain, and driver's licenses for his crew, etc. he could get through the road block. An un-named person recognized an opportunity. That person printed some very official looking documents that were taped to his boat stating the boat was under quarantine for 14 days and no one was allowed on board. When he finally arrived and saw the notices on his boat he fell for it hook, line and sinker. But not for long. He quickly figured out he had been had. It's been pretty dull around here, so one must do what one can to provide entertainment. Skip and crew left two days later, still talking to us and telling last minute jokes.

Anyway, working on the blog was just not happening. Swimming was helpful but I can't say it was a lot of fun. I decided "If I want to be happy today, I need to do something fun." The water was dead calm. I decided to kayak out to the great snorkeling island. Its kind of far after swimming, but I could certainly handle it. And if I used the kayak instead of the dinghy I would avoid the work involved before and after to get the dinghy ready and put it away. I kayaked out and had a great snorkel trip around the island.

When I got back it was almost time for docktails. The group is getting smaller but still fun. I received much sympathy for my boat problems and the conversation was a lot of reminiscing about the good old days. Lots of funny anecdotes.

The sunsets seem to just keep getting better, or maybe just different. Here are a couple really nice ones.

Looking forward to Billie coming to continue working on our unending saga of boat repair.