April 6th: New Puppy, Easter Treats and More Maintenance

Hank

The maintenance man showed up with his new Chocolate Lab puppy, Hank. Very cute and friendly. Very big Paws. We think he'll be quite large.

The Easter treats began Saturday. I went to the Farmer's market where they had the cinnamon rolls I had resisted previously. But Lois said, "It's Easter, maybe we should try some." I agreed. To balance the cinnamon rolls I bought many healthy vegetables. The cinnamon roles seemed exactly like the Chelsea buns we got in Bobcaygeon, Canada. They're great!

Rack of Lamb

And then I was remembering the wonderful Leg of Lamb Easter dinners we had over the years. But there was only one of me and a leg of lamb would be ridiculous. So I looked and found a rack of Lamb at Publix, obviously an Easter specialty. I had never made one but it sure sounded good. And it was great! I had enough leftovers for two lunches.

Pineapple plant

We have a new couple in the marina. I walked by their boat and was surprised to see two pineapple plants. It takes a pineapple 3-5 years to grow to maturity. Clearly they are very patient. They are fun to see.

There are of course ongoing maintenance issues. The macerator pump that pumps waste from the aft head to the tank wore out. The hard part is the very stiff rubber hose that is attached to the pump. I had to get out the propane torch to heat the hose so I could get it off.  Fortunately that worked. Left it a little scorched but no real harm and everything is together and running well. 

Old Macerator Pump

New macerator pump installed

I decided the giant avacado I bought at the farmer's market was ripe. They told me it would be yellow inside instead of green. It was very delicious! A little more tasty than the average avacado.

Because it was so large, I looked up how to keep it from turning brown once cut. Wipe the surface with a little olive oil, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate. It held up fine for three days, it was a lot of avacado!

A few times, I walked into the boat after it was closed up, I thought I detected an odor. I finally decided I definitely smelled something. I pulled out all the paints and solvents from under their storage step and found the culprit. A very badly rusting can of Cetol! Fortunately only a small amount had escaped.

Emily and Jay

I had heard that boating friend Emily was a very talented artist. As we were walking back to our boats I asked her if she would mind showing me some of her work. She was very gracious and seemed happy to show me her work. I was very impressed!. She is clearly very talented. Here are just a few of her pictures. She favors watercolor. I don't know how she does it.

After looking at her work she said, "You sound like you might like to start painting. I can get you started if you would like."  What a wonderful offer. I said of course I would like to give it a try

Aft hatch cover

So my friend Sailor Dave, (So named because we know a lot of Daves and he had a sail boat), is coming for a stay with his new wife Kelly. I'm looking forward to it. While he is here he will help me make new hatch covers. He plans to start a canvas business and retire from truck driving. I suggested this would be a good practice for him! He said he's happy to help. Our old hatch covers are in dire need. 

Bow hatch cover

Once again I am behind on the blog. I just returned from a trip to Ohio. I'll cover that in the next blog.