Back to the Loop and Back to the Blog
We left Tabor City at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday, January 30 and drove most of the day in the rain. Fortunately, it stopped while we unloaded the truck and hauled our things to the boat. Gary and Lorenzo had spent the previous weekend in Carrabelle getting Gilraker back in the water, wiping her down somewhat and stowing some of the things we had sent in the first load. They also discovered that the engine needed a new water pump, so ordered and installed one. God bless Lorenzo! He has helped us–and others–so much with problems major and minor that we will forever owe him.
Our son Bill had driven down with us and left as soon as we had the truck unloaded so that he could get back to Jacksonville and pick up his mother-in-law, Vivian, so that she could take my place babysitting King James while we finish the Loop. She’s another we’ll always be grateful to. I didn’t want to leave James with just anyone and Vivian volunteered to keep him for the four to six weeks we estimate it will take us to finish the Loop.
We haven’t gotten very far. We have to wait for a really good weather window to cross the Gulf and at this time it appears that won’t happen before Friday. So we’ll wait. In the meantime we’ve got everything pretty much stashed and stowed and have wiped up gobs of mildew and other stuff. We only brought about half the clothes and things that we had taken the first time. We’ll be running mean and lean this time!
One advantage of being stranded in Carrabelle is that my old friend (old, as in since 2nd grade) Betty came over from Tallahassee to visit today. We had a great time catching up on miscellaneous news and our respective families on the short, short boat. While we talked Gary got a few more of his chores done on the back deck, cleaning the plastic curtains and putting our AGLCA burgee back on the bow and our American flag on the stern. The poor North Carolina flag is about in shreds, but it could really tell some tales.
Maggie is obviously happy to be back aboard. She has been asking where Kilby is and doing her dog whistle as well as beeping and whistling just to let us know she’s here. She has re-staked her claim to the corner where her cage is balanced on the narrow shelf and held in place by bungee cords. She must remember the bungee cord she chewed in two last year that whacked her when it snapped. She has hardly touched them this time. But she does try to sneak over and chews on the plastic air conditioner vent when she thinks no one is watching.
This isn’t much of a blog because we can’t go anywhere or do much of anything. It appears we’re the only people on a boat in the marina right now. We’ve seen two people working on boats over the weekend, but they haven’t been here today. It’s been cold for this area, too. No shorts and tee shirts yet. No pot luck suppers or any of the social activities we enjoyed so much in 2008 on the Loop. But that will happen. One thing we’ve learned in eight months on the boat and eight weeks crossing the country in a camper trailer is to, if not enjoy each other’s company, at least tolerate it, and to look forward to meeting new friends when we get to warmer weather and a more populated spot.