Happy Holidays
4 hours ago
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Itchy Feet
Monday the van goes into the shop to get the vacuum pump replaced. Once it's fixed I'll be able to haul the sailboat down to the Gulf of Mexico. It won't be long now before my lovely wife and I will be able to continue our sailing adventures. We'll most likely go for a day sail as a shake down cruise before heading out on an extended journey.
Back in November we had to pull out for my lovely wife to have dental work done. Now we are at square one again. We could drive a couple hundred miles down the coast and launch where we pulled out. Instead, we'll launch from the same place we did last fall. It's not about the destination, but the journey. There are some great places we wouldn't mind seeing again, plus we can see things we missed last time.
While it has been nice to spend time with dad in his retirement park, I'm not ready for a retirement park.
Lessons learned from our last trip should help with the next leg of our journey. We were in pretty good shape after almost a month on the water. Our boat is small, but having a lot of food storage was a huge advantage. It was nice to be able to keep on sailing rather than hunting around for more provisions. The smart phone with Google Maps, Active Captain, charts, and an Internet hot spot was a huge help. Never mind all the books I downloaded to read on it.
That doesn't mean there aren't a few little things we could change. We'll leave some gear behind and add other things. My cabin screen will be replaced with a finer no see 'em screen. I'm also packing more and stronger bug repellents -along with more anti-inch cream. It's the little things sometimes . . .
I'm a big believer in lists. Once something is written down my mind is free to think of other things. I've a to do list, equipment list, and a provisions list. One of the “to do” things is some of that boring business stuff like keeping the bills paid. Most of my bills have been either eliminated or put on automatic payments. However, there are a few pesky things that need personal attention. Would you believe that in this day and age there are still things that need to be paid by check? Yes, I sometimes write paper checks -like some kind of barbarian.
Soon enough we'll be back on the water.
-Sixbears
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There are some bills that I pay by check, simply because the company has proven irresponsible and it gives me an automatic receipt with the cancelled check.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm far from home I've had to eliminate as many pay by check things as possible. Mail could take months to catch up with me, so that's an issue.
DeleteMy wife handles the money, I am allergic to it and must get it away as soon as possible.;)
ReplyDeleteShe pays bills by check and then I spend the next few days watching my electronic bank account like a hawk for them to show up.
It seems to work.
I know it is very rare to see someone pay for groceries with a check anymore. It's literally some little old man or lady usually.
Then ya gotta sit there and wait while they write it in their ledger so they don't forget.
It's almost quaint.
I've never seen anyone under the age of 60 do it.
DeleteWe both used to handle the money but we kept double paying some bills and and missing others. Then she handled it for a few years. In recent years the job has fallen into my lap. Must have gotten the short straw.
Just heard and advertisement for auto zone. They loan tools. I know you said you like to do the repairs yourself and auto zone may have the tools you need should the need arise again.
ReplyDeleteI just learned that myself. There are no Auto Zones back home so it's new to me. I do have a garage appointment so I'm going with that. Hope it was the right decision.
Delete90 % alcoho; in a spray bottle kills mosquitoes on contact. i keep it by me in summer. it isn't convenient to carry everywhere but effective. don't know what it would do to other bugs.
ReplyDeletedjh
Worth a try.
DeleteIf your a barbarian I must be a dinasour i am cash or money order.have fun sailing on the biting bugs a 12 volt fan on high seem to help.
ReplyDeleteMy fan failed, but I've found a replacement. Should do the job.
DeleteI've heard some very good comments about the Thermacell butane power mosquito repellant unit. Some birders I know swear by them - might check that out as a possibility.
ReplyDeleteI worry a bit about things that put chemicals in the air. My lungs are sensitive a lot of different chemicals, so I've got to be careful -but it might be one of the chemicals that I'm fine with.
Delete