June 21st

Another week has flown by, so I guess I better let you in on what’s been happening. We thought we would be leaving today, but alas, it is not to be. We are having engine issues. We think it could be bad fuel, since we have no idea how long the diesel fuel has been in the tanks. Our mechanic will be back in the morning to see what can be done!

In the meantime, Dave has been busy taking several trips up the mast. He put on a new light at the top of the main mast and replaced the lights on the spreaders. He also installed a new radar dome on the mizzen mast, and installed the new wind generator. Thank God Phil came over to help crank him up the masts, which meant I got more time to play with Roxy. Found out her favorite toy to play with is an empty water bottle. She chews and chews on it, ‘til she puts a hole in it, then she chews it flat. It makes the weirdest sound! The first time she did this, Dave was up on top of the mast and thought the rigging was falling apart!

After one of the trips up the mast, we took Phil and Roxy to IHOP for breakfast. Roxy was so well behaved. She just laid down under one side of the table, and waited patiently for scraps to come her way. She got a lot of attention from the waitresses and other patrons in the restaurant. Roxy is also the only dog I know that can hold her licker. She does not lick anybody. She will sniff you, but she will not lick you!

This has been a rather wet week. Every afternoon the clouds roll in and we have a thunder and lightning storm for about 45 minutes. Boy! Does it rain. It just pours. We’ve found a few minor leaks that we didn’t know we had. Each day got up to the high 90’s before the storm hit. The next few days are supposed to be in the lower 90’s. That should help!!

We found a fantastic Italian restaurant right here in Green Cove Springs. The first time we ate there, we shared a great pizza. The second time we shared a dish of Pasta Carbonara. Mmmmmmm! And we took a friend, San Francisco Dave. (You wouldn’t believe how many Daves there are at this marina, so everyone has a nickname) SF Dave has been sailing in the areas we hope to go to this year, so he shared his knowledge with us of places we must see, and things to do, etc. It made me want to go to the Bahamas right now!! But hurricane season is not the time to go, so we’ll wait. We have so much to look forward to!

June 23rd

Sorry, got side tracked! We had an absolutely gorgeous day yesterday. The temp was in the low 90’s and we had blue skies all day. No thunder showers!! There was also a nice breeze over the water to help cool things down.
Found out we have more engine issues. Definitely bad fuel, so we will get the tanks pumped out, all 150 gallons! Then they will clean the tanks so we can refill them. They can’t do it ‘til Monday, soooooo, we’re here until at least Tuesday. Since our Outboard engine won’t be here until Thursday, it’s all good. Better to get all the bugs worked out, before heading out!

My apologies to my friend Kathy. She was a little upset with me for writing about her medical issues. However, after more than 2 weeks in the hospital, she needs all the prayers she can get. It sounds like a classic episode of “House”. So, keep praying for a happy ending!!

Just got a picture of Matt and Jacinda’s new house. Very Nice!! They are scheduled to move in on July 28th. They also just found out that they may qualify for the first time home buyers $8,000.00 credit after all. WooHoo!! Now when we go home to Olympia, we’ll have a guest room to stay in. And, with a built in grandson to spoil.

Saw my first turtles here in the marina. They swim along with just their little heads sticking out of the water, so you see these little bobbers. We have not seen any tar in the water (we’re too far North), but there is tons of algae. This river is disgustingly filthy green!!!

I think we’ll make another trip out to St. Augustine today, to pick up a few more items at the Sailor’s Exchange. Takes about 25 minutes to get there. We might have to make a trip to the Gelato stand. Mmmmm! More Rum Raisin!!!

Well, better get this posted to the blog while I can. Wish I had more exciting info to post!! It will get better after we are under way. Until then…

Love & Hugs,

The Admiral