Back to the boat

Wednesday February 24, 2016

We were out of the house by 8 AM and in the air on schedule at 11;20 AM. All went well till an hour out of BWI when we were advised that the airport was closed because of severe weather, and after circling for a while we diverted to Pittsburgh. Waited on the ground in Pittsburgh for about an hour and then took off again for BWI. Upon disembarking we discovered that our connection to Charleston had been "cancelled". After standing in the service desk line for 30 minutes we were offered a replacement flight on SATURDAY!

So I rented a "one way rental" for the 575 mile drive to Charleston and we hit the road. It was late but I wanted to get south and thru the Washington Beltway so we did not have to battle peak hour in the morning on Thursday. Once south of DC we grabbed a meal at an all night place and found a motel.

Thursday February 25, 2016

Underway again at 9 AM. It was still pretty breezy but the rain had stopped and road conditions we OK. We had a "audio book" loaded on the iPad (that we had started on the Florida trip in January) and plugged that into the cars audio system and settled in. We arrived at Charleston airport at about 5PM and swapped cars and headed home.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Deidre is suffering from the crud again.- assume picked it up on the flight home. She is really crook, spent all day Saturday in bed. It seems to be exactly the same "virus" that we both had in November, December and January. I finally god rid of it in the warmth and dry of Arizona.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Today we moved Tide Hiker from D-11 to D-7. Engines cranked up OK. In between docks we idled up to the marina fuel dock and had a pump out. We feel a bit like "house sitters" moving from dock to dock, but we are good till June in D-7 because "Sand Piper" will be in the Bahamas until June.

Monday, February 29, 2016

Deidre is feeling a bit better so we drove down to Hilton Head to visit with old Solon friends, Jay and Lovie. The 2 hour drive each way allowed us listen to some more of our "audio book" but we still have 5 hours to go! Very pleasant day.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Deidre is feeling better, but still coughing. Another cool and windy day. I did my "stress test" at the heart specialist and passed with flying colors. Tonight we went to the new Gilliard Theater for a "Beetles Night". Big crowd of old people were there.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Today we purchased a car. I am a bit tired of paying $600 to $700 a month on rentals. After an easy negotiation we paid $7600 for a 2006 Mercedes E500 with 98,000 miles under its belt. It is 100% perfect outside, but with a bit of upholstery wear and needs a bit of a freshen up. It seems to run perfectly and is fun to drive. And it is big enough for Deidre to sit across the back seat on the way back from Durham.

Tomorrow I head to the Department of Motor Vehicles (dread....)


Thursday, March 10, 2016

I am beginning to wonder how much I have saved so far:

     Liability Insurance:                     $442.00 for 6 months
     Property Tax on`the car:               $87.50
     Title and Sales tax                      $335.00

Tomorrow I will get it detailed and the headlight covers polished: $265.00

Later in the week, new motor mounts and rear brakes: $1,050.

(Have I saved any money yet? What a crazy idea.)

Anthem, AZ - February 8 thru February 24

Monday February 8, 2016

We were up about 6:15 AM and the temperature was about 31 degrees. The surface of the docks was very slippery and we needed to be very careful as we schlepped the bags to the car, Getting to Anthem from the IOP is an all day affair even with a good connection in Dallas.

When we arrived in Phoenix the temp was about 85 degrees and there was not a cloud in the sky. I had been trying for several weeks to make a decent rental car deal in Phoenix, but because of all the events (The Phoenix golf open ended on Sunday) the rates were crazy. I had reluctantly settled on an "off the airport" company that we had used before, but had been not too impressed. 

We caught a cab to their location, but to make a long story short we did not get off to a good start with the proprietor and beat a hasty retreat back to the airport. Lo and behold, the rates had cracked and we were able to get a great car at the airport for less than the "off airport" place. Amazingly, I had checked rates from Dallas during our layover to no great effect. Anyway, we were now set.

The Anthem house was just as we had left it. The water had been turned on the day before so Deidre was able to tinkle in all three toilets to her hearts content. We were in bed before 9 PM local time.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The gas man arrived about 10 AM so we were enjoying a shower an hour or so later. Went shopping and filled the larder.

The house paint needs some attention so I called the builder and tracked down the exact paint and picked it up that afternoon.

Another perfect day. Not a cloud in the sky, high in the mid 80s. I used the car to measure three alternative walks.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Did the "big" walk of 5.1 miles this morning. Dinner at Dick's. Purchased a new TV antenna on the way over.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Dinner at Miklers'

Friday, February 12, 2016

Lunch and a tour of AmazingMail's new digs with Danielle. She has done a great job and AmazingMail is once again strongly profitable. We ate at home!

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Another perfect morning. Met dick for coffee followed by a hike/walk in the desert. Deidre and I spend most of the afternoon at the pool. I finished the painting of the exposed edge of the slab in the cool of the late afternoon.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Very pleasant breakfast at Aussie friends house (Kerry and Julian).

Monday, February 15, 2016

Lunch with Ray Thurston, AmazingMail Chairman. We had a good old chat and concluded we had been smart to promote Danielle to President & CEO.

Back home I repaired the man hole in the ceiling.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Breakfast with Tonni and Bill at the "General Store" in North Scottsdale. Another one of my favorite places. Just feels like an old Spanish Mission. Beautiful sunny morning.

Drove to cave Creek and visited the library. They have an amazing "used book" section and we purchased a couple of dozen books and audio books.

Then off to the gym and the pool. Another sunny day in the high 80s.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

After a bit of a lazy start we headed north up the I-17 for a drive thru some of our favorite spots in the mountains and high desert. We exited the freeway at the Verde Valley and headed west for Jerome (after stopping for a coffee). The "big sky" desert and the mountains aspects in AZ are just amazing. From the heights around Verde we could see the red cliffs of Sedona and the snow capped San Francisco Peaks in the distance.

Jerome is an old mining town located at 5,000' above sea level on the face of Mingus Mountain. Its a favorite destination for bikers and has a fun personality. We bought a couple of sandwiches for lunch in the sun, then headed south on 89A over the famous Mingus Mountain pass - 158 curves in 12 miles and reaching an altitude of 7,000'.

Deidre dropped me out of the car about 5 miles from the general store in Peoples Valley. PV is a high, wide and productive mountain valley (about 5,000') devoted to cattle ranching. Very much a "Ponderosa" sort of location. I needed some "steps" so I walked alone the highway and caught up with her at the general store. My pace was good - 16 minute miles for 4 1/2 miles.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Today I grouted in the sun.

Friday February 19, 2016

Good exercise day. Deidre and I drove south (again!) and met Aussie friend Kerry at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, a desert recreation area. Kerry and I walked the "Gateway Circle" about 5 miles and then we all met for coffee. On the way back to Anthem Deidre dropped me at the freeway exit and I walked the 1.5 miles to the house. Gotta build up those miles. Today was a 23K step day.

Bill and Tonni came for dinner.

Saturday February 20, 2016

For me today was a "pay the bills day". One of the bills was a $A171 fine for driving at 68 kph in a 60 kph zone on the Esplanade in Melbourne in December. Talk about a police state. (On a similar note, when we looked at our Visa statement for December we noticed about $A80 in charges for driving on the toll roads around Melbourne. We were not there that long, did not use the toll roads that much, but there goes $A80. What a rort. The whole West Virginia tollway is only about $10 end to end!)