Stop yelling at me! tue 3.31

David Cox came to visit me yesterday. he was a guest onboard.

We were on the boat and it aint easy being us!

some mornings we get work calls early during coffee time.

xo skip

Saturday 3.28.09 SUMP

Suffice it to say my Sump Strainer needed new hoses. yesterday that was my project. today i watched college basketball and tried several different Antenna to find the best one for the boat. So, tomorrow or monday i'll have to return a bunch of bad antenna.

Oh, and it got cold last night. they say "down in the 30's tonight." I'm inside and warm.

i grilled veggies on the grill tonight and Catfish. (squash, and diced potatoes, with Jalapeno and onion wrapped in aluminum foil.) i also made a fruit salad. (2 apple, 2 banana, 1 pear)

This week i get a new Aft Holding tank.

-skip

Genset Impeller Install 3.26.9

3.26.9 Today was a Genset Impeller Install day. (Onan 8kw generator) it went smoothly. (thank goodness) Two hours. The old Impeller was pretty worn out and really needed to be replaced. these little 'fan blades' push the water through to cool the engine. these were obviously worn out.

back to the to-do list...

NEXT HOLDING AFT.

Wed 3.25.9 ENGINE WORK

Well, i've been working through my to-do list.... Today was oil and impeller change on the Perkins engine and Onan genset. Craig, my sailing buddy, suggested i replace both now since we don't know when that was last done. If either part deteriorates the engine will burn up. (i cant afford that) You are supposed to do this annually.

So Dave opens the engine room door and says, "i smell diesel - you have a leak somewhere." This was the start of my day.

The swing arm on the Genset belt was cracked / broken in two. the Water pump on the Perkins engine was so worn, pitted and grooved it must be replaced. hose leaks dripping seawater. cracked fuel lines. dipstick hose pipe stripped, broken fuel line - 'replaced' by under gauge hose.... it was a tough, expensive day.

so we have now finished for the day. i just have to tomorrow replace the impeller on the Genset and when the new water pump arrives - swap that out.

did you know there are primary filters, secondary filters, filters for water, filters for oil, raw water strainers, fan belts, pulleys, pumps and hoses. i didn't. Did you know that there are very thin aluminum washers on the fuel line that can be overtightened to the thickness of aluminum foil? (did you know that if you over tighten them - diesel fuel leaks?) have you seen a 12 volt oil pump for doing oil changes? a tiny motor to move oil.

last word - ' i need to replace all the hoses. ' (ouch!)

i have washed off all the oil and scrubbed my fingernails. i'm not yet a diesel mechanic. but i'm one day closer! it all runs. but i'm not ready to run away...

xo skip

scary times.

Sunday 3.22 Home Sweet Boat

I have committed the cardinal sin of Blogging. i waited till i was too sleepy to write before starting this post.... (bad skip)

Saturday i had visitors: Casey Cowan and his two lovely daughters, Amelia and Alicia. they were out enjoying the perfect weather and the kids spring break. (for those of you who know them, mom - Sandra is in Puerto rico visiting family) we went out on Galveston Bay and everyone took a turn at the tiller. (all hands on deck) Thanks girls for swabbing the deck and doing dishes. little sea urchins.

then today i got a Government approved $40 discount card in the Mail from My Aunt Nona. THANKS. so i rushed out and bought my HDtv convertor box. i had to rip out lots of stuff (dvd, vhs, cables) to get it wired and then all put back together. but the picture is 10,000 times better. my old rabbit ears were pathetic. now i have my old rabbit ears and HD, my shows dont stink!

thanks Nona! xoxoxxo skip

3.20 Ft. Lauderdale, FL site visit

• I had to fly to Fort Lauderdale, FL yesterday to meet clients. set my alarm at 4am wakeup. so far no surprises. got up to dense, thick, pea soup fog. planned my drive early enough to handle traffic but didnt count on an act of GOD. short version: i made the flight.


• 
  
  Long version: i got lost in the fog and drove through parts of Houston that would scare me in the daytime if i could see them! i was 'trying' to drive at a quick pace but had to slow well below the posted speeds sometimes when i couldn't see the car in front of me (fog remember) or see the side of the road, or signs. so i missed a Freeway lane change and ended up going the wrong way. i can see nothing. i just know i'm now going the wrong way. it's thick pea soup fog and i see no road, no signs, no landmarks. i am lost and sitting in a submarine - lost. so i drive the direction i 'think' is going to correct my error.... when i decide i am lost from being lost and hopeless to find my way back to anywhere. i pull over in someone's front yard. (it's about 5:15am and black dark, thick grey fog and i can see about 50 ft. i can see their porch light on. i can see and hear their Rottweiler barking) i get out my new cell phone and it's navigation function leads me blindly out of the neighboorhood and a winding mess through the tiny back streets to the airport.
  
  (this stairway)
  
  
  This is where it gets weird! so, now my very early planned arrival to beat all the Spring Break travel is ruined. i am now going to have to hurry through security (yeah right) and then straight to my gate. but after i park the car i can't find the entrance to the airport... i was in the twilight zone! i am standing on garage C, level 4, spot 21 and spinning in circles looking for a sign to the entrance. across from me are a set of stairs - going somewhere. so i take the stairs. i go down to the bottom and see the dreaded sign "no entry". (i push through and it's some construction zone behind the building and not the right way) i re-entry. i climb up a flight of stairs and there is a sign on that door. "no entry." so i try the handle and it opens. i'm thinking great - i'm somewhere... it's an office. cubicles, a hallway and more offices. i dont know where i am but i'm marching down the hall going anywhere but "no re-entry" and trying to find the ticket area. about this time a lady enters the hall from the other end, walking toward me. i can see she's 'reading me' trying to figure if i'm friend or foe. "are you lost?" yes mam, i'm trying to find the ticket counter. "how did you get back here?" (i'm thinking back where? where am i?) oh, she's in uniform - Continental Airlines. i have stumbled into some black hole, a worm hole, a Alice in Wonderland, Chronicles of Narnia wardrobe entrance into the back hallways of continental airlines personnel offices. she leads me down another hallway and opens a door and we are standing BEHIND the ticket desk. i'm looking out at lines of people in the 'cattle gates' lined up waiting thier turn to work up to where i am. i thank the lady and step over the scales for weighing bags and walk out into the lobby of the airport. i kid you not. i walk 25 steps to the self check kiosk and get my ticket on the Continental flight and step over to security now right back on schedule. even saved time to grab a coffee.
  
  
  SEE DOOR CENTER. i was on the inside of there.
• Thank goodness Ft. Lauderdale was nice and normal... just your average Resort with Ferrari's, Bentley's, and Rolls parked out front with my rental. it's good to be back tonight on the boat where i belong. we Wharf Rat's need to stick together! keep out all the other Riff Raff. Just us locals.
  
  
  
  
  Hope you are enjoying spring break somewhere nice. it seems all of Texas is here in my Boardwalk this week. cars and people dawn to dusk. parking lots full in all directions ($6 per)
  
  
  going to sleep now. it's been a long day. -skip

NEW NAME - 3.5.9

PRODIGAL is finally named. (it's taken a few days longer than i thought. from my October schedule of to do's. - 'change name') i aint no Craig & Angela who are kicking butt and taking names on S/V Hakuna Matata .... (check out their BLOG as they wait on a weather window to cross over to the Bahama's) Heat Gun and plastic scraper blade to remove the old name. Finished work $290 turnkey. Graphics By George. i am pleased with Larry's work and price. he was on budget, on time and cleaned up after the work.

Next are two large projects that i hope to complete before months end. new holding tank aft and restep the mizzen mast. (it's fallen through a rotted hole in the master bathroom.) both are construction and expensive. but needed.

hope it's sunny and warm where you are.

from the boat. S/V PRODIGAL. xo skip

Las Vegas and AAOS 3.2.9

i am home on the boat. got in yesterday from 11 days working in Vegas. slept like the dead last night. (it was a crushing show) now i'm up making my to do list for the week. (tax's are on there) i am on my first cup of 100% Kona coffee bought on Maui in January... i've got laundry as item #2 and both suit cases are still in the trunk of the car from yesterday. Lots to do.

have a great week all. xo skip

ps. photos from work week. the Blue Sky vertical hotel Venetian is on the walk in to work, the Mirage Photo is on the walk home. the car shots are our one day to get out early and go play. the guy sitting at paperwork is 'trying' to figure out what gear goes on which of 12 semi's outbound for other shows. the desk across the room is what it looks like for me to "work" on site.

This is a photo of my "office" on the road.

i stood up at my desk and took this shot of my view on site. this is the 3rd store room i set up for this show. (we loaded into room 104 and then i left guys there to manage it. the next day we loaded into another - 'wing' of the Venetian hotel and setup a storage on the 2nd floor, but only had access to that room for 3 days.... so we setup from there and used up as much gear as possible. (i.e. it's easier to STACK empty cases) then day four i had to clear out that Ballroom so we could set it for meetings. so we moved everything out of there via the freight elevator up to the 5th floor. (think of this - it's three 53foot semi trailers full of boxes we are moving every time. fortunately the last move most were empty boxes. (see the pile of boxes - empties, stacked with a guy up there stacking?) on the right are full boxes, on the left are rows of cables and on the wall are my "Flow Sheets" like massive ToDo Lists for the 40 rooms. every day and hour is noted with what equipment to put in.

i sit far away on purpose. if you have about 75 guys all coming in and talking, laughing, yelling, cussing - screaming, it can get loud. i still have to hear and speak with the client via the walkie talkie and also talk on the phone and maintain my sanity. I'm over in my area attempting to control all. to plan ahead - how many guys do i need three days from now to load trucks and strike all this gear all over the hotel? how many trucks will i need to ship it all? i am busy with: Deep Thoughts....

the last day we had the hotel open the air-wall on the left side. (see the vertical lines? each one is a 3 foot section that pulls apart) i was serving lunch in the other room, next door, for my crew. (running a restaurant for the guys noon meal because there was not enough time in the clients program for them to get out for more than 30 minutes to eat. imagine coming to work at 6am and not eating till after 6pm?) so that increased the room dimensions from: 50'x90' [shown here] to 100'x90' and allowed me to pull down the box tower and separate the gear into other massive piles for loading trucks.

So to break down my job - i am a Nursery School Teacher for adults. we have a 30 minute recess at noon, we spend most our day sitting in classes (listening to doctors talk) and the rest of the time playing with blocks. (moving boxes.) i listen to crying students (bitchy union workers) and yelling parents. (client meetings) i got a college degree in business and all i every really needed was to get through Kindergarten to learn how this is done!

gotta run, i have 'work to do.' papers to grade and lessons to plan. (expense reports and purchase orders to finalize. union payroll sheets to turn in, bills to pay and laundry to wash)

xo Skip

ps. i'm on cup of coffee #2 CUP #3 and getting jittery.

... this shot is my actual desk since day 2; forground. (after storage #2 / day 2, i just had 2 guys carry my desk to the elevator and upstairs. too tired to remove and rebuild again!) Fridgebox on right. (note 'fridgebox' . coffee pot, microwave and fridge. it's all enclosed in a large wooden crate on heavy casters. i take it with me to shows.) the door to the fridge sits open while Donnel pours 1/2 and 1/2 into his cup. when you arrive for work at 4:30am and nothing is open, a coffee pot is mandatory! (remember - refreshments) in front of my desk sits a barricade to keep everyone back. (it's the chargers for the walkies) the decorator was sharing space with us, so the filing cabinets were in the room temporarily... just like us!

this is the last installment in the trilogy. you have now gone through AV 101. xo skip

ps. Donnel is one of 5 San Diego union guys i flew in to vegas to insure i would have qualified union support staff. (guys with brains) in addition, i brought in 4 guys from my dallas warehouse just for the last day - to help separate gear. (2 store rooms, in two buildings and 12 semis + 4 box trucks for local gear. you need a lot of eyes and hands) i had over 100 guys to boss around that last day... the playground was full.