Lurch

This is Lurch, a Great Blue Heron who lives in, or around Goose Pond Colony Marina.

Lurch is very accustomed to the comings and goings of people and boats.

In fact, Lurch spends much of his day wandering up and down the docks and the fingers that run off the main dock between all the boats.

He even looks in through the boat's porthole!!

It was a bit surprising the first time I came across him, standing in the middle of the dock between me and the boat.

I stopped and looked at him, and he stood there looking at me with his beady little yellow eyes.  After a moment, and apparently sensing no threat from me, he turned and walked down one of the fingers so that I could pass.

As I've said before, people fish from the docks here, and locals come and fish from the banks.  Marina folks began feeding Lurch some of their catch some time ago, and he has come to expect it.  After all, who turns down a free meal?

But the locals don't always know the protocol.  One day I watched a man fishing from the bank as Lurch swept in for a landing within about 20 feet from him.  He (Lurch) stood on the grass, staring at the fisherman.  The poor man was clearly unnerved by this, and moved about 10 feet along the bank, away from the bird.  Lurch very calmly followed, maintaining the 20 foot distance, and never taking his eyes off the fisherman.  Again, the man moved down the bank, further this time.  And again, Lurch calmly followed.

I called out to the fisherman that the bird was used to being fed, and that if he would spare a small fish from his catch, Lurch would probably leave him alone.  I don't think he believed me at first, but after a while became so uncomfortable under Lurch's unwavering stare that he tossed a small fish to the bird, who caught and swallowed it in a single motion.  The man looked at me, laughing, and said he'd remember to feed Lurch the next time he came fishing here at Goose Pond.

By the way, you can click on any of these pictures to enlarge them for a better view.

It's a dirty job, but somebody (Michael) has to do it!

For a man whose knees go wobbly at the sight of a simple needle, Michael has an amazing capacity for dealing with the unpleasant effluent of a toilet system without fussing about the smell or complaining at all.

The holding tank was connected to the two toilets with large wire reinforced rubber hoses, with another large hose going to the pump out connection.  The first plan was to disconnect the hoses, cap ends and the holes with sandwich bags and duct tape, and remove the tank.  When that didn't work, we decided to cut the old hoses as we will get all new hoses with the new tank and toilets.  You can imagine the effects of taking an electric saw blade to these pipes!

With all the hoses gone, and all the holes sealed off, we managed to lift the tank out of the hole and finally get it off the boat, wrapped tightly in green garbage bags and more duct tape.

It's a nice big hole which Michael will clean up to prepare for the new tank, coming soon.

 

Our big question now is:  How will we remove all of the old hoses, and put in the nice new ones?   But that's something we can worry about another day.

The effects of a little acid

We have been very busy over the last few days.  Planning an overhaul of the plumbing and waste system takes some time and thought.  As you saw from the 'Captain's Log' that Michael posted, he knows what he wants to put in...now it's a question of sourcing, ordering and waiting for it all to arrive.  While we're waiting, we have begun to remove some of the old pieces -  starting with the holding tank.

To get to the holding tank, we had to remove the battery box.  This is a fibreglass box that holds the batteries needed to start the engines.  The 'house batteries', those used to power the fridge, lights, ice maker, etc when we're not plugged into shore power are completely separate.

We opened the battery box and saw the two massive engine batteries.  We started by mapping all the connections as we removed each one to make sure we put it all back together properly.  Then came the question of how to get these brutes out of the boat.  Each ones weights approximately 160 pounds, so there was no way I would helping to haul them out.  Michael got one of the guys who works in the marina to come by and help, and between them they managed - but it wasn't easy for two of them to maneuver themselves and the big heavy batteries in a small space.

Once the batteries were out, we noticed a lot of black discoloration on the bottom of the box.  With box out, we could then see the floor below the box, with definite damage.  This what battery acid does to wood and tin.

It appears that one of the previous owners had a battery leak, and simply replaced the batteries without repairing any of the damage.  Add it to our list of things to do!!!

Today, we ought to be able to get to the heart of the matter - the stanky tank.   Can't wait.

Captain's log

Having spent more time than Mundy in Alabama I was more inclined to use some reference to this popular band:

For those interested in the details here is what is going to be done, taking the chance to upgrade the whole system:

New Raritan Elegance vacuflush heads:

Addition of a treatment system which allows for direct discharge:
read about it here waste treatment

And a new holding tank of course for use in the Great Lakes and other NDZ (No discharge zones).

So this unexpected situation has added things to the list and sped up the planned head and piping upgrades.

O dear, what an odor

One of the great things about living aboard is the ability to untie the lines, leave the dock for a day or a week or a month, and know that you are completely self sufficient.  You have a fridge, and a stove, hot and cold running water, and of course, proper flush toilets in the 'heads'.

One of the not so great things about living aboard is that apart from the 'grey water' that drains from the sinks, all other waste must be carried with you, in a holding tank, until you are able to pump it out at a marina.

We began to notice that something was not quite right a couple of days ago.  There was an unidentifiable odor that came and went.  There appeared to be some water in the bilge, which is not abnormal, and Michael thought that perhaps it had become stagnant and was beginning to smell a bit.  It's river water, after all.  He got out the shop vac, sucked up all the stinky water, poured in some bilge cleaner, and thought he was done.  But a few hours later, the smell was back and we concluded this couldn't be just river water gone bad.

I began to suspect that we had a dead critter somewhere below decks, but Michael said it was more likely a leaky holding tank.  Either way, we were in for some unpleasant business.  The shop vac came out again, more stinky water was sucked up, and more bilge cleaner poured in.  And again a few hours later, and again hours after that.  So now we knew - no dead critters, but definitely a leaky tank.  As long as we could keep the windows open, it was bearable inside the boat and while others were complaining about the windy conditions, we were thankful for the moving air!

We had the marina guys come and do an emergency pump out on Saturday, and flushed lots and lots of fresh water through the system, then pumped out as much as they could.  Our next step is to remove the old tank which we may have to cut into pieces, and replace it with a new one.  So we're off to Walmart to buy lots of rubber gloves, and big green garbage bags, and a respirator if they have one!!

While we're at it, we'll replace the old toilets with new, more efficient ones.  But all of this will take some time to order, and have shipped, and then do the work.  Thank goodness we have land based facilities here at the marina while all of this is happening.

And you should all be thankful that the blog does not support scratch and sniff technology - 'cause you know I'd want to share!!!

Unclaimed baggage????

Have you ever lost a bag when you were travelling?  If you never got it back, did you wonder what had happened to it?  Or where all your stuff was?  Airlines lose bags all the time, and it can't just be that their employees are taking all those bags for their own purposes...  So what happens to all the stuff?

We found out on Monday!

This is where all lost luggage goes to die.  It's a large building, filled with stuff that other people have lost, and it's all for sale.  There are electric guitars, cameras, fishing gear, assorted personal electronics, hundreds of books, jewelry (some cheap, and some very expensive), clothing of all types and sizes - including underwear!!!   That's the creepy bit - other people's underwear for sale.  And I saw women going through the racks, item by item.  Yuck.




Today we went into Huntsville, the nearest biggish city.  It is home to the University of Alabama and is also known as Space City.  That's right - dating back to the end of WWII when the Americans brought German scientists here, it has also been home to a large rocket and space science community including NASA.  Who knew?

We, of course, didn't go for any of that.  We went shopping. We found fabric to refinish the worn out love seat and chairs in the salon,  new lampshades, and other sundry bits and pieces to make the place the way we want it.  And while we were there, we had to eat...

Those darned Jamaicans.  They get everywhere :-)






One day soon, we'll be able to untie the lines, and actually leave the dock for a little trip on the river.

It's the little things

It's true.  It is the little things in life that can get you excited.  Michael got the ice maker working yesterday, and we were thrilled.  No more struggling with those dollar store ice trays in the freezer!

And this morning, we were listening to a Toronto radio station over the internet and they said it was about 10 degrees there today and for the next couple of weeks.  We looked at each other and grinned - it's twice that temperature here and we're complaining that it's a little cool!

We're slowing down to a southern pace as well.  Everything really does move more slowly here, which is wonderful.  I was taking the garbage up to the bins yesterday, and passed an old guy fishing on the dock.  He said 'You're not leaving us already, are you?' to which I replied 'No.  I just got here!'  And that was all it took to start a 30 minute chat about him and his brother who owns the boat he was visiting, and how they grew up on the river, and how he comes here to fish every day except Mondays because he's retired, but he drives for a courier company five days a week with extra runs on Mondays.  All the while, he was juggling two fishing rods, and scooting back and forth if he thought he saw any activity on either line.  He didn't catch a thing, but I got the feeling that it didn't really matter...he was just happy to be fishing and chatting to passers-by.

And the rain came down...

The idea of a covered slip is terrific when you think about shelter from a blazing hot summer sun.  It helps keep the boat cool, and protects the fiberglass from sun damage.  But it's another thing altogether when you're in the middle of a ferocious thunderstorm.

You see, the roof is made of corrugated tin.  And when the rain is driving so hard you can't see, the noise is deafening.  The storm hit at about 8pm last night, just as we were settling down to see if there was anything on TV.  It got so loud we couldn't hear each other speak; never mind the TV.  Thunder added to the noise level, and fork lightening lit the sky all around us.  I do love a good storm over the water - as long as I am tied safely to the dock!

Poor Edee was not impressed at all.  She tried to find somewhere safe - and quiet, but no luck.  So she just cowered on one of the bunks in the forward cabin until it was over - at least a couple of hours.  

This morning dawned bright and sunny, but definitely cooler.  We have started walking in the morning before breakfast, so today we left the shorts and T-shirts behind and set out in warmer gear.  Here are some pics of the trail we walk...you can see what we have to put up with!  

For the birdwatchers out there,  we regularly see goldfinches, cardinals, blue jays, and of course herons.  We hear lots of little critters in the bush, but so far have only seen squirrels.  There are otters and muskrats living around the docks - so far heard but not seen, and there are swallows that live in the rafters over the boats, and dive bomb us as we sit on the forward deck at dusk.  

 

As you can see, there's something for everyone...

Golfing for those who want it.

The best bass fishing in Alabama brings them in from all over.

...except, apparently, the hunters!!

It IS Alabama, after all!

Journey to Done Dreamin' South

March 31, 2012 - After very little sleep, and struggling to dig the cat out from under the bed, we hit the road at about 9AM - right on schedule.  Crossing the border presented no issues at all.  In fact, we were very surprised the a minivan loaded almost to the roof with boxes of stuff demanded so little attention from the US authorities.  The only thing he asked about was if we were bringing in any food items!!

We stopped for the night about 100 miles shy of the half way point, somewhere in Ohio.  As Michael was checking out the next morning, the lady wished him a 'safe trip home'.  He nearly replied ' I'm not going home, I'm going to Alabama'.  But before the words were out of his mouth, he realized he was going home!  It's all still a bit surreal.


April 1, 2012 - We got to Goose Pond Colony Marina early Sunday evening, and only unloaded what we needed for the night.  We were tired after a long day of driving, and really just wanted to get into the boat and settle in for the night, so we stopped in town long enough to buy what we needed for breakfast, and a pizza for supper.  After we had eaten we started to put away the few things we brought on board for the night, and  began to settle in.




Edee (the cat) weathered the trip extremely well, but we sensed that she was just as happy as we were to get out of the car and be able to explore her new home.  She wandered forward to aft (that's front to back for you landlubbers) and up and down the few steps we have onto the aft deck.  We continued putting a few things away, opening and closing cupboard doors, and chatting to each other as we did so.  Then we heard Edee meow - not a common sound from her.  It was definitely an 'I have a problem' kind of meow, but not very loud at all. We dropped what we were doing and began calling, but she went quiet.  We raced outside, getting more and more frantic by the minute.  It was very dark, and we were very tired, and became convinced that our poor little cat had fallen overboard within a few hours of getting here.

But I decided that I wasn't going to give in that easily, and went back to where we were when we first heard her cry.  And there it was again - very faint this time.  I opened one of the cupboards Michael has been putting things into, and there she was, looking a little indignant but otherwise unharmed.  She walked past me with her tail up, and gave me a look as if to say 'So you finally decided to come back and let me out'.  She's a little more cautious about open cupboards now!


April 2 & 3, 2012 - The past two days have been spent mostly cleaning and unpacking all those boxes we worked so hard to fill and pack into the van.  Of course, we have brought way too much stuff - especially kitchenware.  So we have had another purge, and the local charity has benefited from our miscalculation.