Happy Canada Day!

It's July 1st, and hard to believe that we have been in Alabama for 3 months now!

While the unexpected repairs to the boat have taken up more time than we would have liked, we are nearing the end of the major work.  I have 2 new commodes, a new holding tank (including all new hoses and fittings), waste treatment system, and a new water heater.

We have had the salon furniture reupholstered (love seat and 2 tub chairs), and have found a nice little wicker set for the aft deck.   When the air conditioner started giving trouble, we thought that was next on the list, but Michael found that the intake was just clogged with weeds.  He was able to clear it, and flush the system, so we're able to keep up with the oven-like conditions here in the south.

Now we can move on to getting the autopilot and water maker we want for our winter journey.  My sister reminded me about the movie 'Money Pit' - and yes, some of this has been unexpected.  But it's a boat, which really means Bet On Another Thousand!


The heat here is incredible, reaching 104F yesterday.  Walking from air conditioning into the outside is like walking through a physical wall as you hit the humidity and heat.  If you're outside, you're sweating.  Everyone is damp, all the time. The "cold" water temperature straight out of the tap at 2pm is 92F or 33C, no need to turn on the hot tap :).

With the heat comes an explosion of growth in the water.  In much the same way zebra mussels invaded our waters in Ontario, there are two kinds of weed growing here that are not native, and therefore get quickly out of control.  The TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority), who maintains the waterways here, does come around to spray these weeds - using an air boat so they can get up close and personal in the shallows.  It seems to have worked, at least within the marina, but there are huge areas of the river that are completely impassable due to the weeds.  They keep the channels clear, so you really need to watch where you are and make sure you stay in the channels.

Yesterday we went to Guntersville, about 30 miles away, for the Alabama Song Writers Festival - well, really we went to see Taylor Hicks perform!  It was all free, and right on the water.

We got there about 6pm, and it was still brutally hot.  So we ate ice cream, and drank lemonade while we wandered the craft tents, and met up with some boating friends.  As the sun went down, so did the temperature - a little.  As the crowd gathered for the headline act, the harbour filled with boats of all sizes, their lights twinkling in the fading light.  Hicks is an Alabama boy, so got a very good welcome from the crowd.




Today is Canada Day, although no one here knows anything about that.  The big party here, of course, will be on the 4th.  Boats are being decorated, and flags are everywhere.  Here's a snap of me with Doris (of shrimp & grits fame), her son Dan (former mayor of Scottsboro) and, of course, Uncle Sam!

There will be a big fireworks show put on by the city of Scottsboro at our marina, which is city owned.  We have been told to expect huge crowds that night, so need to decide if we will watch from the water or from shore.

Happy Canada Day to all of our Canadian friends and family!!