[Hilde’s log]
We’re back on line! After a number of phone calls to progressively higher up employees of Verizon, we’ve managed to get our old plan reinstated and get the awful overcharges on the bill removed. This means that as long as the cell phone works (i.e., as long as we’re connected to the US shore) we can post from Raven, instead of slogging to the library.
I’ve just come off about ten days as Raven’s Captain. David went to Texas to take Schnitzel to my sister’s house in Tyler (and incidentally to pay a visit to our dentist) and I was left in charge. It was hard to see Schnitzel go – she’s such a great little dog, and we have literally not been separated since she arrived at my house as a tiny black puppy almost 12 years ago. But we just didn’t feel right about taking her – too many unknowns, too many different governmental restrictions from too many places, too much heat, and the ever present threat of her being under “boat quarantine” in foreign ports and unable to go ashore to take care of business. Despite or because of the fact that she’s a pretty smart cookie, for a dog anyway, she has refused to believe that it is okay to relieve herself on the boat. This refusal has resulted in our needing to take her to shore twice a day, which is not a problem when we are travelling on the coast. But offshore, it means she thinks she has to hold it, which she does for sometimes as long as two days before finally giving in. The waiting is painful for her and for us, both literally and figuratively. So she has gone to Aunt Carol’s to live with Oreo, Buster, and Napoleon (a Shitzu, a Wire Haired Terrier, and a Yorkie, respectively) for a few months. We hope she will be so busy establishing herself as Queen of the pack that she won’t be too traumatized by being booted off the boat. Carol says so far all is well – Schnitzel is enjoying cow hoofs to munch on, a big yard to run around in, and unlimited pee time.
Anyway, during the Texas trip I stayed in Florida to mind the boat. I have finally learned to start the outboard motor on the dinghy. It isn’t pretty, but I can do it. So while David was driving like a fiend, I was puttering back and forth to the dinghy dock, trying to run errands on the bus. Errands on the bus take hours, literally. One trip to Target to buy a new rug for the cabin took 5 hours – 2 at Target (I ended up with more than a rug) and 3 getting from the boat to the bus to Target to the bus to the boat. The rest of the time, I read, cleaned the boat, started the generator at least once a day to top up the batteries, rigged a tarp to keep rain from dripping down the forward hatch, and ate as much junk food as possible. I was so happy to see David return yesterday!
I have a few more errands to run tomorrow and am trying to schedule a medical check up in Stuart for early next week. After that – we’re off!!
You won’t be able to reach us by phone once we’ve left, but we will be checking email and posting to the blog whenever we manage to find a cyber café. We’ve been told they are all over the place, so here’s hoping.
We’re back on line! After a number of phone calls to progressively higher up employees of Verizon, we’ve managed to get our old plan reinstated and get the awful overcharges on the bill removed. This means that as long as the cell phone works (i.e., as long as we’re connected to the US shore) we can post from Raven, instead of slogging to the library.
I’ve just come off about ten days as Raven’s Captain. David went to Texas to take Schnitzel to my sister’s house in Tyler (and incidentally to pay a visit to our dentist) and I was left in charge. It was hard to see Schnitzel go – she’s such a great little dog, and we have literally not been separated since she arrived at my house as a tiny black puppy almost 12 years ago. But we just didn’t feel right about taking her – too many unknowns, too many different governmental restrictions from too many places, too much heat, and the ever present threat of her being under “boat quarantine” in foreign ports and unable to go ashore to take care of business. Despite or because of the fact that she’s a pretty smart cookie, for a dog anyway, she has refused to believe that it is okay to relieve herself on the boat. This refusal has resulted in our needing to take her to shore twice a day, which is not a problem when we are travelling on the coast. But offshore, it means she thinks she has to hold it, which she does for sometimes as long as two days before finally giving in. The waiting is painful for her and for us, both literally and figuratively. So she has gone to Aunt Carol’s to live with Oreo, Buster, and Napoleon (a Shitzu, a Wire Haired Terrier, and a Yorkie, respectively) for a few months. We hope she will be so busy establishing herself as Queen of the pack that she won’t be too traumatized by being booted off the boat. Carol says so far all is well – Schnitzel is enjoying cow hoofs to munch on, a big yard to run around in, and unlimited pee time.
Anyway, during the Texas trip I stayed in Florida to mind the boat. I have finally learned to start the outboard motor on the dinghy. It isn’t pretty, but I can do it. So while David was driving like a fiend, I was puttering back and forth to the dinghy dock, trying to run errands on the bus. Errands on the bus take hours, literally. One trip to Target to buy a new rug for the cabin took 5 hours – 2 at Target (I ended up with more than a rug) and 3 getting from the boat to the bus to Target to the bus to the boat. The rest of the time, I read, cleaned the boat, started the generator at least once a day to top up the batteries, rigged a tarp to keep rain from dripping down the forward hatch, and ate as much junk food as possible. I was so happy to see David return yesterday!
I have a few more errands to run tomorrow and am trying to schedule a medical check up in Stuart for early next week. After that – we’re off!!
You won’t be able to reach us by phone once we’ve left, but we will be checking email and posting to the blog whenever we manage to find a cyber café. We’ve been told they are all over the place, so here’s hoping.
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