Boat work

I decided to start tearing up the back part of the boat floor. It is soft and I knew that the plywood underneath was rotten. It is weird how the boat has been off the water for about two weeks but the wood is so wet that you can squeeze water out of it. There is even about six inches from the plywood to the hull of the boat. It seems that the wood would dry out.
There is still a little water in the hull. I was worried that there was going to be floatation foam in this area. I have heard horror stories of people trying to get all the wet waterlogged foam out. I am very pleased that this appears to be the only area that there is a problem. I am going to put a new drain hole in the back and then put a pump down in the hole. There should have been a way to get to this area anyway since it is the lowest point on the boat.

Tomorrow I have to epoxy in a new drain tube. I already drilled the hole and have a fan on the area to try to get it completely dry. We are taking the boat to Dale Hollow Lake tomorrow and we are going to spend the night on a houseboat we are considering buying.

Puff daddy

I got stung by a wasp today. I was helping Burt move a pool table into his basement and one stung me on the wrist. I turned around and started back into the house and one got me right on the bottom lip. I knew I was in for a swollen lip because I have been stung on the lip before.

I already had a puffy face but now it is ridiculous.

I have to go to work tomorrow. I am flying on US Airways to London. I then fly a few trips back and forth between England and Dubai.

Sarah Palin

Wow! Just got through watching the GOP Convention and Mrs. Palin hit it out of the park!

I was a little worried about who John McCain was going to pick as his VP candidate. I didn't want him to pick someone that was liberal just to shore up the moderates. Well, I am VERY pleased with the choice he made!

After watching her in action I can't see how there is even a race any more. I say Palin for president!

No fish

Well, Kerry and I fished for about 3 hours tonight on the Kentucky River and didn't catch a thing. I don't think we know exactly what we are doing. I got a cast net and caught some shad (minnows) but even live bait didn't work.

The boat runs great now. I put in new spark plugs and a fuel filter. The old plugs were pretty worn out. I am not sure how long it has been since they had been changed but it was a while.

I got some books on fishing from the library and am reading quite a bit on the internet so I can figure it out. Wish me luck!

Labor Day

We took the boat out for Labor Day. The lake was pretty busy but we were able to find a quiet place to swim. Burt is in the boat and from left to right in the water is Kerry, Erin, Jacob, and Taylor. Jacob is the boy that Burt and Kim are doing foster care for. I am near the shore taking the picture.
The boat quit running just when we were getting ready to water ski. I got in the water this is a picture of Taylor and I pulling the boat. You can see a boat ramp in the background that we were headed for.
Taylor thought it was easier to pull the boat with her teeth. I am pretty sure she was working pretty hard because there seemed to be slack in the rope between Taylor and me. I think she was the one pulling the boat the most. At least that is until she got tired. If I would have had a camera you would have seen the other 4 in the boat cheering us on.
I guess we were being quiet enough without a motor running that we saw deer that had come up to the edge of the lake. They are right in the middle of the picture. Not sure if you can see them.
We got the boat running again. I am not sure what was wrong with it. The second time Kerry tried to start it while I was pulling it fired up and stayed running. It was nice that we got it running because we were able to get Burt out and skiing. He was able to get up the first time. It had been quite a few years but he said it was like riding a bike.

I think the fuel line must have been plugged with something. I am glad it wasn't a more serious problem. Nothing like sitting out on the lake with a dead boat. =)

Seattle

I am back to "work" now. My first stop was Seattle so I went to visit Holly and Snider. They are doing great and have a nice apartment. Holly's car is very nice. They are enjoying the outdoors here in Seattle. They always talk about hiking and kayaking and stuff.

Tonight I fly to Shannon, Ireland then have 18 hours off and fly to Boise, Idaho. I get about 18 hours off then I fly back to Shannon. Then after about 24 hours I fly back to Atlanta, GA and am supposed to go home. It will be 4 Atlantic crossings in 6 days. I am not looking forward to it and am sure I will be tired by the time it is all over.

Lord willing I will be home on Sunday. I only get 4 days off then I am back to "work".

Green River Lake

We went scuba diving today at Green river lake. Here are some of the treasures that we recovered. The picture is of a boat bumper sitting in a camp style folding chair. This is one of three chairs that we saw in this cove. We also saw two sliding screen doors, a tire, a fire extinguisher, and two complete sheets of plywood. There were also tons of cans and bottles. I am pretty sure that houseboats tie up here and throw all the trash over the side.
We also used the metal detector to find the smaller stuff. The visibility was about four feet. Once we started digging around for whatever the metal detector was sounding on it dropped to zero. We were able to recover all this and a penny that isn't in the picture. The round objects are bottle caps and there are two lighters (one Zippo type and one disposable), and a D cell battery. I should have brought a bag down with me to put all the stuff in. I just didn't think about it. I will know next time. I also wanted to pick up the cans but we wouldn't have been able to even make a dent in the amount that was down there.
Taylor did better skiing today. She was able to get up almost every time and actually got to do a little skiing. She had a better attitude today and I think that was what made the difference. I think she actually WANTED to ski today.
Erin got up the first time and skied for quite a ways. I don't know how she does it but she says it is more comfortable to ski with her knees together like they are in this picture. She had her knees resting together most of the time.

Kerry and I skied a little too. We had a great time just sitting in the cove and playing in the water. I found some pool noodles at a dollar store. We have been looking for them since we bought the boat. I guess it is out of season for them now. They sure do make it nice to just float in the water. If you put one under your arms you can just float all day long.

Taylor almost caught a Bluegill with the fishing net. We didn't do any fishing today other than that. We had the poles but were too busy with all the other stuff.