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| It really does get cold down here. |
Our few days in Vero Beach have stretched into a week. The weather is beautiful today, although we had some really cold nights a few days ago. We plan to pull out tomorrow (Sunday) after taking on water and pumping out our holding tanks but we've had a great time with Howard and Donna, getting to know Vero Beach and tackling some big projects.
You know that old saying - A boat is a hole in the water into which one pours money. Here's a story to prove it All during this trip we have had qualms about our dinghy motor. It's 42 years old and, in spite of several repairs and carburator rebuilds by Wayne, it has not been reliable. We finally decided it would need to be replaced before we reached the Keys and had to depend on it to get to shore. Wayne and Howard went shopping for a new one early in the week. We now have a new dinghy motor and Wayne even managed to sell the old one. Wayne is very happy and he is teaching me how to drive the dinghy. I have not crashed (yet) and I have mastered the tricky motor cord pull thingy.
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Wayne and his new motor
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| Saying goodbye to the 42 year old great 6hp Evinrude that my Dad gave to me in 1972! It ran flawlessly over to the dealer's dock. The head mechanic gave me $100 after hearing it run as my brother Howard and I approached the dock to pick up the new motor. |
As you heard in our last entry we were facing a major problem when my sewing machine broke earlier in the week. A crew mutiny on Cool Change was a distinct possibility. We found a repair shop and I was thrilled to get my machine back yesterday afternoon. In the meantime, Donna had the bright idea that I should make a few pillows for the couch in the salon and for the outside aft deck. I liked the idea too and it became even more appealing when Donna showed me fabrics she had left over from a pillow project of her own and offered to share with me. We went shopping for eight pillow forms and I started the project yesterday morning. Now, as you may or may not know, Wayne also owns a sewing machine. He very generously allowed me to use it to make the pillows, since my machine wasn't back yet. All eight are now finished and they look great!
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| Two sewing machines are not too many, right? |
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| The pillows in the salon (boat talk for living room) are a washable suede. |
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| These sunbrella pillows are for outside use. Right now they are on the lounge area in front of the captain. This is a handy place for the "nagivator" to relax when we are underway. |
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| Vero Beach's public beach |
Today we met Howard and Donna for breakfast and afterwards went to a weekly Farmer's Market - local fresh strawberries and other vegetables are in season right now. I wish I could send a strawberry to all of you who are braving snow and ice up in Charlotte. Even the scent says "spring."
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| Cool Change at anchor, early morning |
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| The white tents are the Farmer's Market. |
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