Beer, Diapers and some plumbing issues

I guess we moved to St. Augustine, but it's hard to tell as we really have not seen much of it since we arrived. After motoring down the ICW and parking the boat, we boarded a plane and arrived in Rochester NY for a baby shower and manly man diaper party. Todays diaper parties involve drinking, drinking games, drinking tunes, football, eating cooked animals off the grill and drinking. I ate fake meat products in order to maintain my man card. Not sure that worked. We then tried to look sober when the ladies got back from their cute little girly gift event called a baby shower. We were very refreshed when they showed up as we had taken to hiking up a nearby hill for a view of the city and the southern tier, and maybe a little mischief. Fresh air was a good idea. "Brisk" would be one word to describe the walk. "Fking cold" would be two words.

Hobo hut in the background. Guess nobody was home.
Or, a killer clown was in there with a machete.

Fortunately these were the only clowns out that night.

Wait there was one more. 

Kelly looked great and she is definitely ready for little Mason to get the heck out of there! The whole family is now on pins and needles waiting to see when we have to venture back to the tundra. Surprisingly, or not really, I had my old winter jacket and hiking sneaks still stuffed in the van. Amazing what you find in there. I was well prepared for the cold. Debra however was a wee bit under dressed and without boots, and had to do layers. She really really hates the cold. She was looking forward to getting back into the Florida Sun but got a call from work that said they needed her in town for a meeting. So Deb flew back to NY two days after getting back to Florida. She also flew right into a snow storm filled with flight delays. The only good thing about the trip was the time spent with Kelly and Eric. They made her a great meal and spent a nice evening together while I played plumber on the boat.

Deb seemed amused with what little snow there was, until she came back
two days later to a storm. You throw like a girl! 

Yes, more plumbing. I never finished the new head install as I didn't like the smallish vented loop and one inch discharge line going to the seacock. I replaced all this with one and a half inch and purchased about fifty hose clamps to complete the whole system. Because I am kind of a major germaphobe and not totally stupid I tested the unit with fresh water first. No leaks after ten flushings. Ten more, no leaks. Who will be the first to try it? I gave it a wiz whirl thinking if it leaked there was some small amount of comfort knowing it's your waste pooling in the bilge. So far, knock on wood, it's looking good. Number two is not allowed in the aft head, so I might add a Baby Ruth bar to the holding tank to see how the macerator handles it.

Next up is the twin fuel filters, opening port re-bedding, and fuel tank cleaning. Joy. I'm going to smell like diesel for about a month. My grandkid will think he was born in a truck stop.

We managed to get out and explore a little. We hit up the farmers market over at the Amphitheater. It was ok. Mostly crafts and very little fruits and veggies. We really do not have a lot of room for crafts on the boat, but there were some pretty cool items on display. The people were friendly and it was a nice morning to be out and about. I did score some escarole, which is hard to find lately. Beans and greens baby!

I guess you just show up with a guitar and play.
No, I only know one song and it's inappropriate for a farmers market

On the way home we stopped by the Sailors Exchange. We're talking about a building full of used boat equipment and supplies. I could spend a whole day there looking for treasure but Deb was not impressed, so we split. I'll bike back there some other time. Walking out to the car we spied a little sail loft in the back of the parking lot. Amazing. What else is hidden around this town?

Kind of a big pile of crap, but I like it.

We went back to Jax for a Bills vs Jags game with Nicole and Jonathan and good friends Deb and Rick. Bills Tailgating! We (Bills Fans) had a parking lot pretty much to ourselves and it felt like a home game, except there were no barrel fires, public urination, snowballs in the face and drunks fighting. Let's go Buff-a-lo! More on that later. I've got to go find a Baby Ruth bar.

Cheers!
P

Festivus decorations