Jim Henry was in the holey-place re installing the transmission when I left to meet Becky and Larry at the train in Richmond. I told him in no uncertain terms that our relationship was over!!! It has been great while it lasted...but I was ready to move on. He needed to be gone when I got back...and I really didn't want to see him again. Well, part of it happened. The transmission is FIXED...Bauman's arrived safe and sound (though an hour late). But Jim is returning this morning to finish attaching the batteries and wires...but the boat is back together. Hilary and Bob had us over for a superb pasta dinner with OBSCENE almond cake...and treated me to copies of the recipes...oh, WHAT A NIGHT!!! Becky and I are preparing to do some serious meal planning and then it is off to Walmart...look out Tappahannock...here we come!!!

Good news...he thinks he has found the problem. Bad news ...it is what we thought all along and told him about on Monday. He is due back here around noon. We should be up and running by the time I return from picking up the Bauman's in Richmond. So yes, we are more than a little disappointed in all this. Last year when we had this problem, it only took about a day and a half...no boat haul out and no pulling of transmission. This time we have been at it for four days, spent three nights staying with the Jackson's, hauled the boat out once, and completely pulled the transmission twice. It has been more than just a little depressing to watch all this head scratching. I can't wait to get this over and start having some fun...oh, and won't this bill be shocking! Keep your fingers crossed.

Good news...he thinks he has found the problem. Bad news ...it is what we thought all along and told him about on Monday. Parts are

In case you haven't noticed...new tabs in the area between the title and where the new post appears...click on one and find out more about the boat, us, and the plans we've made. Though I told Floyd today that maybe we shouldn't plan a schedule or to have fun...plan for things to go wrong and maybe then they will go right for a change!!!! if only!!!!

TODAY is the day!!!! We've been working on transmission problems since early Monday morning. Jim Henry, the transmission mechanic, is the one everyone said "if you can get him, he is the best." We've pulled the boat, pulled the entire transmission, checked the fluid flow...he is baffled. He has been working on transmissions for 45 years and has never seen anything like this...it shifts and spins yet seems to have no power...any resistance brings the drive shaft to a halt. All I know is I'm tired of this...I was promised some fun and am more than ready to start having some...Oh, and the Bauman's are on a train headed in our direction...come on already!!!!

Mechanic is here assessing the problem as I type...we are hoping for a fix that gets us on the way on Saturday as planned!!! Please note that I added a page (tab) to the blog site that lists our Plan A schedule of stops for the rest of the year. And we were on schedule right up until yesterday. Silly us, we actually thought we could keep a schedule. This one may be shot out of the water before we even leave the dock!!! We sure hope not!!!

Send us your good luck vibes. Mechanic called today and he will be here bright and early Monday morning. If it is the same problem we had on other engine last year, we should be up and running on Wednesday or Thursday. Just in time for our visit and cruise with the Bauman's. We'll know more tomorrow...

Friday was our day. We finished cleaning out the crew quarters which we have been using as a pantry in anticipation of our crew arrival!!! It is looking good!!! We bled the hydraulic lines for the steering and sure enough full of air instead of fluid. A quick check and we headed out to enjoy the Bay and test things. It went really well...there for an hour or so everything that was suppose to move did...the Captain managed a huge grin and happy dance. This photo is him doing his "look Ma, no hands" driving. We went out and hour and back for an hour on one engine testing shaft locks. Worked great. Last on our list was the full throttle run...and that's when the starboard transmission went out!!!! DANG it all!!! Just like in Orange Beach last February...only this time it is the other engine...we called BoatTow US (yep, that's them towing us back into the marina slip)...ever thankful for that insurance policy. The excitement with us never ends. We think we know the problem...parts will be the issue and TIME. We are suppose to leave Sunday AM for Myrtle Beach and, of course, crew arrives on Thursday. Then cruise scheduling becomes an issue. The pressure, the pressure. Waiting for mechanics to assess and then we'll have to have a business meeting to decide how to proceed. Bauman's... we'll be calling to keep you posted...keep your fingers crossed.

Friday was our day. We finished cleaning out the crew quarters which we have been using as a pantry

For those of you just joining us...here's the map of the great loop...we started from St Charles, north of St Louis in July of 2008 (summer of floods). We've gone over 3000 miles to Mobile, across the gulf, down to Ft Myers. Then we went across Florida at Lake Okeechobee (alligators, eeeeuuuuhhh!) and up to the Potomac River. We head north to play in Washington DC on May 1st. Then back here around the 8th to head north to New York, Canada and Great Lakes to Chicago. We're hoping to cross our wake in St Charles in September of 2010.

Thursday... we had planned a long day cruise with Bob and Hilary...we wanted to do a fuel flow analysis and, of course, play with that new auto pilot. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT! Seems as though the auto pilot was our only steering...no manual control at all. Frantic phone calls to the electrical man who installed and even Raymarine tech support offered no solution. Good for us that Captain Floyd is fearless and managed to get us back into the shallow channel and docked using auto pilot, gears and engines. But what we had planned as a 3 hour day in the Bay was merely a quick out and in...we think there is air in the hydraulic steering lines...plans call for bleeding the lines today and we hope to get in a long run yet this afternoon. Rain is headed this way for the weekend and we leave early Sunday for the Looper Rendezvous. Time is running out!!!!

Wednesday we played tourist by visiting Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson. Rained on us as we made the two and a half hour drive but by the time we arrived at the tourist center the sky cleared into another gorgeous day. The tulips were in full bloom so every thing looked just like the postcard. What an interesting trip! Monticello is first class and full of all sorts of points of interest...not to mention great views. He was tall in stature (6'3") and still stands tall in the eyes of the nation. We are even more intrigued with his contrasts...the man who coined and believed in "all men are created equal" was a major slave owner...and fathered several children with his house servant, Sally Hemings (DNA tests in 1998 added descendants to the Jefferson clan). While he freed several slaves in his will, Sally wasn't one of them. We spent a delightful afternoon exploring the plantation and all it had to offer. On the way back we managed a short visit with former Wichita police officer Harvey May and his family. A short stop at Walmart and we were back to the TUMBLEWEED by 9:30.

This trip is truly about the people you meet...and we've have made some new friends...who fish!!! cook!!! and share!!!! Meet Captain Jack (retired Navy sub capt...yes, nuclear) and his son-in-law, Peter. Great guys who are SERIOUS rockfisherman. Seems they spend the first nine days of the season catching Rockfish. The limit is one per person per day...but note the size. Must be some fierce battle. Their boat, REFLECTIONS, is docked across from us. Last Monday they came in with a 45 pounder (sorry, no photos of that one...I was still going eeeuuuhhh!!!) and shared their rockfish meal with us (lightly fried with panko and cheese)...we were hooked. Last night they shared another recipe (lightly sauteed in butter with garlic pepper seasoning)...yes, they cooked....delicious. Paula Deen eat your heart out!!! WHO KNEW???

Coast Guard inspection turned the spot light on a couple of issues that need resolving. Shouldn't be a problem...nothing a trip to Ace Hardware or Rick's Marine store won't be able to handle. We have a list of little projects to finish. Wednesday (rain predicted) we plan to get away and visit Monticello...eat out, look at something other than each other and water. Thursday weather is suppose to be great and we plan to be on the water for most of the day. We want to test the shaft locks to see what effect that has on fuel flow. Preliminary runs showed a savings of about a gallon an hour. At the price of gas, we think that will pay for our investment in about 40 days...course we haven't seen the installation bill yet. Plus we need to experiment with the auto pilot...especially where we know the channel. We've had friends who were suddenly headed to Texas when auto pilot malfunctioned...so we need to know what we are doing there. Before you know it we'll be packing to attend the Spring Great Loop Rendezvous in Myrtle Beach. We really enjoyed the Fall Rendezvous but all the topics were related to the parts of the Loop we had already traveled. This time we'll be taking notes and planning as they will be focused on the Northern parts where we are headed. Should be tons of fun...this fall there were 200 Loopers..so we'll be with a large group who has done, is planning to do, or is in process of Looping. We are looking forward to seeing Sandy and Charles Rishel, another Wichita couple who just bought a boat in Naples FL and started the Loop this month.

Saturday dawned bright but cool...and we worked all morning cleaning outside and inside...every cabinet and hidey hole had to be put to rights...seems that electrical lines run everywhere. Vacuuming and dusting, washing and polishing...Floyd worked outside and I was inside...but we had new stereo system so just cranked it up and went to work. Finished just in time to charcoal up some of Floyd's famous jerk chicken wings for Bob and Hilary. Then dash off to the car races at Virginia Race Track in Jamaica, VA. World of Outlaw full size classic cars...go fast...make lots of noise...stirred up gazillions of small dust particles...a few crack ups (the really good one happened right in front of us)...lots of flat tires and excitement. If it hadn't been so frickin' cold, we'd have had more beer!!! We just about froze our tails off!!! Even bought t-shits!!! What a blast!!! Stayed out way past our bed time!!! More fun than old people can handle. We took photos and video with Floyd's fancy phone...so once I figure out how to get them downloaded I'll post. Thanks again to Hilary Derby and Bob Jackson for creating fun distractions for folks from Kansas.

For every low there is a corresponding high...and FRIDAY was it!!! Marina folks focused and finished electrical work just in time for a sea trial of auto pilots and shaft locks. EVERYTHING worked!!! Happy Happy Happy....now we can get the boat clean and get organized for some travel. We plan to drive to Myrtle Beach on Sunday the 25th for the Loopers Spring Rendezvous. On our return to Lottsburg on the 29th, we'll swing by Richmond and pick up Becky and Larry Bauman (Fredonia friends). They will be with us as we cruise to Washington DC for some fun. Weather looks to be good this week as we plan to do a few more test runs to make sure we know what we are doing. Ha! Life is good.

Marina folks are such interesting characters...they seem to know what they are doing, promise that they will accomplish the task, even start it...yet here we are two weeks later...no tasks finished...I left early to spend a lovely day in Fredericksburg with my college friend Kathy Clark yesterday. When I returned to the TUMBLEWEED, it was in total disarray...tools, shavings, wires, outlets, shelves cleared...seems as though they were working on the electrical outlets. Around five, when we hadn't seen anyone for hours, Floyd went to see what was happening...yep, you guessed it. Another boat, another issue...we were left to deal with the mess. Not a real problem until we went to microwave our supper and there was no power!!! Cold nachos!!! and we were in a tissy...All those things Floyd requested in December, had asked to be done before we got here, and here we sit two weeks later. We had hoped to be enjoying Chesapeake Bay by now...we've not left the slip. FRUSTRATING. And it is not like you can pack up your stuff and go somewhere else. Over a barrel...but we do have the cash...and money talks...so there was a discussion at 8:15 am...promises made...again...we can only hope that this time things will be different. Isn't that the definition of insanity...doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results???? Okay...you knew we were crazy!!!!

Wonder of wonders...the electrical guy showed up...and accomplished a mammoth amount of work in an afternoon. He should return today to finish up. Then TUMBLEWEED will be equipped with auto pilot, new depth finders at both helm stations, and AIS. Tomorrow should bring a re-do of electrical outlets and new stereo system. We are still scoping out TVs and DVD players. No decisions yet. Hopeful for the shake-down cruise this afternoon. Cool and cloudy with possible rain...of course!!!

Another Kodak moment missed...though Floyd said it would have been better on video...We took a great dinghy ride around the cove, stopped to visit Bob and Hillary (they don't get many dock visitors), then zoomed up the Coan River a bit. Motoring went really well until it came time to dock and disembark. I did my best version of America's Funniest Videos...how to lose balance, do the splits and almost tumble into the very cold water. But I know better and the Captain scrambled to grab hold so no shoes were lost, no injuries occurred, and only the jean leg got very wet. Though Floyd did have to get out the oars to re-dock. We are still LAUGHING!!!

The list of chores seems unending...though the weather is finally cooperating so that Floyd can work on outside jobs. Dinghy has been inflated, cleaned and repositioned (yep, there was still mud in there from an incident at Bashie Creek, February, 2009). The pollen here is so thick you can see it ...everywhere. So lots of dusting and cleaning inside and out. We spent a lovely evening last night with Bob and Hillary and two other local couples at the Moorings Restaurant. They are all members of the local Tea Party movement...I tried to avoid political comment. Anyway, electronic folks are scheduled for tomorrow...installing new auto pilot, depth finder and AIS (some satellite gizmo that lets folks know who we are and, more importantly, will let us find out who they are). Local marina folks still have some outlets to replace and polishing to do....but we are nearly ready for a shake down cruise. I'm working to get a dinghy ride this afternoon.

This photo is Bob...supervising the splash...Extra special thank you goes out to Bob Jackson and his partner Hillary Derby...They agreed to help us get to the boat and put us up for a night...THAT TURNED INTO A WEEK!!! Hillary cooked wonderful healthly meals... breakfast was always a treat and then there were desserts (coconut cake, key lime pie, ice cream and homemade chocolate)...we never had the same meal twice...plus we spent hours solving the problems of the world and playing with the cat, Riley. Oh, yea, Rummicube and Catch Phrase...laughed and had a great time...while riding herd on the boat crew to get things done. Since we are miles and miles from motels and restaurants, their kindness saved us bunches of stress. We'll never be able to repay them. Wow, what a deal!!! When they say this adventure is about the people you meet...they are talking about this couple. A chance encounter last June...equals friends for life. THANKS BOB and HILLARY!!!! Don't know how we'd have managed without your help!!!!

Finally in the water...splashed the Tumbleweed on Wednesday morning and spent the rest of the day getting those systems to working again...still fighting the water holding tanks and the bilges for showers. Seems that the anti-freeze they used in the water has a rather unpleasant odor. We are on about the fourth run through and still the smell persists. I'm sure it will go away eventually. We spent Thursday shopping. Restocking the empty cabinets and refrigerator is really an all day event...not to mention the schlepping involved. Both Captain and First mate slept well last night in spite of the storm and wind. Temperature yesterday was in the 90s...today we'll be lucky to hit 60...bbbuuurrrr!!!!But we've certainly been colder. It is great day to clean and organize inside...electronic folks are coming on Monday to hook up auto-pilot...also on tap is new stereo and maybe even TV and Blu-ray DVD player. Soon we'll be testing those new shaft locks. That system hopefully will improve fuel consumption. Stay tuned to see if that works.

Train trip back to the boat was delightful. Things since then have not really gone according to the plan. Boat hull had not been painted, cables for shaft locks had not arrived, and transducer for new depth finder had not been been installed. We are far removed from things like motels and restaurants. THANK GOODNESS for Bob Jackson and his lovely partner Hillary Derby...a chance encounter at the marina in June that has become a delightful experience in April. They met us at the train station, toured us through the cherry blossoms in Washington DC, took us to the car rental...and have agreed to house and feed us until such time as the boat is in the water. They have a HUGE house with great views of the cove and live just across from the marina. Floyd has spent quality animal time playing with their cat, Riley. We can see the TUMBLEWEED from there. Hillary loves to cook. We are able to come and go, work on the boat yet have great meals, a hot shower and comfy bed. We have giggled a time or three about Bob being more careful about strange women he picks up at the marina. Things are progressing. Our six boxes arrived and are unpacked. Boat hull is painted, transducer is installed, and cables are supposed to come on Monday. With any luck, we could have the boat in the water and living aboard by Tuesday. Anyone wanna bet on that happening???