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???

Eight days to departure...so much to do...so many people to see...so little time...

Count down is on...lists are being made...things are being prepared to ship...soon we'll be packing our bags and boarding the train headed east...just wish the sun would shine and the temperature would increase a little. Picky, aren't I???

Train tickets are in hand. We leave Kansas at 3 AM on March 31st. With short stops in Chicago and Washington DC, we should arrive in Richmond on April 1st. Then off to Lottsburg. We plan to have the boat back in the water on April 2nd, and start the re-grouping process. WOO HOO...life is good.

Train tickets are in hand. We leave Kansas at 3 AM on March 31st. With short stops in Chicago and Washington DC, we should arrive in Richmond on April