Here We Go Again . . .

Moving Down the ICW

   So, we've moved!  Don't get too excited though. We didn't move under our own power . . . yep, the engine is still not working.  "Why?", you might ask . . . We have no idea . . . That's part of why we moved.  You see, no matter what the cause of our engine issues, it has come down to either pulling the head (top) or the entire engine (this, frankly, is something I am dreading like the plague).  Neither of these things could be done at the marina that we were in.  So, Tow Boat U.S. again played a part in our travels.

This Was Taken Right After We Got Moving Again

De Ja Vu?

   Two days ago, a Tow Boat U.S employee arrived at our slip in his boat.  We got his lines all hooked up to our bow and, with some help from friends in the marina, threw off our lines.  Now, before we did all of this, we talked with the tow boat guy to make sure he knew about one important thing: the shallow area.  We told him EXPLICITLY that he needed to bring us as close to the piers as possible on the way out.  Otherwise, we would seriously run the risk of grounding.  The marina is dredged but, it can go from comfortable depths to extreme shallows way too quickly. . . this is what we TOLD him.  What he DID was tow us moderately close to the piers.  As soon as we started to pull out, I pointed this out to Bill and he thought that the guy was just giving us a wider turning radius.  However, he didn't move over.  "You need to move over!", I yelled to him.  Just as I did, . . . bump, bump, bump . . . "MOOOOVE OVER!", I yelled, again.  Then, boom.  Stuck. Run aground.  Uhhhg!

 

    The guy turned to look at what was going on and actually seemed surprised that we were stuck . . . great . . . Our past towing experiences were pretty flawless and we were very pleased with the service . . . This guy hadn't listened and had quickly made it to my "Are You Kidding Me?" List.   To make matters worse, the incident had obviously jarred the guy enough that he started to try to tow us off the shallow spot in the wrong direction.  Bill had to give him instructions for pulling us into deeper water.  Luckily, we weren't moving very fast when we hit.  So, no damage was done and we were moving again in relatively little time.

   After having two bridges opened for us and getting pushed and pulled into our new slip (an act that reminded me of bumper boats), we were able to adjust our lines, plug in the power, and get ourselves settled.  Whew!

   Speaking of power, we are SOOO glad that we didn't get rid of our air conditioner back in Texas.  We had considered removing it before because it is installed in one of our wet lockers (in other words, it takes up valuable storage space).  However, the temperatures have been soaring here and, in tandem with the humidity,  the weather would be down right unbearable without the modern convenience of constant cool air.

    On the job front, I have been working at West Marine and, in fact, just got my first paycheck in the bank.  I'm not making much since the pay isn't great and I am part time for the off-season but, it's money coming in.  Bill is still doing some odd jobs for some friends of ours and bringing in some money that way.

   This engine problem has not only been costing us an enormous amount of money on its own but, the marina fees, transportation fees, and mechanics necessitated by the issue have definitely compounded the money problems. We have GOT to get this thing fixed!  Bill has made some calls.  We have a guy coming Monday to assess the problem and the shop here at the marina is supposed to get with us (also on Monday) about the possibility of rebuilding the engine.

Lots of Foodies

   We have been trying to enjoy our time off here.  We haven't made it to the beach yet (surprising, I know) because it has either been too hot or too crowded.  We have been able to get out with a few new friends and checkout some interesting places and events around town.

Just a Few of The Options

   A few days ago, we took the bus to downtown Hollywood for a gathering of food trucks.  On the first Monday of every month, many of the local food trucks get together at Young Circle to offer up a unique night out for local foodies.  The trucks begin lining the sidewalks in the circle (a sort of local park) during the day and, by dinner time, they are offering up their fares to throngs of people.  Everything from Chinese to taco bars, burgers to gelato, is served up to eager eaters.  Bill and I found a taco truck that offered a sort of mix-and-match menu.  We each ordered two different small tacos and sampled each others.  For dessert, Bill found fried Oreos with a side of ice cream and I tried a hand-dipped gelato bar with white chocolate and pistachios.  Yum!  

Me Enjoying My Dessert

  We are going to head to one of the farmers' markets in the area early tomorrow morning before I head off to work.  We love finding and cooking with fresh ingredients!  Hopefully, we will get this engine mystery solved soon . . . and in the meantime we'll keep doing our best to keep our heads above the water and enjoy our surroundings.  

   

   By the way, in case you were interested, I finally got a picture of the crabs that I mentioned in my previous post.  Does anyone know what kind of crab this is?  Please let me know if you do . . .  






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