This is the last day of a deck installation in the Jarrett Bay complex. The shed is leased to a company called Lightning Yachts that builds boats and also do refits. All the employees have been easy to work with and that helps a lot when you have 6 or 8 people trying to work in the same areas. The aft deck gets done today and three of us can barely lift it. Maybe we will remember to take some pictures. It could be time to get the boat when this job ends.

Some friends had a big crayfish boil tonight with plenty of other food added.  Live music and a cool breeze made for a nice evening and we still had some light at 8:30.  I was back in the little camper by 9 and spent the last hour researching ways to get myself down to the boat.  Goodnight world!

I have a dilemma.  There is a good chance that I have some quality work here in Oriental starting in mid-May.  To live here and be able to cook I would need to bring the boat back up.  To bring the boat back I would need to get the truck to Pensacola and pick up the dinghy.  After delivering the dinghy to Palatka I would have to leave the truck there and make good time up the waterway and then train back down and retrieve the truck.  The job isn’t even a sure thing so it could be a lot of trouble and miles to hit a deadline that doesn’t exist.  If the boat wasn’t under an oak tree then I might leave her down there and just try to find an apartment here.  Maybe today will shed some new light.

My dinner at the Paling’s house last night has kick-started my appetite after a really fun bout with stomach flu.  On top of that  I have work to do tomorrow and possible the rest of the month.  The pine pollen has turned the whole town green but heavy wind followed by rain should improve  some local sinuses by the weekend.  Matt and Douglas returned from Charleston today so I moved from their place into the guest basement of the Stevens.

…that wasn’t too hard.  I pulled out of Lake Como at 3pm with the truck crammed to the brim and drove all night, arriving here at 4am.  The first thing I did was dump a load of laundry in Sailcraft’s coin machine.  It has been good to see some friends and I look forward to seeing some more.  It is hard to believe this truck has covered the miles that I have asked it to.  I better take the rear axle apart soon to find out what all the noises are about.  My netbook needs a little attention too because I am having to hammer the U key.

I made it to Palatka and spent the first day and a half working on Spark’s motor but I got her going and now will tackle the storage building.  I have very few opportunities to get online but may make a run to Oriental soon.

It took me 10-1/2 hours to do the 7 hour drive because I took the scenic route.  The part I wanted to photograph was fogged in but I will take some shots on the first return trip to check on the boat.  The southeastern panhandle is pretty but the locals don’t take very good care of it.  Middle to western looks great and Destin looks like a Palm Beach shopping mecca.  The channel, anchorage and dunes are beautiful.

The first sound I heard this morning was rain beating on the parking lot.  The weather station projected all day and got it right this time.  I wanted to stay on US17 but Savannah routes you to I95 and that is where the trouble began.  Going fast was going to destroy the tarp and the trucks hauling by did destroy the tarp.  I took the first exit when I saw the first flaps flying out next to me.  There was nothing but country at that exit and it was starting to lightning so I sat there and finished my coffee.  Finally I had to bite the bullet and go out to tidy up enough to drive.  My new maximum speed was 35mph with the flashers on even though traffic was low to none.  Finally I saw an abandoned country store building with a crumbling carport that looked better than nothing.  Before I could back under it I saw a light inside and thought maybe I should knock so as not to get my head blown off and sure enough there were two people inside.  This is where the humor was about to begin.  The woman was behind a counter with her husband sitting beside a wall heater but the noise of 20-30 roof leak collection pans caused me to yell my parking request.  He nodded yes and didn’t kill me one bit.  When I turned the truck off I realized there was no way to get out without walking in a shin deep puddle.  That nice morning shower had now expired but at least I had landed somewhere and I was so happy and yappy.  I talked to those people as if I worked there and even caught the man glance at his wife like maybe I was a little crazy.  He asked if I was from Alabama because that is what the truck tags say.  I gave him some options to pick from because my insurance is from North Carolina and my license shows Virginia.  When it was time to leave his wife offered up a roll of plastic and the man stepped in to the shin deep to offer a hand.  At first I couldn’t find my knife but he went after some scissors.  When I did dig up my knife it worked great and I wanted to show him the blade but one look at me approaching him maybe didn’t paint the best picture because he almost fell in the water while backpedaling.  I felt terrible but we laughed about it later.  Most people are so nice.  I wish I could have stayed longer and I probably should have because my approach to Palatka was floods and tornado touchdowns.  Too much to write here.

Today’s best signs:

• We sell dead people’s stuff
• Shakes wok and roll

Charleston has a great radio station.  I could only last until midnight so I am in a Days Inn somewhere north of Savannah.  The weather may be culling my stuff which could be a good thing.  All is well.

It looks like I need to re-purchase all my stuff in a freeze dried form because it is not going to fit on the truck.  Plus, I still have to empty the boat when I get back to Palatka and where is all that going to go I wonder.  Maybe I can drive to Pensacola first to off load or maybe I can close my eyes and give everything away.  My stuff is getting in the way of living a simple life.

I just arrived in Raleigh.  I couldn’t afford a sleeper car so I assumed I wasn’t allowed to sleep and that worked out well.  As soon as the clock struck 6 I was sucking down coffee.  Plenty of people were sick.  I can do the math.  Sleep deprived me surrounded by sick people them could be trouble.  I can’t imagine my immune system being familiar with the local germs.  I sat next to an interesting new friend (healthy) who self-taught his way far up the computer ranks so the conversation was good.  His brother used to work for Hinckley Yachts.

Today started out at Memaws Restaurant putting on an eating exhibition for the local folks.  Eggs,bacon,grits,toast and a couple of pancakes.  Lloyd bought me a couple of 10′ lengths of 1″ pvc pipe.  The gift that keeps on giving.  We tied one end of one section to the bow cleat and the other to the bulkhead and repeated that on the stern.  I hate that I didn’t take a picture.  Now the boat is out from under most of the tree limbs and looks good for my trip north.  I am going by train.  Palatka,FL-Smithfield,NC with a 2-1/2 hour layover in Raleigh.  It leaves tonight at 9:15 and the trip ends tomorrow at noon.  Marvin is going to pick me up if he remembers.  His Blackberry could run out of batteries and Smithfield would be my new home.  When I get back down here I would love some suggestions on how to keep this site interesting.  One of my tee shirts says “If Jimmy cracks corn and nobody cares, why is there a song about it?”.  Really makes you think.  Today on Towndock the quote was  “Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity.”  I like that too.

It turns out there is another boat like mine here in Palatka and the owner introduced me to a neighbor of his who can watch  Spark for a few months.  I may try to move there today and start stripping sails and canvas because she will be under the trees for a while.  Last night I moved to the city docks here in Palatka but every time I leave the birds move on board.

I will be headed to the boat for a couple of days and will be without a connection.  Stay tuned.