Case in point, a Super Walmart in Ft. Myers, Fl. These guys check your id going in the store. You have to have special permission to get in if you are under 75, and only then can you stay for a short time. The seniors get to stay as long as they want, and believe me they own this store. I have never seen anything like this. These folks are worse than Mopac at 5:00 pm. If you are in the way of one of those little powered scooters for the "disabled", you're fair game.
Seriously, Walmart at 10:30 am is a madhouse. Add some east coast US attitude, and I am just trying to stay out of there way. Naturally, Shelley is trying to speed walk through this store, and I am fighting little old ladies for my passageway through the bread aisle.
I am going to have to get in shape to survive in this world.
It was a beautiful day in South Florida, with light winds from the south. But tomorrow we are supposed to get that front that you all got today. Rainy and windy. We may stay another day here, before we head up the Caloosahatchie to Moore Haven. That is the small town on the west side of the Okeechobee, about 50 miles from here. I do not want to cross this shallow lake in high winds on the nose in relatively shallow water ie 5 ft. Remember Lake Cheney on 35 mile windy days. Not fun.
Have I told you that everything on a boat is broken, you just haven't found out yet. Well today we found another problem just when we thought everything was perfect with Rock Chalk. We had a mechanic work on the drain line from the black water holding tank. It has to be disabled for us to get into Canada or Lake Champlain. They are very particular up there that you cannot dump shit into their lake. OK, I get that.
But after removing my hoses so nothing can be discharged direct overboard, I cannot seem to do a "pumpout:. For those nautical novices of you, a pumpout is when you attach a really strong hose which has a huge pump to it, to your holding tank opening. Turn on that pump and you get to watch your black water pump out through this hose. Part of the hose is a glass section so you really get a good look at what you are pumping out. Very fun. Naturally Shelley has nothing to do with this operation. This is strickly Captain work. I am armed with surgical gloves and a face mask that would work in Japan today. Unfortuantely we could not get the real suction we needed today, so I am trying to figure out what is wrong. I think it has something to do with the mechanic working on the lines to drain the tank. Ummmmm. You think financial planning is difficult.
But after a hard day of fighting little old ladies, and my non- sucking holding tank, I showered, just in time for a beautiful sunset and a glass of wine as we look out the back of the boat over the Caloosahatchie river. Ahhh boat life. Ahh Retirement.
Hopefully I can figure out how to post a photo of Rock Chalk. We'll see. Marc
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