Thursday, 23 February 2017 - I recently went to a dental office to get my teeth cleaned. A hundred bucks to clean my teeth for about an hour. Today, I went for a follow-up appointment because the hygienist found a small cavity and saw that a small wire that is attached to the back of my four front, lower teeth had come loose. It took about 45 minutes and they charged me $429. I think that is robbery. I think I should have confronted the doctor and billed them for the hour that I sat in their waiting room. I was right on time, but they so overbook their schedule that they were behind, running two or three dental rooms at one time for the one doctor. A different kind of pirate, but a pirate nonetheless!

Friday, 24 February - I spent about an hour and a half this evening trying to figure out how to ride the bus here for tomorrow. Their website is about the worst I've ever experienced. Whoever put it together assumed that you know a lot about the area, which, of course, I and many other visitors do not. One thing one must know is that there are several transit systems that overlap, but will not all get you where you are going. That, and the fact that once you figure out which one you need to use, you have to go to many different pages to get all the information you need.

Saturday, 25 February - There was a large marine flea market at Islamorada, just east of here by 37 miles, so decided to get there fairly early and post some flyers about a sail I need to sell. I arrived early, at 7:30am, at the spot shown on one of their maps to be the bus stop and waited, and waited. I re-checked the map on the web site and, yes, I was right where it showed it to be at the Publix grocery store. Right before the next bus was to arrive, I finally went into a store and asked if they knew where the bus stop was. No, but they thought it was somewhere in the next block. I went over to the next block and, luckily for me, the bus was sitting there empty while the driver took a break at K-Mart. I found out that they changed the location about two years ago, but still haven't changed the maps on the web site! Seniors are supposed to get a discount, too, but I found out that the bus driver can't, or won't give it to you. You have to go to some office somewhere to get it, even though the bus I got on had no payment machine. The bus driver merely takes your money and adds a mark on a piece of paper to show how many riders he's had.
                  I arrived at the flea market about an hour later than I had hoped, but posted my signs. I only got one call, and that was from a friend, Robert Dahmer, saying he might know someone interested in it. I also suspect that most of my flyers will be removed by the cleanup crew overnight. Oh well, I tried.
                  I left the flea market at 1:15 to go to the bus stop to catch the 1:40 bus west. There was no bus stop, you are supposed to wave them down. At 2:00 I started sticking my thumb out trying to, perhaps, beat the bus. At 3:30 a police lady came over to tell me to quit hitch hiking; not legal. At 3:45, the 1:40 bus showed up. With the huge response to my ad that I got, I don't think I'll try again tomorrow.

Sunday, 26 February - A trip to the dive shop today was not all I'd hoped. As it turns out, the super deal that I got on the scuba equipment a few weeks ago wasn't as super as I'd hoped. The aluminum tank that I acquired with the other items flunked the tests that were run because three of the threads in the neck of the tank had tiny cracks in them, so it is worth only its weight in aluminum. Everybody seems so enamored with the new aluminum tanks because they won't rust, but they will still corrode, and in actuality, the steel tanks far outlast them. My other tank is steel and it is much older than the newer aluminum tank; late '60s vs.'84. It was fine. Other than that, they rebuilt all the regulators, cleaned everything up, replaced o-rings and seals, and everything is good. I won't need two tanks until I have a guest, but it would have been nice, and more convenient, to be able to get two refilled at a time. Oh well, live and learn. I still think I got a pretty good deal because I got the worthless tank, a good J-valve, a good stage one regulator, two stage regulators, a pressure gauge, a depth gauge, a much newer buoyancy compensator than I had had, a very nice weight belt, a dive knife, snorkel, face mask, and all the necessary hoses in good shape; all for $100. I won't complain about that deal.

Monday, 27 February - I made arrangements for a credit to my account for a twisted shackle that I ordered recently that they shipped the wrong size to me. It's a $34 shackle. The card that in is on says 7/16ths, but the shackle is only 3/8". Too small. I got another, larger one at the flea market last weekend for half the price. This afternoon I started work on replacing the rubber grommet that protects the dinghy's security cable going through the deck. The rubber grommet has deteriorated and without it, the plastic coating on the cable will be shaved off by the aluminum deck as I pull the cable in and push it back in. Of course, the cable was fed through the hole in the grommet before the thimbles to create loops at the ends of the cable were installed, so I had to figure a way to put protection back on without having to cut the cable, so I improvised and am using two layers of UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight) polyethelene with slots in opposite sides that I can capture the cable in and screw to the deck. McGuiver would be proud, I'm sure. It will be a looooooong time before this wears out.
                  There's supposed to be a good duo called Fiddle Rock playing at one of the local pubs along with a special of $15 for a large pizza and a pitcher of beer. I think I'll go check it out. Maybe I can find someone to share it with.

Tuesday, 28 February - Well, last night was interesting. They talked me into the supreme pizza for just $4 more than the cheese, and I'm glad. It was very good, although I like a thicker crust. Fiddle Rock was pretty good, too. Then there was the dancing. Two different ladies drug me out to dance after I finished eating and I've never been dragged around the dance floor in all my life as much as I was last night. It would be easy to convince me that neither one of them could have ever danced with a partner before. When I finally told the second one, "How about letting me lead," things went a little better, but not much. Then she said, "Where have you been hiding, you know all the moves." I'd been sitting at the edge of the dance floor, but when that dance was over, I went and hid.
                  This morning I finished installing the cable protection on the dinghy, then called my brother, Mike, to wish him happy birthday. At three o'clock, I went over to the marina to partake in the Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras celebration and stuff myself with filè gumbo, jambalaya, roasted chicken, potato salad, beans, etc. A good time was had by all, and too good a time was had by some. I called it "enough" at sunset.

Wednesday, 1 March - I heard on the Cruiser's net this morning that there would be a meeting at one of the local seaside restaurants of people wanting to know more about their radios and their usage. That would be me, so I got in the dinghy about noon and headed over there. Unfortunately, it's been so long since I tried to figure out how to use the single sideband radio that I didn't know what questions to ask, but I listened and the conch chowder was pretty good. Next time, I do my homework first.
                  After the luncheon, I headed over to the marina to get a package from Defender.com that had arrived and contained a handheld electronic depth finder. With it you can simply stick it in the water over the side of the dinghy and get constant depth readings to the bottom. Prior to this, I've stood in the dinghy and repeatedly cast a lead line with knots and marks on the line marking the depth. Obviously, this will be much quicker and easier. Little did I know how soon I would have to put it to use. As I returned to Island Time, I notice that the bow was low in the water and the stern was so high out of the water that the top of the rudder was dry. Low tide and ground again! I had to step way up to get onto the swim platform. I was aground about a week and a half ago and moved once the tide came back in, but apparently, I still didn't get far enough away from a sand bar that runs diagonally through this anchorage. With the depth sounder I can see right where it is and my keel was apparently sitting right on the high spot. Last time the boat was heeling significantly when I awoke, today it was merely sitting straight up, and balanced well aground. I think I need to rename "Island Time" "Bottom Magnet" or "Bottom Finder".

            Until next time.
                        "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" - Hunter S. Thompson

                                          Rick