Thursday, 4 June 2015 - Today, I called my mail forwarding service and asked them to forward my mail that has been piling up to me here in Palmetto. That's only the second time since I left Utah, the last time I was in Kemah, Texas. I'm not really expecting much anyway. It will be interesting to see what shows up.
                  I also went to the VA Outpatient Clinic in Bradenton to sign up at the local facility, just in case I need medical care while I'm here. I don't anticipate anything, but you never know. After I went there, I went to another motorhome sales and repair facility to get what I would think would be something easy to get at such facility. Well, I'm wrong. Even though most motorhome have about a dozen or more, hub cap lug nuts seem to be extremely rare. I don't know how many places I've been to since I lost one on South Padre Island in south Texas in February. After the motorhome sales facility said they don't have them, they said that the trailer supply just up the highway would. Just up the highway at the second light, turn left and it's right there, he said. Well, turning left at the second light would have put me on the interstate highway, so I went to the third, and fourth, and fifth, and sixth. No trailer supply. I headed back and saw it on my right with in a block of the motorhome facility. I should have made a u-turn at the first light. They had a nut that was similar. Of course they're ALL similar. The guy said it would "Probably" be okay. I don't think so. My quest continues.
                  I had one more stop planned. That was to get some WD-40 Specialist - Long Term Corrosion Inhibitor. I suspect that few of you have heard of this stuff, but my brother, Mike, sent an internet link to me with a pretty well done comparison of over 40 different products for rust prevention and, although this is not the absolute best, you don't have to prepare the surface, and it is cheaper than the top two.

Here's that link: Rust Protection Test

It is also supposed to be available at Walmart, and local auto stores...but I haven't found any at six stores that I've been to, so I finally tracked some down at Fastenal via the phone. He said that they didn't have any on the shelf, but would move a can or two over from another of their outlets within a day or two. They called Wednesday and said it was in, so I thought today would be a great day to drop by and get it. I had thought that if I could find it at Walmart, it would be less expensive, and perhaps it would be. Fastenal wanted $17/can, but since that was the ONLY place I could find it, I thought I'd get one can. Thank God! When I went there, they said it would be $17 + $10 shipping. I said no it wouldn't. I was right, too. They dropped the "shipping" fee when I started out the door. This in the second time on this trip something like this has happened. The first was in Kemah when I ordered some business size cards to hand out saying that I was looking for a CSY to buy. They told me $18, but when I went in to get them, the price had been raised to $37 because of "design fees". I walked out. After about the third time they called to tell me the cards were ready, I told them I would NOT be in to get them...and I told them why. I wonder how many people fall for or accept that. How do companies that do that stay in business?
                  On the way "home", I saw a Wells Fargo bank, but couldn't find a parking spot in the vicinity that I could get the motorhome into, but it was just across the bridge from where I'm staying, so I'll ride my bike over.

Friday, 5 June - Today, I rode across the bridge across the Manatee River between Bradenton and Palmetto on my bicycle to get some cash from the bank at the other end of the bridge. I also wanted to check out the other marina that I've been seeing across the river. While I was there, I decided to ride the "river walk" that runs mostly east from there. It is a walkway along the river that encompasses a canoe/kayak launch, fishing piers, bike/skateboard park, historical displays about life along the river before the bridges were built, the manatees, birds and other wildlife along the river, water fountains, restaurants, and other attractions. Really nice and in a nice setting, too.

Saturday, 6 June - I spent the morning reading insurance policies and trying to figure out what they were saying, and I finally figured them out. They were saying things that will keep the insurance agencies from having to pay anyone if I have a problem. The afternoon, I spent at the laundromat. Such a fun day! ;-)

Sunday, 7 June - Another morning spent on insurance policy deciphering. At 12:15, I decided to see what the operating hours for the South Florida Museum (Not sure why it's called that. We're only about half-way down the west coast of Florida.) were to be. Googled it and determined that an interesting show at the planetarium was to start at 12:30. That gave me 15 minutes to close up and lock up the motorhome, get the bike out of the trailer, ride across the bridge to Bradenton, pay for a ticket and get seated. I got all but the last item accomplished. Of course, since I had just been out in the sunlight, and entered the planetarium in total darkness, I had to stand just inside the door for about 10 minutes before my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Man! I couldn't see a thing! It was a good show, so I returned for two more shows at 1:30 and 4:15. The facility also includes an aquarium with manatees, a natural history museum featuring Florida, and historical museum of the Manatee River area. Did you know that there have never been any dinosaur fossils found in Florida? What is now Florida, at the time of dinosaurs, would have been about twice the size it is now, but, as the waters rose, they totally covered the area before receding, and everything dinosaur would now be buried by 200 or 300 feet of sand and silt. Later, however, there were the usual mastodons, giant armadillos, sabertooth tigers, horses, camels, dire wolves, giant sloths, etc. A nice little museum. If they'd been open longer, I could have spent and enjoyed more time there.

Monday, 7 June - Rick and Gay George, the current owners of Island Time, are due back in town today, so I went to the grocery store to stock up. I don't want to waste time on groceries while they are here to help me. I also went to the post office to get my mail from general delivery. This as the second time since I left Salt Lake City that I've received mail. I had one letter from the VA saying that I need to contact them before 1 April. There was another from Verizon saying that I owe them $207 and yet another from Verizon that included a refund check for $20. We settled that months ago...I think. I never owed them the $207 anyway. I took pictures of the check with my phone and deposited it in my savings account via the internet. Some other things that I found out today via email are that someone has donated $500,000 to me, that I have won the Liverpool lottery without even buying a ticket, that someone with my last name has died without any heirs and that if I'll give someone $5000, they'll see that I get this other McClain's inheritance. Im I rich or what? ;-)
                  At noon, I went over to the boat and Rick George and I reinstalled the sails. A local lady also came by and was all excited about how beautiful the boat is. We invited her aboard to see below decks and, low and behold, I got my first offer to sell the boat. She was just in love with it and offered to buy it. The more she saw, the more she offered, and before she left, she was all the way up to $100...ten times the amount she started at. She's also offered to help me sail it anywhere I take it in the world.
                  When I returned to the motorhome, I had an eviction notice on it, saying that I can no longer park overnight in the park. I've been given 5 days to resolve the situation. I walked over to a police car here in the park to ask the policeman why there would be a problem with me staying here and he said as far as he's concerned, there wouldn't be, but that the citation wasn't written by a policeman; it was written by a code enforcement officer. I didn't know there was a difference. I guess I have to find a new parking spot soon.

Tuesday, 8 June - I met Rick and Gay George, current owners of Island Time, at the boat at 9:00am and we installed the mainsail, staysail and jib, then attempted to charge one of the refrigeration units with a little coolant and went over some of the controls and systems onboard. It's very hot and humid here and the boat is in a slip right next to the marina office, which blocks what little breeze there is, making it even worse. In spite of drinking significant amounts of GatorAid, Rick George started feeling a little light-headed around 3:30pm, so we called it a day, with an option of returning a little later, after it cooled down a bit. These are really nice people and he's still spending money on the boat getting it ready for me to own it. He paid a rigger to come and be raised to the top of the mast in a boatswain's chair, then to ride down along the forestay to tighten/replace some locking screws on the staysail furler. Tomorrow, the marine survey.

Wednesday, 9 June - Sorry, don't have time to elaborate now, but I was out on Island Time today getting the marine survey done. I think there were more things wrong with her than either the owner or I suspected. Details later. Is this Really THE BOAT? I'll have to wait for the report from the surveyor.

            Until next time,
                        Dream BIG, or Live Bored.

                                          Rick