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Nov. 22nd.
Frozen Sea cocks.
No, they are not a new kind of sea food. Neither are they some funny looking ocean bird. They have become the bane of my existence. A seacock is a valve. It is a valve that, in theory, either allows or does not allow various fluids to enter or .jpg) leave a boat. For example, in our boat is a marine toilet. (Not that we have a thing for the Marines although sometimes it smells like an invasions of some kind has taken place in there.) There is a hole in the hull for the “flush water” to come in and there is a bigger hole in the hull for the “flush water” and the “flushable materials” to exit the boat. Both of these holes have on them a seacock, a valve that can be opened or closed should work need to be done on the toilet or hoses. If there was a leak or if the toilet needed to be rebuilt you would close the sea cocks so water would not enter the boat (water in the boat is a bad thing), then you would do whatever work needed to be done. .jpg) Well, we have 9 sea cocks on the boat. Two for toilet intakes, two for toilet out-takes, one for raw water engine cooling, one for the deck wash-down pump, one for the holding take, two for grey-water out-take. Only two of the nine were working. The rest were frozen, seized, they would not move. That means that if a hose would have broken or began leaking we could not have closed the valve to stop the leak. Reference an earlier statement: water in the boat is a bad thing.
I was able to “free” them all. That sounds nice, doesn’t it? I only broke two in the process (I think I can fix the broken ones, some drilling and re-tapping should be all that is needed.) But you can tell that whoever decides where these sea cocks go never has to work on them. .jpg) No one short of a circus contortionist can reach them without dislocating vital parts of the human anatomy. Parts like ribs, shoulders, elbows, necks, knees and, oh yeah, backs. I hate them. I hate sea cocks. I hate them with that white hot passionate hatred one has for those who take advantage of the weak and for those who talk in the theater. But I have even more hatred for the thought of not having them work properly. At least now this vessel will be safer to operate in open water.
Never did I imagine that  getting ready to preach the gospel to the lost off the beaten path would be either so complicated or so painful in so many places. One project down, just a few more to go.
We pulled the boat out of the water so as to check some things like the sea cocks, bottom paint and zincs. Here are a few pictures of the haul-out and wash-down. More to come later.
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Well, I didn't make it up the river to moose hunt. The morning I was to leave I bent over to pick up my belt up off the floor and my back went out...way out. I was down for this past week. Can't climb a tree to look for moose if you can't walk to the tree in the first place. Yea, I was bumbed. Although I was planning to be gone most of the week it was still quite frustrating just to have to sit (or lay) around when so much needs to be done. I know, I would have been gone anyways. But since I wasn't "up the river" all the stuff that needs doing just laughed at me while I stared at it meanly. Okay, a little to dramatic. I'm feeling much better now.
This past Sunday we were invited to take a jet boat tour up to LaConte Glacier, at no charge to us. The pictures below are some of the better ones. Hope you enjoy them.
Don't forget to continue to pray for us and the Warricks. We are holding down the fort while the Shoultz' are getting there daughter married off. She, her name is Mindy, has a severe case of kidney stones. The wedding is this Saturday and the dr's think she will be fine. She has had one surgery (yesterday) and will need another very shortly after the honeymoon. Nathan Gall, her fiance' could also stand being lifted up to the Lord. His nerves are a little fried too. Pray for Doug and Nedra.
Pray for John and Jody (and Christy and Jonathan) while they travel, while Jody takes care of her mom. You can visit their website at www.warrickstoalaska.com.
Okay, here are the pics:
The grooves were formed by water flowing over the surface of the ice.
LaConte Glacier from a mile or so out.
These are harbor seals. Just too cute or what?!
Ah, the cute couple!
This is an upclose of some glacier ice. It is translucient and jewel-like. Just awesome.
If these guys were from New York they would be asking, "You lookin' at me?"
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Time does get away from a guy. It’s September already. The days are shorter and a little cooler. Deer season opened several weeks ago and Moose season opens tomorrow. I’ll be heading up the river to moose hunt with some guys from the church here. Moose hunting is done a little differently up the river. Since the undergrowth is actually overgrowth (as in so think you can’t walk through it and it’s tall enough to be over your head) hunters do their hunting from trees. Now this isn’t your lower 48 deer stand in the oak tree kind of tree. You have to climb 50 to 70 feet up in the tree in order to reach a good vantage spot to see down into the overgrowth. Did I mention my primal fear of anything higher than a step stool? To make things more interesting, the wind usually kicks up this time of year. So I’ll be 50 or so feet up a tree in a stiff breeze that will make the tree sway. Did I mention my primal fear of anything higher that a step stool? Oh yeah, this will be fun!
Well, we have a boat now. It’s a tri-cabin trawler that is 41 or so feet long with a 14 foot beam. She needs some TLC but she’s a fine vessel that will sleep 6 right now. With a little remodeling she will bunk 8 or 9. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what she looks like. We need a name for her. If you have any ideas us the contact page and send them to me. I’ll look forward to reading them.
 Aft port bunk.
Aft starboard bunk. 
 Forward bunks in the “V” berth.
Looking at the port quarter.
 Looking at the starboard quarter.
Port side view. 
Looking out of the aft cabin into the salon.
Our oil stove and oven.
 The kitchen sink.
Looking at the captain’s chair (that would be me!).
View of the stern. 
 Looking up at the fly bridge.
Well, you know. We have two of them, one forward and one aft. There is a sink in each one and a shower in the aft “compartment”. |
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I’m standing in a grey morning mist. The time is a chilly 6:23 a.m. Camp is broke. I’m loading my tent and bag into the back seat of the rental car from the driver’s side. As I fight a losing battle with a suitcase zipper some movement is caught in my peripheral vision. The camp visitor, the “standing 3 ½ to 4 ft. at the shoulder” black bear that has been making a regular appearance at this quaint little campground, walked (no, sauntered) from the woods not 20 feet ( I paced it off…after it left) from me on the other side of the car. It was apparently completely unthreatened by me. It that a good thing? Maybe it’s good that I’m getting back on the ferry this morning. It’ll take almost two days to get home…but I won’t have to worry about waking up with a bear staring me in the face…unless I sleep with a mirror next to me.
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Yesterday I walked every dock in the capital city of Juneau, Alaska. My feet hurt, my knees are swollen, my legs ache. I think they call it “old age”, but I’m floating down that river in Egypt. You know the one, Denial. I found and called on 9 boats yesterday. Today I have looked at 2 of the 9 that sounded promising. I have one more to see today at 4:30 this afternoon. Maybe this will be the one.
I’m staying at a campground because during the tourist season hotel rooms are either impossible to come by or they are just too expensive. So I’m sleeping in a tent I haven’t used since the girls were little. It’s suppose to be a 2 person tent but I don’t know how two would ever fit. I’m trying to understand people who think sleeping on the ground is fun…but I got nothin’. I don’t understand it. It is a nice campground with clean showers and nice older folks in campers. It even has a “resident” black bear that just a day ago was spotted in camp. I sure hope the nylon on my little tent is tuff.
Despite the ground and the prospect of a bear sticking it’s nose in my tent, I slept okay. Oh, except for the three claustrophobic panic attacks I had when I woke up to roll over only to see the tent top inches from my nose. Why am I doing this again? Oh yeah, a boat. |
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