Friday, 1 November - After spending the night at NYAH celebrating my October 30th birthday, Susie and I went out to breakfast at Blue Heaven, another outdoor restaurant with chickens wandering around the tables. I think I actually liked this venue better than Ram's Head, where we had breakfast yesterday, although Ram's Head had an unusual feature that Blue Heaven didn't. There was a ketchup type bottle on each table marked "Chicken Repellant". It was simply water to squirt the chickens with if they got on the table or otherwise bothered you. After breakfast we toured the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Ingham, a retired ship used as a maritime museum now. It is the only Coast Guard cutter afloat today to have received two Presidential Unit Citations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy. It served from 1936 to 1988, is 327 feet long, displaces 2,656 tons, could travel over 8,200 miles without refueling, and had a top speed of 21 knots. She served in the North Atlantic during WWII fighting German submarines, Korea, Vietnam, and at times, even had a small plane onboard to scout for drug smugglers. At another dock, but visible from the Coast Guard cutter, Virgin Cruise Lines, Valiant Lady was in port, too. I am amazed at how big these cruise ships are.

Saturday, 2 November - The harbor and marina had its first nautical flea market in several months today. Unfortunately, not many sellers or buyers showed up but I did sell a battery bank switch that I no longer need. This afternoon I defrosted the freezer, replaced the primary air filter in the Honda generator, and moved the generator forward to its proper storage space on the bow of the boat. I had been waiting to get that filter replaced before putting it back on the bow.

Sunday, 3 November - The freezer had 3/4" of frost on the evaporator before I was able to get the groceries that I bought today into it...and I still can't figure out where the moist air is getting in. This evening I met Susie at Dockside for the evening's entertainment.

Monday, 4 November - I met Susie at the fitness court and exercised for an hour with six others, then moved to the pickleball court. There was one player waiting for the four of us that had been working out, Mike Camarata of the sailing vessel Infinite Improbability. We played for a couple of hours then I returned to Island Time. This afternoon I found some items onboard that I don't remember ever seeing before. They appear to be sun or wind screens made of Phifertex material that must somehow mount on the safety lines and stanchions. I entered them into my database and may try to figure out how they mount after this next tropical storm that is threatening us passes.

Tuesday, 5 November - Election day. Rains predicted but we barely got any. I removed mildew from part of the ceilings and walls with a pad sprayed with some concoction guaranteed to kill 99% of all bacteria and mold. After that I hand washed a few clothes since it is supposed to rain enough tomorrow to refill my water tank via the catchment system. I stayed on the boat until evening, then I met Susie at Dockside but she wasn't feeling well so she left early.

Wednesday, 6 November - Pickleball and the fitness class were both called off because of wind and possible rain associated with Hurricane Rafael. Again, I looked at the radar app on my phone and tried to convince people that the rain was going to miss us but no one listened. I cleaned and treated more of the ceiling in the saloon for mildew again today but still have a long way to go before it's all gone. We are being barely missed by hurricane Rafael. As I type this Rafael is just coming off the northwest coast of Cuba. This storm is pretty small in diameter, about 200 miles away and has 105 mph winds, but we are only getting winds in the 30 mph range and very little rain, at least so far.
                    Roland and Leta Kok are back in town, as is Donnie McDaniel, so Susie and I met them at the Key Colony Inn for happy hour, then Roland, Leta and I went to Dockside to listen to John Bartus, but they and Havana Jacks were both closed because of the weather.

Thursday, 7 November - It had rained early this morning but looked as if the rain was over. I headed to the Pickleball court at 9 AM and was joined by Mike Camarata about 9:40. We had played about 30 minutes before it started to rain again. We took shelter briefly, but it stopped raining again. We headed back to the park shelter and waited about 25 minutes, then, during a slackening of the rain, we took the net down and gave up and headed back to the marina. It never rained again for the rest of the day.

Friday, 8 November - Fitness class started at 9 AM and when it was over I moved to the Pickleball court and played with Yoli, Sam Iverstein, and Mike Camarata for about an hour and a half. When that was over I went to the Tax Collector's office and paid the property tax on the dinghy and Island Time. About 4:30 I walked over to Race Track gas station/food mart and bought a 16 inch pizza to take to the Friday evening happy hour. I BSd with friends until about 7:30, then returned to the boat.

Saturday, 9 November - I got up early so that I could get a lot done today. I planned to put the new registration numbers on the dinghy and boat, then repair the galley light over the sink. I finished the repair/replacement of the light at about 6:30 PM after having tried to get two different fluorescent lights to work by resoldering broken wires on each one and testing several 12" and 24" fluorescent tubes, trying to find a suitable replacement online for it, and finally getting another spare to work. They use such tiny wires on these units it is easy for them to break, usually right at a soldered joint. It will be temporary until I can replace it with an LED light because it is actually too wide to fit hidden under the spice racks above the countertop. As soon as I finished I needed to go to Dockside to meet Susie, Leta, and Roland and listen and dance to the Lady A band even though I had been on my feet all day.

Sunday, 10 November - I defrosted the 4" of frost in the freezer today then applied the stickers for the vessel registration for the coming year on the boat and dinghy. Since I had recently bought groceries everything I had in the fridge wouldn't fit into the big cooler that I move the food into while defrosting. I had to move some of it into another compartment. Later I met Susie, Leta and Rowland for the evening's entertainment at Dockside. The snowbirds from up north are starting to arrive so we are being entertained by more musicians than what is the norm for the summers on their Sunday open mic night. Unfortunately, that meant that our favorite performer, Popeye, only got to do two songs this evening.

Monday, 11 November - Veteran's Day - The park employees had the day off for the holiday so there was no fitness class this morning. That let me start pickleball at 9 AM, and 4 others showed up, too. Since the wind finally backed off from the 15-25 mph that we have been getting lately, That decreased the output of the wind generator so the house batteries had drained to 11.94V overnight. I don't like them to get below 12V.

Tuesday, 12 November - Only two others showed up for pickleball this morning. We played two against one for about an hour and a half. My family's very good and long-time friend, Mark Stephens, had sent me 24 pickleball paddles and lots of pickle balls to go with them awhile back. I've already given several away to interested new players and kept several more to do the same with. I've decided to give one to new players that show enough interest to show up three times to play with us. I just took several of the less expensive, wooden paddles to the park today and donated them so that older, damaged paddles that they have can be replaced as needed. This evening I met Susie at Dockside and we walked down the docks to Skipjack Resort to listen to Donnie McDaniel and Four Sheets To The Wind along with Leta, Roland, Kim, and others for awhile, then Susie and I returned to Dockside to finish the evening.

Wednesday, 13 November - Last night my house batteries drained down to 11.95V again because the wind had let off. That should not happen again tonight, the wind is back up to 15 to 20 mph. Susie, I, and six others attended the fitness class this morning and when it was over I moved to the pickleball court where there were already 9 other players. Obviously, the snowbirds are starting to return. After pickleball I joined Fred and Ruth Ann for a Build-a-Burger over at the American Legion which is only about a block away, then back to the boat.

Thursday, 14 November - Now that hurricane season is winding down and Helene, Milton, and Rafael slid past us without causing problems here, we thought it was over...but no. Now Sara has formed down in the same area of the Caribbean and may possibly come this way. Surely this will be the last for the season. Fourteen players showed up for pickleball today. This afternoon I finally got out last month's episode of this blog. Susie picked me up at 7pm and we went to the Marathon Community Theater and saw a very funny play, "Beer For Breakfast". It was opening night so they had a buffet afterwards which was good, too.

Friday, 15 November - Several players that I'm not familiar with showed up at pickleball again today and this time I found out why. Most of them are from Key Colony Beach near Susie's house. That is a separate, very rich town and apparently their very nice courts are being worked on. We have to pay to play up there. They want to keep out the rif-raf. As far as I'm concerned, they ought to have to pay here in Marathon if they want to slum with us. Upon return to the boat I spent some time trying to figure out why the Wind Speed indicator won't register. I removed the back of the control panel but could find nothing wrong. Tomorrow I'll open up the mast base where the cable comes down from the masthead.

Saturday, 16 November - For the first time in a very long time, we played pickleball on a weekend. I had thought the Key Colony Beach players were going to show up, but they didn't. However, two tourists from San Diego, Phil Vachon, and two recently returned cruisers, Fred and Ruthann showed up, so we had some good games. After pickleball I took five books that I've recently read and added them to the Cruiser's Library. Again this afternoon, I fooled with the wind speed indicator but still could find nothing wrong.

Sunday, 17 November - I didn't realize that the Sunday Brunch had been moved to today so I ate breakfast as soon as I got up. It wasn't until the Cruiser's Net came on that I heard them announce it and I certainly wasn't hungry. I had fun washing clothes and defrosting the freezer instead. At six in the evening I went to Dockside and met Susie for an evening of entertainment and dancing.

Monday, 18 November - Susie and I participated in the fitness class this morning along with Sam Iverstine, Mary Ackroyd, Russel and Lynn Frazer, and others. Russel and Lynn had come to learn to play pickleball but when I said I was going to exercise first, they decided to do so, too. Unfortunately, when the fitness class was over, they were too worn out to play pickleball with us. Maybe another time.

Tuesday, 19 November - I played pickleball with five others until I needed to leave to catch the bus to Key West for an appointment at the the VA Medical Facility there at 1 PM. I had my hearing tested and, of course, was told that I've lost some of the low frequencies and quite a few of the high frequencies. I had been tested about 10 years ago and told the same. They had given me hearing aids but I didn't feel that they had improved my hearing significantly so I returned them within 30 days so the VA could get their money refunded by the supplier. Maybe it will be different this time. Surely the technology has improved.

Wednesday, 20 November - We had several new participants at the fitness class this morning and more new players at pickleball this morning. Unfortunately, most of the decent players at pickleball were tired and didn't last long after I finished the fitness class. Afterward, I went to the marina office and checked my mail. This year's Coast Guard registration came in the mail today. While at the office I organized the nautical section of our library. We have a wall about 30 feet long and 7 feet high full of books. Unfortunately, no one wants to take even the time to put the books they return or donate into any semblance of order. As it is, if you want to find any book or author in particular, you'd have search the whole wall. I try to keep the nautical books, whether fact or fiction, all on one small section, but that's the only area that is organized.

Thursday, 21 November - After pickleball I replaced the sacrificial zincs in the reverse gear heat exchanger and Isotherm refrigeration unit and while at it in the engine room realized that the drip pan under the engine is full of diesel fuel again. I can hardly believe it after all the problems I had getting the high pressure fuel pump replaced recently and having not run the engine since then. I spent about 45 minutes inspecting all the fuel hoses and lines, the High Pressure Fuel Pump, the Fuel Lift Pump, the Racor Fuel Filters, the Fuel Injectors, as much of the bottom of the Engine and Oil Pan, and anything else that I could associate with Diesel Fuel but could find nothing that had appeared to leak. I did that without the engine running but it was getting dark so I didn't feel like running the engine and finding a problem this late in the day so I'll deal with it later, but earlier in the day.

Friday, 22 November - This afternoon I once again got down into the engine room with mirrors and a flashlight to look for where the fuel is leaking. I looked with the engine cold, engine running, and with the engine hot, but not running, and found only one tiny leak at one of the fuel injectors. I'm convinced that that leak is way too small to have filled my drip pan. Afterwards I called Diesel Don Shuler and questioned him about it. He said it's possible that when they finished replacing the fuel pump they didn't clean the drip pan. I know that quite a bit of fuel was spilled or leaked it the process of replacing the pump, so maybe it's just been sitting there all this time. I certainly hope so. I'll suck all that fuel out tomorrow and if it doesn't return I'll be very pleased. One good thing that came from my inspection is that I had to start the engine so I had hot water to shower with when I got through. It was 72°F. this afternoon and people here were acting as if they were freezing.

Saturday, 23 November - I used my West Marine oil evacuation pump to suck all the fluids out from under the engine today. It had both diesel fuel and antifreeze in it. we had spilled some of both when replacing the fuel pump so I'm pretty sure now that Don and Brandon didn't vacuum it out when they finished with the pump. I don't and I'm sure they don't want to deal with that anymore.

Sunday, 24 November - Around noon Susie called me and asked that I come over and see if I can start her car. She sent three pictures of the battery cable that appears to be broken. If that's the problem, it may not be too hard to repair. Well, it wasn't even as bad as that. Nothing broken but still a bit time consuming. Her battery was 5 years old and had given up. A short taxi ride to NAPA and back and her car was as good as new, well almost. We even got lucky with the taxi ride. The driver lives on the boat next to me and said that he'd wait for us at NAPA while we purchased the new battery instead of leaving and making us wait for his return. He's an unusual fellow. He's 6 feet 7 inches tall and lives full time on a 25 foot boat. That's mighty small for a man his size. He must have to crawl around in it.

Monday, 25 November - I only had time for one round of the usual four at the fitness court today before I needed to leave to catch the bus to Key West for an appointment with an ophthalmologist. I haven't had my eyes tested in about5 or 6 years. He gave me a new prescription and I expected to then be shown glasses frames but the fellow that does that notified them on Friday that he wouldn't be in this week. That means that I'll have to waste another day to go back again for that and I'm not happy about it. If they'd let me know I would have cancelled today's trip and gone on a day that I could do both.

Tuesday, 26 November - After pickleball this morning I returned to the boat and defrosted the freezer then spent a couple of hours going through my records, then calling the VA about some billing items that looked fraudulent. They weren't. It was just a company that operates under one name and bills with another, plus all the dates were about two months off. Later, I met Susie at Dockside for dinner and dancing.

Wednesday, 27 November - Our fitness class was the largest so far, about 12 people, I think. There were about the same number of pickleball players, too.

Thursday, 28 November - Thanksgiving Day - We had four of our group show up for pickleball this morning but about 10 or 12 others, family groups that played on their own courts, showed up, too. Susie and I joined others at Mike Wagner and Bev Fowers' Thanksgiving party on shore beside their boat in the channel east of Boot Key Harbor past Dockside. It was a beautiful, clear blue sky day here about 80 degrees F.

Friday, 29 November - There was no fitness class today so I got to play pickleball for about 2 hours. This evening I attended the Cruiser's Friday Happy Hour and helped eat some of the Thanksgiving leftovers from yesterday's get-together.

Saturday, 30 November - I played pickleball for about 2 hours today then went to the marina office and payed for another month on the mooring ball. At one o'clock Susie picked me up and we went to her house and while she prepared us a turkey dinner I opened the storm shutters now that hurricane season truly seems to be over. We also watched the old movie "Cat Ballou" and part of "The Hallelujah Trail" on cable TV.

            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