August 4-August
27 North Kingstown, Rhode
Island
The expected high winds came and were gone in one
hour. Rain was heavy for a short time
and all was well before nightfall. We
could not believe we were so fortunate.
Despite all our preparations, we had neglected to secure the seat
cushions on the bow. We discovered the
following morning one of the upper cushions had disappeared. A call to Gidget, the local “Tailor to the
Sailors,” whose shop is near our location, was successful in ordering a
replacement. Our negligence proved to be
expensive!
David continued to focus on his plans to add a
console and steering to our dinghy. He
spent hours researching and talking to “experts” but no one was encouraging. The Lehr propane motor is no longer being
produced and the company is out of business.
Parts to facilitate a connection to the console were not available.
Never to be hindered by obstacles, David designed
the needed parts, bought material, cut it to specifications and persuaded a welder
here at the shipyard to weld the pieces to make the needed parts.
With Rube’s help, the console, new seat and steering
were finally in place. The results were
successful. We boarded with wine and
snacks for a long-overdue cruise of the channel into Wickford. The same skills, expertise and determination
that once converted a Lay’s Potato Chip truck into a classy little motorhome
had once again achieved a triumph. Not
too shabby for an octogenarian!
A trip to the Narragansett area to complete
registration of our newly purchased automobile, provided another opportunity to
visit Two-Ten Oysters, a lovely seafood restaurant with ample outdoor space
for safe distancing and accompanying
dogs. Pretzel docility remained at David’s
feet, ignored all others and munched happily on bits of French fries. As expected, the fried oysters were outstanding!
We are cleaning, packing and completing last minute
details to return to Texas. Kennedy and
Taft will be married on September 5 and we are excited about this happy event
and seeing again our family and our home.
We will return to the boat on September 7.
