August 28-September 11                    North Kingstown, Rhode Island

The heat of summer quickly disappeared on September 1.  We experienced cool weather and rainy days (which were welcome as it had been unusually dry). Labor Day weekend was great with a parade of boats, scores of paddleboarders and kayaks. With no guests expected for the remainder of our stay, we focused on neglected projects. 

Nikki, a talented workman from the Granada Islands, did a great job of sanding and re-varnishing the railing and ladders.  Christa, another immigrant to the US proved to be a miracle worker.  One generator had a defective flywheel which prevented easy starting from the time we had bought the boat.  As The Bottom Line is more than thirty years old, parts are not readily available.  A used flywheel was found on line and despite numerous efforts, it could not be installed—until we found Christa.  Following David’s suggestions, he overcame the obstacle preventing installation and achieved success.  David was doing a happy dance all over the boat!

We were saddened to learn our good friend, Jerry had fallen and broken his hip during a brief visit to Southwest Harbor.  Surgery followed in Bar Harbor and after days of rehabilitation, he and Jill have returned home to Boston.  He is doing well—Jill will survive!

Friends from the dock, John and Maria joined us for a steak (prime rib eyes from Costco) dinner.  The fat fro the steaks ignited the grill and the flames frightened someone on a nearby boat.  He took pictures and sent them to the owner of the marina.  David saw him photographing and called the owner and reported the problem.  Of course, the owner laughed and dismissed the issue.  The steaks were delicious!

Maria was raised in a closely-knit Italian family and had the good fortune to receive cooking and sewing instruction from her grandmother.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch on their boat while watching the Patriot game (no Cowboy fans here).    She served meatball sandwiches open-faced with sauce and Parmesan and homemade pizza with an anchovy sauce.  David  made the meatballs and sauce.  They were outstanding and Maria was impressed (so was I). What a treat!