News and Update

First the news: Trinda and I are officially 'OLD"!!! We signed up for Social Security and received our first check. The money will sure help, but it does feel OLD!!

Again, here is a shot of the family that run the little "eatery" across the highway from DryDock.


The first coat of varnish on the floors. I tried to get pictures of just the walls being finished, but they never looked like much. BUT this does!!! I was beginning to think I'd never see this day. This does feel like progress.

Of course there are still 2 more coats of sanding sealer and 3 of topcoat to go, but it looks varnished now.

Woodden Indian

Jimmy, of s/v Mango, is building a guest house in his back yard here in Danao/Carmen. He was in town, saw these and couldn't resist! They will look real nice on the veranda! That's the guest house in the background, but you can't see it for us. hehehe.Of course I had to join in!

Pepe's Birthday

Trinda LOVES having her picture taken!



Pepe carrying the cake Trinda and April brought from "Goldilocks".


The "Three Musketeers", Louie, Rico and Mike.

Me, Don-Don, Linden, and Louie eating.

Mylene acting like the guys like her.
Temy is Pep's younger brother, and Pepe in his new hat.

The guys .....


Don-Don

Sunday

The guys had asked if they could work Sundays so they would have a better chance of finishing in time to earn the trip. Well most of us worked Sunday... The oldest (he's been sick several days this week already) and the youngest( something about a new girlfriend) didn't make it, so there were just 4. We did make some progress though. I think we'll be able to move back aboard Friday. It is the day the rent will be due if we don't move out. The floor may be needing one or two more coats, but Trinda decided she could just get up early and go visit someone while they work.

The inside will be very close to finished with the painting and fixing work. Not counting reinstalling everything. There are no drawers, doors, cabinet doors, towel racks, light fixtures, instruments, etc. mounted anywhere. I have half of the new LED lights up, but not even all of them. The toilet is even sitting in the store room waiting for me to finish putting in new gaskets.

Trinda has gotten acquainted with a couple more of the Filipino boat girls. They went to the resort together, where they seem to have had a great time. Also have gone shopping to several 'new for Trinda' grocery stores. They are also trying to teach her to cook the local food. I like it fine. Tonight we had BBQ pork, but fried instead of grilled as no grill in the apart. It is usually on a bamboo stick and charcoaled. Also left over chop suie from yesterday's lesson.

She is teaching them some of our dishes and also how to crochet. One she has hired to do the laundry and help clen the house. Minimum wage is P250/day which is just less than $5. Trinda would NEVER have a maid, but it seems no problem to pay a friend to help her for the day!

This country , as most of the world, is 240 Volts in the wall plugs instead of the 110 volts we are used to in the states. I brought the computer/DVD player system to the apart. I have a cheep step-down transformer to 110v but it seems a little strange. Every time you touch anything you get this little tingle! Lots of the movies don't seem to play right. I hope that when we get back aboard all will be well again. When our 110v things break here, there is NO replacement for them. It is not possible to buy it, only 240v stuff. Our vacuum cleaner, really a shop vac, is wearing out. It cost about $45 in Home Depot, but is $250 here! And then it would be 240v! Of course a shop vac is too big to sneak in past Customs and their high import duty.

Putting the mast up.

Here is the main mast before we put it back on. We used the crane on the ship in the background.


High-tech moving company in action! My six guys and Jimmy's six made light work of moving the two masts the 100 yards out to the street and back in the slipways where the crane is.

Linden, Louie and Temy pose in front of the ship just after we (they) carried the second mast over. I realized I had my camera in my pocket. I'm sorry I missed the other guys on the crew.


Here the masts are back up, we are back in the slip in Pepe's boatyard just in time for the rain.


Since the boat is looking good again, I asked them to help the rain get some of the accumulated grime off the deck. These "anonymous" gentlemen had almost too much fun in the rain. They did a nice job scrubbing the deck in the downpour.

Masts Back Up Trinda Back

Today we put the masts back on the boat! Finally! I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever get them back.

Of course I forgot to take the camera out of my pocket even though I recharged the battery last night. Maybe one blurry picture.

Laast week Trinda and a couple local girls from the marina went to a vacation resort, Santa Fe, a bus and ferry rida away, an hour each. they had a good time for 3 days.

Yesterday was the local fiesta day for the neighborhood close to the drydock. Jimmy and Charito invited us to their place for roasted pig (whole pig on a stick). Great food, beer and Trinda has discovered Tandauy Ice, a rum and citrus bottled drink. A great time was had by all.

Last week I told the gus working on the boat" If you get finished by Sept 1, I take you all to the Camotoes Islands for the night." They are 15 miles away, but no one on the crew has ever been there. They have been working extra hard and even asked if I'd let them work Sundays (for pay though). I'll probably take them anyway. They are mostly good kids (one is 50, 2 32, the rest 20 to 23).

The walls and ceiling are finished except for touch-up. Nothing is re-installed, no lights, doors, hooks or fittings of any kind.That will be a challenge!