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| You are on my list Mr. Generator and its not the Nice list |
I like blog posts that neatly wrap up a topic into a tidy little page. I am not a fan of the "to be continued" type of storytelling. This is the reason you've not heard much lately, because the big project right now is still dragging on and on and on. Our generator is generating some serious headaches.
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| Our current decor theme on Ceol Mor, piles of tools every where |
Yeah. After almost 3 years of refitting we are either eternal optimists or just really naive. Suffice it to say, that there has been a whole lot of us Cha Cha-ing with the generator. 2 steps forward, 3 steps back and not a whole heck of a lot of progress. It's annoying both Mark and I so much that I am not even going to get into all the dance steps we have taken thus far but will save it until the project comes to a conclusion. Then we will not only have a functional generator but a neatly wrapped up, tidy blog post as well. It will be like freaking Christmas.
Rather than get schmoopy about what hasn't gone right, I'm going to happily blather on about a project that has gone right. Ceol Mor now has the ability to be hooked up to a dock water hose and wonder of wonders, to have dockside water at the flick of a tap.
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| Never mind the construction dust, WATER! |
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| Yet more tidy plumbing |
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| The fully functional, well plumbed inlet for dock water |
Maura's schedule literally has me ferrying her to activities every week day. She is really throwing herself into making the most of what should be her last year of public school. And while I love her enthusiasm, this would be much, much easier if she could drive herself. It's hard to complain because for the most part, she is just becoming a really helpful and grateful person so I just shut up and drive.
Kitty has started preschool. She is going 2 days a week and she absolutely adores it. Even though this means that the 2 days following school consists of her being totally and completely exhausted, its all worth it when she pipes up "I have school today! I LOVE SCHOOL!". So it makes for a bit of a challenge trying to adjust to the new schedule but its totally worth it.
Speaking of Kitty, can I just say how much fun a 3 year old is? To be sure, they are probably the most challenging age but she is just so darned fun it all balances out. Today, Kitty was deliriously happy because it actually rained. We've been in a drought for so long I think she thought rain was something that only happened in the movies. Today, it rained and she had her zebra boots to wear in the puddles, an umbrella to shelter her as she walked around saying "Tut tut! It looks like rain" while wearing her Supergirl dress. Kitty likes to dress for an event EVERY day but this Supergirl dress is currently her most favorite thing ever. She insists on wearing it every.single. day.
No matter how manky it gets ( I have to sneak it into the wash) it will always make me happy that she believes that when she puts her Super Kitty dress on every morning, it means she is going to work. To save the world. 3 year olds rock.
be careful to always turn off the shore water when you leave (I'm sure you will). A boat at our dock in emeryville almost sank because a fitting inside the boat failed and it filled up with dock water. On the generator front, you'll be so grateful for this in the long run that it will make the effort worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteJINKIES! Thanks for the reminder!
DeleteA further hint on this score: Put an inline ballcock valve between the boat hook-up and the hose. Not only have I heard of a similar case of a boat sinking at dock because of a failed fitting, I've heard of a boat's dockside water supply being turned on *carelessly* by some idiot looking for the right gate valve...and *then* having a fitting fail (if I recall right, it was a vent line that fell off the skin fitting and dropped below the level of the water tank...whoosh...) and then sinking, or at least dropping its WL enough to alert someone not an idiot.
DeleteThink about how often you've seen your power cord unplugged, moved or "borrowed", and you'll see why I prefer to have a hose-to-boat shutoff in case of morons.
What Tucker said re: pressure water and making sure it's off. We met someone that happened to back in Seattle! Hey, maybe you'll be dockside liveaboards while Mark's working in some oil-rich country near the tropics and it will be extra handy. But the best part of all this is Kitty in the Super dress. LOVE IT.
ReplyDeleteNow you are giving me nightmares about the dock water! Fortunately, we unhooked everything but its good to have a reminder to do this every time!
DeleteI am 100% in favor of living dock side in an oil rich country near the tropics. So long as it is not Houston. ;)
Oh she's just beautiful! Three years old really is a nice age isn't it? A little more independent and verbal than two, but still not too cool for school. And water - yay! Running water is the best!
ReplyDelete3 is fun. The most fun because 3 is also the toughest age on the parents I think. Such a big transition from baby to little kid. I think the Universe makes 3 year olds so amusing and fun so they get to live until 4. ;)
DeleteIf I had a three year old at home, I would find it hard to care much about things like generators due to the sheer entertainment value presented every moment of the day, but I know Mark will get a handle on this problem, too. And then you will have a boat with super power! I always think boat repairs are harder than home repairs, although we've had our share of nightmares with those as well. I think there must be no such thing as 'straight forward'. Every project goes in loops and squiggles. This, too, shall be finished one day. Love the idea of being able to hook up to unlimited water. Our neighbors at the Tacoma marina did that and I wondered how that worked. I cannot wait to show you photos of the head plumbing for the aft head in Andromeda. Mark will die laughing.
ReplyDeleteI can not WAIT to see more photos of Andromeda! So, so excited for you!
DeleteNice job on the water supply. Smart idea. I was thinking of how to do something similar.
ReplyDeleteYou have an adorable little girl. Hope she continues to enjoy school for a long time.
So is it a diesel generator? If so thats super cool! It's funny, sometimes the simplest seeming projects take the longest, and the one we dread end up being simple.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to have water at our finger tips! I'm so used to using a gallon jug for everything, but in the next 5 months we'll be all plumbed up, although not with a direct hose line to our faucets. It's very nice, congrats.
Yes Ma'am it is indeed a diesel generator. Which is why on the day we were ready to say "screw this!" and just buy a new one, we changed our minds when we A: realized the engine itself would have to removed to remove the old generator and B: the $10,000 price tag on a new diesel genny of similar size. Pain in the ass it might be, but we are dead set on fixing this one!
DeleteIf it's the bird in the hand and you don't want to go solar and wind, oh, my, then certainly proceed. But I had a younger (1988) diesel with fewer hours (about 1100) and an unknown maintenance and (important here in Toronto) winterization history. The price of a rebuild was only a boat buck less than a new engine with eight more horses and about 30% less fuel burn.
DeleteThe cost has been in time and the ignorance of the owner-installer, but I'm nearly there. Just saying that you should be pretty ruthless making this "genset/no genset" call.
Also, I don't know if you are originally Texan, but you are certainly the first American of my acquaintance to use the word "manky" at all, never mind correctly. The last time I heard it live was from relatives in Liverpool.
I gotta add that I am pretty close to a guy (okay it's me) who left the water running simply to fill the water tanks (which happen to vent into the bilge) and left the boat (forgetting he was filling the tanks) and who also happened to have the bilge pumps decommissioned (because he was deep into that project) and who later heard his wife screaming that the boat was sinking when she saw water lapping at the sole and he had to face the fact (and will likely never live it down) that it wasn't a result of a failed hose clamp or a rocky shore, but simply because he was filling the hull from the hose tap.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet you survived to see another day. This is why only Mark will ever operate the dock water. I would absolutely get distracted and forget what I was doing. Mark is very, very unlikely to suddenly miss this. His tendency to never forget is a really awesome thing....MOST of the time. ;)
DeleteI want Kitty's dress. She's absolutely gorgeous, by the way!
ReplyDelete