Delta Breakdown

Dear Family and Friends,
This has been a pretty busy day.  After walking the normal 3 miles I decided to tidy the boat up a bit since Steve was coming later to take it out into the Delta.  So I pulled out the tow dolly, then the dead rototiller, then backed the van and hooked up the boat.  None of this was easy, its all heavy work.  I pulled the boat out, the tires were low on the trailer, the boat itself was full of leaves and dirty from two years of neglect.  After getting it out to the driveway I hooked up the device that forces water into the water pump and lets you run the boat on dry land.  After some cranking over it started but never smoothed out and refused to idle. I headed out for fuel thinking fresh fuel might make it run better, Steve brought fuel too and it seemed to run a bit better after that.  Steve hooked with his truck and with Keanna's help they headed home.
Later in the day Nikki and the girls joined him in the boat as well as two of his friends.  He hooked up the barefoot device is a long arm off the side of the boat that learning barefooters can hold onto and try their skills at barefooting.
Later in the day Nikki called to calmly say they had broken down, the boat would not run.  So with their directions in my head I grabbed the van and drove to where I thought they were marooned next to the levee.  At first I was on the wrong side, a couple miles from them but eventually I was able to locate them and loaded up Nikki, Kallie and Keanna plus one of the guys who intended to go to his house in Brentwood and get a little metal boat, launch it and come to the rescue.  However on the way home a mutual friend called to say he could go help even though he had to leave the house where in laws were visiting.  What a guy!
At this point I believe they are all home but the boat needs professional attention.  After sitting for two years there are probably little parts in the Holley 4 barrel carb that needs to be cleaned out.
I was so impressed with the calmness everyone exhibited, certainly much calmer than I would have been. And I am very thankful that no one was hurt.  Also I'm relieved that there were these dusty roads across huge fields of crops I could drive on to get to them.  Nikki knew that I would find them and it all worked out but I really feel bad that I didn't have it in better working order.  I let them down, that is a bummer.
Jason called from Vegas where he is attending classes, yea right!  Party boy.  Jo and Timothy are there as well and it has been real warm for them.  They are there with their close friends so I'm sure they are having a very great time.
God answered my prayers today.  Within a 2 hour time period while I was out working on the boat, cleaning it up and rolling it out 3 new orders came in.  One is amusing, its a FHA that they want back in two days and they are paying  not $450 the normal fee or even $350, no they are paying $290.  However one of the orders is paying a rush fee so that will help.  I was so overwhelmed by how they all came at once.
Now I have to get busy and just when I have company coming.  Marilyn is arriving tomorrow at 3 at the Oakland airport.  Yes I finally broke down and installed her little AC in her room today.  Otherwise she would have been very warm upon arrival.  You know I forgot just how heavy those little room ACs are but I was more capable of managing it than in past years.
This morning before I went outside to get the boat out I was drawn to the frig once again.  I started removing panels, tubes and eventually I got to the diffuser door which did not seem to be working very well, or at all.  The instructions sort of explained how to remove the offending device and finally I figured it out.  To be honest I do a lot of praying when I'm facing hard tasks and they always work out.  So now the door is on the table and cool air is making its way into the frig and the ambient temperature is down to about 40 once again.  Once I get some money I'll buy a replacement part and see if it solves the problem.  Right now duct tape is covering about 1/2 of the opening.  The instructions said not to let too much cold air in or the items in the frig would freeze.  I'm no where close to that yet.
Today I treated myself to a drink of Welches Concord Grape juice, the real stuff, no sugar or fake stuff.  What a deep and robust flavor, what a joy.
So as you can see from my comments it has been a busy day but a rewarding one.  The boat failure was a huge disappointment for the kids and for me too. But they are all safe and no even sunburned, chart that one up to Nikki, she is great about keeping protecting spray and cream on the kidos.  It felt so good to pull up and there was Keanna on the levee, she was delighted to see me and then there was Kallie, yelling Papa from the boat.  That is the worlds best music, grandchildren's loving words.

Night to all,

love

tim