Kayak Kart 2

And now, The Fuzz introduces the

Kayakart!

 About a year ago*, The Fuzz mentioned a project he was working on at the time.  Well the Kayakart is finally finished.

With the

 Hot 

weather we're having, The Fuzz and His Sweetie went over to the river today.  It was the first test of the new Kayakart.

 It did just fine.

*You can see how long it takes to get anything done around here!

Hot Stuff

The Fuzz has been having a bit of trouble with his motorcycle lately.  Actually it has been going on since last summer.  On the highway it does fine, but once it is warmed up, if he slows down, it would run hot.

This was not a big problem this winter.  And his ride to his former job was practically all open road.  But with a bit of time on his hands, he decided to do something about it.
Using his Test Light he found that this "Thermostat" (circled above) was not activating the fan. 

Finding that a replacement, would have to be ordered, at about 50 bucks, The Resourceful Fuzz decided to simply bypass the thing, and add a manually operated switch.

He had thought to simply attach the new switch to the crash bars with a hose clamp.  That's the way he usually fixes these things*.  But upon further reflection, he realized that it would be possibly easier to mount the thing though this plastic cover.  And it would look "Profesional" if not quite as cool. 

He did manage to get the thing mounted, and now the fan will actually work.
But when he took it out for a test, while not exactly overheating, it did still run close to the red.  But the weather is pretty hot these days. 

Yes, it is hot.  The weather service is calling for 102° tomorrow.  It will be a good day to go to the river.

*The Fuzz can really identify with this stuff!

Coffee & Veggies

With The Fuzz no longer having to report for duty at 07:00 most mornings, he and His Sweetie have a lot more leeway for Coffee Mornings*.  Since Wednesdays are also Farmer's Market days in Our Fair City, it seemed like a good way to "kill two birds with one stone" as the somewhat violent saying goes.

So, after sleeping in, they headed into town for some coffee and veggies.

They left the car on the Court Square, and hit the Farmer's Market first.  Then with their loot safely stowed in the cooler, they walked across the Court Square, and down the block to the Coffee Shop.  Sipping on the brew, His Sweetie worked on a sketch, while Our Fuzz got out the old iBook.

A bit later, they slipped by the Old Place for some garden supplies, and to pull up a few leeks.

Then, it was time to head back to the Woods.  But when they arrived, they found this!

 It seems that the Young Daughter had been busy whilst they were gone.  With no school and all, the Summer Boredom had set in.  It was time to rearrange her bedroom. 

  We'll have to wait to see how it turns out.

*For some  time now, The Fuzz and His Sweetie will slip off and spend an hour or so together, sipping coffee and indulging in their interests.

Gardening Catch Up

So what has The Fuzz been up to now that he is no longer a productive member of society?
Digging Taters!
Monday morning he was over at the Old Place.  Things had grown up a bit since everyone was out at the beach.  The Tater vines had died back, and it was time to see whether they had done any good. 

It was already hot, even early like this.  But there was nothing for it, but to grab the turning fork, and go to work.

Here's a look at what he dug up.

Some were good sized, some less so.  And there were those tiny ones as well.  But they go great in stew.  And of course New Taters taste so good.

But there was still the Okra to deal with.  It needed to be thinned badly.  And was over run with weeds.  He ran out of time on that one, and had to go back this morning, to finish the job.

But Our Fuzz was up to the task.  Now that's a nice stand of Okra.

When he finished with that, he went to work cutting the grass, which had not taken a vacation just because he had.

And here is a look at the old garden now.  On the left is bare ground!  (This is where the Taters were.)  Next is a row of Leeks.  (There are some out at the trailer also.)  And on the right, those 4 rows of Okra.  The unkept area in the foreground is an untamable patch of Mint.

The Fuzz is hoping tomorrow might be a bit more laid back.  After all, he is retired now.

Blueberries

Well, it appears that The Fuzz's latest Mystery Pix wasn't much of a mystery to Woodie.  But that's OK.

It was many years ago that The Fuzz and His Sweetie planted some Blueberry plants out here in the woods.  But time and the forest had their way with them, and The Fuzz had written it off as a good idea, that just didn't make it.

But then, while we were preparing to make our  Big Move, The Fuzz's Sweetie found them once more.  Amazingly they had not only survived, but spread!

 This year they are loaded with the tasty little berries.

The Fuzz and his Sweetie picked a bunch when they got back from the beach.

   This is the first week that Our Fuzz is no longer on the job with the sanitation department in over 33 years.

(Actually that would be last week, but Beach Weeks don't count!)

So far he has been staying busy.  This morning he went over to the Old Place for a bit of gardening.  It looks like more of the same for tomorrow.

On the other hand, he has been home with His Sweetie eating watermelon this afternoon.

Heading For Home

Well, they say "all good things must come to an end".

The Fuzz doesn't know if that is really so or not.  

But it was time to leave the beach.

We had had a good time.

On Wednesday evening, we all went out to the Fancy Restaurant.  We all sat out on the deck overlooking the beach.

The Fuzz shot a quick pix of the view.

But that is all history by now.

It was finally time to leave.

Here's a shot of the packing Process.

We are happy to report that Our Fuzz and His, made it home safe and sound.

And since we are all getting back to Real Life, The Fuzz thought it would be good to start off with a not so dificult,

Mystery Pix!

(With a story behind it)

The Fuzz, His Sweetie, and the Young Daughter took a trip into town for a bit of culture yesterday.  Here is a pix of the Cameron Art Museum.

There are no pix of what they saw inside since that was verboten.

But it was pretty interesting.  Among the other things, there was a dress that a woman had dirtied up by dancing around in a pile of red dirt.  Perhaps The Fuzz just doesn't understand culture.

But he does understand beer, and that was the next stop for lunch.

 The Fuzz enjoyed a couple Port City IPAs* and a Ruben Sandwich.

After being refortified, they were ready for some fun here at the riverfront in Wilmington.

One of the stops was, of course, a Bookstore.

This must be the secret entrance to the mysterious Book Club!

The Riverfront area is pretty nice.

 And across the river, of course, is the 

Battleship North Carolina.

*An American style India Pale Ale.  If you like hops you’ll like this beer.  Large amount of American hops give this ale a great citrus hop profile and large amounts of Vienna malt were used to create balance.  6.1% ABV

Tuesday Morning

The Fuzz and His Sweetie are enjoying the time at the beach with family and friends.  He watched this sailboat beating up the sound the other day, and couldn't resist a pix.  It didn't come out all that well, but he used it for a Photoshop Opportunity.
The Fuzz had a fine morning.  He took his Kayak down to the end of the island in the early morning.  There were not many other folks out yet, so it was pretty quiet.  The seabirds were out, and having a bit of breakfast.  They would drop out of the air, and come up with little fish in their beaks.  It was fun to watch.
Then he rode the tide back up the sound to the house and a nice cup of coffee.

Day Two

Well, Thursday was Our Fuzz's last day in the Garbage Business.  After 33 years we'll see how things go.  It may take some getting used to.  
But Today, The Fuzz is at the Beach! 
 The Fuzz enjoys an early morning walk on the beach, especially at Sunrise. 

He is used to getting up fairly early, so this morning he hit the beach early. For a bit, he was the only one out there. 
  Here are a couple of surfers getting an early start.
It was a nice way to start things out.

No More

This is, or rather was it!

Today was The Fuzz's last day on the job.

He and His Sweetie went out for dinner to celebrate.

But now it is time to pack up for the Beach!

One

Yes,

Only One More Day!

 

Two

That's right.  

 Only two work days left.  

The Fuzz is getting short, 

Very short.

Today they had a farewell luncheon for him at The City.  People said nice things about him, and ate fish.  There was also a cake with a picture of The Fuzz next to his garbage truck.
This picture was somehow copied on the cake with frosting.  Isn't technology wonderful.  Perhaps it was only printed onto the frosting.  Either way, it is just a bit scary.
But The Fuzz and His Sweetie were given the Piece-mit-Pix to take home.  It actually tasted pretty good.
But there are still 2 more days to go before The Fuzz is actually free.  And then, Let's go to the Beach!

Left Behind

Has this ever happened to anyone you know?

"David Cameron's daughter Nancy left behind at pub."

The Fuzz realizes that these things can happen on occasion.

Sometimes them Young'uns is hard to keep up with!

 

3

Last Week

It's Finally Here!

Yes, this is it.  Thursday will be The Fuzz's Last Day on this job.  It will be a little weird to not have to get up at 04:30 most mornings, but he may be able to adjust.
 
But this will leave more time for other things, like going to Coffee Shops with His Sweetie.  They have been practicing for this on Fridays since The Fuzz went to those 4 - 10hr work days.  

This past week they sat out at one of the sidewalk tables and enjoyed the passing scene.  

Here's a bit of the street scene here in Our Fair City.  It was kinda quiet, but picked up a bit as the morning progressed.  
Ah, the beer has arrived!

Danger In the City

The Fuzz and His Sweetie went over to the Big City over the weekend to watch the Dangerous Daughter in action. 
 

This was a first for them.  The event was held at the Big University in that Big City.
They got to see a lot of T'ai chi action.
The Fuzz admits that he is not very knowledgeable about this discipline, but he did enjoy seeing it.
One of the things he enjoyed most was the Pushing Hands.   Watching this was like watching a dance.
The Fuzz is happy to report that that Dangerous Daughter collected a number of 1st & 2nd place medals.  


In other news, Time is getting short for the Old Fuzz on the job.  In one more day, there will only be one week remaining.  He has been training a replacement now for a couple of weeks.  Of course we know that no one could actually replace The Fuzz.  But we are confident that they will manage somehow, and the world will go on.

6 Left

Of course there are only 6 work days left. 
Is this till the Beach Trip?
Or,
The Fuzz's Retirement?
Actually, Both!
And today, the fifth of June, is one of the triggering events.
Well, Our Fuzz has been celebrating just a bit, so this will probably not be a long post.
He had stashed a bottle of Trader Joe's 2011 Vintage Ale just for the occasion.
It was very good. 

7

Only 2 Weeks Left

Taters, Leeks, and Okra

Still having the Old Place, The Fuzz and His Sweetie do have to go over there regularly to tend to things,

Like the Garden.

It would be a pity not to use this space, especially since the soil has been built up so well over the years.

They do have to be selective about what they plant there though.  With no one in the house, the Deer tend to munch up anything they have a taste for.

From left to right, Taters, Leeks, and Okra.