For those of you who have sailboats (or for those of you who like to spend the big bucks on fuel - power boats) and want more up-to-date current at-sea weather info (wind direction, speed, wave heights, tides, etc) check out http://www.sailwx.info/. This website offers current weather from ships around the world, displayed graphically. These in addition to forecast weather (ie, see the bottom of this page on the lower left) will help planning for departures and wx across whatever body of water you are looking for. Pretty cool site.
Best for now from Paradise!!
JonNe'
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
We are back in KW, FINALLY!!
Whew!! What a trip.
I just reread the last blog entry, and before I say anymore, I have to get back to the Edison/Ford Winter Estates - I short-changed the experience. If you have never been there it is a real eye opener into the GENIUS of Thomas Edison. We all think of him regarding the phonograph and the lightbulb, and if you really think back, the inventor of the motion picture. Those are so insignificant when you realize everything else.
When Renne' and I were preparing for this adventure, we were so concerned about generating power. We installed a 5.5kw Genset, a solar panel, and windgenerator, more batteries, regulators, and controllers, so regardless of the situation, we could keep our batteries happy and us in light, engine, refrigeration, etc. So we walk into the museum of his inventions. Edison was into DC power not AC! His inventions included solar power, DC electrical generators (you should have seen his 5.5kw generator!), renewable energy, batteries, electric cars - what goes around, comes around friends. Edison was the originator of GREEN ENERGY!! Incredible. Thank you Thomas Edison.
Now back to other things!
The '55 Chevy did get a new valve job. Taylor Automotive definately did a fabulous job at getting Renne's baby taken care of. I have to really thank our friend, Warren Gloss of the "Iron Maiden" for getting her started and completely diagnosed. Even Frank Taylor questioned the diagnosis. However when we got her back, it was exactly as Warren had said it was. The fuel had gummed up because it was so old, the oil had gummed up because we went to an Ethanol based fuel and I didn't realize we couldn't use 30 weight oil any longer without an additive, five push rods ended up bent, and two intake valves were bent. She runs so fine now.
But we didn't get her back until Monday, the 14th. So we used up all of our silver bullets staying with friends - Thanks Dean and Patty, Kent and Diane, Greg and Linda! You guys are life savers! So we ended up leaving on Wednesday morning, the 16th when all of our errands were run.
Both Renne' and I had decided we didn't want to do anymore marathon runs over the road ever again. After all we are RETIRED!! That is a cool word, especially as we are young enough to really enjoy the meaning of it all. So we stopped in Hammond to see my closest friend and former college roommate, Keith Davis (sorry Diane, we tried to stop by the bank to see you also, but the doors were locked and I was afraid of breaking in! LOL) at his violin shop. Keith makes the finest violins, so if any of you reading this have a child who is learning to play seriously or as adults have friends looking to replace or repair one, Keith does fabulous work. Keep him in mind (phone number and address at the end).
From there it was back through Pensacola. Our friends, Loretta and Charlie, are hugely involved in the songwriter/player community in Perdido Beach, Florida/Orange Beach, Alabama and we spent two nights listening to some of the most gifted songwriters in the industry play their songs. We got to get up close and personal with Crystal Schwanda and her husband DeWayne. What were there 15 of us in the club? I'll tell you this is the place to go if you are interested in songwriters. Crystal is a Canadian Country Music artist, and is growing rapidly in country music here in the states, is on the charts, a couple of CD's out with RCA records. It was a blast. In addition, was Chris Newberry, son of the late Mickey Newberry. I know, who in the heck is that???? You will remember in Waylon Jennings song, Luckenback, Texas, he referred to "Hank Williams pain songs and Newberry's Train songs" - that was Mickey Newberry. Very popular songwriter in the 70's and 80's. So if you are headed to Pensacola/Perdido Beach, stop into the Silver Moon right across the street from Florabama - actually stop in to both, they are both unique and really enjoyable.
Pensacola took us to Jacksonville for two days with Renne's sister, Priscilla, her husband, Ron, and son, Fletcher. Dinner and way too many drinks at the country club on Friday night, but we were up early heading to the marina at Jacksonville NAS (Naval Air Station) to preview our next stopover. I have to write a letter to the Commanding Officer to see if we can stay longer there than a month!
Then on to St. Cloud with Renne's Dad and Mom, Bill and Wilma on Sunday-Tuesday. Had a wonderful time and great dinner at Season's 52 with Wilma's sister and husband, Alma and Glenn, and her brother and his lady friend, Lee and Ann. Now all of them have been cruisers of the Caribbean and Bahamas and we thoroughly enjoyed comparing notes and telling war stories of our travels. They are so enthusiastic about our plans, and we are grateful to each of them for their stories, thoughts, and gifts and donations to the boat.
We were going to stop over in Naples to see my cousin Robin, but we had had enough of friends, relatives and other ne'er-do-wells (yeah, right!! LOL), and we decided to enjoy just us! So we had to take a vacation from our retirement, and spent two lovely days on South Beach in Miami. Shopped at Sailorman in Fort Lauderdale, stayed at the Marsailles Hotel (we hope it was under renovation, but it was right on the beach and the price was better than a bunch of the others - besides it is Spring Break and only 3 blocks from Ocean Drive and the Lincoln Street Mall).
On our way down the Keys, we stopped into Islamorada (pronounced Allamorada - locals can tell who are new and who have been informed!) to see our friends Ron and Karen, aboard Summertime. We had a great too few hours with them and excellent Snapper and Grouper sandwiches at the World Wide Sportsman, a Bass Pro Shop there. Great view of the water. However, we were anxious to get back to JonNe' and headed south again.
We got back to KW, ready to get back to KW, and found JonNe' still floating and waiting for us. Of course, NOONE remembered who we were, so we had to re-introduce ourselves around the dock. Funny.
This has been a long story, not detailed enough to thank you all and tell you how much we miss you.
Warren Gloss, Mobile Mechanic (and all around genius) Phone: 281-226-3596
Kieth Davis Violin Shop, http://www.kdavisviolins.com/, 108 N. Cate Street, Hammond, Louisiana, 70401, Phone: (985) 340-0137Silver Moon Cafe, 17395 Perdido Key Drive, Pensacola, FL 32507 Venue Phone: 251-492-3407/8
Seasons52 Fresh Grill and Wine Bar, 463 East Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701, Phone: (407) 767-1252
Sailorman New and Used Marine Parts, 350 SE 24th St., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316, Phone: 866-729-3760
Hotel Marsailles, 1741 Collins Ave. | Miami Beach, FL | 305.538.5711 | 800.327.4739
World Wide Sportsman, 81576 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036, Phone: 305-664-4615
Best to all and until the next entry,
JonNe'
I just reread the last blog entry, and before I say anymore, I have to get back to the Edison/Ford Winter Estates - I short-changed the experience. If you have never been there it is a real eye opener into the GENIUS of Thomas Edison. We all think of him regarding the phonograph and the lightbulb, and if you really think back, the inventor of the motion picture. Those are so insignificant when you realize everything else.
When Renne' and I were preparing for this adventure, we were so concerned about generating power. We installed a 5.5kw Genset, a solar panel, and windgenerator, more batteries, regulators, and controllers, so regardless of the situation, we could keep our batteries happy and us in light, engine, refrigeration, etc. So we walk into the museum of his inventions. Edison was into DC power not AC! His inventions included solar power, DC electrical generators (you should have seen his 5.5kw generator!), renewable energy, batteries, electric cars - what goes around, comes around friends. Edison was the originator of GREEN ENERGY!! Incredible. Thank you Thomas Edison.
Now back to other things!
The '55 Chevy did get a new valve job. Taylor Automotive definately did a fabulous job at getting Renne's baby taken care of. I have to really thank our friend, Warren Gloss of the "Iron Maiden" for getting her started and completely diagnosed. Even Frank Taylor questioned the diagnosis. However when we got her back, it was exactly as Warren had said it was. The fuel had gummed up because it was so old, the oil had gummed up because we went to an Ethanol based fuel and I didn't realize we couldn't use 30 weight oil any longer without an additive, five push rods ended up bent, and two intake valves were bent. She runs so fine now.
But we didn't get her back until Monday, the 14th. So we used up all of our silver bullets staying with friends - Thanks Dean and Patty, Kent and Diane, Greg and Linda! You guys are life savers! So we ended up leaving on Wednesday morning, the 16th when all of our errands were run.
Both Renne' and I had decided we didn't want to do anymore marathon runs over the road ever again. After all we are RETIRED!! That is a cool word, especially as we are young enough to really enjoy the meaning of it all. So we stopped in Hammond to see my closest friend and former college roommate, Keith Davis (sorry Diane, we tried to stop by the bank to see you also, but the doors were locked and I was afraid of breaking in! LOL) at his violin shop. Keith makes the finest violins, so if any of you reading this have a child who is learning to play seriously or as adults have friends looking to replace or repair one, Keith does fabulous work. Keep him in mind (phone number and address at the end).
From there it was back through Pensacola. Our friends, Loretta and Charlie, are hugely involved in the songwriter/player community in Perdido Beach, Florida/Orange Beach, Alabama and we spent two nights listening to some of the most gifted songwriters in the industry play their songs. We got to get up close and personal with Crystal Schwanda and her husband DeWayne. What were there 15 of us in the club? I'll tell you this is the place to go if you are interested in songwriters. Crystal is a Canadian Country Music artist, and is growing rapidly in country music here in the states, is on the charts, a couple of CD's out with RCA records. It was a blast. In addition, was Chris Newberry, son of the late Mickey Newberry. I know, who in the heck is that???? You will remember in Waylon Jennings song, Luckenback, Texas, he referred to "Hank Williams pain songs and Newberry's Train songs" - that was Mickey Newberry. Very popular songwriter in the 70's and 80's. So if you are headed to Pensacola/Perdido Beach, stop into the Silver Moon right across the street from Florabama - actually stop in to both, they are both unique and really enjoyable.
Pensacola took us to Jacksonville for two days with Renne's sister, Priscilla, her husband, Ron, and son, Fletcher. Dinner and way too many drinks at the country club on Friday night, but we were up early heading to the marina at Jacksonville NAS (Naval Air Station) to preview our next stopover. I have to write a letter to the Commanding Officer to see if we can stay longer there than a month!
Then on to St. Cloud with Renne's Dad and Mom, Bill and Wilma on Sunday-Tuesday. Had a wonderful time and great dinner at Season's 52 with Wilma's sister and husband, Alma and Glenn, and her brother and his lady friend, Lee and Ann. Now all of them have been cruisers of the Caribbean and Bahamas and we thoroughly enjoyed comparing notes and telling war stories of our travels. They are so enthusiastic about our plans, and we are grateful to each of them for their stories, thoughts, and gifts and donations to the boat.
We were going to stop over in Naples to see my cousin Robin, but we had had enough of friends, relatives and other ne'er-do-wells (yeah, right!! LOL), and we decided to enjoy just us! So we had to take a vacation from our retirement, and spent two lovely days on South Beach in Miami. Shopped at Sailorman in Fort Lauderdale, stayed at the Marsailles Hotel (we hope it was under renovation, but it was right on the beach and the price was better than a bunch of the others - besides it is Spring Break and only 3 blocks from Ocean Drive and the Lincoln Street Mall).
On our way down the Keys, we stopped into Islamorada (pronounced Allamorada - locals can tell who are new and who have been informed!) to see our friends Ron and Karen, aboard Summertime. We had a great too few hours with them and excellent Snapper and Grouper sandwiches at the World Wide Sportsman, a Bass Pro Shop there. Great view of the water. However, we were anxious to get back to JonNe' and headed south again.
We got back to KW, ready to get back to KW, and found JonNe' still floating and waiting for us. Of course, NOONE remembered who we were, so we had to re-introduce ourselves around the dock. Funny.
This has been a long story, not detailed enough to thank you all and tell you how much we miss you.
Warren Gloss, Mobile Mechanic (and all around genius) Phone: 281-226-3596
Kieth Davis Violin Shop, http://www.kdavisviolins.com/, 108 N. Cate Street, Hammond, Louisiana, 70401, Phone: (985) 340-0137Silver Moon Cafe, 17395 Perdido Key Drive, Pensacola, FL 32507 Venue Phone: 251-492-3407/8
Seasons52 Fresh Grill and Wine Bar, 463 East Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701, Phone: (407) 767-1252
Sailorman New and Used Marine Parts, 350 SE 24th St., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316, Phone: 866-729-3760
Hotel Marsailles, 1741 Collins Ave. | Miami Beach, FL | 305.538.5711 | 800.327.4739
World Wide Sportsman, 81576 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036, Phone: 305-664-4615
Best to all and until the next entry,
JonNe'
Thursday, March 10, 2011
We are back in Kemah
for a few days.
Kent Brownhill, our fabulous crewman, had to return to Houston as he had been away from his lovely wife, Diane, for much longer than she wanted. Renne' and I were contemplating what we would use for transportation around Key West other than our bicycles. As the marina is 8 miles away from the nearest grocery store, we decided the best approach would be to head back to Kemah with Kent and pick up the Toyota and take it to Key West!
We left KW on Sunday morning, about 0730, and headed for Fort Myers. I had been to the Edison/Ford Winter home there previously, and thought it would be an excellent museum for Renne' and Kent to see. We stopped there from 1:30 - 5:00, ate a disappointing dinner at a local restaurant, then headed for Houston. The rental car was from National Car Rental and Kent and I were the drivers. I had to pay an extra $50 so I could help drive. But National rented it to us as a one way delivery, unlimited miles, no drop off charge for $360 bucks. A lot less expensive than flying.
The drive was uneventful, but we arrived pretty well exhausted after 28 hours of driving and visiting the museum. So Monday, we got the Chevy delivered to Taylor Automotive in Dickinson, TX. We are concerned we will have to have a valve job done on the engine. We had called Benson's Automotive on Hwy 3 and they don't do the extensive work that may be required. They recommended Frank Taylor. When we drove the Chevy into the shop parking lot, we found another '55 Chevy already on the shop floor, which we took as a good sign. We noticed the floors of the shop were so clean you could eat off it. As we walked into the shop office, run by his lovely wife Cindy, there were trophies all around the office and posters of Frank and his race car and team on the walls. I thought that this was the place to be!! We haven't been disappointed. We are waiting for the results of the compression test and hope it will be a minor repair!!
Monday and Tuesday nights were spent at Kent and Diane's, last night with our friends Dean Miller and Patty, tonight will be with Linda and Greg. We are planning on leaving on Friday morning and head back. Probably we will stop back in Hammond for lunch, Pensacola overnight, Jacksonville to visit Renne's sister, Gail and her husband Ron, then Orlando to see Bill and Wilma, then Naples to see my cousin, Robin Siewers Murchison. We are retired - what schedule do we have???
We will post pics as soon as we are back.
National Car Rental Reservations - 1(877) 222-9058
Edison/Ford Winter Estates - http://edisonfordfoundation.org/
Taylor Automotive - 3302 Highway 3 Dickinson, TX 77539 281-337-7060
Kent Brownhill, our fabulous crewman, had to return to Houston as he had been away from his lovely wife, Diane, for much longer than she wanted. Renne' and I were contemplating what we would use for transportation around Key West other than our bicycles. As the marina is 8 miles away from the nearest grocery store, we decided the best approach would be to head back to Kemah with Kent and pick up the Toyota and take it to Key West!
We left KW on Sunday morning, about 0730, and headed for Fort Myers. I had been to the Edison/Ford Winter home there previously, and thought it would be an excellent museum for Renne' and Kent to see. We stopped there from 1:30 - 5:00, ate a disappointing dinner at a local restaurant, then headed for Houston. The rental car was from National Car Rental and Kent and I were the drivers. I had to pay an extra $50 so I could help drive. But National rented it to us as a one way delivery, unlimited miles, no drop off charge for $360 bucks. A lot less expensive than flying.
The drive was uneventful, but we arrived pretty well exhausted after 28 hours of driving and visiting the museum. So Monday, we got the Chevy delivered to Taylor Automotive in Dickinson, TX. We are concerned we will have to have a valve job done on the engine. We had called Benson's Automotive on Hwy 3 and they don't do the extensive work that may be required. They recommended Frank Taylor. When we drove the Chevy into the shop parking lot, we found another '55 Chevy already on the shop floor, which we took as a good sign. We noticed the floors of the shop were so clean you could eat off it. As we walked into the shop office, run by his lovely wife Cindy, there were trophies all around the office and posters of Frank and his race car and team on the walls. I thought that this was the place to be!! We haven't been disappointed. We are waiting for the results of the compression test and hope it will be a minor repair!!
Monday and Tuesday nights were spent at Kent and Diane's, last night with our friends Dean Miller and Patty, tonight will be with Linda and Greg. We are planning on leaving on Friday morning and head back. Probably we will stop back in Hammond for lunch, Pensacola overnight, Jacksonville to visit Renne's sister, Gail and her husband Ron, then Orlando to see Bill and Wilma, then Naples to see my cousin, Robin Siewers Murchison. We are retired - what schedule do we have???
We will post pics as soon as we are back.
National Car Rental Reservations - 1(877) 222-9058
Edison/Ford Winter Estates - http://edisonfordfoundation.org/
Taylor Automotive - 3302 Highway 3 Dickinson, TX 77539 281-337-7060
Thursday, March 3, 2011
JonNe' is in Key West!!
Well, we finally made it!! We are quite proud of ourselves!! JonNe' performed flawlessly, as did her crew. And talk about incredible weather. When we left Kemah, the last thing we expected was to have 2 weeks of the most perfect weather you could get. Of course it would have only been a bit better if we had had winds out of the North, Northeast, Northwest, West, Anywhere but East or southeast!! Of course as everyone who has cruised on a sailboat will tell you - It doesn't matter where you are going, the winds will always be on your nose - and I don't think that theorem was violated more that twice during the entire trip. We had hoped to use the engine for charging the battery and getting into port, but we used it every day - for a lot of every day! We are fortunate we carry 130 gallons of diesel. Actually, we didn't come close to using it all, but we were happy we had it!
When we left Clearwater - for those of you interested, I lived there for two years, on-board my first boat, Dreamketcher, less than a mile from where we were docked. Anyway, when we left Clearwater, we had great winds - out of the south, which was great, until we had to turn southeast toward Key West. Winds were forecast to shift to the southwest Monday afternoon, but didn't -Instead, winds died down below 10 kts, so the motor came on. Monday night was flat and wind-less. Tuesday when the winds picked up, it was still on our nose and we ended up motoring all the way. Tuesday night was the first rain we had - it lasted all of 5 minutes, but it was long enough to wash the salt off the deck. Then the winds really picked up. We saw 30+ knots and the waves picked up to 4 or so feet off our port beam. Life was rock and roll all night. One of the reasons we bought this boat was because she is pointy on both ends. That makes a big difference in following seas - the stern splits the wave as it goes by us and makes for a more comfortable ride - so with a more traditional stern-or transom, we would have probably been a lot more uncomfortable.
We timed arrival at the Key West channel an hour after daybreak. It is a lot easier to plan your speed with the engine running also. My biggest concern was getting through the channel if the winds and waves were as bad. Fortunately, both winds and waves moderated with sunrise. It still took us 3.5 hours to get from the mouth of the channel to the marina on the other side of KW. We got in at about 11:30, docked and celebrated with champagne given to us as a gift. Thanks!!
We are here, we are safe, we are grateful for all we have. We will kiip you up to date, and as soon as we have pics we will post them.
Thanks to all of our friends and fans. we love you!!
JonNe'
When we left Clearwater - for those of you interested, I lived there for two years, on-board my first boat, Dreamketcher, less than a mile from where we were docked. Anyway, when we left Clearwater, we had great winds - out of the south, which was great, until we had to turn southeast toward Key West. Winds were forecast to shift to the southwest Monday afternoon, but didn't -Instead, winds died down below 10 kts, so the motor came on. Monday night was flat and wind-less. Tuesday when the winds picked up, it was still on our nose and we ended up motoring all the way. Tuesday night was the first rain we had - it lasted all of 5 minutes, but it was long enough to wash the salt off the deck. Then the winds really picked up. We saw 30+ knots and the waves picked up to 4 or so feet off our port beam. Life was rock and roll all night. One of the reasons we bought this boat was because she is pointy on both ends. That makes a big difference in following seas - the stern splits the wave as it goes by us and makes for a more comfortable ride - so with a more traditional stern-or transom, we would have probably been a lot more uncomfortable.
We timed arrival at the Key West channel an hour after daybreak. It is a lot easier to plan your speed with the engine running also. My biggest concern was getting through the channel if the winds and waves were as bad. Fortunately, both winds and waves moderated with sunrise. It still took us 3.5 hours to get from the mouth of the channel to the marina on the other side of KW. We got in at about 11:30, docked and celebrated with champagne given to us as a gift. Thanks!!
We are here, we are safe, we are grateful for all we have. We will kiip you up to date, and as soon as we have pics we will post them.
Thanks to all of our friends and fans. we love you!!
JonNe'
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