WHAT A LOVELY PLACE TO LIVE IF YOU HAVE A BOAT

Dan's brother Dwight lives in a house on a canal that runs out to the gulf. 

 He has a boat which he can park right behind the house and leave in the water all year round. 

The house is on a pie shaped lot at the end of a Cul du sac, which makes for a huge long water front area on this lot. 

 

The sea wall runs in two directions around the property where two canals come together. 

 

 

It makes for a lovely waterfront seating area with views in two directions.

 

 

 

 And being on the West coast of Florida it has beautiful sunsets. 

 

 

 

VERY NICE

BARB'S BEACH

 

This Beach in West Palm Beach was Barbs favourite, and so we gathered there to spread her ashes. 

 

 

We gathered to spread flowers and ashes in her memory.    

 

 

To share memories and stories and love.   

 

It was sad. 

It was beautiful.

 

 

We even had an appropriate Fly-By as the little ceremony ended.

 

 

She was such a wonderful, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, sister-in-law.

 

 

She will be missed. 

 

 

She will live on as long as she is remembered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WE HAVE ARRIVED IN NEW PORT RICHEY FLORIDA

 

This is the view from our plane window as we approached the airport in Tampa. 

 

 

 

 

It was an OK flight, but I hate flying.  I hate being herded like cattle, told where to go and and what to do, when to do it.  They can cancel on you, but you better be there 2 hours in advance, so they can give you a rough time about your luggage.  Then you have to sit in those uncomfortable seats for hours on end without moving, not to mention the NOISE from the engines that is deafening. 

 

 

 

 

If we have the time, I would always much rather drive, But we are here now and enjoying ourselves

 

We had a relaxing day on Wednesday, then we are off to West Palm Beach on Thursday, with the memorial service on Friday. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WE'RE OFF TO FLORIDA

Our sister-in-law Barbara Thacker, passed away late last year and the family is getting together on her favourite beach for a little Memorial ceremony on May 16th.  We are only going for 5 days, flying out on Tuesday May 13th and will be back home late on Sunday May 18th. 

 

 

It is a sad occasion, but it is always nice to be with all the family and share our memories with each other. 

 

 

 

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO THE OTHER THACKER FAMILY

 

 

 

DIY: REBUILDING THE REAR DECK

Our third major rebuilding on Thunderbird was the rear deck.  A few years after purchasing the boat, we came to the realization that the back deck was in really bad shape.  In fact we didn't really know how bad it was until we started to pull it apart in the fall of 2006.  Then we realized we are lucky someone hadn't fallen through it when boarding. 
 

 

The rear deck is completely exposed to the elements at all times.  I was also using a couple of old cushions that I had made from salvaged material from the original V berth.  They were quite heavy, not water proof and a nuisance to have to store inside when it rained.  So we gave a lot of consideration to how we should rebuild and improve it.  The original structure was built with 2X4s and plywood and had lasted since the mid 70s so we could rebuild it as it was originally designed and it would out last us, but we decided to see if we couldn't find newer longer lasting materials that would not need as much maintenance.  I also wanted new cushions and a way to keep them dry without bringing them indoors, to clutter up the interior, when it rained. 
 

We were able to track down new structural 2X4s made of recycled plastic and a 4X8' sheet of 1/2 inch sheeting material called "Star Board", that is just like kitchen cutting board, plus sheets of ridged fibre glass.  All products that would be maintenance free. 
 

Next came the deconstruction.  As we removed each piece of the old deck of course we saved it and put it aside, as templates for our re-construction.  It's a rather complicated structure, that we never would have been able to come up with on our own, so we were grateful for patterns.  As we deconstructed deeper and deeper, we realized how dangerous the original structure had become.  Some spots were mush.  By the time we had removed everything that was rotten, the back wall of the boat was wide open.  The inside of the broom closet was exposed, the compartments under the dinette were wide open and rear door sill were totally removed. 

 

 

 

So, in the spring of 2007, we started the rebuild.  We made some minor adjustments to allow for easier access to fuel tank and steering mechanisms and moved our electrical connection but other than that we rebuilt it as originally designed with all the new materials.  The framing was the new structural 2X4s.  The seat, steps and compartments were all built of star board.  The rear wall was rebuilt of plywood, then laminated with rigid fibre glass. 
 

We got it totally deconstructed and reconstructed in one fall/winter/spring session.  I still had to use the old cushions for a year or so, but now I have made all new cushions and a run-off cover for them so that we no longer have to bring the cushions indoors, to take up space when it rains. 


 
We have also installed a gas Bar-B-Q, which I have made a matching cover for.  I love it. 



And I'm sure it will all last longer than the 30 years the previous deck lasted. 
 

 





SO PRACTICAL WHEN IT RAINS.  I LOVE IT.

ANOTHER REFIT PROJECT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED, THAT WE ARE VERY PROUD OF

 

 

 

I JUST HAD A LITTLE STAY IN THE HOSPITAL

In case anyone was wondering why I have not been keeping up on my blog, it's because I have been in the hospital. 

 

 

It turned out to be nothing serious, but I woke up on Friday morning with a feeling of heaviness or pressure on my chest, with that same feeling radiating down my arms and up into my jaw, which seemed to me to be all the symptoms that they warn you about for "Heart Attack", so it really scared us.  We discussed it, and decided we better go to the hospital and have it checked out. 

 

We arrived at St. Boniface Hospital emergency room around 8:00 am and I was immediately rushed in for an EKG and blood tests.  Within 10 minutes I was on a gurney hooked up to all the latest technologies.  Which is even more frightening, when you realize that they think this is serious, but also reassuring that I'm glad I'm here, if it is this serious. 

 

So, there I lay on that gurney for the next 16 hours being poked, prodded questioned and examined by "everyone and his uncle", that passed by.  In that time I had at least 6 EKGs, 10 "blood lettings" and a thousand questions asked.  I was xrayed, stethoscoped, poked and prodded in more places than I care to mention, with still no answers.  With time and/or the drugs they had given me, my symptoms had passed, but my heart rate and blood pressure were still a little high and they didn't have an answer for that or as to what had set the symptoms off in the first place, so they decided to admit me to hospital for observation. 

 

I know we never have a choice, but if we did, my advice would be, "Never get sick on a Friday."  All weekend, the poking and prodding, testing and questioning continued, but the places that do the more in depth testing are all closed on the weekend.  Plus the hospital is very, very boring and the food is atrocious.  But there I sat, enduring, reading and walking the halls.  Then finally on Monday, they got me on the "Cancellation List" for a stress test with Ecocardiography, which is basically a sonogram of your heart then a treadmill workout then quickly another sonogram and see what happens. 

 

I really pushed it and was able to get my heart rate way up there, (higher than I think they expected for an old 72 year old lady) with no ill effects showing on the follow up sonogram.  They told me, "I passed with flying colours."   So, the minute I got back to my room, the cardiologist came into my room and said, "Why don't you go home?"  He had just finally received the copies of previous testing they had done on me a few years ago and he said that a couple of anomalies that they were a little concerned about have been there for years and my test results were great.  "So, go home, relax, and yes, you can travel."

 

So, I'm home and finalizing my plans and packing for our trip to Florida next week. 

 

 

 

GLAD THAT'S OVER WITH 

 

OUR DAUGHTER'S SPRING PROJECT

Each year when we arrive home from Texas one of our kids, usually have a project going on.  This year our oldest daughter has decided to put in some new kitchen counters and open up between her dinning room and kitchen. 

 

Because she has an older house than her siblings, hers seems to be an ongoing reno project.  Unfortunately this means that some repairs will have to be done to the new hardwood floors they installed last spring. 

 

But I agree with her that this will be a great update to her house as these older homes were all built with small individual rooms and the newer ones are all far more open concept.  This change will certainly bring some of that open concept style into this older home. 

 

 

THE WALL IS COMING DOWN.