Divide & Conquer

Tim:
Lynette went with her parents who were gracious enough to get her to Redding where she had many details to take care of and retrieve our car then drive it back. 
Meanwhile I was left to do repairs, improvements and help our friends with their boat projects.
The other day I was rinsing the boat down to get it all ready to show and sail. Lynette was down below and I heard her shouting, "we have a leak!" Which is not something you want to hear but the truth will set you free, right? So I sprayed an area where the deck and cabin side joins, there was a crack there and was allowing water inside the boat. It breaks one of the cardinal rules "Keep the water out of the boat" 
The Dremel was lit up and carved a groove to open up access to the cracks, then I filled with West System Epoxy and special filler. I made a really thick mixture and pressed it into the crack while creating a nice radius called a fillet. This drives the water away with a smooth shape so it does not hang around too long and find its way below. 3-days grinding, filling and sanding. Success!  

Then I went for the gap below the toe rail and the hull. The starboard side showed signs of water penetration, so I did the same process, clear out the old, replace with new thick epoxy. 

Lynette:
For me, it's time to check in on our house and meet new students there and make sure Ellis is fine with all details of managing a house. It’s time for all the big mail chores and bookkeeping activities.
I’m having a difficult time with all the “here and there”. It is hard to focus! I finished settling things that did not get done before we left: cleaning the garage, errands to get rid of stuff and more of the details to complete my California massage certificate -- those fingerprints! Then a trip to the DMV to get the dinghy title transferred along with the registration. 

I went home with a list of things to bring back from the house to the boat and a list of things to purchase. At this point it is much easier to get around Redding than San Diego. I spent one day shopping, all day. I stayed the nights away with our friends Jim and Karen, the ones who dropped us off in Alameda and helped us unpack and build things. 

While cleaning at the house I discovered a rat in the shed! It happens every year at this time! I purchased some new rat traps and Ellis had his chance at baiting and setting them. A raw nut and peanut butter works great every time! The snap traps are the best because they just work quick!  In the morning I arrived after my LIveScan fingerprints and the DMV to check up on the traps. The one on the floor was gone! The one up high was still untouched. Where is the trap? The hunt ensued only to find it under the chipper about 10 feet from where it was set. A gruesome view awaited me as I used a rake to retrieve the trap with a rat head and then the visceral lower half. All the feet, legs, flesh and fur were gone! What on earth ate this?! Was it a cat or something else that could be living in the shed? Now I’m freaked out! Was it hiding in the shed? I got out of there until later when I realized I needed something on my list from there. Returning to shed with a rake to make all sorts of noise, I procured my item and noticed the other trap had been set off but there was nothing in it that I could see. I moved over towards the trap to find a very large ground squirrel on the ground on its back…what if it’s not dead? I’d better wait until Ellis gets home to handle this.

When Ellis arrived home we took care of the carcasses. The ground squirrel was a very large female and so it was good for it to be dead. The neighbor told me they were creating quite a few problems at their place. Tim live-trapped 2 of them before we left and removed them from the area. 

I spent an entire day working on all the paperwork from the mail, our businesses and bank accounts. Have you ever tried to get free for a month? How about 2 months? Longer? I finally just took the time needed to fully complete all items that needed doing. Creating a great deal of peace for me. I was not looking forward to long drive back down to San Diego. After enjoying a brunch with my friend I stopped by the house to raid the meat in the freezer and do a couple things, then hit the road! 

I stopped in Bakersfield for the night and left in the morning to arrive in San Diego about 1230. There was still some time to work on things and unload all the items I brought back; home at last!