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Diane's Diary8/10 Friday I took the free bus to the grocery store. It's in a nice shopping mall. Unfortunately, the mall doesn't open until 10am & we leave at 10:30 so we don't get too much of a chance to shop at the mall. The supermarket pays for the bus to bring us all to them but the mall doesn't so that's why we don't stay any longer. I found a good shoemaker at the mall so I'll come next week & bring my Teva's in to get resoled. After cruising for almost 8 months wearing them exclusively, they are getting really worn & have no tread left. The shoemaker said he doesn't have Vibram soles like they use in the US, but a similar type. In the US it would cost about $20-30USD to get them resoled- here I will pay about $11. The shoemaker said the soles he uses are about 75%as effective as Teva's- for that price it won't hurt to try it! We got back from the supermarket around 11am & I put all the food away. After lunch, I did laundry again - 5 loads worth! We are certainly using a lot more laundry here. In the Tobago Cays all we wore was bathing suits for over 2 weeks so there wasn't much wash. Here, it's a lot hotter & we wear "normal" clothes all the time. With the intense heat, we sweat through our clothes so much; we can only wear them once before they go into the wash. I washed the bimini twice to try & get it clean. It was white but with all the red dust from Africa (yes, it's really true it comes over that far) it was reddish looking. I used bleach, Mary Kate On & Off & it still didn't come clean all the way. Oh well, it looks better than before. Now we will have to waterproof it again before it goes back up. I walked on the treadmill for about 50 minutes, took a quick swim, shower & then back to the boat. We had a nice dinner then spent the rest of the evening updating my logs. 8/11 Saturday We woke up at 8:30 & missed the net. With the AC on we are sleeping later & later. We also have the TV as a distraction. The stove repairman came this morning. We have been having trouble with the oven since Grenada. Everyone told us we were probably just low on propane & that's why it probably wasn't working properly but that definitely was not the case. We got the propane bottle filled up & it's still not working. The repairman said it was the thermostat. That's an expensive repair but it's better than paying $800USD for a new oven. He'll be back on Monday with the part to fix it. We got our mail today from Mom & Dad. We haven't gotten our mail since Heidi came to visit so it's very exciting. Even though we are going home in a few weeks we did not want to bring our mail back with us as we have so many other things to bring back. Besides, current magazines are worth their weight in gold around here - we cruisers trade everything around here but current books & magazines are definitely worth a premium. We really appreciate your sending the mail Mom & Dad. It was great seeing our magazines again. Now, we need to find time to read them! I borrowed a blow dryer from Mima & defrosted the freezer again. Seems like since it got hotter out I have to defrost it more. But now that we have AC, hopefully, I won't have to do it as often. I washed the bimini again this time I used Rolloff to clean it. It came out much better but still doesn't look 100%. At this point, I don't think it will ever come clean again so I think I'll just have to use it the way it is. I still need to dry it & waterproof it. We had dinner at Joe's Pizza with Mima & Second Tri though Joyce was still back in the US & Jack had some friends of his from the US visiting. After dinner, we had drinks on Mima although Jack & his friends went back to the boat since they had to take the bus back. 8/12 Sunday Sunday- a day of rest- though it never seems to be a rest day for us. We have been busier here than we have been in months with all the boat work. I made some bacon & eggs for breakfast. We were supposed to go over to Mima in the morning so I could use their Sailrite sewing machine but just as we were about to leave, a huge thunderstorm moved in, with lots of rain & lightning. So, instead we had lunch & waited for the rain to stop. We went over to Mima & I borrowed their sewing machine to sew canvas. I want to make covers for the jerry jugs, fenders, & handrail covers. Tom helped me set up the machine & get started on the fender covers & then left. Unfortunately, I was working under their shaded cabana but it was hot & everyone passing by stopped to talk to me so I didn't get much work done. I think I'll ask Tom to take the machine to our marina where I can work on it in an air-conditioned room. Dazzler invited us to the potluck Coral Cove was having that night but Larry didn't want to stay. So, instead we had drinks on Mima & came back to the boat by 6pm. I went for a quick dip in the pool, showers, then made dinner & watched some TV. 8/13 Monday I waited for the oven repairman to come & finally called him- he's not showing up today. Trini workman have a terrible reputation about not showing up for work sometimes. It seems to be a national problem. I invited Mima over for dinner & made Chicken Picatta. I worked on the fender covers at Crews Inn & just finished cutting all the fabric. Mima came over for dinner tonight & we all had a good time. 8/14 Tuesday Well, the oven repairman was supposed to come at 9am. He never showed so I called the office at 9:30. He will be with us "momentarily" & shows up at 10. He ballparked the part & labor at around $80 USD- now he says it's $125 USD. I think we are being ripped off but want my stove back so we get it fixed. It seems he is right & the problem is the thermostat. This afternoon I sewed with Mima's Sailrite machine. I'm not even finished yet but have to quit because Great White Wonder is coming over for drinks & swimming at 5:30. They stayed till around 8 & we all had a good time. They are trying to sell their boat & we will miss them if they do. 8/15 Wednesday I went with Members Only to the food warehouse today, the ride cost about $7USD roundtrip so you really have to buy a lot to make it worthwhile. Fortunately, I spent about $175USD so I would say it was definitely worthwhile. When you enter the store, it's just like a food warehouse back home complete with the food stand with hotdogs & pizza. I felt like I was at home! It was so nice to find US products again at a good cost. Two things I noticed that were very expensive down here is paper plates (almost $20Usd for 250 plates!) & vitamins ($40 USD for 500 capsule vitamins) I will have to buy these when I go home. I had a hotdog at the warehouse - I don't remember when I last had one! I put all the food away when I got home. I walked on the treadmill & took a shower in the afternoon. We went to a potluck buffet at Hummingbird Marine that evening. The lady usually makes the main course of either fish or chicken & everyone brings a dish & buys drinks. We got there about 30 minutes late & most of the food, including the main course was already gone. It was apparent a lot of people didn't even bring anything. We were starved when we got back to the boat & had some food. We will never go to this potluck again! |