Dental Emergency; Bad, Bad Vette! Rack Envy; Heavy Metal; Awesome Sunset; Daufuskie Island; Savannah; Big Ships; Young Sea Dogs

  

So there we were. enjoying a meal of pork chops, and "zing!", I felt a sliver of bone get caught between two rear molars. I tried all the usual methods of getting it out (Plackers, old fashioned dental floss, my pocket knife blade), but nothing worked. I said to My Lovely Bride, "Suzanne, how about grabbing your tweezers". That didn't work either. Moving up in tool size, she went to the garage for a pair of pliers. I thought to myself, Self, this ain't gonna turn out well. So I said, "Sweetheart, how about asking our dear friend Irene, who was a dental hygienist, if she can help?" I could tell that MLB was disappointed; after all, how often can a girl wield tools in a guy's mouth? Well, we went over to Irene and Tony's house, and in a few minutes, Irene had saved the day... or my teeth, which is just as important. But Suzanne was standing by with a big set of pliers if Irene's dental tools didn't work out.

 

How many times have you gone to the grocery, looked for a parking spot, and seen some goombah's car parked outside the lines? Right, usually it's some 16 year old who just got their learner's permit, or a guy with a Ford F-350 extended cab that needs two spots, but a Corvette? Really? Bad, Bad Vette!

 

This next section is titled "Rack Envy".... now, puh-lease, put those naughty thoughts out of your minds... we are talking about wine racks... while visiting our friends Rob and Margie at their open house, MLB is admiring their custom made wine racks and wine room. What a striking addition to an already beautiful new home they have in Windmill Harbour!

  

This photo is of a big aluminum sailboat in our marina. She is a very sturdy, blue water cruiser, designed for heavy offshore weather in places like Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Norway. Fiberglass boats, which make up 99% of the boats you find in the US, cannot match the rugged construction of aluminum or steel (heavy metal) boats, most of which are built in Holland, Germany or France. (We once had a 42 foot steel sailboat, but that was decades ago, and now we are happy to have a trawler and forego heavy weather and winter storms in the North Atlantic...)

  

One of the nice things about being near the water in South Carolina is the frequency of awesome sunsets; this one is typical of the spectacular views we get here in the Lowcountry... the view is from a nearby bridge crossing the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) between the mainland and Hilton Head.

 

We are currently on a short cruise aboard Gratitude; as we traveled down the ICW to Savannah, Georgia, we passed Daufuskie Island, where one of Suzanne's acquaintances lives. Julie took this photo from her home as we passed her island. There are no cars there; you get off a ferry and either walk, bike or ride a golf cart to and from your home or hotel!

 

While in Savannah, we are staying at a marina across the Savannah River from the city itself. As we were coming up river, Suzanne was driving when a 1,000 foot long container ship passed us. This ship was 145,000 tons displacement; as a comparison, most aircraft carriers are about 100,000 tons, and my destroyer was only 9,000 tons. Look at all those containers! She might have just dropped off 1,000 of them at Savannah's container port, one of the busiest in the world.

  

Here is a view of Savannah at night from across the river... what a beautiful place, night or day! We are looking forward to doing some sightseeing over the next few days, even though we have been here several times in the past.

  

Today was Thanksgiving, and we were grateful to be able to share it with our dear friends Mike and Beth Pasakarnis. You may recognize them as Wolf's dad and stepmom from Wolf's Message, one of Suzanne's most popular books. They live about an hour away, and we had a fabulous day with them, with gourmet food and wine and some spirited games of "Codenames". (The girls came out on top, but that was only a fluke...)

  

In closing, here are the Gratitude Dogs (Rusty and Nellie) in my lap, enjoying some R&R on the fantail (the rounded deck at the stern of a ship). While the nautical term "fantail" usually refers to a warship, I use it since I served aboard seven such ships. Rusty and Nellie don't have much time at sea, but they are already becoming Good Sea Dogs!

 

House Bound Due To Ian; Hurricane Names; Eye Splices; Menhaden and Reedville; Battleships! ICW Cruising; A New Swabbie! Shallow Waters; O-RE-Os! Windmill Harbour; Marines; Chick-fil-A

So, it's been awhile since my last post, but because we are house-bound (thank you, Hurricane Ian), I am back to jotting down my thoughts about Life As Ty Sees It....

Speaking of "Ian", as most of you know, I am an "Old Guy".... what does that have to do with hurricanes, you may ask... well, here's the answer: when I was a kid, hurricanes were only named after females. Why? Tradition has it because women are much more unpredictable and dangerous than men. (Hey, don't throw bricks at me! I didn't invent that tradition!) Well, in 1978/79, following pressure from feminist groups, men's names were added... and Hurricane Bob (couldn't they get any more clever than "Bob"?) was the first named Atlantic hurricane. I personally preferred Camille, Irma and Betsy over Hugo and Charlie, but no one gave me a vote. 

So, as Ian was clobbering our old home state of Florida (and our hearts go out to everyone affected by any hurricane or typhoon), we were preparing here in South Carolina. Suzanne brought in all our lawn furniture while I was getting more lines ready to secure our boat, Gratitude. Here I am tying an eye splice in 3/4 inch three strand nylon line to make additional dock lines (we already had six holding the boat in her slip, but more is always better!). 

And here is the final product (one of three before my arthritic fingers gave out). Back in the days of sail, every sailor could tie eye splices like this. As technology developed, machines started taking the place of "iron men on wooden ships", but as I have owned a series of sailboats since 1977 (before going to 'The Dark Side' with our first power boat, Gratitude), I had learned to splice my own lines. Maybe in my next life I'll return to the 18th or 19th Century aboard a sailing warship like Bon Homme Richard, Constitution, or Alabama.

We brought Gratitude down from Cambridge, Maryland, in August. It's a time that very few boats are moving north or south, so finding a slip at marinas was pretty easy. Diesel prices were insane ($6.00/gallon), so I had Suzanne row whenever possible. (Just kidding.)  Reedville, Virginia, is a charming bayside town that is home to the menhaden fishing fleet. These small fish  (Brevoortia patronus), also known as mossbunker, are processed at a local facility to make fertilizer. In fact, these are the same species that the Native American Squanto advised the Pilgrims to plant with their crops.  We passed this menhaden ship on Chesapeake Bay.

The menhaden factory emits a unique smell that one prefers to be upwind of, but the town is delightful, with a main street full of Victorian homes that originally were built for sailing ship captains, such as this 1919 Queen Anne home.

A stop in Norfolk, Virginia, saw us on a walk near the bow of USS Wisconsin (BB-64). I had served as Operations Officer aboard her sister ship, USS Iowa (BB-61), here in Norfolk back in the mid-80s, so it was like going home.

Traveling down the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is always a pleasure, albeit sometimes a slog as well. We travel about 60-70 miles per day, and we had about 720 miles to cover.  The water in Virginia and North Carolina can be high in tannin, so you get a brown color as your propellers stir up the water.

We were fortunate to have excellent weather for the trip south, although it was pretty warm. We saw very few boats on this stretch south of Coinjock, North Carolina, but we were also far from any big towns or cities.

Have you ever wondered where your seafood came from? Hopefully, you are buying local shrimp, fish and oysters harvested in the US; well, these North Carolina shrimp boats go out at the crack of dawn, in bad weather as well as on fair days, to bring you the freshest seafood you could ever hope for. It's a hard life, especially when these working folk have to pay for other people's college loans... just sayin'.....

Georgetown, South Carolina, was another good stop; this used to be a sleepy place, but lots of retirees and young people fleeing high taxes and crime up north are moving to the South.                                                                                              

Myrtle Beach is a busy beach town where vacationing golfers find a bit of paradise. The owners of this mansion must have invested well!

We were looking forward to arriving in Charleston, South Carolina, because Lynette Setzkorn, Suzanne's Scheduling Princess, would be joining us for a few days. Donna Jenkins, Special Projects Assistant, also met us on arrival, and we had a nice dinner and catch-up together.

We got underway with Lynette learning about driving and navigating a big trawler. Her previous boating experience had been on much smaller skiffs in Oklahoma. She is now qualified on the helm (ship's steering wheel) and is a Designated Swabbie!

Due to a long day's travel from Charleston, to Beaufort, SC, and to catch a favorable tide before it ebbed too much, we left port at first light (0615). After a few hours, we had a very tense passage through a narrow, shallow channel with a falling tide. The Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff is portrayed here; Gratitude draws 5 feet... we passed over these orange and red areas with just 2-3 inches below the keel. 

Tense moments were followed by relaxing with an Oreo. Lynette and Suzanne gave me a hard time about my twisting the top off and eating the pieces very slowly.

We arrived at our new home port, Windmill Harbour on Hilton Head Island, right next to the South Carolina Yacht Club. It had been a fun trip, particularly with Lynette aboard, but after 11 days on the boat with little time other than moving from Point A to Point B, we were ready to really relax, go for walks on the beach, and go for bike rides.

Friends from our sailing days visited recently. Jim is a retired Continental Airlines 757 senior pilot, and Diane was a Continental flight attendant for 30+ years. They were traveling in their RV and visited for a few days. We visited the Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot at Parris Island, and got to watch many young recruits training to become Marines. 

The Memorial to the Marines (and one Navy hospital corpsman serving with the Marines) who raised the flag on Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi is always an emotional stop.

The Purple Heart memorial is another must see. Jim was a Patrol Boat River (PBR) skipper in Vietnam, earned his medals the hard way, and never talks about it. We owe a lot to men and women like him.

Suzanne has been doing a lot of traveling lately.... here she is before heading out to Arizona for the Helping Parents Heal conference.

I had one recent rip, when I drove our bus down to Tampa/Clearwater, Florida, for some work. I flew back, and this was the scene in the food court at the Tampa airport ... I asked a shop clerk if Chick-fil-A was always this crowded. He said, yes, except on Sundays, there are always 15-20 people lined up there. And yes, I had just eaten my Spicy Chicken Sandwich! YUM!!! No wonder they are the most popular restaurants in the USA!

Maritime Museum; A Good Luck Figurehead; Museum Artifacts; Blessing of the Combines; Hershey, PA; Omega Institute; Herkimer, NY; Bike 'n Beer! Wine Country; Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; Polygamy????

  When last I posted we were in St. Michaels, Maryland, to take possession of our new-to-us boat. We went on a bike ride there to the Maritime Museum, a Very Cool Place! Not only are there beautiful historic homes (this one was a ship's captain's)...

but also a busty figurehead from a sailing ship in the early 20th Century, when political correctness wasn't an issue. (Ah, for the Good Old Days!) This is Miss Freedom.... she was displayed at the bow of the 88 foot John Alden designed schooner Freedom when she was part of the US Naval Academy's fleet in the 1930s. Legend has it that the figurehead was removed to save weight during races, and displayed in the Naval Academy Museum for years, and Midshipmen would rub her ample breasts for good luck. Unfortunately, one dumb lad wrote his mother about this tradition, and she wrote to the Naval Academy Superintendent complaining... the Admiral then offered Miss Freedom to the Maritime Museum on indefinite loan so as not to corrupt the young midshipmen (then, all males... Sigh..... "Thanks, Mom!")

Also, I would be remiss not to show My Lovely Bride and our Loyal Dachshunds Nellie and Rusty on the foredeck of our 2003 trawler, Gratitude...

After getting back on the road, we spent one night in a campground in Westover, Maryland, where MLB had a curious encounter with two pieces of ancient history... you can see that she is confused, and wondering what one is to do with these museum artifacts...

You've undoubtedly heard of the Blessing of the Fleet in various ports in Europe and the US. I was chagrined to find that we would not be in town for the local land-based version of this event. I suggested to MLB that we change our summer plans and drive back, but alas, was turned down...

So, from Maryland, we motored the bus to Hershey, PA, and while I groused at the unnecessarily insane price of diesel fuel ($6.10/gallon), it was a delightful week long stop. (At least when we were in Hershey, I didn't have to throw money away at Flying J or Pilot...) Hershey is special because Suzanne's dad, Bill Smeltzer, was a student at the Milton S. Hershey School for Boys in the 1930s, as was his brother. When their father died, their mom couldn't afford to raise them, so they went to the Hershey School as orphans. Bill graduated from Hershey High School and worked for Milton Hershey for a few years before getting a job as a railroad engineer, shoveling coal on steam engines. (As a side note, when I knew him, in his 80s and 90s, he still had a grip of steel!) Milton Hershey was an amazing man who gave away his entire fortune to fund the Milton S. Hershey School, which is running strong today, helping kids from around the world. What an example he set for us all!

From Hershey, it was a relatively short drive to Rhinebeck, NY, just off the Hudson River, where Suzanne presented a workshop at the Omega Institute. As always, it was sold out, and what a great group of folks!

We had a delightful dinner with Annie Bond at her lovely home in the woods. Annie is an amazing energy healer who has helped Suzanne on several occasions and been a guest on Suzanne's podcast. Annie also took us on a fabulous hike on Poet's Walk near the shore of the Hudson River.

Omega Institute is a Very Cool Place, well organized and in a beautiful setting. Her students loved the workshop, and came from as far away as Pakistan and England!

From Omega, we drove upstate to Herkimer, where we stayed in a campground adjacent to two "diamond" mines. Actually, the stones are clear quartz, but it was fun mining for them for a couple of hours. Here is MLB sluicing.... 

One of the mines had this famous quote attributed to George Orwell, of Animal Farm fame. His words are timeless, as is his book which foresaw where we are headed today.... the other signs read "I support our troops" and "God Bless America". (Would that every American felt that way...)

I did some mining myself, and presented Suzanne with a decent sized "diamond"....

Our campsite at Herkimer was right on the river, and we enjoyed the scenery with our puppies; they sit in a playpen while we read, and fortunately, the bugs haven't been too bad.

This photo gives you some idea why we love nature so much... who could not be happy here?

We stayed at a KOA Kampground in Herkimer - it was unusual in that there were a couple of very unusual "Kabins"... this was the neatest, with a huge moose antler rack!

Here is a good shot of our bus; I like it because it was taken from above, and you can see all the equipment on the roof (air conditioners, horns, etc.). "Barb" towers 13' 4". The max height allowed on US highways without special permits is 13' 6". There have been a few occasions where there was a "pucker factor" with height, but we are getting used to it now...

From Herkimer, we moved on to Hammondsport/Bath, NY. (Our campground claimed both in their name.) The New York Finger Lakes district is known for its wineries. A visit to the nearby Doctor Konstantin Frank Winery was obligatory. The wines were good, but Rusty kept asking for a taste; I told him that at less than two years old, he was too young.

Bath, NY, had some interesting old Victorian houses. This one could use some attention, but we agreed that we didn't have the energy, time or money to invest in this fixer upper.

Keuka Lake is a big boating area, and a local classic boat show made for a fun stop. Lots of old '50s and '60s wood boats brought back some nostalgic memories... for both of us, since Suzanne was stowed under the foredeck on her parents' wood runabout at the tender age of 2 weeks! No wonder she likes boats!

This woman's bike with a can of beer in the water bottle holder was a surprise. There are some running events in California where you run from pub to pub and have a beer at each one, but riding a bike while enjoying a beer could be hazardous... of course, in hot weather, one should always stay hydrated, and beer is mostly water, right??? Note to self: next time you research "girls, bikes and beer" on Google, don't be watching a video of Daytona and Sturgis motorcycle chicks in skimpy outfits when YLB walks by..." Smack!

Our next stop was Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio... to visit our dear friends Mitch and Karen Crawford, and for Suzanne to present her Personal Mediumship course. The Crawfords hosted us at a fabulous Wagyu brisket dinner with their daughter, (the Amazing) Grace, who is just about to start her freshman year at the University of Miami (Ohio). Also, Karen is an amazing cook - her Whoopie Pies and chocolate chip cookies transported me to dessert Nirvana!

Karen and Mitch took us sightseeing around the area. We had never been to central Ohio, and it was a fun visit! Here we are in beautiful surroundings with beautiful friends!

Karen took us biking on a local Bike and Hike Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park; what a fun ride, lots of shade kept us reasonably cool in the mid-July heat.

A stop at a farmer's market was great, but Karen's photo of Our Pack was one of the best we've seen. Rusty and Nellie were so happy to have been taken along on an outing with Karen and Mitch!!!

Suzanne's workshop was well received, and as you can see, she was having as much fun as her students! Thanks also to Karen and Mitch for their hard work at the workshop all weekend!!!

Finally, here is one of the most attention-getting signs I've ever seen. We were driving past this in Savona, NY, a quiet little village, when I slammed on the brakes and said, "Holy Cow! I wonder if this is a guy or woman's sign? Savona must be a swinging place!" MLB replied, "Don't even go there or get any bright ideas, Ty!" Smack!