Found it! Finally. Yesterday the mechanics started tearing the engine down. After removing the fresh water pump at the front of the engine they could peek through the hole to the first cylinder, and there, just barely in view, was a small spot of corrosion that had worked its way … Read More
Four Years Old
Ouest turned four today. Ali mentioned how impossible it seems that it was four years ago that we were down in Puerto Vallarta walking across the street from our condo to the hospital to have her. Birthdays are kind of our thing. We don’t really go in for holidays, and … Read More
Missed Holidays and Engines
Today was the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and we completely missed it. Which is a bummer because the locals really got into it. The plaza and cathedral were packed solid full of parents with their young children dressed up in traditional Mexican garb (which is why it is … Read More
Solar Powered Up
Last night I wrapped up the solar panel installation, and I have to say that I’m pretty pleased with it. Not that it’s a difficult job. In fact I’d now rank solar panels as the number one easiest major update a do-it-yourselfer can make to a boat—and cheap too, compared … Read More
Weekend with Grammy
Engine update: Really all I know right now is that the head checked out all good. All the chambers were pressure tested—no cracks, no leaks. And it is 100% flat. So that’s good news. Now we’re waiting for the guy from the shop to come and test the block. He’s … Read More
All work and no play
I really don’t have a lot to say lately. I’ve been going out to the boat most mornings at six, Ali holds down the fort, and I return most afternoons around the time Ouest gets home from school. Exciting stuff. Lots of work going on around the boat at the … Read More
Bumfuzzle En Español
Bumfuzzle has gone international. Our book Bumfuzzle has been translated to Spanish and is now live for the 6.78 percent of the world who speaks it. So if Spanish is your first language and you really didn’t understand what a screecher or an MOB was when you read the story in … Read More
Another First
Look who is sitting in that barber chair. That’s right, Ouest got her first haircut. She’ll be four in a week, so I think it may have been time. Up to now it’s only been Ali giving her a trim, and even that was only two times. She did exactly … Read More
Out and About
Out and about the past couple of days. We went for an evening stroll down to the fishermen’s end of the beach, watched a big group of kids play baseball in the sand and our kids poke around in the boats and sand for treasure. Ouest seems certain that any … Read More
More Nonsense
First off, I was apparently fooled about the valve sleeves/liners/jackets, whatever they are called. The engine doesn’t have those. The manual shows them, which is why I thought it did have them—but it doesn’t. So anyway, we put the engine back together, fired it up and ran it for a … Read More
The Leak Hunt
Yesterday, with the help of a mechanic and his partner, we tore apart the engine. This time instead of ripping off the head we dug into the belly. We wanted to get the oil pan off so we could have a look at the underside of the valves and see … Read More
Uninspired
I have to say that the past few days I’ve been feeling pretty uninspired. I’ve been spending a lot of time on the boat, going out there in the morning before the kids get up and coming back around noon tired and not much fun. Tomorrow a mechanic is going … Read More