This past week has been spent getting a bunch of running around done. I have met more people heading south on their boats.

I have to be honest here. I have dreamed of getting to the place I am right now. I am physically recovered enough to give it a whirl. I have a bunch of work to do between now and the end of July. But I am getting that itch to get moving.

The hard part of this is realizing that when I bought Mary Lee, it was a desperate stab at getting away from laying in a bed waiting to die. That is how it felt. I really had no business buying a boat :-)

It has been 5 years of very difficult struggles. I am not as recovered as I hope to be. I am seriously still working at losing extra weight. Hopefully this season with Showstopper sees me thinner and stronger at the end. No matter. I am heading up to the Chesapeake bay whether everything is done or not.

I just need an electric windlass, autopilot and a better bank of batteries. I can do things as I go. But go I will

It is all I can do to contain myself. Apparently I am really feeling better.

The smoothy recipe I am sticking with for now. One each: orange, apple, carrot, banana. A small amount of blueberries, raspberries, grapes. Broccoli, spinach. Powdered greens, powdered beet. A few walnuts. A tablespoon of natural peanut butter. A drizzle of black strap molasses. A dribble of avocado oil(Dr. Oz said using a little on salads allows us to get four times the nutrients out of it. There are a few liquid vitamins and minerals that go in it. A bit of water because otherwise it is pretty thick.

It is ugly to look at, but tastes fine.

I have been debating on what to do for cooking. I have propane. No oven. The gimballed stove was removed by a previous owner. I have two gas burners. I bought a Nu-wave burner to try after listening to Steve and Linda (Yesterday's Dream)  talk about the ones they installed.

 I really like cooking on it. It would require a generator when away from shore. Not sure I will have the room. Whatever I decide. I am going to be getting excited to get out of here in July.

I have been struggling to come up with the best way to do the backrest for settee. I have come up with a working plan. I have scoured pictures of other boats. Spent lots of time thinking about it. Each idea, though plausible, has had a problem I do not like. I have a plan.

This is the size bed ended up. Roughly full size. Queen length. I spent some time getting rid of that wide shelf that the old back rest fastened to. New mattress will be 9 inches thick. Shelf had to go.

You can see hand rail is loose and setting where it will be.

Looking closely. You can see where old shelf was. Just above pillow.
     I was held up by old van crapping out. Still needed a van for hauling tools and materials back and forth.

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Van acquired. Back to work.
Something different. The black plastic on key fob is old. Hole for holding ring was iffy. I figured it would be better to fix it before it broke. I made a new steel loop for fob. Heated up my wood burner. Took some other black plastic that was as hard as the fob. And melted/welded loop on. Fixed. It will outlast the rest of the fob.

 The red monkey fist is one I made. Yes, I am reading up on things I will need to know for traveling.

I have a bit of building

To do. Then the epoxy. Yes. I have to fiberglass my additions in. They must not come loose. 

Once the building is done, it is looking like a one person wood staining party. Then sewing begins in earnest. I need upholstery and canvas (dodger, Bimini, sail covers, etc) done before I go back driving. I just want to be squaring away electronics between February and the end of July.

Day three of move to Southport was a challenge. I got a late start. The last two hours of the trip were in the dark.. I found out that a lot of channel markers are not lit up at night. I realized that when the first one went by the boat so close I could have spit on it.
  Coupled with the fact that I had never been to the marina I was looking for and a five year old chip in the gps that did not show the marina. Interesting. I could not see the boats. Just a lot up opening. Figured I would pull in and ask for directions. It was my marina. I really never spent much time looking. I knew it was in the area. I went by a little ways and came back. I knew of an Anchorage if I had any difficulty.

So the boat work starts. Tonight I am sleeping on a partially done bunk/couch

The back rest is next. I finally came up with an idea that will work.  Then I will do the booth. I will start doing upholstery when all the building is done. The booth will go quickly.I should be done by the end of next week and be sewing.

Day two of move north went beautifully.

Saw only about ten boats in 8 hours. Like having the road to yourself

The engine I rebuilt in Baltimore runs like a Timex. A gallon per hour, wide open.
  Had a little rain earlier. Glad I had pith helmet :-)

Made it to barefoot marina for the night. North Myrtle Beach, SC. I should be in Southport after about a 7 hour run tomorrow. Cannot wait to get that booth put in. The upholstery and canvas also. Next July, I am going somewhere.

Day one of moving Mary Lee from McClellanville SC. to Southport NC. was a nice ride. Only about 8 southbound boats passed me. I am only one going north.

I lost my straw pith hat. Picture was accidental. I had lens on phone switched somehow.
  A little bummed about hat. It was hard to find. So tomorrow I go back to wearing my standard issue pith helmet :-)

I have been fighting this insane fatigue issue for several years now. I sweat very heavily when out in the heat. I am from North Idaho, it is not so hot and humid there. I suspected I had been blaming it, partially, on recovering from my back injury. Certainly being laid up for as long as I was can make you weak. I just kept forcing myself to keep moving and it steadily got worse. Even though I was getting things done, it was taking the fun out of doing things(that and everything was taking longer than it should).
  I suspected I was sweating out a lot of minerals/electrolytes, and even took supplements off and on. Apparently not "on" enough. I stumbled across an article that explained why it takes 6 months to eliminate a magnesium deficiency. I also was looking into how much/long you can take supplements before it is toxic. I have changed my program. It is working.
I started something else.

Raw food shakes until the belly is flat again. I actually think I like this. I have been studying nutrition for quite some time. I was actually doing quite well with my eating and exercise before I got hurt. For a long time it was just survival mode. Now it is time to pick up the pieces and resume my life.

Installed one of the cat doors for Mary Beth. Bailey gave it a good study.

She ordered the other cat doors. Those will go in shortly.

Best of all.

The rest of the cushion arrived for my couch/settee. 3inches of super soft foam to top the mattress/seating part. 11 inch thick super soft foam for the back cushions.. Might sound a little thick on the back rest. But when the rest of this goes together in the next week, it will make sense. Should be extremely comfy.

I have been busy. Moving storage unit stuff to Southport, NC. Two last loads. Table saw, router table and the planer should make one load. Several sheets of marine ply and a few sheets of other wood will make the last. My mountain bike can go in with the plywood.

In the meantime. I have been working on a few other projects.

New 8 foot florescent light to replace the 4 footers. I brought in the drill press, a couple different bench Sanders and the big band saw.

 Also what other tools I thought I would need immediately. I am pleased to have the compressor set up. I really enjoy spraying finishes.

I will finish this chairs new cushion in the morning. Install a kitty door for Mary Beth in her house and then the boat upholstery starts.

I must admit to being anxious to get going on the upholstery.

I was thinking back to just over 3 years ago when I built the dinghy in this same garage.

 Just off the pain pills. Could not lift much at all. I am so very much stronger now. I have come a very long ways.

So if you have been following along and have been wondering why it is taking so long? It takes longer to recover from a back injury than you might think. Those who have a back injury will corroborate this fact. But like I said, I am doing things that were not possible 3 years ago. My diligence is paying off. I feel very good about my progress.