Day 53 Missed last night

Missed last night.  Too late and too tired.

In our continuing endeavor to try new and different foods, we stopped at a restaurant on our way back from McMinnville, Oregon.  Their billboard out from the store listed "Elk Burgers" and the listings around the top of the buildings about what they had included "Monkey"!   They even had a neon sign as you can see with a monkey on it in the window.  Who wouldn't stop with an appetizing menu with lead ins like these.  They've been in the same location for over 25 years.  Your typical burger joint.  Linoleum and old formica tables.  Even had booths out in front of the restaurant.  Checked the menu and saw nothing with monkey but they did have

the elk burgers.  Nothing wrong with beef so I stayed with that.  So did Tracy.   Good onion rings but no jalapeno flavor on mine.  Just can't resist a good jalapeno and cheese burger.  I still long for some of my jalapeno turkey soup I make each year.  A firey taste of home.  Growing my own jalapenos allowed me to control the fire.

We had gone to McMinnville to get a new motor for the dingy.  Our 2hp Honda finally expired and we needed a replacement.  "Practical Sailer"(the Consumer Reports for sailers) recommended Mercury over Honda.  We've had Honda outboard motors for years but they weigh about 10 pounds more than the Mercury.  With it having to be put on and taken off the dingy regularly, weight is an important factor.  We have a crane system to assist, but there is still a good bit of brute force necessary to get it even to the crane.   So we are now the proud owners of a new 8hp engine to help get us to shore and back when we can't dock at a marina.  Bought one with a "short" shaft.  The motors come in different lengths for different uses.  Since our will be going on a small dingy, short was the way to go.  It will allow us to get closer to shore without hitting the bottom.

Now that we have full access to our water, we have finally used just about everything in the four tanks.  Took well over a month.  With them holding 265 gallons, I figure it will take several hours to get them toped off.  I'll put the hose in the fill tube and let her fill.  From time to time, I'll have to check the level in the tanks--unscrew an inspection port and stick in a wood dowel--(high tech measuring device).  Since we have 4 tanks spread about the boat, they each fill in turn.  As one fills, the water then migrates to the next until all are full.  Luckily, we can control the tanks as to where we want to take the water from.  If one tank gets contaminated, we can shut it off and pull from another. 

I'm off to fill the tanks.