Winter in Charleston
Feb 27 thru Mar 3
—Blogpost written by Bob
Wednesday, February 27
Today started out warm and partially overcast. No rain was in the forecast for the day--however, it did rain lightly late in the afternoon.
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| No other cup of coffee ever matches the first one of the day. |
I got up early and lightly sanded (with 320-grit sandpaper) and applied the third coat of varnish on the teak trim on the dining table--I'm glad to get that task done for the day! As you can see in the photo on the next page, it is starting to look good--only one more coat!
We caught the 11 AM courtesy van to West Marine (or in our case, Harris Teeter) in Avondale. We bought some needed groceries and had a light lunch (salads and pizza) right in the grocery store. When we got back to the boat we resumed watching the televised Michael Cohen testimony before Congress--it was riveting. (There have been only a few other similar events in my lifetime that have been as riveting: the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings, O.J. Simpson's chase on the LA freeways, and, of course, the 9/11 coverage.)
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| This was the third coat of varnish applied to the starboard wing of the dining table as it was sitting in the cockpit drying. |
Thursday, February 28
Today was the last day of the month of February and we only have one more month to stay here in Charleston. Geez, so many more restaurants to try! We have to get cracking!
The sky was overcast first thing in the day but the sun burned off the clouds by about 9 AM. After a light breakfast onboard, I resumed my light sanding (this time with 400-grit sandpaper) of the teak trim on the starboard wing of the dining table. After wiping it clean with lacquer thinner, I applied the fourth (and last) coat of (Epifanes-brand) varnish. I am very pleased with the result!
(Epifanes is a "traditional marine varnish made from tung oil, phenolic-modified alkyd resins, and UV absorbers." In my opinion, it is the very best varnish available. I just started saving money by ordering it on Amazon where it is currently $24.62 for a 500ml can. (It is currently $41.99 at West Marine and I paid over $60 for the same thing last winter in Marsh Harbour.)
After completing the last coat of varnish on the starboard wing, I applied the fourth coat on the teak trim around the center section of the dining table.
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We went out for lunch at a very casual restaurant that is new to us, Queen Street Grocery--it was a 1.1-mile bike ride each way.
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| Queen Street Grocery was actually a grocery store that was established in 1922. It is now a casual restaurant serving breakfast and lunch. |
It was so warm (77 degrees outside) when we returned to the boat that we started the air conditioner. We read and relaxed in the cool boat. Much later in the afternoon, the sky became overcast and rain threatened. The rain actually started about 5 PM.
Friday, March 1
Maggie left for Sarasota for the last time this morning. (Maggie's friend died early this morning--she was 94 years old. We got the dreaded phone call at 3 AM.) Maggie will return to Charleston around the end of next week, hopefully in time for my birthday. I'm always sad when Maggie leaves for several days like this.
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| Lola looks down through the companionway hatch to see what's going on below. |
This morning after Maggie left, I completely removed the dining table so that I could remove some stain/varnish marks from the mast. After removing the stains and re-assembling the dining table, I applied a coat of varnish on the teak trim beneath the hinge on the port side. (At this point I had both dining table wings removed--one was in the cockpit with the varnishing completed, masking tape removed, but needing some clean up and the other was ready for initial sanding and staining (all of which is tomorrow's project).
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| To prevent getting cat hair on the freshly varnished teak trim we construct a cat barricade in the center of the table--it works pretty well! |
Today started out sunny and warm but ended up overcast and a bit cooler although the outside temperature remained in the 60's throughout the day. Rain was expected throughout today but it never materialized.
Saturday, March 2
At 8:30 AM the sun was just starting to burn through the early morning fog, as I was drinking my morning coffee. My plan for the day was simple: cook a port roast in the crockpot, mount the starboard dining table wing, add a coat of varnish under the hinge on the port side, and tape off and stain the port dining table wing (in the cockpit)--nothing too strenuous.
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We've been eating our largest meal at lunchtime lately--it seems more natural to us. Consequently, I prepared the pork roast in the morning and cooked it on the "high" position so that it was completely cooked by about 1 PM. I used a recipe for this roast, even though I don't normally use one for crockpot meals. I have to admit that I didn't stick to the recipe since I added 1/2 of an onion, some celery, and a dash of dried parsley flakes.
This was the first time that I've used the crockpot without the dining table in use--I usually sit the crockpot on the port wing of the dining table because it is out of the way there. Today, I placed it on the counter by the galley sink while it cooked the roast. (I had to run an extension cord to the crockpot. I have to add a receptacle in the galley--this became my summer project #22.)
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| Pork roast ready for cooking in the crockpot. |
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| A close up of the newly varnished teak trim after the starboard wing was re-mounted. |
In the afternoon, I finished reading The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump by Andrew McCabe. It is currently on Amazon's Best Seller List and it is a very well written book. I highly recommend reading this book!
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| The cover of the book I recently finished reading. |
Andrew McCabe was the recent acting FBI Director who was fired by Trump. His insights into Trump's (unpatriotic and sometimes's treasonous) actions are very valid--they are due to his (Trump's) fear. The case against Jim Comey, the previous FBI Director and Andrew McCabe (the author) were both fabricated after the fact to fit Trump's false narrative. This book is not just about the current political chaos but also about the methods and traditions of the FBI. Andrew McCabe came to the FBI as an attorney (decades ago), taking a big pay cut to work in his dream job.
Sunday, March 3
After lunch on board (leftover pork and sauerkraut), I started to apply the first coat of varnish to the teak trim on the port wing of the dining table--it was easy to work on in the cockpit. Stay tuned for more of our adventures in Charleston City Marina...
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