Springtime on Kent Island: 5/21 - 5/23

—Blogpost written by Bob 

Friday, May 21

Sleeping with the forward hatch open was simply great last night but it did get rather chilly in the morning!  The reverse-cycle heat actually came on in the early morning hours.

Starting my third day of KETO this morning, I made a fried egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich using a low-carb tortilla as the bun--it was filling and delicious!  My carb count for breakfast was nine grams, two gram over my target for breakfast.

Four ounces of thick-sliced bacon frying for
my morning breakfast sandwich.

On this diet I DO find myself thinking about food a lot--I'm always planning my next meal, mostly to make sure that I don't exceed my carb limits.  (I'm sure this will curtail as I get further into it.)  The low-carb tortillas have been a lifesaver for me!  (I have also learned to drink my morning tea without whitener to save one gram of carbs.)

I never got around to picking up the items I needed to make the screw jack to remove the auxiliary fuel tank yesterday--this task was high on my list for today and I decided to drive to Annapolis where I knew how to find such things.  Before leaving for Annapolis I checked the carb content of a slice of pepperoni pizza (I was thinking I might be able to stop at Italian Market for lunch) but the carb count was 34 grams, which is about 50% more than my daily allowance on KETO.  So, I booted that idea out of my head quickly. 

Our little princess asleep on the navigation
station desk.  (This can't be comfortable!)

I ate an avocado for lunch and got on the road to Annapolis.  I managed to find the 5/8" diameter threaded rod and (six) nuts at Home Depot which was all I needed.  I, then, stopped at our storage unit and picked up my tool box full of hole cutters and my WorkMate.  Then, it was onto Homestead Gardens to pick up a replacement dock plant for the one-week old one that died after last week's hail storm.

When I got back to the boat, I made a delicious cheese steak sandwich using a low-carb tortilla as the bun--it was one of the best KETO meals I've made so far!

Saturday, May 22

A cool breeze and bright sunshine greeted me as I crawled out of the v-berth.  I think hunger woke me up, mine and Lola’s.  For breakfast, I had yogurt with 10 blueberries—sounds real satisfying, huh?

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The new battery for our car’s GPS was delivered to the little Chester Post Office late yesterday—so, I drove the half mile or so to pick it up.  Arriving 1/2 hour before the nine o’clock Saturday morning opening time, I made a quick stop at Safeway (just down the road rather than simply wait) to pick up some grocery items I needed.  Finally at 9 AM I was able to pick up my package and drive back to the marina.

I immediately started to work on the battery replacement.  There were absolutely no instructions with the battery kit.  The kit contained three small plastic prying tools which were almost useless and two small TORX screwdrivers which we not even needed.  I ended up taking off the plastic frame around the LCD on the front of the GPS using my pocket knife before I realized that it was the back of the GPS I was supposed to remove—this was the type of thing that would have easier if there were instructions!  I watched a YouTube video by another battery kit manufacturer on a GPS that was similar (but not exactly like) mine--this helped a lot. 

The old GPS battery.  (Note the lack of
connector on the wires--it had
completely disintegrated
upon removal.)

When I got to the battery, apparently some battery leakage over time had adhered it in place—I cut this off with a pocket knife and gently pried the battery out.  The (battery-side) battery connector broke into tiny pieces upon removal.  The easiest part of this task was installing the new battery and then reassembling the GPS.

One hour later I had a functioning GPS with a new battery.  (Was it worth it?  Yes, if you are like me and retired.  If you are still working for a living, just buy a new GPS unit for $200.)

Our car's GPS, a Garmin NUVI 3450LM,
with new maps and a new battery.
(We have a GPS that is part of
our Prius too but we don't use
it and I think updates must
be done by the dealer.)

For lunch today I made two beef franks and served them each on a half a low-card tortilla with mustard.  By doing this I was able to keep my carbs down and satisfy my hunger.  In the middle of the afternoon I ate an avocado as a treat.  For dinner I plan to have celery and almond butter and a vodka and (diet) tonic to keep me within my carb targets.  It seems like I think about food an awful lot on this diet.  I plan my meals so that I stay within my daily targets.  (I will weigh myself weekly, first time on next Tuesday, to monitor my progress.)  Today was the end of my fourth day on KETO.

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The outside temperature reached 86 degrees F this afternoon and it felt quite warm because of the high humidity.

Sunday, May 23

Today turned out to be quite warm--the outside temperature reached 87 degrees F in the afternoon.  In fact it was still 87degrees at 5 PM!  Tomorrow was expected to be cooler (in the 70's)--so I postponed making the screw jack (to be used for my auxiliary fuel tank removal) until tomorrow morning.

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One of the things I've been working on lately is a lost mail shipment.  As you may already know, we use a mail forwarding service in Florida for our mail.  Our incoming mail is collectted there until we tell them where to send it.  A couple of weeks ago, I ordered our mail sent to us but there was no record of me inputing the address for our new marina.  I checked with Annapolis City Dock (our previous marina) and they don't have it.  So, on Monday I will get more into on where it was sent and when--I'll track it down from there.  Stay tuned for more info on this and my new efforts to remove the leaking auxiliary fuel tank...

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