Woke up at 730 to the sound of a chain saw. On the lake. Now, I don't mind waking up at 730 at all, but a chain saw is an unpleasant sound at any time of day or night. So, I got up and got the dogs out on the dock to go for their walk when I found that source of the noise. It was a weedeater cutting down all of our blackberries just as they were getting ready to ripen. And all of the horsetail just as it was getting really pretty. Wild rose bushes cut way back just as the rose hips were getting ready to pluck. Whose idea was this?
I found moorage at ome of marinas that I'd ultimately be moored at and contacted the marina manager. Turns out he's the same guy who ran the marina I left because he doesn't like dogs. He doesn't like dogs at the new marina either. He wanted to know my thoughts. So, I told him. I'm not taking it off my list. I figure he won't be the manager forever and there are two others on my list. And in the meantime, I like it just fine where I'm at. It's just not my absolute ideal. So, I'll dream and wait and be happy where I'm at.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday Night Duck Dodge
My neighbor with the older boat (Mr opera/whistler) has his boat out for the first time in the evening. So far, he's only taken short trips. Well, it's Tuesday night and I'm at my desk and I find that I can see the sailboats even though I'm so close to shore. There are a few motorboats and rowers out also. Makes me happy. When I first heard of the Duck Dodge, I imagined that there were little floaty ducks on the water and sailers either had to miss them or pick them up. Sounds like a good idea, right? From the living room/salon/pilot house I have a view of downtown Seattle and from the back deck I have a peek-a-boo view of the Space Needle. Life is good.
The Neighbors
I met my first neighbor when I was moving my boat into it's slip. It was tugged across the lake by a raft with an outboard motor while I drove to the new moorage and stood on the end of the dock waving to guide the driver. There are no addresses or names on the water side! My neighbor jumped off her houseboat and ran down the dock to help me, leaving her favorite Chinese dinner to get cold. She was so excited to see another houseboat and she really liked the look of mine. She helped tie it down which was great because I really didn't know what I was doing at all. She lives near the end and has a view and is a fabulous neighbor! She helped me with my propane tank. The rest are a mixed bag. There are a few liveaboards who are quiet and friendly. There are some who keep their boats but never come around. Expensive hobby. Then there are the "tourists" who come around to party. I think a couple of them are liveaboard wannabes who can't get status. Next to me is an antique. The owner comes often and putters around. Over the winter, he would start up the engine and run it for about 1/2 hour at a time. Diesel. Under cover. My headache would start after about two minutes. Oh well, part of the deal. In the spring he finally took it for a ride. Nice. Opens up my view nicely. He finally put a chair on the deck and I expected to find him relaxing and enjoying his boat. I've only seen him sit for about five minutes though. Guess he just likes to putter. Sometimes he plays opera or whistles.
The couple that own the boat across from me live across the sound come to visit their boat often. Friendly and quiet. They sometimes have guests and seem to really enjoy their boat so much. Nice.
Then there's "creepy guy". Big, fancy boat. Often visits during the night with guests. They generally arrive shouting in the parking lot, loud enough to wake you from sleep. You can hear them all the way from the parking lot, down the stairs and to the boat. Shouting. Literally. 2am. 3 am. 5 am. Regularly. Fortunately, the party goes out onto the water and doesn't stay at the dock. However, he has a very difficult time bringing the boat back to his slip. I've seen children do a better job. You think he'd get better with practice. His friends try to help guide him, but no luck. He's hit the dock, the friends have to leap onto the dock with the ropes to pull the boat into place. Wow. Last week he actually went out during the day. Woman with two small children. Not his usual fare. When they docked, she leaped off and left while he had to man the ropes himself and try to keep the kids aboard until he was done. Now my imagination is really going. His nickname comes from the day I was climbing out the back of my boat with my dogs to find him taking my photo. I was surprised, confused, unhappy, just stopped in my tracks and stared at him. He finally said a meek hello. Too weird and creepy. We're not friends.
The "frat boys". Love to party. Seems like three regulars, two in their twenties or thirties, one probably in his fifties, but acts like the younger ones. Some of their parties start in the middle of the night. They like to prop the security gate open for their guests and I've found it like that in the morning. What's the security guard doing? Actually, they like to prop the gate open just because it's inconvenient. They like to have lots of people over and play their music very loud. Well, they're having fun. Too bad I wanted to sleep. They haul lots of beer onto the boat! Fun times. For them.
"Remodel woman". Her boat has been a mess from the time I moved in. Apparently it's been like that for the past three years. I was happy when it seemed she was moving in. She's around my age and I thought it would be great to have a neighbor I could get together with. Turns out she's one of those women who prefer only the company of men. She might talk to me if the mood strikes her or she just might ignore my friendly hello. However, I hear her shouting to the men that pass her boat. She struck up a long conversation with my construction guys. And most other guys that are around. I just ignore her now. Found her visiting sister snooping around my boat but I like to think she was just checking out the view.
When I moved on, I had a very nice neighbor with a pet bulldog and a very nice girlfriend. Unfortunately, he moved. Maybe he moved in with his girlfriend. I miss him. Then a gal moved in with her cocker spaniel. Didn't last long. However, there's a guy who says it's his boat and comes out occasionally to do stuff to the boat. Interesting.
There are neighbors on the dock in the office building. A bunch of therapists and the boat rental folks. They brought the boats and kayaks to the dock at the unlocked part. Come rent a boat for the day. One of the therapists carries a cage covered with a towel. Turns out it's a dog. Why isn't it walking? ZhouZhou hates it. If ZhouZhou hates it, Teeny feels like she has to hate it too but she doesn't know why. When I walk the dogs, sometimes people from the office building stop to say hello. Nice. Recently, one of them carried a creature that looked like a cat/dog out to do it's business. Didn't seem to be moving. It was so still that my dogs didn't even notice it. What was it???? Actually, I hope I never find out. Too creepy.
I thought the shared boating experience would mean close, friendly neighbors. You know, bluebirds and flowers. Silly. Actually, it's no different than any other neighborhood.
The couple that own the boat across from me live across the sound come to visit their boat often. Friendly and quiet. They sometimes have guests and seem to really enjoy their boat so much. Nice.
Then there's "creepy guy". Big, fancy boat. Often visits during the night with guests. They generally arrive shouting in the parking lot, loud enough to wake you from sleep. You can hear them all the way from the parking lot, down the stairs and to the boat. Shouting. Literally. 2am. 3 am. 5 am. Regularly. Fortunately, the party goes out onto the water and doesn't stay at the dock. However, he has a very difficult time bringing the boat back to his slip. I've seen children do a better job. You think he'd get better with practice. His friends try to help guide him, but no luck. He's hit the dock, the friends have to leap onto the dock with the ropes to pull the boat into place. Wow. Last week he actually went out during the day. Woman with two small children. Not his usual fare. When they docked, she leaped off and left while he had to man the ropes himself and try to keep the kids aboard until he was done. Now my imagination is really going. His nickname comes from the day I was climbing out the back of my boat with my dogs to find him taking my photo. I was surprised, confused, unhappy, just stopped in my tracks and stared at him. He finally said a meek hello. Too weird and creepy. We're not friends.
The "frat boys". Love to party. Seems like three regulars, two in their twenties or thirties, one probably in his fifties, but acts like the younger ones. Some of their parties start in the middle of the night. They like to prop the security gate open for their guests and I've found it like that in the morning. What's the security guard doing? Actually, they like to prop the gate open just because it's inconvenient. They like to have lots of people over and play their music very loud. Well, they're having fun. Too bad I wanted to sleep. They haul lots of beer onto the boat! Fun times. For them.
"Remodel woman". Her boat has been a mess from the time I moved in. Apparently it's been like that for the past three years. I was happy when it seemed she was moving in. She's around my age and I thought it would be great to have a neighbor I could get together with. Turns out she's one of those women who prefer only the company of men. She might talk to me if the mood strikes her or she just might ignore my friendly hello. However, I hear her shouting to the men that pass her boat. She struck up a long conversation with my construction guys. And most other guys that are around. I just ignore her now. Found her visiting sister snooping around my boat but I like to think she was just checking out the view.
When I moved on, I had a very nice neighbor with a pet bulldog and a very nice girlfriend. Unfortunately, he moved. Maybe he moved in with his girlfriend. I miss him. Then a gal moved in with her cocker spaniel. Didn't last long. However, there's a guy who says it's his boat and comes out occasionally to do stuff to the boat. Interesting.
There are neighbors on the dock in the office building. A bunch of therapists and the boat rental folks. They brought the boats and kayaks to the dock at the unlocked part. Come rent a boat for the day. One of the therapists carries a cage covered with a towel. Turns out it's a dog. Why isn't it walking? ZhouZhou hates it. If ZhouZhou hates it, Teeny feels like she has to hate it too but she doesn't know why. When I walk the dogs, sometimes people from the office building stop to say hello. Nice. Recently, one of them carried a creature that looked like a cat/dog out to do it's business. Didn't seem to be moving. It was so still that my dogs didn't even notice it. What was it???? Actually, I hope I never find out. Too creepy.
I thought the shared boating experience would mean close, friendly neighbors. You know, bluebirds and flowers. Silly. Actually, it's no different than any other neighborhood.
Monday, July 25, 2011
The Basics
So, the first things I had to learn. How to stand up without falling or bumping into things when a wave comes along. My little boat is near the shore, so I believe the waves are a little stonger because they bump into each other when one is coming in and another is going out. But I could be wrong. One of the first things I noticed was that I loved how the boat would rock me to sleep. I had concerns about things spilling and falling but that doesn't seem to be a problem.
My boat is old and is wood framed covered with old-fashioned fiberglass (not that new-fangled hard molded stuff). This is the kind of fiberglass that's cloth laid down and coated with the resin stuff. Interesting. Floors, siding, roof, inside and out. Hmmm. Not my favorite. But durable. Inside is painted paneling which I like. Ceilings. The kind of stuff you see in really old mobile homes. Some kind of wallboard covered with vinyl cloth. Gotta go. There's a spot in a corner where the cloth is actually wrinkled.
Keeping the place warm. I moved on Halloween weekend. There's a really nice marine propane heater that looks unused. I know I'm not using it. Scares me. From what I read, it must scare other people too 'cause these things are mainly responsible for boat fires. So there are electric heaters. They do a great job!
Electricity. This boat was built long before everyone had computers. The number of outlets is very limited. I found out later that sometimes you have to unplug something to use something else. That really doesn't work for me. I added multi plugs and electric strips. After years of not having a toaster, the former owner left one for me and I decided to have toast. Bad idea. When the toast popped up, it blew the fuse. The side of the boat that I had my one and only light. No idea where the fuse box is. Called the former owner. No answer. It's Sunday evening. I had found someone to help me figure some stuff out about getting along on the boat. I called him and he didn't answer. I called his wife and he was out of town. She took pity on me and rushed over with her adult son. We pulled the boat apart (in the dark with a couple of flashlights). I had not even come close to getting anything organized so stuff was in boxes and it was untidy and everything had to be moved. Mind you three adults on this boat is crowded. The son went into every bilge hatch (I was trying to ignore them). We moved the refrigerator. We looked on the outside, on the top, in every very dark corner. Finally, huffing and puffing and just looking stupidly at each other, I said the only place I can think of that we didn't look was behind the stove. Ta-dah! Never used the toaster again.
Propane gas stove. The last gas stove I had was as a child. We turned on the burner and lit it with a match. Couldn't figure this one out. Fortunately, I have a friend who actually sold RV appliances at one time. She came over and gave me instructions. It was fun lying on the floor with her watching the flame in the broiler to make sure it was on and I wasn't gassing myself. Since then I've learned that I can see the reflection of the flame so I don't have to hit the floor each time. There's also a safety feature. Opposite the stove is a switch that has to be turned on before the ritual with the stove itself. Then, when I'm done cooking, it has to be switched off. Then there's the issue of the propane tank itself. It's on the roof. So, an empty tank has to be hauled off the roof, down the dock, up the stairs, across the parking lot and into the car. Drive to the propane place where I'm told that I'm not supposed to carry the tank in my trunk. First, who's going to know? Second, is it better to carry it in the car with me and the dogs if there's the chance that it can leak? When you get home, the now heavier tank has to be hauled back onto the roof. So far, it's been changed twice and someone had to help me each time. I'm relatively intelligent and fearless, but this apparently stumps me. The next time I'm on my own for sure! My crescent wrench is ready. Remember, the direction is counter-intuitive...
My boat is old and is wood framed covered with old-fashioned fiberglass (not that new-fangled hard molded stuff). This is the kind of fiberglass that's cloth laid down and coated with the resin stuff. Interesting. Floors, siding, roof, inside and out. Hmmm. Not my favorite. But durable. Inside is painted paneling which I like. Ceilings. The kind of stuff you see in really old mobile homes. Some kind of wallboard covered with vinyl cloth. Gotta go. There's a spot in a corner where the cloth is actually wrinkled.
Keeping the place warm. I moved on Halloween weekend. There's a really nice marine propane heater that looks unused. I know I'm not using it. Scares me. From what I read, it must scare other people too 'cause these things are mainly responsible for boat fires. So there are electric heaters. They do a great job!
Electricity. This boat was built long before everyone had computers. The number of outlets is very limited. I found out later that sometimes you have to unplug something to use something else. That really doesn't work for me. I added multi plugs and electric strips. After years of not having a toaster, the former owner left one for me and I decided to have toast. Bad idea. When the toast popped up, it blew the fuse. The side of the boat that I had my one and only light. No idea where the fuse box is. Called the former owner. No answer. It's Sunday evening. I had found someone to help me figure some stuff out about getting along on the boat. I called him and he didn't answer. I called his wife and he was out of town. She took pity on me and rushed over with her adult son. We pulled the boat apart (in the dark with a couple of flashlights). I had not even come close to getting anything organized so stuff was in boxes and it was untidy and everything had to be moved. Mind you three adults on this boat is crowded. The son went into every bilge hatch (I was trying to ignore them). We moved the refrigerator. We looked on the outside, on the top, in every very dark corner. Finally, huffing and puffing and just looking stupidly at each other, I said the only place I can think of that we didn't look was behind the stove. Ta-dah! Never used the toaster again.
Propane gas stove. The last gas stove I had was as a child. We turned on the burner and lit it with a match. Couldn't figure this one out. Fortunately, I have a friend who actually sold RV appliances at one time. She came over and gave me instructions. It was fun lying on the floor with her watching the flame in the broiler to make sure it was on and I wasn't gassing myself. Since then I've learned that I can see the reflection of the flame so I don't have to hit the floor each time. There's also a safety feature. Opposite the stove is a switch that has to be turned on before the ritual with the stove itself. Then, when I'm done cooking, it has to be switched off. Then there's the issue of the propane tank itself. It's on the roof. So, an empty tank has to be hauled off the roof, down the dock, up the stairs, across the parking lot and into the car. Drive to the propane place where I'm told that I'm not supposed to carry the tank in my trunk. First, who's going to know? Second, is it better to carry it in the car with me and the dogs if there's the chance that it can leak? When you get home, the now heavier tank has to be hauled back onto the roof. So far, it's been changed twice and someone had to help me each time. I'm relatively intelligent and fearless, but this apparently stumps me. The next time I'm on my own for sure! My crescent wrench is ready. Remember, the direction is counter-intuitive...
Finally getting the blog started
When I was doing my research about houseboat living, I found information hard to come by. Much of what you find is the recreational houseboat living in Kentucky and Mount Shasta Lake. But I was looking for hints, tips, help in general to learn the ins and outs of houseboat living. I found little, so I decided to document some of my adventures in learning. Like learning how to use and maintain a pump toilet system with holding tank. Hooking up to water. Basic repairs. Finding the fuse box. Changing the propane tank.
It all seems like easy stuff until it's chilly and raining and dark and you want a cup of coffee. Finding moorage. I purchased my boat from someone who shared her boat with a Great Dane. We thought that I would be able to just move on, but found that the marina insisted it did not allow pets of any kind. Now, I find that many people just ignore rules that they don't like, but I simply can't do it. So, my first project was to find new moorage. Liveaboard moorage in Seattle is VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND. Did I mention that it's very difficult to find? It took me about six weeks of dedicated searching and I am very happy to say that I found a legal liveaboard space. Legal. That means that I'm registered as living aboard my boat, not just doing it. Then I had to find someone to move the boat, because I wasn't in any position to do it. The space that it was in was so tight that the tenders on both sides were squished and, as soon as the boat had moved, my neighbor was able to tend the side of his boat. As we were preparing for the move, neighbors were walking past with their dogs asking why I was moving away and seem to be surprised when I told them there was a no pet policy that the marina manager had stressed repeatedly to me. I moved across the lake, am under cover, and have plenty of room all around my little boat so I can pull up the shades and admire the view. It's not ideal--that's the end of the dock with the open lake stretched out in front of you--but I'm happy!
It all seems like easy stuff until it's chilly and raining and dark and you want a cup of coffee. Finding moorage. I purchased my boat from someone who shared her boat with a Great Dane. We thought that I would be able to just move on, but found that the marina insisted it did not allow pets of any kind. Now, I find that many people just ignore rules that they don't like, but I simply can't do it. So, my first project was to find new moorage. Liveaboard moorage in Seattle is VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND. Did I mention that it's very difficult to find? It took me about six weeks of dedicated searching and I am very happy to say that I found a legal liveaboard space. Legal. That means that I'm registered as living aboard my boat, not just doing it. Then I had to find someone to move the boat, because I wasn't in any position to do it. The space that it was in was so tight that the tenders on both sides were squished and, as soon as the boat had moved, my neighbor was able to tend the side of his boat. As we were preparing for the move, neighbors were walking past with their dogs asking why I was moving away and seem to be surprised when I told them there was a no pet policy that the marina manager had stressed repeatedly to me. I moved across the lake, am under cover, and have plenty of room all around my little boat so I can pull up the shades and admire the view. It's not ideal--that's the end of the dock with the open lake stretched out in front of you--but I'm happy!
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