Sep 12 - welcome to the real world

Unbelievable, they actually pick up garbage here. We don't need a dump key nor do we have to fight our way past bears to get to put the garbage out. There is no dump committee. nada.

So ... today was a cleanup day of sorts. I cleaned the boat, sort of, power washed some of the deck chairs (no need to do them all, we're only here for two weeks and it's only two of us and they'll need cleaning again once we come back in November), cleaned my bike, got a haircut, went to the boat store and bought some new lights for the trailer, installed the lights, bought some groceries, returned a letter to the IRS asking for our signatures (I could have sworn that we signed our return, but why argue), mailed our voter registration forms ... we'll have to do absentee ballots if we manage to vote, and soon I'll be getting the barbie ready for dinner.

Installing the lights took a little extra because the existing lights were difficult to remove because the bolts were rusted in place. I had to break the plastic frames to get at the bolt heads. Then I had to drill new holes in the mounting area for the lights to fit. Anyway, the most difficult part of the installation was really working outside in the sun where it was 90+F.

Sandy went grocery shopping too -- no, we're not having tuna -- red snapper is fare for the day. Occasionally we get tuna up north but never red snapper. She's currently talking to her sister Sheryl. We have taken a break from TV watching ... and wine drinking ... and did you guess what we're watching ? -- Stargate -- the last DVD of season 9. One more season to go and then we'll be bored. No, we won't be bored.

More stuff arrived for Aaron today from Performance -- Pearl Izumi shorts. Our packing list is growing. We may need a trailer ! Seriously though, we'll probably have the bike box on the roof packed with luggage at this rate. The dehumidifier is supposed to be delivered Monday and then I'll have a better idea as to our return load. It all depends on whether we go scuba diving from here or Toronto -- if we have to bring that gear north we'll need the roof rack.

Everything is ship-shape at this point. I'll probably go for a bike ride tomorrow -- leaving early because it hits 90F fairly this time of year. This is assuming, of course, that it's not pouring rain. Today we had no rain and according to weather.com it will be dry for the week. The wine shop is having a sale and we'll probably head over there tomorrow afternoon. Sandy has a Bed Bath & Beyond and Linens 'n Things shopping list that she'll hit soon, no doubt. She'd better because the L&T store is closing -- they had a huge closing sale going on when I went by there today.

Of course I'm driving the M5. It's a treat. I forget how much fun it is to drive a sedan vs an SUV, and the M5 is not just any sedan. Driving a straight line at a constant speed has limited appeal though -- it was more fun driving the twisty roads in Radnor. If we did not have so much stuff to go north we might have driven the M5 since the bayliner is already out of the water and I don't need the hauling capacity at this point, but who knows. We could have a bunch of snow in November and I'd need the X5.

Sandy is still on the phone ... hasn't talked to Sheryl in quite a while and is catching up -- not on basics, because Sheryl reads the blog.

That's it for now, but I'll just save this and post in the a.m.

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It's morning; it's hot; the doppler is clear; I'll leave for a ride soon. The red snapper was great, along with sweet potatoes and asparagus.

Two weeks down here and I'll get used to the internet speed and then have to gear down again up north. Cable vs 2-way satellite is not much of a contest. The difference was not as dramatic with DSL but cable is cheaper and better with VOIP.

Ok ... I'm searching for things to say ... time to post this ...