The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

Thought maybe H1N1 was a problem on the beach. Interesting sculptures -- wonder if there was a live model for the nude?

Have fun and good luck with the truck repairs.

Bill Uffelman
Las Vegas NV
 
I didn't know that the Blonde let you off the leash, but it would appear you were able to attend to all your "Honey Do" list and most importain, see that Izzy didn't get off her feeding schedule.

That being retired thing, does have it's draw backs. In that there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done.

We have been very lucky this year to not have any Red Tide outbreaks. But with Lake O so low all year and the corp not making such large dumps of fresh water into the gulf, it would appear that the blame which they deny, are true. Can you account for any great amount of freshwater runoff in the last month in your area?
 
Mike,

We get bursts of red tide on the Lower Columbia also. They are typically late in the season, when the flow in the river is quite low. However, the outbreaks are in the salt water, not the fresh, and only very low in the estuary, where salt water is present on high tides. At low tide, we do not see them here; the red coloration is then out to sea or on the bar between the jetties of the Columbia.

The critters responsible are dinoflagellates, and they can also "bloom" in fresh water. However, this class of critters is very diverse. What is causing a red tide in Florida where you live may be a very different bug than what we see here. And, marine biologists claim there are several factors which influence whether dinoflagellates will suddenly grow exponentially in number to produce a visible red tide. Some are related to input of "nutrients" from human activity ... so it is possible the reduction in water release out of Lake O explains why you are not seeing red tide right now. Some factors are related to input of nutrients from the ocean, which seems to be the case where I live. (The Columbia is much less affected by human - produced nutrients than waterways with very low flow.) We get a lot of upwelling in the summertime, which produces a lot of microscopic feed offshore, eventually producing, farther up the food chain, more feed for salmon. We like salmon up here, so the upwelling is a good thing, not a bad thing, most of the time.

Here is a Wikipedia link with more information on red tides and their origin, focusing on harmful algal blooms: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_tide#.22Red_Tides.22

Not all red tides cause respiratory problems. As kids, we used to swim in red tide-affected water in Southern California, but I do not recall any one showing symptoms. Must have been a different one than what Jim has been experiencing. It sounds pretty ugly down there on the Gulf, for sure. Hope it goes away soon.

Oh, yeah, in case anybody is curious, a link to coastal upwelling, the kind we get: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upwelling# ... _upwelling
 
Hi Mike and Dave,

It's been 3 years since our last red tide. Apparently, it is always present somewhere in the Gulf, moved around by wind and current. No major influx of fresh water recently. This current episode isn't as bad as the one three years ago, but the nastiness in the air is a problem... and the smell and bad PR of the dead fish on the beach. :( It really seems to moderate and intensify depending on wind and waves. There is over 200 miles of the south Texas coast currently affected.

And regarding the "leash" and "projects"... I've had no problem keeping myself occupied, but much of it has been my projects: finishing the motorcycle trailer for our next trip out. And then being sure the motorcycle got plenty of exercise. :mrgreen: I'll be doing the same with Wild Blue before we head out again. Watch for your e-mail, Mike, for the photo of me in leather motorcycle pants that you requested. 8)

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Papillon":17awun0g said:
Waiting with baited breath....Jimmy.... :wink
Click to expand...

Been eating shrimp again, Mike? :twisted:

--------------------

Well, we just returned from the Verizon Store. With all the "iDon't" and "We have a map for that" commercials from Verizon, it was pretty clear to me that they weren't looking for a friendly relationship with Apple. :wink: So, not wanting to give up my Verizon coverage, I came home today with a Droid. Oh, and another 2 years of "indentured servitude" to Verizon. Early testing of about 20 minutes looks good with the Droid. At this pace, I may be able to catch Pat on the post count. :mrgreen:

Although it's not an iPhone, reviews on the Droid seem pretty positive. However, having made the commitment, expect an announcement from Apple in the next 12 minutes that they have come to an agreement with Verizon.

We upgraded the Wireless Broadband card with a Mifi. Initial testing shows that our download speeds are nearly twice as fast. Not sure why that would be, since it is still 801.11 based... perhaps faster processing on the card itself? That's only from testing at our house, where we are on the edge of broadband coverage. We'll see how it works when we hit the road again in a couple weeks.

Either way, we are WIRED! :wink:

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
HI Jim, our download here in Houston is over 2400 with 450 up. We just left the Verizon store and really like the Droid, but I can get another $100 off if I wait until January for my new every two. Since they would not give it to me early, I decided to wait. There will be at least two or three new Droids out by then..grin.
 
Hi Herb,

We were overdue for our "new every 2"... to the point that we got calls from Verizon reps just to remind us that we were "due" for new phones. We all know they were simply trying to get us into another 2 year contract. After about the 4th or 5th call, I told them, "Quit calling me or I'll go to AT&T and buy an iPhone right now." It worked. :wink:

We did get the extra $100 off... this darn thing didn't come with a manual... and it's not as "intuitive" as a Mac product. :wink: I've been playing with it all evening, learning by doing... press an icon, swear a bit, and learn something. All in all, I'm impressed by it. It has voice recognition... you can say, "Find fuel" and it will pull up a Google Map with nearby fuel. Comes with GPS... seems just as naggy as Jill (our Garmin Nuvi). I've been having fun looking at all the apps. I think it's going to work out fine. You can check it out when you get back. I'll try it out on the boat tomorrow.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
I picked up a droid yesterday also (actually 2- one for me and one for my son). So far, I like it. It will be able to tether soon but Verizon will want extra fees for that. However, given that it's open source, I anticipate a backdoor hack within a week or two that will get around that.
 
A salute to our Veterans - your service and sacrifices are appreciated by all who enjoy the freedom and opportunity that defines this country.

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I was up and out at O-dark-thirty this morning. It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to watch the sun come up on the water. Going through the Port Isabel Turning Basin on the way out, I had the opportunity to see one of the town's newest enterprises up close: this is a ship that services the pipelines out in the Gulf. Kinda pretty all lit up at night.

SevenSeasE.jpg

From there, it was down the ship channel and out through the jetties. Tropical Storm Ida is making a mess with rains in the southeastern US; we are still feeling the residuals of her movement through the Gulf, with higher than normal tides and waves. Before I even got to the jetties, the swell was about 4 feet. As I motored further out, the wave action seemed to moderate and then increase. By the time I was at the opening to the jetties, the waves were 6 to 8 feet, coming from the northeast.

Sunrise1e_001.jpg

Sunrise3e.jpg

Sunrise5e.jpg

Widely spaced, the waves weren't a problem for Wild Blue, but you certainly felt the power as they rolled under the boat. Just outside the jetties, and with no protection, the waves were 10+ feet. I'm guessing it will be a good surfing day on South Padre Island!

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
There MUST be something wrong with this picture - Jim, Joan, & Izzy heading NORTH in their RV ?? Most everyone else in North America who does this sort of thing are headed SOUTH ! :roll:

You guys enjoy - and watch out for all those folks headed at you !
 
There MUST be something wrong with this picture - Jim, Joan, & Izzy heading NORTH in their RV ?? Most everyone else in North America who does this sort of thing are headed SOUTH ! :roll:

You guys enjoy - and watch out for all those folks headed at you !
 
Dave,

That RV boot camp must have been tough on you... you're repeating yourself. :wink:

Well, Dallas is as far north as we're going... and then we'll be going west. Hey, it's not like we're going to Iowa. 8) Lots of northerners go to Phoenix for the winter... yep, that's north for us. Our daughter tells us that nights are getting pretty chilly there right now; we have some "cold weather" clothes we need to wear before they're too far out of style.

This time of year is some mighty fine boating here in the Tropical Tip... and I'm really going to miss being in the Lighted Boat Parade (several neighbors are already saying how disappointed they are in us). But, we have some family to visit. It may be up to you and the Florida guys to keep the frozen northland folks up on this boating stuff 'till we get back.

Wild Blue is on the hard; her stainless has been polished up pretty; and we're just about ready for some land cruising.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
JamesTXSD":1h053elv said:
This time of year is some mighty fine boating here in the Tropical Tip... and I'm really going to miss being in the Lighted Boat Parade (several neighbors are already saying how disappointed they are in us).
Click to expand...

Well, with you "ringers" gone, somebody else will have a chance a winning some awards this year. :lol:
 
Roger, we took second place in our category last year; our neighbor with a Grady-White took first, with a classy display on his boat. Our first year with the C-Dory, we didn't even place. Since we retired from work and sailboat racing, my competitive spirit has morphed into "boys just wanna have fun." :wink: After all, it's the spirit of the season, the joy of participation, the smile on the little kids' faces when we waved back from the boat and wished them a "Merry Christmas!"

But, just wait 'till we get to the RV park in Phoenix... we're going to totally kick ass on those old farts in the Lighted RV Contest! :xnaughty Step aside Clark Griswold!

Best wishes,
Jim B.

(Yeah, I'm kidding)
 
We've been RV traveling for a while. Stopped in Rockport for a few days to see Brent and Dixie (great to have the Wild Blue and Discovery crews together again), then up to the Dallas area to visit with Joan's family, and now heading west for Arizona.

Yesterday, we drove towards west Texas. We took the "northern route" to possibly see some different terrain than along I-10. Yeah, not so different. They still celebrate the "Blowing Dirt Festival", like the southern route.

This morning, we left Pecos, Texas (making me now the meanest hombre west of the Pecos :wink: ... obscure Yosemite Sam reference). It was 40º. It didn't take long for the temp to drop and the precip to start... and within a few miles, the precip turned to the evil white crap! :disgust

Here are the details: http://captnjim.blogspot.com/2009/11/ar ... ng-me.html

And a preview...

SnowE.jpg

That's the view out the windshield as we approached the El Paso area... with a Winter Storm Warning in effect... and pulling the 5th wheel with a cargo trailer behind that. Fun, fun, fun. :crook

Totally boating unrelated... but we did get a phone call today from the lady at the Chamber of Commerce who is in charge of the Lighted Boat Parade back home... she was surprised and disappointed that we weren't going to be in it this year. I guess it will be up to Walldog Herb to post some photos of the parade this year.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Jim,
Toni and I are hunkered down off I-10 in our HitchHiker 15 miles south of Las Cruces. We did manage to make it into El Paso to a Brew Pub for some lunch and then to Old Messillo in the afternoon. As you implied, snow is an "event" here and people are not used to driving in it. We had hoped to make it down to visit Brent and Dixie too but this weather is going to drive us back to warmer climates soon.
Safe travels.
 
All that Snow is rain down here. We are having our annual rainfall yesterday and today. We have to go to Cleveland through Houston today, but should be back in time to party over the channel for the Christmas Boat parade. We will post pictures for all yall snowbirds.

By the way Rockport is much warmer than West Texas right now. :xlol
 
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