I see it’s just you and me on line again then , Ric . Has the water dried up outside and left all your boats high and dry ? It’s 1345 here , I expect you are doing a night watchman job checking the site’s locked before bed . Or a pre breakfast recce ?
Mike M
Hi Mike,
It is 0747 CDST, an hour behind NewYork. Been up about 2 hours. Many times I have been to the marina once already on a Sunday morning, lazy today. Had a beautiful shower this morning. Just enough to wash everything. The shift change was at 5 to 6 am this morning. Night watchman went home at 5 and the day shift started at 6. Yes, we let the boaters fend for themselves for that hour. The store and office will open at 8 am. I usually show up on Sundays around 10am for about an hour, just to touch base and be available if sonmeone needs to talk to me. We had a big party out there last night, so I imagine many people will be sleeping it off this am. I was there last evening about 8 pm, when the store closed and just to take a walk with the wife and dog.
As strange as it sounds, this is kind of a quiet time at the marina. All boats are in and most customers are happy. Its pretty much on autopilot, except for making sure we have all the supplies and the occasional boat having to be towed in or drunkin fight. I work with a great grooup of people and they let me be boss. All I have to do is let them do the work, stay out of the way, take the blame and smooze with the customers. 
Breakfast.
Ric ,
You sound like a very contented person .
Mike
Mike…
Ric is a very contented person…in fact I just talked with him an hour ago.
Fr.Fred
How in the world could anyone not be contented that gets to sleep in a warm secure bed, breakfast in the morning with no one shooting at you and a bottle of rum in the cabinet to resolve any difficulties. I’ve got a great hobby with wonderful friends that I have met all around the World. Why should a kid from the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri in the United States have such a life. I am blessed with a beautiful wife and family that has given me grandkids that are keeping me young and realising my real purpose in this World. I thank the Lord every day for the life I’ve been given and know that there is nothing I can’t face because of my faith and all that I’ve learned. I truely appreciate every one of you. Even the grouchy ones.
Fred , you talked to him an hour ago , and he’s STILL contented ? ;<)
Ric , boats and trains . Enough surely to make anyone contented ?
Mike
Boats, trains, trucks, tractors, heavy equipment, I salivate when I see any of it. I just want to be the guy that drives the tug, the helicopter or anything with a means of mechanical or wind propulsion. And mechanical power doesn’t have to be internal combustion, steam, jet or water power also does the trick. Anyone else get a thrill out of running a torch and meltin steel? A saw a thing the other night called, I think, “Anvil Tossing”. You place an anvil on black powder sitting on another anvil, light it and try to get it to go as straight as possible up in the air. The guy that lands closest to his firing point wins. What a kick, blowin stuff sky high.
Ric ,
A man after me own heart .
My son , in his capacity as a mad keen anything on wheels,tracks or wings man (and gets paid for it ,he works in Motor Transport and Allied Equipment ) is going to an exhibition of Military vehicles , including plant and machinery on Wednesday , and he is taking MEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Plenty of 4x4’s to pull my buggy outta the mud , or even a tank transporter or two . Oshkosh . Nice . Drooool .
And , he gets to drive them around the test tracks . Leaves me with an escort while he does his bit , I am not allowed in the vehicles for obvious reasons , even though I have the offer of a fork lift to get me up to the level required , they are worried in case I get stuck in the cab out in the field .
So I just take photys ; on 28th , my camera may actually reach its possible 675 shots ,and that’s only one micro drive .
So for one day I shall not do trains , I shall do bulldozers , cranes , wreckers , trucks , even drive my own 4x4 to get there .
I may even put some photys on the site for you , Ric .
Mike M
Mike,
Very cool! I hope weather is good (any degrees of what you want) and I certainly would like to see some pictures.
My son is now selling All Terrain Vehicles and Personal Watercraft for a living. He says he feels like he doesn’t even go to work. I told him, that’s called a dream job. We bought his first 4 wheeler from this same company 14 years ago. Put over 5,000 miles on an unlicensed off road vehicle in 18 months, before he was 16. Since then he has driven everything off road from military humvees and towtrucks while in Iraq and some strange other large military vehicles in the Marine Corps. Plus jeeps and all kinds of wheeled and other stuff that floats.
He believes he owes his life to some British soldiers in dune buggies that saved his bacon, one day in the sand.
We are both very grateful for those guys.
Well , it certainly sounds just like the Brits , playing in the sand .
Mike