Saturday, November 9, 2019
My Daughter, Halley's, Wedding Day
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 22°F, the sky was crystal clear, there wasn't a breath of wind ashore and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind blew lightly out of the northwest before dawn and then west by sunrise. Sometime during the mid morning, the wind hauled out of the southwest. Southwest winds were light for a couple of hours. They started increasing near sunset. By the time I went to bed, we had southwest winds at a sustained twenty knots. The sky was cloudless for most of the morning and into the night. The visibility remained excellent. I never did look at a thermometer today. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 41°F with a low of 28°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 40°F (with a low of 14°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 39°F (with a low of 19°F).
The whole day centered around my daughter, Halley's, wedding. I met the groom and groomsmen in the morning where we relaxed, first, and then got dressed. Then we went to a location where there were over an hour of photographs (digital images) taken. From there we went to the church where I walked my daughter down the aisle, vows were exchanged between bride and groom and various pieces were read before Nick & Halley became Mr. & Mrs. Bianco. From there we went to the reception at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. where the wedding party was introduced. I gave the "Father of the Bride" speech, completed the father/daughter dance and then partied to one of the best local bands I have ever heard at a wedding. We also had the traditional cutting of the cake, got to meet new friends and cement closer relationships with those I have known through Halley's growing up. It was a very good, and special, time.
I didn't cry a drop for the whole day. Yes, there were times where I had to hold back the tears. But not a single one was shed. I will let you in on a secret, though. I read the speech to three different people before I read it in public. All three times I sobbed like a baby at different parts. But when the time came to give it live, something in me said that I have to get this thing done in a professional manner. And I did. I truly believe that people listening to the speech and their positive reaction got me through it unhindered. Everyone there this evening was so special. The support was much appreciated. Here are three of the best digital images of the day.
The shot above was taken in Rose Cove, below one of Halley's best friend's (Tucker Trimble) in Cape Neddick.
This is a shot of yours truly, walking Halley down the aisle towards the big moment.
This was the wonderfully crafted wedding cake. By the way, everything seen on this cake was edible. Maybe I had a little too much to drink, but, up close, the clams looked so real I thought eating them would be more like sea food than sugar!
Sunday, November 10, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 34°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the southwest at twenty knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The sky stayed overcast for the first half of the morning daylight hours. You could see the clearing coming. The sky was sunny for the rest of the day. The air temperature might have risen as high as 50°F. I didn't see it but I thought if felt that way. The wind blew out of the southwest at twenty knots, more or less, for the whole day, backing off before sunset. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 54°F with a low of 33°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 49°F (with a low of 29°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 49°F (with a low of 31°F).
Except for the desk work in the early part of the morning and a seventy-one mile bike ride to Biddeford and back, I did nothing but pick up some of the pieces from yesterday's event. We took Mr. & Mrs. Bianco and our two friends from St. Barth, Christian & Mary Aubin, out to dinner before going to bed early.
Veteran's Day, Monday, November 11, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 42°F, the sky was a canopy of clouds, the wind was blowing out of the west at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. After sunrise, it started misting. It did rain later but it was just a very light rain that kept the roads wet all day. The air temperature rose to about 46°F. At least, that's the highest air temperature that I saw. The wind blew out of the west until around noon, when the wind hauled out of the northeast. By sunset, the northeast wind was blowing a sustained twenty knots. Later, the wind blew up to thirty knots in gusts. Seas never got any higher than seven feet so there was no problem with surge in the Cove. The visibility over the ocean was good to fair. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 54°F with a low of 43°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 43°F (with a low of 32°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 44°F (with a low of 31°F).
I thought I was coming down with a flu. This morning confirmed that feeling. But it wasn't bad enough to keep me from working.
I was at the desk from the time I got up this morning until 8:00 AM rolled around and I could start calling people/businesses. The first physical thing I did today (besides the core stuff I do every morning) was to take my wife's car to York Autobody to assess the damage she did to her SUV when she backed into a tree. I stopped at my dentist's to check out a dying tooth that I found needed a root canal (Wednesday). In the meantime, between the tooth and the flu, I wasn't feeling my best. I rounded out the morning with a meeting with our insurance agent representing Barnacle Billy's, Inc. with new coverage details. Afterward, I worked in that office for a while. During the meeting my daughter and new son-in-law headed back to their home in New Jersey. Their honeymoon starts tomorrow.
The afternoon was spent running around town trying to get things done that I haven't been able to do because of work. Afterward, I showered so Deb & I could take our two best friends from St. Barth out to dinner. They flew all the way up here from St. Barth to attend the wedding. They are flying out of Boston tomorrow. But they aren't the furthest travelers. Halley has a friend who is teaching in Cambodia who flew twenty-four hours to attend the wedding and will take twenty-four hours to fly back to her position in Cambodia!
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 30°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the north at eighteen knots with higher gusts and the visibility over the ocean was poor, in fog? Before sunrise I realized that it was the case; there was no visibility over the ocean because of the fog. The wind continued to blow out of the north northeast at about ten knots before hauling out of the northwest and west northwest at twenty to thirty knots. The sky remained overcast with light rain here and there and light flurries of snow. This all disappeared after 4:00 PM, when the clouds cleared out and the clear sky showed up. After 6:00 PM, the wind increased to thirty knots sustained. The visibility was excellent in the afternoon. The highest air temperature that I saw was 34°F but that was early in the day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 44°F with a low of 26°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 34°F (with a low of 16°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 33°F (with a low of 19°F).
After finishing most of this report, I left to attend a Recreational Advisory Panel (RAP) meeting, held in Danvers, Massachusetts. The RAP advises the Groundfish Committee to the New England Fishery Management Council on salt water recreational fishing issues. Today we talked about allocation, what percentage of the groundfish stocks (as compared to the commercial effort) will the recreational fishing industry be allowed to take. This is up for review again. And, for now, it looks like the recreational allocation will be larger this time around. Some other good news that came out of the meeting was that recreational fishing effort was down this year through the month of August. And we are well under the sub-ACL we are allowed for cod and haddock. In other words, we didn't catch our total quota of cod and haddock. Indeed, out of the 220 metric tons of cod we are allowed, only 48 mt has been caught as of the end of August (and this includes discards). Granted, we still have the two weeks in September where we were allowed a cod a person, that haven't been added in. But, even if we doubled our take, which I doubt, we would still have plenty of room to play with without exceeding the total allowable catch. This could lead to us being able to keep more cod next season. There are many possibilities, none of which will be viewed or talked about until all the recreational landings have been exposed for 2019.
I arrived home somewhere around 5:00 PM. My flu symptoms were making me feel worse and my tooth wasn't doing the best. I ended up taking it easy for the rest of the night and going to bed early.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 15°F, the sky was crystal clear with a bright full moon setting above the western horizon, the wind was blowing out of the west at twenty-five to thirty knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent, despite the fact the Boon Island light wasn't lit. When daylight arrived, sea smoke covered the shore and the coastal ocean along the shore. Todays salient weather feature was the wind and air temperature. The wind blew cold air into every nook and cranny of the house. The air temperature never reached 30°F today. So every puddle ashore stayed frozen all day. And it was odd to see skim ice in the Cove. With the cold staying through the night again this evening, we should have ice on the banks of the Cove at low tide. The visibility was excellent over the sea smoke, poor if you were at water level. The sky was cloudless or nearly so all day. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 33°F with a low of 21°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 25°F (with a low of 12°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 27°F (with a low of 14°F).
After getting up and writing this report, I decided to head back to bed. I wasn't running a temperature but I never did get much sleep after coughing for, what seemed, all night. I felt lousy. Plus, I was having a root canal done at 1:30 PM, so I wanted to make sure I was as healthy as I could be before sitting in the dentist's chair. So for the rest of the morning I stayed in bed reading/sleeping. At noon I had lunch and, afterward, headed to the dentist where he drilled down through the root of the problem tooth. This hole through the root needs to be left open for the next few days. I will go back on Monday to finish it.
For the rest of the day I was back to work on things that didn't require me to go outside. I didn't want to push it since this is the first time I have been sick this year. I'm sure the stress with the wedding, lack of sleep, the recent work load and shaking many hands at the wedding all contributed to giving me this bug. At any rate, my work day was done by 6:00 PM as I was planning to go to bed early.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 16°F, the sky was mostly clear with a bright mostly full moon high above the western horizon, the wind was blowing out of the north at very light speeds and the visibility over the ocean was excellent but only above the sea smoke. The sky remained mostly clear in the morning and mostly overcast from the late morning into the afternoon. At times it looked like it was going to rain but it never did. The air temperature rose slowly during the day to a value of 35°F at the highest point that I saw. The visibility was excellent over the ocean as soon as the sea smoke disappeared at mid morning. The wind was light out the north to start but hauled out of the southwest after sunrise. Wind were light until around noon. From noon on the southwest wind blew from fifteen to almost twenty-five knots into the night, hauling out of the northwest at 9:00 PM. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 42°F with a low of 23°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 30°F (with a low of 9°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 33°F (with a low of 13°F).
These last two days of exceptionally cold weather have produced surface ice on Perkins Cove, the likes of which we don't normally see this early. In fact, it's been many years since I saw ice formed in Perkins Cove before mid November. Below is a shot of Perkins Cove that I took this morning at nearly low tide showing the ice on the banks of Perkins Cove, a scene more akin to a January setting than a time during mid-November. In this shot you can see the bow of the Bunny Clark on the right. You can also see the skim ice on the surface of Perkins Cove.
A little after 5:00 AM, I was in the engine room of the Bunny Clark checking everything out. I started the engine once the initial check was made and let the engine run until the engine warmed up so I could work on it later. I had some running around to do including driving to DSM Metal Fabrication to duplicate a lobster cooker tank we use in Barnacle Billy's. I also had two tank lids that needed repair as well. During the late morning, I finally got settled in to change the reverse gear (transmission) oil and filter. That took about an hour. At the same time, Captain Ian Keniston was dismantling the Bunny Clark to move her further along toward haul out. Haul out should happen at some time next week. This mostly because of the windy weather we going to have tomorrow, through the weekend and on Monday.
Most of the rest of the afternoon was spent on the phone, at the computer and on email. It's certainly that time of year again.
Friday, November 15, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 30°F, the sky was clear with a bright (less than full) moon well above the western horizon, the wind was light along the shore but blowing out of the west southwest at sixteen knots with almost four foot chops at the closest weather buoy and the visibility over the ocean was excellent with a brightly lit Boon Island flashing ten miles away. Today was a beautiful fall day with a southwest wind that blew about fifteen knots or more along the shore but hauled out of the west at ten to fifteen knots after sunset. The southwest wind ushered in warmer air temperatures. The highest air temperature that I saw was 50°F at 2:30 PM. It was still over 40°F at 6:00 PM. The sky was mostly clear and sunny. The visibility was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 54°F with a low of 36°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 49°F (with a low of 18°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 48°F (with a low of 28°F).
Today featured the running around stuff I did yesterday, similar stuff. But, also, there were quite a few things I needed to get done before the weekend. On top of that, I had to winterize the Petrel, our lobster boat. That entailed moving the boat to a different mooring, running an underwater storm line to another mooring that I could pick up in case of heavy weather, setting up the winterback and side curtains and making sure everything was in place for snow, etc. The tower is coming off, hopefully, on Tuesday.
Captain Ian Keniston worked on the Bunny Clark, cleaning and moving stuff out of the Cove.
The afternoon was set up around the desk work I needed to do and a few phone calls. At 3:15 PM, I jumped on the bike to get my first ride in this week.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 24°F, the sky was crystal clear with a mostly full moon directly over head, the wind was blowing out of the north at twenty knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind continued to blow out of the north with a northwest lilt or component to it. Wind speeds remained at twenty knots, more or less, for the whole day. The sky was nearly cloudless all day and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The air temperature labored to get above the freezing mark. By noon, the air temperature had finally made 32°F. The highest air temperature that I saw was 35°F. It seems too early to be in the cold temperatures. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 43°F with a low of 28°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 32°F (with a low of 12°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 34°F (with a low of 20°F).
After desk work, I took the morning off and went riding. After lunch, I spend a couple hours at the Cove, going over the boats, looking at the engines, setting up storm lines in anticipation of strong northeast winds and finished up with parking lot activities. Afterward I visited my mother who I haven't seen for a week because I didn't want to get her sick with my flu bug that I am trying to vanquish out of my body. I kept my distance and didn't touch anything.
Sunday, November 17, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 22°F, the sky was clear with a nearly half moon over head, the wind was blowing out of the northeast at twenty knots, average, and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind continued to blow out of the northeast at fifteen to twenty knots with higher gusts at times. The sky was clear all morning, nearly cloudless. Clouds started to move in around noon. By 2:00 PM, the sky was overcast. Around 5:00 PM, we had intermittent snow showers. I only saw the snow showers about five times before 9:00 PM. The air temperature got up as high as 36°F. The visibility, except in snow showers, was very good at least. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 45°F with a low of 27°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 38°F (with a low of 7°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 36°F (with a low of 16°F).
Except for a couple hours of work in the morning, I took most of the day off. I managed to get sixty miles in on the bike, starting at 8:00 AM in 20°F air temperatures that warmed to 34°F when I had finished.
Monday, November 18, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 33°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the north at twenty knots with higher gusts and the visibility over the ocean was very good. The wind continued out of the north but increased to twenty-five and thirty knots with higher gusts. The surge started in the Cove by about 10:00 AM. It wasn't bad but it was noticeable. The surge became more pronounced by the evening. The was a little misting followed by rain starting at 10:00 AM. The rain was continuous past noon and well into the night. The rain was mostly steady. The air temperature got up as high as 37°F. The visibility was fair in the precipitation. It never did snow. There was never a point in the day where we saw any clear sky through the clouds. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 41°F with a low of 36°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 40°F (with a low of 32°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 37°F (with a low of 30°F).
The first thing I did today, besides the core workout stuff I do every early morning, was tie storm lines on both boats. I was done before 6:00 AM.
The day was spent running around doing Monday things, items that needed outside intervention on the first work day of the week. The Bunny Clark truck needed a new tire. Deb's vehicle needed a new starboard side mirror. So we played musical vehicles for most of the morning. In between these times I was addressing other items that would pop up. Root canal work was the first item on the list after desk work. My appointment was for 8:00 AM. After a half hour of work the tooth was still too sensitive to finish the procedure. The next try will happen Friday morning.
After noon, I put almost my full attention on starting the newsletter. This entailed getting materials together to research it. Things like sorting our top ten fish of each species, sorting anglers with trophy fish, graphs for the numbers of cod, haddock, wolffish and total fish as compared since 1996, size frequency charts and angler achievements.
I ended the day with an eye appointment in Kittery, Maine at 4:00 PM.
Captain Ian Keniston worked on cleaning the Bunny Clark. I checked on Ian only a couple of times to go over things for the near future.
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 36°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the north northeast at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was very good. Misty rain started at 8:00 AM. It started raining after that. It rained for the rest of the morning. It continued to rain after noon but only lightly. By 2:00 PM, the rain had stopped for the day. The sky remained overcast on into the night. The seas along the shore were about eleven feet. This caused a surge in the Cove with the boats moving back and forth. It wasn't a bad surge. In fact, most boats didn't put storm lines out. But I had to keep a bow line to shore from the Bunny Clark because I didn't want the float/ramp to get racked. The tide was low in the morning, getting higher as the day progressed. The more the Cove filled, the less surge we had. The big seas were also dropping. They must have dropped to eight feet by 2:00 PM. I never did look at a thermometer but air temperatures were mild. The wind dropped to nothing leaving long rolling glassy swells headed toward the coast. The visibility was good to very good in some haze over the ocean. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 45°F with a low of 41°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 40°F (with a low of 34°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 40°F (with a low of 35°F).
I started the day working at the desk as I normally do. By 5:30 AM, I was down at the Cove talking to the harbor master about the surge and the potential of taking the tuna tower off the Petrel. A quick trip back home, I was down at the restaurant before 7:00 AM. I had quite a bit of desk work to do, my main focus being the drawing up of the carpenter's winter work order for both restaurants. I needed to get a typed itemized list as a reference through the winter. I also had two reference letters I had to write. Along with this was the normal checking of the cleanup going on at both Barnacle Billy's and checking with Captain Ian Keniston on the progress of the Bunny Clark. Later morning saw Ian with the steam cleaner.
After lunch, I went back to the Cove to ready the Petrel to start taking the tuna tower off. The tide was high at 4:00 PM, so I had plenty of time to warm the engine up, bring the boat to the dock and start taking all the nuts and bolts off. My son, Micah, joined me at 1:45 PM. The two of us completed getting the tower ready by 2:30 PM. From there, Micah and Ian brought the Petrel to the bulkhead just inside the bridge where myself and both crews from Barnacle Billy's restaurants took the tower over the bulkhead and laid the top of the tower into the back of my truck. From there we I drove slowly down the road while everyone else walked with me holding the bulk of the tower until we got to the tower's winter resting place. Without at least twelve individuals, it's almost impossible to remove the tower from that boat.
The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning the Petrel up, taking the Petrel to the bait wharf to get the life raft off (to get it repacked and inspected), taking the Bunny Clark and doing the same and then cleaning up everything. By the time I had the Petrel back on the mooring, Ian had completed his work for the day on the Bunny Clark. Ian ended up driving home while I drove to Liferaft Services in York to drop off both life rafts. My work day was done by 5:30 PM.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 37°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was blowing out of the north northeast at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind blew out of the north northeast at about fifteen knots, more or less, for the first half of the morning. By 10:00 AM, the wind had hauled directly out of the north at the same velocity. Then the wind started to drop. We had ten knots of northerly wind after sunset. The sky was overcast all day. By 8:30 AM, it started misting. For the rest of the day we had mist, drizzle and periodic light rain. The sky never did clear while I was awake. The air temperature seemed to be at 37°F every time I looked at a thermometer. So I couldn't really tell you what the high air temperature was for the day. Depite the light rain and drizzle, the visibility, for the most part, was excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 42°F with a low of 39°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 38°F (with a low of 33°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 39°F (with a low of 34°F).
After some desk work at both Bunny Clark Central and the office at Barnacle Billy's, Etc., the rest of the day was spent on the Bunny Clark.
Captain Ian Keniston and I got together to prepare the Bunny Clark for the trip from Perkins Cove to Kittery Point Yacht Yard. This meant gathering the rest of the stuff that Ian had put in boxes, taking the gaffs, the harpoon we never used and various other items off the boat. After we shipped the storm lines, I left the Cove on my own while Ian took the truck over to KPYY to meet me. It took less than an hour from dock to dock. With the wind, basically, out of the north, I had a following sea with long chops of about three feet or less. It was an easy ride. I averaged about 17 knots or a little more at the same cruising RPMs I would use to go 14 knots with passengers.
The digital image above is a shot taken at 10:40 AM today of a naked Bunny Clark making the turn in front of the U. S. Coast Guard station in the Piscataqua River only a mile from Kittery Point Yacht Yard.
After an early lunch, I went to work on winterizing the engine; totally cleaning the sea strainer, draining the salt water side of the engine and taking out a well used raw water pump impeller. Ian went to work on taking the radars and radar mast off. Just about the time we were finished, the tide was high enough to haul the boat out of the water. The boat was so close to the railway that all Chris Follansbee and company had to do was pull the Bunny Clark to a position over the trailer. Fifteen minutes later, the Bunny Clark as high and dry.
For most of the rest of the afternoon and evening, Ian and I cleaned the topsides and bottom to get the Bunny Clark ready to be put away where we (Ian) can work on the boat for the winter. Afterward, Chris took a power washer and completely cleaned the topsides and bottom. The hull was in perfect shape with not a single ding in the wheel or a blemish on the bottom or topsides. And there was no sign of electrolysis. Usually, I see some sign. Afterward, we went to the Bunny Clark's winter refuge and cleaned out the barn to get ready for her arrival tomorrow morning.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 31°F, the sky was crystal clear with a crescent moon hanging high over the eastern horizon, the wind was light out of the northwest and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The sky was cloudless for most of the morning, mostly sunny in the afternoon. The wind blew out of the northwest for most of the morning as well. Wind speeds were no more than ten knots with some higher gusts. The wind dropped to nothing and then hauled out of the southwest. Light southwest winds prevailed for the rest of the day. The air temperature reached into the high 40°s. It was pleasantly mild. The visibility remained excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 51°F with a low of 36°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 46°F (with a low of 24°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 49°F (with a low of 28°F).
After the desk work, I met Ian Keniston at Kittery Point Yacht Yard where we spent some time cleaning and then loading up Ian's truck with all the items that needed to go back to Ogunquit before hauling out. Things like the anchor, fenders, lines, tools, etc. were brought back home. I spent some time organizing the transportation from the Yard to the Bunny Clark's winter storage area. Ian, in turn, stayed to make sure the boat went into the barn safely. I had a doctor's appointment at 2:00 PM that I needed to go to. This was the day for me.
Below is a shot of the Bunny Clark, cleaned up and an hour before being hauled out of KPYY.
Friday, November 22, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 42°F, the sky was overcast, the wind was out of the southwest at twenty knots sustained and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The sky remained overcast all day. After noon, a misting rain turned into a bit of hard rain later as a front moved through and off the coast. By 4:00 PM, the rain had stopped and the wind started to pick up from the west. The wind hauled out of the northwest after sunset. At 7:00 PM, we had wind gusts out of the northwest to forty knots. This continued on into the night. The sky was clear by 5:00 PM. It remained mostly clear on into the night. The visibility was excellent after sunset. The highest air temperature that I saw was 50°F. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 56°F with a low of 39°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 44°F (with a low of 31°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 47°F (with a low of 31°F).
Today's time was spend on the Bunny Clark truck. I had to bring the truck over to the dealership at 8:00 AM to have a failed vacuum harness replaced. When that was done, I traded the truck for a new black one, next year's model. I had been thinking of trading it but I couldn't find a basic truck without all the bells and whistles. When they were working on the truck I had decided to go for a bike ride to Salisbury, Massachusetts as they said it would be 11:30 AM, before it was repaired. I was in Hampton, New Hampshire heading back when I got the call that the truck was done. That was at 10:30 AM. When I got back I had a half a mile to go to break 50 miles on the bike. So I rode around the dealership looking at trucks and found the exact truck I wanted. It had arrived at the dealership yesterday but none of the sales staff was aware of it. It was the only truck on the lot like it. A half hour later, I was securing the truck in preparation to buy it. I ended up driving home while all the paperwork was being readied and then driving back there at 3:30 PM to sign my life away on another car loan. The truck I was having repaired was nine years old and I could see the writing on the wall.
At 5:30 PM, Deb and I attended a cocktail party/fund raiser for cancer research.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 31°F, the sky was crystal clear with a sliver of a moon over the eastern horizon, the wind was out of the west at fifteen knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind blew out of the west at fifteen to twenty knots or more. It never seems to stop until sunset. And it never stopped, it just dropped in velocity. The sky was clear, cloudless all morning. The visibility was excellent. The high air temperature for the day was 45°F in Perkins Cove. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 48°F with a low of 35°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 43°F (with a low of 24°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 44°F (with a low of 26°F).
I took the whole day off today except for editing this report and setting up the parking lot attendants down at the Cove, across from Barnacle Billy's, Etc., and closing up the parking lot at the end of the day.
My focus today was the bike. It was the annual South Berwick Food Pantry ride where all the participants (and others) donate $20 to $25 of food supplies to those less fortunate. I bring a check from Barnacle Billy's. I do it every year. It was a perfect day for it, albeit, a bit cool. I could have dressed warmer but I hate to perspire on the bike. So I dressed warm enough to be comfortable while riding hard. This left me wanting more layers when I stopped or when I went slow - until the air temperature finally warmed up. I must say that I was not comfortable for the first five miles riding out with everyone. When the speed picked up, I was much better. And I was perfect for the last twenty-five miles, giving me over seventy-three miles total for the day. I had planned to do a long ride anyway as tomorrow will be no time for riding.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 33°F, the sky was overcast with light snow flurries, the wind was out of the southwest at ten knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent even with the snow. When dawn broke, that was the end of the snow, what little snow there was in the first place. There wasn't even enough snow to see it on the ground. Sunrise saw a light rain. In fact, it was raining an hour before sunrise. It rained all day, light for the first half of the morning and heavier later. Even heavier during the early afternoon. Wind speeds were strong too. The wind had already hauled out of the northeast by daybreak. The wind increased exponentially from late morning through sunset. Wind speeds were over forty knots at 4:00 PM. After sunset, the wind hauled out of the north. This didn't diminish the velocity with gusts up to forty knots as late as 7:00 PM. It started to back off after that. I didn't pay attention to the air temperature. Although, I never did see any air temperature above 40°F. The visibility over the ocean, of course, was crap. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 48°F with a low of 40°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 38°F (with a low of 24°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 40°F (with a low of 28°F).
It was a lousy day to do anything but work. So work I did. I had to run storm lines to the float off the Barnacle Billy's dock. There was only a light rain when I did this so it wasn't a big deal. Our border collie, Gill, and I played around in the skiff together, accomplishing this task. Ever since Gill went overboard a couple winters ago, thinking he could walk on the ice in the Cove, he lays right down in the skiff regardless of how wet it is.
I spent a fair amount of time at the restaurant and taking the Bunny Clark truck apart, retrieving everything I needed to transfer to the new one. This included the tool carrier, the headboard and other things in the cab.
After lunch, Deb and I headed to Portsmouth to go off a list of things I have needed for the last month but didn't have time to get. We also combined this picking up some Thanksgiving items. I gave up working at 4:00 PM and did watch part of the Patriots game.
Monday, November 25, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 37°F, the sky was cloudless, the wind was out of the northwest at fifteen plus knots and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind blew out of the west for most of the day, more out of the northwest from late in the afternoon and on into the night. Wind speeds were fifteen to twenty knots, dropping to about five knots around sunset. The ocean along the shore was flat calm by 5:00 PM. The visibility was excellent all day. The air temperature reached a high over 50°F in Ogunquit. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 51°F with a low of 33°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 49°F (with a low of 29°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 51°F (with a low of 33°F).
I did a lot of running around today, after the early morning desk work. First, I had to be at the dentist's, only to find out that my root canal couldn't proceed. I had to go on to another course of antibiotics, which I picked up later. From there I went for blood work for my upcoming physical. Life becomes more complicated as you get older! I had been fasting before the blood work so I treated myself to breakfast out. That took forty-five minutes, after which I went right to the office at Barnacle Billy's, Etc. Breakfast was late so I skipped lunch and worked straight through until almost 1:30 PM. By then, it was time to pick up my mother so I could take her to her GP for her bi-yearly physical. It went just as well as it did six months ago. She had been over some hard bottom between times, rim racked the gear (so to say) but, now, her leg has healed enough so that she can walk. And so that's what we did; in and out of the doctor's office.
My mother has a favorite Chinese restaurant, Greenleaves, in York. Andy, the proprietor, is so nice to all his patrons, including us. So I called him, specifically, from the doctor's office to ask what my mother liked best and had a to-go order made up so that when we got that far (on the way back home) I could pick it up and leave it with her when we got back to her house. Do you think Andy would let me pay for it? Absolutely not. That guy is too much. How do you pay back a guy like that?
My work day ended at 4:30 PM.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 31°F, the sky was only partly clear, the wind was light out of the southwest and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind remained out of the southwest all morning and into the afternoon. Wind speeds were as much as ten knots (or a little more around noon). But, mostly, the southwest wind was light. We had no wind at sunset with a flat calm ocean along the shore. The air temperature soared. I never did see the air temperature go to 60°F. But I did see 59°F in Perkins Cove during the mid afternoon. The sky was sunny with some high thin clouds here and there. The visibility remained excellent. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 63°F with a low of 40°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 59°F (with a low of 25°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 51°F (with a low of 28°F).
The day was perfect for riding a bike so I squeezed in three hours in the morning. I got plenty of desk work before and after the ride. After lunch I had to settle up on the trade at the dealership and trade trucks. It took an hour just to clean out the old truck before I headed over there. That took up the rest of the afternoon. This partly because I forgot to take the old registration off the old truck and had to drive back to Portsmouth. The Town office was closed by the time I got back.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 31°F, the sky was hazy clear, there was no wind to write about and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. The wind established itself out of the northeast before dawn but hauled directly out of the east after. The easterly wind maintained ten knots for the rest of the morning. After noon, the easterly wind increased to twelve or thirteen knots with a few higher gusts. At around 6:00 PM, the wind hauled out of the southeast and blew over twenty knots. This wind died away later and was replaced by a northwest wind. The sky was clear only until around dawn. For the rest of the morning we had times were I could see blue sky patches but, for all intents and purposes, the sky was overcast. After noon, the sky was solid overcast. After sunset it started to rain. It rained throughout the night. The air temperature rose to a minimum high temperature value of 50°F. I wasn't paying attention enough to see the highest air temperature. The visibility was excellent throughout the daylight hours. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 54°F with a low of 40°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 48°F (with a low of 26°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 47°F (with a low of 28°F).
I spent the day running around and taking in two doctor's visits. One was at 9:00 AM to my GP, my yearly physical. The other was to my dentist to finish up a root canal with a temporary filling. So going between doctors and filling prescriptions took up most of the day. The other part of the day was used up by getting the new Bunny Clark truck registered (it took two visits for that one) and getting the truck rigged up like the last one. I never did get finished with that - the old headboard doesn't fit. Nothing seemed to go smoothly today which was the main factor that used up any time I might have had to do anything else.
I received two donations sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge today. One was Charles Shultz (MA) for $25.00 and the other was from Gene LaFrance (MA) for $25.00. Thank you both so very much for the help in a quest that I believe is truly helpful in fighting cancer. To have such a wonderful facility in New England at the top of it's game is truly a gift indeed. But to have so many supporting me in this endeavor is so much appreciated. Thanks again.
Thanksgiving Thursday, November 28, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 41°F, the sky was overcast, it was raining a light steady rain, the wind was blowing out of the north northwest at twenty knots with higher gusts and the visibility over the ocean was good to very good. It rained for most of the morning, stopping completely around 11:00 AM or before. After noon, the sky cleared and became almost cloudless and remained so into the night. The wind continued to blow, more northerly than anything else. Wind speeds were sustained at thirty knots during the late morning/early afternoon. Wind gusts reached almost forty knots. The visibility was excellent for most of the day. I didn't really pay much attention to the air temperature except that it remained in the low 40°s for most of the morning and early afternoon. I did notice that the air temperature was 37°F at 8:00 PM. In Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport) the high was 53°F with a low of 35°F). Concord, New Hampshire's high temperature was 42°F (with a low of 33°F). The high air temperature at the Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine was 42°F (with a low of 35°F).
My day was spent working in the office. This I did until around noon. Surprisingly, I got a lot done. For the afternoon, Deb and I went to our best friends (Hez & Jo) house and enjoyed one of the best Thanksgivings we have ever had. My sister Meg was there, her daughter, Abby, her kids (Landon & Wyatt) and husband (a good friend and cycling partner, Bryant) and our son, Micah and his girlfriend, Stef. We ended up getting back home at 8:30 PM.
The whole time my newly root canaled tooth was throbbing. The more I ate, the worse it got. But it never got so bad where that was all I was thinking about. But it did influence my Thanksgiving.
Friday, November 29, 2019
At 5:00 AM EST the air temperature was 31°F, the sky was clear and star filled, the wind was blowing out of the north northwest at twenty knots with higher gusts and the visibility over the ocean was excellent.
the sky was clear and star filled, the wind was blowing out of the north northwest at twenty knots with higher gusts and the visibility over the ocean was excellent. More later.
Also, Anthony Palumbo gave me his notice on the last day of the season. He is going into cabinet making on a full time basis next year. So he will not be available as a full time deck hand. So, as of right now, we will be in need of two deck hands, possibly one, a full time position and a part time position. Anyone taking the position needs to understand that a pre-employment drug test is required as well as being enrolled in a random drug testing program. You can call 207-646-2214 if you are interested.
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