Cooling off

The days are noticeably shorter and it's finally started to cool off. It was hot yesterday, but will only get up to around 74 today. We're supposed to get some rain today, but after that, it should be dry until Sunday. I need to do a little more sanding, but hope to use those days to get the deck painted.

It was so nice last night, that I used the parking lot lights from next door to work on cleaning up the handrails. I had to use the heat gun on some spots, and didn't finish, but it was nice to sit out under the boat, have a beer, and follow the Astros game on my phone while I scrapped off the old varnish. I was out there until around 10pm.

Creamer watch:

I read some of Creamer's book yesterday during the hot part of the day and read a few more pages this morning while I was having my coffee and almost finished. He's crossing the Gulf Stream and approaching Cape May, so he's almost home. I liked the book, but it wasn't nearly as good as some of the others I've read. It's never been published, so I doubt a good editor ever worked with him to tighten it up. Part of the problem surrounded complaints about his crew on his trip around the Horn -- it just seemed petty and should have been cut.

Boat watch:

I'm going to do the final deck sanding forward of the companionway today, and work on the toe rail and deck in the cockpit area. There's not much to do back there, so hopefully, I can make some progress. The goal is to have enough area ready to paint so that I don't waste any of the epoxy primer after I mix it up. I also sanded the patch I made the the bow yesterday, so it's ready to prime too.

Zoe watch:

She got to meet and play with three little dogs on our walk this morning, so she's pretty happy. It's cool and overcast right now, and she's hanging out under the boat. I gave a biscuit a little while ago, so I think she's sleeping now. I may go take her for a short walk around the yard before I start sanding -- should be a good day.