Mom Visits and FedEx Gets a Workout
06 July 2007 | New Bern, NC
Doug Mayle
They say that April showers bring May flowers. Well, in our case, June orders bring July packages. A veritable deluge of packages have been raining down upon us here at the marina. Spare parts, solar panels, and kayaks are but a few of the items that have arrived encased in cardboard.
The whole process of online purchasing sounds simple, right? It is not. The work that goes into researching, comparative pricing, and placing orders is just the start of the process. Sheryl then spends considerable time actively tracking the packages and troubleshooting issues. For example, our solar panel kit arrived in boxes labeled '1 of 3', '2 of 3' and '3 of 3'. Unfortunately only two boxes arrived earlier this week. Box '2 of 3' was missing. It took several calls to the manufacturer and to FedEx to resolve the issue. As each package arrives, we must consult our order inventory, check to be certain that all items have been included, and be positive that the part or item will work as we intend.
In addition to tracking packages, Sheryl is also working on rounding up 'missing pieces'. For example, our solar panel kit requires a custom designed bar for us to mount the panels on top of the bimini. Sheryl went in search of someone to bend and cut this bar to our demanding specifications. Prices seem to vary widely as does the amount of time it will take to produce what we need. She managed to locate someone who can do the job for a reasonable price and get us the bar by next week. Hopefully, we can then finally stop the daily chore of moving these big solar panels from the v-berth to the salon each evening and back again each morning.
Of course, not all packages involve a major project. Our inflatable kayaks arrived this week, and we love them. They fit into a bag the size of a suitcase, and inflate relatively easily. They weigh only about 40 lbs each and should be easy to launch and board from the swim ladder. Although we don't know much about kayaks, these inflatables seem to move through the water fairly smoothly. We hope that they will give us the exercise and exploratory range we will be craving so badly when at anchor for longer periods of time.
Along with the downpour of packages, a ray of sunshine arrived here in the form of a visit from my mother. She flew in from Indiana on Tuesday night, and has been having a grand time here in North Carolina. She is staying in a room at the hotel associated with our marina, and has a great view overlooking the water. We spent the 4th of July taking a drive to Oriental, where we had a nice lunch and picked up a few other 'missing pieces' for our projects. We also went out to Whortonsville to show mom where we 'grew up', nautically speaking. Having seen our marina in New Bern, we walked out on the dock at Ensign Harbor and my mother commented, "This is it? No wonder you got so close to all of the people here." It is definitely not the hustle and bustle of our current liveaboard digs. We sure do miss that wonderful place.
Speaking of hustle and bustle, the night of the 4th brought fantastic weather and what appeared to be hundreds of boats at anchor in the Neuse. The occasion: Fireworks! We had a ring-side seat in our slip, and Bill & Susan joined us and mom aboard Prudence to watch the impressive New Bern fireworks display.
Post-holiday it was back to work. With mom up at the hotel, we meet for breakfast in the lobby, after which she relaxes in her room throughout the day. By late afternoon, she joins us on the boat for a change of view, and we start talking about dinner plans. The routine we have quickly adapted for her vacation time here with us allows us to continue to be productive and to give her the personal autonomy which she has come to cherish.
Perhaps, this weekend, we may even take mom on a day trip out-of-the-slip. Stay tuned to find out, dear Reader.