For those who chuckle at my fishing ineptitude, I finally caught one. A toadfish is not what you consider game fish. In fact, it is the ugliest damn thing you'll ever see but I caught it, Pokey insisted on a picture, and I promptly tossed it back. The boyz were curious but not all that impressed.

We are enjoying our stay at Fishing Bay Harbor. The staff, Lou, Coach, Mike and Ken, have been very accommodating and helpful. Blackie and Red love it when Coach comes by since he always has a biscuit for them. Bribery will get you anywhere with those two.

We had a surprise visit Saturday evening from Carole and Greg. Carole is one of our PrimRoses and also takes care of our mail forwarding from home. Greg has been working on a tree house for his nephew near Williamsburg. Some tree house - it's a multi-level 350 square foot Taj Mal of tree houses. Carole had called to 'check in' while they were 'driving home'. Twenty minutes later they were standing on our dock, "Mail Call". What a treat for us. We threw in some extras for the bbq and introduced them to our new friends at FBH.

The last few days have been quite hot so we are under tarps keeping the sunload down on the decks. Below is very comfortable, so small interior projects continue. Galley sink faucet yesterday: the old one finally gave up the ghost. The local Hurd's Hardware store is well-stocked with a good variety, more like a general store, and the folks that work there are pleasant and very helpful. It is about a two-mile bike ride, but I hitched a ride with Lou, while he was out running errands. Nice guy, and he saved me a ride in 94 degree heat. As usual, I had to make another trip later for extra fittings. Fortunately, the temp had dropped a few degrees by that time and a touch of breeze helped. I'm too used to jumping in the car for my daily 'stuff' runs and fill-ins and need to plan better. Even though the folding bike has an electric wheel, I have to assist to get my two bills up a slight grade. Pokey is already talking about a scooter or a moped so I don't have to work so hard(!). Heh, heh, more toys - I'm so easy. It's good to have an Admiral that spoils you.

The pool at FBH is the center of activity on shore. All the facilities are kept spotlessly clean. Off the covered patio is a small captain's lounge with tv, videos, and a drop one/take one library. Someone here has the same taste in authors as we do so we don't lack for reading material. We can also catch up on laundry while dipping in the pool or enjoying the company of the regulars here. Sandy and Charles on the Crow's Nest seem to be the ad hoc social directors and have welcomed us to their informal Saturday night pot lucks. I wish I could remember everyone's name but we had a great time meeting them and look forward to next weekend when they all gather again on the patio. Excellent food.

A bonus was the fabulous tomatos Charles grows at home - the best we've had since Pop's garden. Charles was also an extra in the HBO special "The John Adams Chronicles" and Sandy loaned us the full set of CD's, all seven segments. It is a fascinating account of the thought and sacrifices our forefathers and their families endured giving birth to our country. My bedtime suffered but it was well worth watching the whole series over three nights.

Today's project, other than staying out of the heat, is some wiring to accommodate the computer setup and maybe a run to Hurd's for some other odds 'n ends we thought of last night. If you haven't noticed, I'm a hardware store junky. Later, we will do a little laundry and drift around the pool. It's a tough life. Thursday is my West Marine run to pick up a new diverter valve for the forward head. I don't look forward to opening up the system but Pokey hasn't volunteered for that one. Her job will be keeping the boyz in tow so I don't have to play catch all day while my head is in the, uh, head.