Kaimusailing

When uploading the last blog post I had to transfer the photo from the phone to the laptop using bluetooth. The file wouldn't transfer and I began looking into the laptop's bluetooth adapter. The bluetooth icon on the toolbar had a red x in it and when I clicked on the icon to bring up the bluetooth menu nothing happened when I clicked on "turn bluetooth on".
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In the settings toolbar is a bluetooth manager and when I opened it I couldn't find an adapter or any devices. I had had a problem a few days ago while scanning bluetooth devices with the phone. A device "nx-0" turned out to be the laptop which I found out by trial and error. Now that device wasn't showing up on the phone's bluetooth device list.
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I'm using linux and to solve problems with that system it usually gets resolved by googling the problem and the word ubuntu. Ubuntu is the parent operating system of Navigatrix, the operating system I am using. The google result will have various solutions to the problem, usually by entering commands in the terminal emulator which is kind of like the old computer terminals. The commands are not intuitive, but the syntax has to be correct or they won't work, or even worse, a command that makes things worse could be entered.
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Here is an example of one of those troubleshooting commands and the result:

Output of rfkill list is as follows:
0: phy0: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
1: hp-wifi: Wireless LAN
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
2: hp-bluetooth: Bluetooth
Soft blocked: no
Hard blocked: no
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When I entered rfkill list in the terminal emulator I only got the wifi adapter, nothing else. Other commands to search for pci and usb devices showed no bluetooth adapter, as far as I could tell. Other commands to turn on and off the adapter were tried. Nothing seemed to work. Rebooting. Reading more accounts of problems with bluetooth and linux.
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I could upload the blog using the phone but I couldn't transfer the text of the blog without using bluetooth. While I was working, frustrated, others came by and asked what I was doing. Time was passing. The UPS truck came in with my new mainsheet and running backstay lines.
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I tried looking at the system profiler which lists all of the laptop's devices. No heads or tails there. I tried the software updater and the package manager. The package manager manages software, enabling a program to be installed with all of its dependancies. It has a search window and I put in bluetooth. A list of installed programs associated with bluetooth showed up and I could see all the utilities mentioned on all of the troubleshooting posts were there, latest versions installed.
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I kept seeing mention of hardware switch on the bluetooth device, but there was no switch on the CF-C1. I went to the Panasonic Toughbook site and searched for bluetooth CF-C1. A page came up showing the right corner of the edge of the keyboard and also a suggestion to turn on the wifi rf switch, it turns on all of the adapters. On the right corner of the edge of the keyboard, hidden underneath, is a little black pushbutton, I clicked it. It all worked after that.
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A polar blast cooled us down so there was frost on deck in the morning. It was cold inside the boat and running the little propane heater helped drive off the chill. I knew I was running out of propane. I had to hang on till shopping day, Friday. I ran out of wine and bread. I had cheese and Ritz crackers for breakfast.
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The previous day I braved the chilly weather and worked on the broken solar panel. Its ground wire had corroded and I removed it from the cabin top to replace the wire. I found the wire was only bad near the butt crimp connector, maybe I hadn't sealed the joint. I was able to trim back to good wire and put in a new connector and seal the crimp barrel with e6000, a urethane product. I let it set up overnight before remounting the panel.
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The plan was to finish mounting the panel, take a shower, and go shopping with Doc from Doc's Chop Shop, Radio Bill, and Computer Ken. Ken texted me he was not good to go. Panic. Although I could go a day without bread and wine, going two days without bread and wine was sacrilegious. Maybe I could bum a ride with Rough Rider Lynn. She had offered before.
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Her partner, Helicopter Dave was at the communal hand washing stand when I ran into him. He said they had done their shopping the day before and probably didn't need anything, so, yes, I could borrow their vehicle. Oh joy.
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At precisely noon, the hour I had notified Radio Bill and Doc we would be going, I was at Lynn and Dave's boat along with a noisy welding team, Radio Bill sauntered up with a hopeful look on his face. Lynn was on the phone, Dave was holding his hand up. Hard to hear with the welding going on as well as other noisy activities in the yard, we were close to the metal working shop.
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It turned out there was a butter delivery over on I-95, I am, of course, not making this stuff up. Lynn had to pick up the butter and needed her vehicle to do it. If I took off with her car, I had to be back in about one hour. OK, let's go.
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We got about a mile and I realized I had forgotten my propane tank, to be refilled, and my mask, to shop in the grocery. I had a long list. I also had a prescription to be refilled. Shouldn't be a problem.
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I drove purposely, and those who have driven with me know that almost no traffic laws were obeyed. I jettisoned my crew into the parking lot at Walmart and sped off to the local Tractor Supply store. Tractor Supply, at least here, charges for gallons of propane, not a set fee for refilling or exchanging a tank. Radio Bill had my prescription bottle to present at the pharmacy counter. I could pick it up when I returned.
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The refilling process couldn't have been easier, plus another yardbird showed up while I was finishing the task. He didn't even have to go to the cashier and call for propane. The propane refilling person charged us on his little device, quick and easy. Back to Walmart.
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I came in the Pharmacy entrance. Doc was right there having just checked out and was turning to go toward the grocery entrance on the other end of the store. I called him and directed him to the vehicle and he left. I went to the pharmacy counter and was told they didn't have a prescription being filled for me. I went to the "Drop Off" counter and was told my friend took back the medicine bottle. I texted Radio Bill, I need the medicine bottle back at the pharmacy counter. He replied he was going to the produce check out. I sped over there. He explained the bottle was from Crisfield and they would have to call that pharmacy to fill the prescription and he wasn't sure I would want that. It took the bottle over to the pharmacy counter and was told maybe tomorrow.
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I got a chance to purchase a pair of 9 volt batteries for our cheap oscilloscopes and benadryl that I used at night to get to sleep. I assumed Doc was already out waiting in the vehicle, time was aticking. I went to the produce check out area where Bill was organizing and checking out his various vegetable products. It took a while. You have to go through the check out station menu of vegetables and get them weighed. I knew how it felt to have someone standing over me while doing a task, I don't like it at all, but I was standing there while Bill did his business. I hope he didn't mind.
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Sometimes when you are in a hurry it seems like everybody else is stuck in jello, they can't seem to pass a truck, they get congested in the store aisles, they gab with the pretty pharmacist, just get your business done and get out! Don't you want to get where you are going? Time is aticking.
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I assisted Bill in leaving the store on the right tack toward the vehicle. He had to load all his vegetables. Doc was nowhere to be seen, but his stuff was already stowed inside. As they finished up, stuck in jello, I started the vehicle and we sped off. We drove somewhat sanely through the local intersections. I was aware it was not my car and I'd better not crash it.
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We rolled into the new part of the boatyard, which was empty and not congested, dropped Doc off and he got his stuff delivered. The jello seemed to have thickened. Through the yard, not too quickly now, don't set a bad example for the local speed hero, Clayton, take it easy. At the office a delivery vehicle blocked our path. Panic. I did the sensible thing and backed up a bit and went all the way around. Surely Rough Rider Lynn would take my hide. We were 12 minutes late. She was all smiles, the butter delivery driver hadn't called her yet and now her vehicle was in her own hands.
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The driver called and I went with RR Lynn on the way to I-95 at a leisurely pace. I was calming down. We talked about this butter. Guernsey, unpasteurized, grass fed. Sounded good. "It would kick Kerry Gold Butter's ass", she said. We passed the exit to I-95, she was taking me back to Walmart to get my stuff. I ran off, she sped off, I shopped.
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I felt I had to shop like hell, she would be back right away, she was just picking up butter. I got everything except 3-in-1 oil. I had some nice looking pork and anduille sausage for bean soup, plus 6 lbs. Of assorted beans.
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Outside I waited while the Salvation Army tolled its shrill bell. After about 5 minutes the Rough Rider vehicle arrived. She got out, opened the back gate, gave the SA bell ringer a nice donation, and after I loaded my assortment of ingredients for bean soup, drove off, taking the route I would have taken, the back way, past the old airport that had been closed by the Navy, to be taken over by a hydroponic business. Back to the gulag, the boatyard, the yardbirds, the no-see-ums, swarming on me as I loaded a wheelbarrow with my stuff and went to the back near the river bank above the North River Marsh, up on board, several trips, stowing stuff, swatting no-see-ums, chagrined that I had not had the usual lunch with Doc, Ken, and Radio Bill.
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The image is titled: Rough Ride by
Eric Macintosh from Canada, at saatchiart.com available for purchase. If you search Rough Rider Lynn on saatchiart.com you will get other results, even one of Teddy Roosevelt.