I got a call earlier in the week from my friendly neighborhood diesel mechanic. He said the exhaust repairs were complete and the engine was running like a “sewing machine” (his words). He gave me a laundry list of things I needed to correct, all of which are existing conditions that we inherited from the previous owner. I had taken a couple of vacation days just so I could get away from the work pressure cooker for a little while. Our new granddaughter has yet to make an appearance.

Judy got a call on Friday morning from her friend Sallie inviting her to go to an antique show in Liberty, NC so I decided to take a day and go to the coast to check it out.

Friday April 27, 2012
I was in no big hurry to leave. I had a few things to do. I finally got loaded and called my friend Bill and arranged to pick up some amateur radio gear to check out for the club. I left home at about 11 am but spent over an hour visiting with Bill. The trip was uneventful. I stopped at Subway in Ramseur and bought a “footlong” sandwich. One half would be for lunch and the other for dinner.

I arrived at about 6pm and unloaded the car. The exhaust repairs looked really good. For what it cost it really should look good. Nick and Jeanette came by for a granddaughter report. I caught up on the Ensign Harbor news and happenings. I really didn’t have time to get into anything important so I just relaxed and read and surfed the net for a while. I turned in early. I had not done a good job of bringing everything I needed for the weekend. I found that I had forgotten my sleeping bag so I had to improvise my linen situation and use what was on the boat. I had to close the hatch during the night due to a downpour that I had not expected. I was hoping for better weather than was forecast.

Saturday April 28, 2012
Saturday morning weather was grey and damp. My stay was open ended but I had hoped for some sunshine if I was going to stay all weekend. I decided to do the “inside” work and hope the sun would come out by the time I finished. Yearly maintenance is such a pain. I always dread it but it has served me well with very few maintenance related problems. I changed the oil and oil filter as well as both fuel filters. When I finished the engine maintenance it was still early and the weather was still crappy. I decided to tackle the diesel smoke covered engine compartment. I used a whole bottle of degreaser spray cleaner and used the water hose to rinse it all down. I turned the bilge pump off so it would not try to pump all the crap that was being flushed into the bilge. I used my wet / dry shop vac to remove all the bilge water and trash from the bilge. I gave the engine compartment a good cleaning had hose down. When I finished I hosed down the entire cabin sole and gave the bilge a good scrubbing. I did not attempt to crank the engine again. I was concerned that any electrical equipment that had gotten wet during the scrubbing should dry out before the engine was started.

I had brought my little electric pressure washer to clean the deck but by the time I had finished the maintenance and interior scrubbing I was tied and the weather was still crappy. I decided to pack the car and head for home instead of attempting an external power washing in cold wet windy weather.

I left for home at about 2pm and stopped at King’s Barbeque for a late lunch. I discovered they had baked chicken. I ordered it without the greasy sauce along with potato salad and really good cole slaw. You can usually get a decently healthy meal at any restaurant if you are careful.

The rest of the trip was uneventful and I am glad to report that the little Toyota Matrix logged a solid 36 mpg on the trip even with the air conditioning running the whole way.

There were no pictures this trip or last because the digital camera had to stay home with “Gram” in case we need to take pictures of a new granddaughter.