Friday, July 29, 2011

Just when things seem to be better....

Just when things seem to be going better (we fixed the pull cord/ starter-recoil issue on the generator, bought a new drill/driver, got my new contact lenses, etc) and we can get going on the mast and associated bits, we have Invest 91 to focus on...

29 July 2011 - 08:00 am (Wunderground.com)

Darn...

Sing it Lena... CLICK TO LISTEN



Wednesday, July 27, 2011

New WiFi equipment soon come... So Excited!

I'm so excited. Yesterday we ordered some new wifi equipment that will hopefully improve our internet experience.

We have had a 500mW Alfa USB adapter (AWUS036H) for quite awhile and it seems to work well and the people we've met who use it love the little fellah. Our problem with it is that we need to share our connection and this USB unit won't connect to our router. (We've been using an Engenius EOC-2610 for several years).

A couple of months ago I discovered that Alfa now makes a router/access point for their AWUS036H unit. Hurray!!! Then I lost the info and couldn't find it again until last week...


So, before I could lose it again, we ordered :
  • 1000mW version of the Alfa USB adapter which has both the 5dBi antenna and a 9dBi antenna
  • Alfa R-36 For AWUS036H and 3G USB Mobile WiFi Router
I thought about trying the 2000mW version of the Alfa USB adapter (AWUS036NH) but I was told that it wouldn't work with the R-36 router.  That made my decision simple :)

Now we will be able to do away with our ethernet cords which will make us more mobile and also reduce the wear and tear on our computers' ethernet sockets.


Isn't it maddening when the little plastic do-hickeys on the ethernet plugs break and the cable slips out and you keep wondering why "You are not connected to the internet".

So it comes soon...



Thursday, July 21, 2011

Disappointed in St Croix, but Junk Food Day!

Well, I could really go on a rant about this but I'm not going to... My brand of contact lenses has been discontinued so I needed a new prescription for a new brand. OK, seems sort of silly but it's been a few years since my last exam so I went to Sterling Optical in Golden Rock shopping center near Pueblo for a new Rx. Let's just say that I am EXTREMELY disappointed in their "service" and skill set. I would NOT recommend.

Today, July 21st, is Junk Food Day! You can find some interesting recipes at Serious Eats.

ENJOY!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!

Happy Bastille Day !!!


We usually have some tasty French treats for the 14th such as baguettes; brie, chevre and other cheeses; various patés; pastis... Well, good thing we still have some pastis on board as there's not much in the way of French products to be found on St Croix.

The folks over at Serious Eats has a "Bastille Day Recipe Round Up" article. Oh wow... I haven't thought about Chouquettes for a long, long time... I WANT SOME... NOW!!!

The Google logo for today on their French www.google.fr page is festive...


Here's some French music you might like to check out. I was trying to do an A-Z thing...
Antoine, Charles Aznavour, Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel, Patrick Bruel, Maurice Chevalier, Mylène Farmer, Claude François, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Serge Gainsbourg, Johnny Hallyday, Indochine, Kassav, Claudine Longet, Eddy Mitchell, Vanessa Paradis, Édith Piaf, Sheila, Téléphone, Zouzou.
We should watch a French film tonight... Perhaps Amélie or The Professional ... I'm leaning towards Jean Reno. We used to see him from time to time shopping at the supermarket at Saint-Germain-En-Laye.

Ainsi va la vie...


Thursday, July 07, 2011

National Macaroni Day - July 7th

Today is National Macaroni Day. We had macaroni salad for lunch :)

You might want to check out SERIOUS EATS for macaroni suggestions.

This afternoon we will be on the prowl for kitty litter. When we went out to K-Mart last week they only had one 30-pound box of kitty litter and that was way too heavy to carry about a mile to Cost-U-Less (which was out of litter) where we had to do some grocery shopping.

So, we'll see if ACE has anything at all... We are desperate and will even use clay, non-clumping litter. If not, maybe Pueblo will have something tomorrow to hold us over until we can get back out to K-Mart.

When does the next kitty litter container arrive on island???

UPDATE: We went to ACE (Gallows Bay Hardware) and they had 50-pound bags of Tidy Cat Clay (non-clumping) kitty litter for $9.99. We would have bought it and Bob was willing to hump it home, but what would we do with the extra 45 pounds? We'll get whatever Pueblo happens to have and if they don't have any we'll check at the little stores along the way.

We had a beautiful sunset but I knew it wouldn't last long enough to get my camera, plus quite often the camera just can't capture the magic.

So It Goes...

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

St Thomas - St Croix ferry crash July 4 2011

Another ferry accident. They seem to like the reefs around Great St James near St Thomas, USVI, although it is usually Cow & Calf... Was it last time or the time before with the Boy Scout passengers???

These folks were returning to St Croix via St Thomas (according to the radio report) from the St John Festival held over the July 4th weekend.  Wow, full tilt boogy onto the reef...

Anyway, here's the story on the St Thomas Source

I like what the ferry company's managing director said "It was one of those freaky things,”


Photos courtesy of the US Coast Guard

The reef is on charts and GPS...



Definitely a bit of merde happening...

So It Goes... (but not me, please!)




Sunday, July 03, 2011

Sunday in St Croix - STX

Well, at least it's not as rolly today. That's one positive thing I can say. It has been raining off and on for the past 3 hours though, so it looks like it will not be an epoxy day unless the weather dramatically changes for the good and does so soon.

I couldn't critique our friend's web site the other day because our internet service was too slow. (Like it is right NOW. It is taking forever to do this post. They must be using the Commodore 64 server this weekend and not the Atari 1040ST).

But, we did get to repair a few things... one of which was my portable fan. I really like this fan. It runs forever on 4 D-cell batteries. I have used it every night, all night for 2 or 3 months before changing batteries and Caframo claims 300 hours on one set of batteries. My problem was that one of the wires got disconnected. Bob soldered it and now it is finest kind!

Caframo Minimax

It is also very quiet and, like the other Caframo fans we use on the boat,

Caframo Ultimate (12 volts)

they stop spinning if you stick your finger or paw in the blades.  Willow gets fascinated with this from time to time :)

I like these fans because they are "fingersafe" and do not have a cage around the blades. Cages are a great trap for cat hair and are difficult to clean.

Friday, July 01, 2011

BVI Territory Day - July 1st - Canada Day

July 1st is British Virgin Islands Territory Day.


Hope nobody is planning to check in or clear out as those "after hours" and "holiday" fees are quite steep.

And it is also...


No too happy here in St Croix... It is gray and it is raining.  There was a little bit of rumbling thunder but not enough to make Willow growl.

We were just getting on a roll with the mast and all of its associated bits and bobs and now the weather sucks. Too windy, too rolly, too wet... And, I just found out that the contact lenses I've been happily using for years have been discontinued so I now have to get my eyes examined for a new brand. Also, it is $5.00 all you can eat taco night at the place next to Schooner Bay Market but we won't go if it's raining. We need to get water & gas but that will have to wait until the water quits falling from the sky (might try & catch some), and hopefully it won't be too bumpy which makes it difficult to lift the jerrycans from the dinghy to the deck. Did I mention that our WiFi is iffy today? Like many other days, it is OK and then S.L.O.W. and then non-existent for a bit. Of course, when you call customer service it has nothing to do with them... Argh!

I need to do something fun... I've been asked to critique a web site so maybe I'll do that... or read... maybe the cats will want to play :)

So It Goes...