Apologies for lack of blogging...

Sorry for my lack of blogging but I've had issues with my eyesight for several months. I could not work for much more than an hour on the computer and even with that short timespan I experienced eye soreness, general fatigue, double vision, etc.

But, now that seems to be all sorted out and I'm a much happier camper... Yippee!

Daylight Saving Time 2016

I didn't realize today was the beginning of Daylight Saving Time until Bob told me... Thanks!

2:00am is now 3:00am

DST begins on the second Sunday of March for the USA and Canada. This is when you must set your clocks forward... Spring Ahead.

Most countries in the Caribbean do NOT change. We stay the same all year round. A few US states and some areas of Canada also ignore DST. What a mess that must cause.

Mexico changes their clocks on April 3, 2016 except for some areas that border the USA which follows USA time.

The UK and France (along with other European countries) change time on the last Sunday of March.

Of course, in the autumn, the dates to return to standard time also varies from place to place but we won't worry our pretty little heads about that just now :)

(By the way, it is "Saving" and not "Savings")

Leaping lizards... It's February 29th

 

Today is February 29th which is Leap Day. 

What to do? Hear are some leapy things...

• Leap at the chance to do something
• Leap for joy
• Take a leap of faith
• Look before you leap
• Leap on the bandwagon
• Leap in the dark

 I like "leap for joy".

This is an interesting website with many "leap" quotes: 

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/leap.html

Happy leaping!

New restaurant in Christiansted, St Croix - Sai Gon Deli

We had planned to have lunch at Sharkey's Bait Shack last Thursday as it was $7.50 burger+side day. which is one of our favorite shoreside lunches. We were looking forward to our burgers until we opened their door and was hit by a cacophony of noise. The place was full of school children for some reason.

We quickly turned around and did a bit of shopping in Seaside Market next door with thoughts of getting a sandwich. This didn't happen because there was no place to sit at their outside tables. In fact, three of the tables had one employee per table just hanging out on their break.

Our next option was to try out the new Vietnamese place (Sai Gon Deli) just down the street by the laundry. We usually do our laundry on Sundays and they were closed each time we went, plus they didn't have a menu up so we had no idea on dishes and prices.

Glad we stopped by. Turns out they've been in business about 2 months and they are closed on Sundays & Mondays. I took a picture of the menu on the wall... sorry that I cut off the right side of the menu.

They are located at the little strip mall across from the Canegata Ball Park between the laundromat and the Mt Welcome Pharmacy. This is an easy walk from Christiansted Harbour and Gallows Bay.

We will be back soon for another lunch...

Click image to enlarge

Enjoy!

Computer problem - Wifi, Limited Access [FIXED]

Late yesterday afternoon I was working online and when I went and pressed a submit button I noticed that I was no longer connected. My wifi icon down in the taskbar (Windows 8.1) had a yellow triangle with an exclamation point proclaiming that I was connected but had limited access. Darn!

Bob has this problem quite often (too often) but right clicking on the icon and clicking on "Troubleshoot problems" generally fixes it. If not, we then shut down the computer and restart, and the other thing we can do is to reboot our ISPs modem.

I tried these things (troubleshooting told me it couldn't find a problem) and Bob's computer was still happily surfing the net.

Using my tablet, I queried Google for something like "wifi limited access" and looked at several results. I tried one thing (netsh int ip reset) but it didn't solve my problem. It was time for our sundowner and quality time on the foredeck.

After dinner, Buffy took my spot at the table so I took my computer and tablet into the forepeak and started looking for YouTube solutions as my eyes were too tired for reading.

After watching a couple dozen videos of various quality and intelligence, there appeared to be about 4 or 5 things to try. I decided to try one option that seemed quite likely to work. Basically, it was to disable the wifi network connection and then enable it.  IT WORKED!

How to: Reset The Network Adapter

• Right click on wifi icon in taskbar
• Click on "Open Network and Sharing Center"
• In the left column click on "Change Adapter Settings" (see below)

Click image to enlarge

• You then get the following screen

Click image to enlarge

• Right click on "Wi-Fi" and it will give you a list of options. Choose "Disable". Give it a few seconds and then right click on it again and this time choose "Enable".

The icon in my taskbar was still showing the yellow triangle.

I restarted my computer. On the pre-signin screen it was still showing the wifi limited access icon. I then signed in and had the black screen for a brief period of time (probably updating stuff) and when it displayed the deskstop I had the normal wifi icon. I have internet access.  Peachy Keen!

Here are some other possible solutions you might find useful. Plus I found this link this morning: CLICK HERE...

• Reinstall your driver (some videos say to go online to do this... Duh!)

• Modify power management settings so computer doesn't shut down wifi connection to conserve power.

• Using command prompt with administrator privilege:

ipconfig /flushdns 

(only noticed this once in my search, then...)

ipconfig /release

(you will receive some error messages)

ipconfig /renew

(Windows reissues new ip for computer & there are more messages about media disconnected, etc)

(look at wifi icon and it should now show connected. If not, restart computer)

• Using command prompt with administrator privilege:

ipconfig /all

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

• Using command prompt with administrator privilege:

netsh int ip reset

(or I sometimes saw with a filename, below)

 netsh int ip reset C:\resetlog.txt

(restart computer)

• Using command prompt with administrator privilege:

 netsh ip tcp set heuristics disabled

 netsh ip tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

 netsh ip tcp set global rss=enabled

 netsh ip tcp show global

Hope this helps someone.

February 2016

Well, it's February tomorrow so I need to put up a new post... Hope your new year is off to a good start. Our's is. We've finished our new salon cushions. How firm and comfy... Hurray! We will be getting our new mattress in a couple of days which is great; a good nights' sleep is very important. This week we will be modifying our salon dinette. Looking forward to it.

As you know, our next big holiday is February 2nd, Groundhog Day...

Let's see what Punxsutawney Phil will have to say :)

UPDATE: Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil Did Not See His Shadow

Other days of interest in February 2016:

• 1-29 February : Black History Month
• 2 Feb - Groundhog Day
• 7 Feb - Superbowl Sunday
• 9 Feb - Mardi Gras
• 14 Feb - Valentine's Day 
• 15 Feb - President's Day
• 15 Feb - Grammy Awards
• 17 Feb - Random Acts of Kindness Day
• 22 Feb - National Margarita Day
• 28 Feb - Academy Awards (Oscars)
• 29 Feb - Leap Day
• 29 Feb - Sadie Hawkins Day 

So it goes... time to get crackin!

Best wishes for 2016

All the best wishes for the good things in life.

• Good fortune
• Good health
• Good times
• Good eats
• Good friends
• Good neighbors
• Good weather
• Good sailing
• Good fun

etc..

You catch my drift :)

So it goes!

The days are getting longer... Yippee!

Yesterday, December 22, was the winter solstice and the days are getting longer.

According to WeatherUndergrounds almanac for the Virgin Islands:

• Length of Day    
  11h 04m
  Tomorrow will be 0m4s longer.

 

Read the Daily Telegraph article for all you need to know about the shortest day of the year

So it goes...

Come Monday it will be the last day of H-season

Monday, November 30, 2015, is the last day of official hurricane season. Hurray!

While this Jimmy Buffett video isn't about hurricanes, it's the first time I've seen it and I wanted to share.  I wonder when it was made? In the seventies? Anyway, it has a nice introduction...

Enjoy!

Come Monday - Jimmy Buffett

Tomorrow we do the happy dance!

So it goes...

Looking forward to Thursday

It's T-Day this week.

I don't think the turkey stands a chance :)

So it goes...

Best of luck!

Don't even think about leaving port this Friday

Remember, Remember The 5th Of November

It's November 5th. I remember my mother reciting this when I was little...

    Remember, remember!
    The fifth of November,
    The Gunpowder treason and plot;
    I know of no reason
    Why the Gunpowder treason
    Should ever be forgot!
    Guy Fawkes and his companions
    Did the scheme contrive,
    To blow the King and Parliament
    All up alive.
    Threescore barrels, laid below,
    To prove old England's overthrow.
    But, by God's providence, him they catch,
    With a dark lantern, lighting a match!
    A stick and a stake
    For King James's sake!
    If you won't give me one,
    I'll take two,
    The better for me,
    And the worse for you.
    A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,
    A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,
    A pint of beer to wash it down,
    And a jolly good fire to burn him.
    Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!
    Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King!
    Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!

Here's a bit of history for you...

Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night and Fireworks Night, is an annual commemoration observed on November 5th primarily in Great Britain.

It celebrate the events of November 5, 1605 concerning the foiling of (Catholic) Guy Fawkes's attempt to blow up (Protestant controlled) England's House of Parliament. He was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. The bonfire is to burn the effiigy of Guy Fawkes but in some time periods it also included the Pope.

So it goes...

Celebrate

Today is National Cat Day...

What ?

 Yes, today, October 29th, is National Cat Day.

Didn't we just have that?

No, that was World Cat Day on August 8th.

Can't get too much of a good thing :)

Here's an interesting page I found on the internet today: 

5 ways to celebrate National Cat Day on CNN Scroll through their slideshow for an interesting group of photos

I think we'll have tuna sandwiches for lunch.

So it goes...

Rainy Days

Typical... You are doing real well on a project and something messes it up, trying to interfere with your momentum.  It has been rainy here for about a week. Our painting plans have brought much needed rain to the island.

This weather has given us a bit of time to get our new computer up and running. That project has also had delays... lost in the mail for 5 weeks followed by two months of crappy, practically non-existent internet service. So over the past couple of days we have: cloned the hard drive to a Samsung SSD; removed the original HDD and replaced it with the SSD (Hurray, it works!); downloaded some necessary software; removed the CD/DVD drive and replaced with a 7200rpm hybrid drive in a CD drive adaptor (Hurray, it works, too!).

Today it is very gray and overcast. No rain so far but I did hear thunder at 7am. If we can't work outside on the boat I plan to work on my installation of Foobar2000 and create a skin for it that will be useful and attractive. Then do one for Bob's computer, too.

Also, I might splice up a new painter for our dinghy.

So it goes...

How did this slip by?

I know October 9th was a busy, hectic day but how did I miss this event?

John Lennon was born 75 years ago on October 9th 1940.

December 8th will be the 35th anniversary of his assassination. Wow, I remember the shock of that!

The excellent website Coverville, The Cover Music Radio Show has a 90-minute show of John Lennon covers. Click HERE to check it out. I just downloaded it and look forward to listening.

#PeaceAndLove

Into The Past With Back To The Future...

As you probably know already, today, October 21, 2015, is "Back to the Future Day."

Thirty-ish years ago Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) time-traveled to this very day... Where are the hover boards?  Still no jet packs, either.

Do you remember where you were when you saw this film in the cinema?

Amazon has a good deal today for the trilogy. Only $22.98 for the collection.

So it goes...

Today Is National Coffee Day

Our 3rd cup of coffee for the morning is almost ready and my better half just read that today is National Coffee Day.

   

I'll drink to that :)

So It Goes...

Last Day of Summer

Today is the last day of summer.

The Autumnal Equinox will occur at 08:20 UTC (GMT), September 23, 2015.

Enjoy!

The Royal Terns Are Back... WELCOME

Last week we saw the return of Royal Terns. This is cool because to us it means the end of those summer storms.

Great to see you guys. Hope you had a nice vacation.

This is the next system out in the Atlantic...

Invest 93L - Hurricane Model Sept 14 2015 - Wunderground

which doesn't appear to be coming our way :)

Tomorrow is Hurricane Marilyn's 20th anniversary in the USVI. Glad we missed that one!

So it is going...

Maybe we should leave our storm anchors down

UPDATED after 11:00am forecast... 

What's up with this?

Computer models from Wunderground.com

September 5, 2015 Invest 91L

WELL, it is now this...

5-Day Forecast Cone - NOAA/NHC

September 5, 2015 - Tropical Depression Seven

Might become Tropical Storm Grace tomorrow...  Wonderful :(

Yes, I think we'll be leaving the storm anchors down for a few more days (after checking them out, of course)

[Back to the earlier post...]

It's still early days though.  Lots of time for it to fizzle or head more to the north. Hopefully it will not even get a name.

Remember Hurricane Marilyn? It has been 20 years... She hit St Thomas on September 15-16, 1995.

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

T.S Erika Breezes By St Croix

Erika passed below St Croix Thursday evening. We had winds up to 60 MPH and not much rain.

We fared well. The cats pretty much took it in stride; probably because there wasn't any thunder or lightning.

The next morning, we noticed a boat that arrived the day before the storm (and was a nice distance downwind from us) was not anchored in the same place as when we closed up our boat in the evening.  Looks like they might have dragged a bit.

When we went to bail out the dinghy après l'orage, we were surprised that there wasn't much water in it. Crucians didn't want strong winds but they definitely could have used the water.

The StCroixSource has a photo of a 41-foot Morgan on the beach from Christiansted Harbor. See here. We hope they are OK and can recover their boat.

So it went...

Tomorrow is Erika

It appears that we will be visited by Erika tomorrow. That's two in a row!  Hope that will be the last for this season.

The story so far...

So it goes...

Today is D-Day.... Danny

Well, it is finally here. D-Day. The good news is that the once Hurricane Category 3 Danny will probably be Tropical Depression Danny OR just a remnant by the time he gets to our area.

Also, the storm's path has changed. It has moved south. The "cone of death" no longer touches us... HURRAY!

Tropical Depression Danny

NOAA August 24, 2015 - 05:00am

BUT there is another storm lurking behind Danny that should be here in about 3 days...

Invest 98L

WeatherUnderground August 24, 2015 08:00am (AST) Models

So it goes...

Shucky Darn... TD4

Hoping Danny doesn't come for a visit.

Click graphic to enlarge.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015. 11am EDT. Advisory #1

It was a beautiful day today. Very blue sky that I haven't seen in a while. The clear skies are preferable but the Sarahan dust is much better for us summer storm-wise.

It is still quite far away and we'll be keeping an eye on it. I hope our internet service improves as it has been completely unusable every evening and quite often during the day. (Speaking of being disconnected, we just had our connection drop. Double shucky darn).

We were out shopping today and some people seem to want a storm to bring some much needed rain, etc..

So it goes...

August 8th is World Cat Day!

August 8th is World Cat Day. Let's celebrate! We'll begin with tuna sandwiches for lunch.

 Celebrate, Celebrate, Dance with the Music

I wonder about the inhabitants of Tashirojima, otherwise known as Cat Island. Will they get special treats today?

So it goes...