The Money, The Time, The Money, The Will, The Money, The Money, The Money.............. Annnnd The Fourth Time's The C̶h̶a̶r̶m̶ Chump

 Are we going to make it? The deadline? The something I never had the guts to mention before? The arbitrary point in time when this half conceived concept comes to fruition? I flat out do not know. The temperature sucks you dry. The duck pecking continues. The money circles around the vortex three times, then disappears. The little stuff, the picayune components, morph into time assasins, Thugees of progress. Every day I feel that I could have done better. Every day I seem to take too many breaks. Every day I take my walk and feel that I could have spent just a little more time working. The details, man, the details. Budge is fretting about the motors. I am fretting about everything else. Just a few things that we have to confront: cushions & mattresses, anchor chain, metal work (masts,etc), canvas design, motors and controls, rigging, both standing and running, mounting solar panels and wind generator, and the whole take it apart, transport and put it back together. I can only concentrate on the thing in front of me.

Quotes are out for bidding on the standing rigging. Whooda thunk it that that would be so expensive? Time to shave back more and push to completion (It'll never be finished). I made a trip to the upholstery place in Cowtown, along with a James McMurtry concert. McMurtry was great. The upholstery place was not. I will have to go elsewhere.  

​We did find an aluminum guy and his prices are good. We don't know about is time schedule, though.

We epoxy coated the last bits of wood on the pod top. 

Two coats ​ and put a coat of primer on it.

Then, verrrrry carefully, we put the pod top in place.

Back to the water boxes. I cleaned them and glued the two tops in place.

Epoxy coat, primer coat, a couple paint coats.

Take a dowel. Cut a slot. Stuff some sandpaper in the slot. Chuck it. Flap sander! I am sanding the wood in the cabins.

Budge keeps punching holes in the boat. This is the ground plate, a few pounds of sintered bronze. For the SSB radio.

So, Budge noticed a spot on the rudders. You know, the ones we built three times. We started with our pocket knives. The glass was lifting away from the wood. You can see the water saturated dark spot in the photos. We got out the scraper and putty knife. We are waiting for the saturated spot to dry out so Budge can sand it and we can re glass it. This marks a milestone in my psychological evolution. I have come to expect such setbacks. It used to set me into a depressed state of mind. Now it doesn't phase me. I have reached the null state. Siddhartha would be proud of me, that is If Siddhartha was capable of pride any more.

I made a couple pod top supports. This is an evolutionary design process that still requires contemplation: Om.................Om..........on the range. Where the deer and the antelope play. Don't know about that discouraging word part.

And, finally, I've been fumbling around in the cabins sanding the wood. I took the cabinet doors off so the varnish would lay flat.

The Music♫: James McMurtry "Ain't Got A Place"

I've been here four years. I feel that I fit nowhere. You can't go back..........​