July 13-31, 2021 AC problem, International dinner, dinghy drifts, Dave's birthday

 7-13 Tuesday was a lazy day unpacking.  We had a nice dinner with Pete at our favorite BBQ restaurant, Willie Jewel’s.
7-14. We were glad we hung on to the rental car for a few more days.  We discovered about 8:00pm that our air conditioning wasn’t working.  Dave couldn’t flush the raw water filter from the inside to get it working again.  That meant he would have to get in the water and check from the outside.  So, we decided to get a room for the night.  We called the Best Western we had stayed at in March and headed there about 9:30.  When we arrived, there were other people checking in.  And then their computer system went down.  The front desk lady was frustrated, would hit the computer, and tell us there was nothing she could do.  After about 20 minutes of this, I said “so we’re all just going to sleep in your lobby tonight?”.  Luckily, we had made our reservation over the phone and not online.  So we gave her our info and asked her to be sure we wouldn’t be charged for the room.  We left and drove across the street to a Quality Inn that wasn’t really “quality”, but we had a bed and air conditioning.  
7-15 Thursday.  Back at the boat, the control panel showed a fault or error that the AC wasn’t getting enough coolant water to the system.  Dave used a snorkel and checked the through hull from the under side of the boat.  The AC has to draw water in through the through hull to work.  In the past, a plastic grocery bag was stuck over the hole.  That didn’t seem to be the problem, so he went back inside and checked out the entire system.  He checked all sources of water to the AC.  At the inside end of the thru hull, Dave took off the shut off valve and very little water was flowing into the boat through the thru hull.  So he went back in the water (snorkel only, no hookah system for breathing).  There is a screen at the hull surface to stop crud from entering the thru hull.  Dave had to put a tool up through the screen and found a piece of plastic beyond the screen.  That was it!!  It was flapping open and closed to stop the water.  He was able to get a hold of it and pull it out.  He used some of his reserve air to giggle underwater.  

7-16  We had a fun dinner with boating friends on our dock this evening.  Margaret and Bill were so nice to check on our boat while we were gone.  And they are always willing to give us a ride to pick up or drop off a rental car.  And they let me tag along when they buy groceries.
While Dave was working on the air conditioning yesterday, I went shopping for our dinner.  
We had bought some of the items at Jungle Jim’s in Ohio and wanted to have an international meal. We started with charcuterie of pâté, cheese, fish, meats, nuts, pears, crackers and picked foods.  The main course included a Greek salad, duck confit (from a can), roasted vegetable, and bread.  For dessert, we had berries with cream.  We enjoyed pastis-Pernod with ice and water and a German white wine.  Margaret and Bill are Canadian, so they loved the French theme.

 

Bill and Margaret

 

Mary and Bill enjoying pastis

7-21 We enjoyed another dinghy ride to Marshside grill.  Pete was able to join us this time.  The pieces of the Golden Ray sunken cargo ship are always interesting to see up close.  I can only imagine what the floor of the inlet looks like where the ship was when they made these cuts into the ship.  The pieces were welded to barges and taken to Louisiana for salvage.

the channel leaving the marina

 

 

7-23 We also enjoyed a dingy drift with other boaters for the full moon.


 

just a cool yard decoration I saw on a walk

July 31 was Dave’s 66th birthday.  That doesn’t seem possible.  We had a birthday breakfast with our dock mates.  We made caramel rolls, Connechuh sausage, and brought cherries.  Someone brought up a coffee maker and coffee.  Someone else provided bloody Mary’s.  Great time with friends.

old people taking photos including the thumb

July 11-12, 2021 Grandfather Mt Highland games at MacRae Meadows, NC

 This was the 66th annual Grandfather Mountain Highland games.  It claims to be the one of the most highly acclaimed and largest Highland games in the US.  To spend the day at the Highland games, you have to take a shuttle bus from the nearby towns.  We packed up our folding chairs and a backpack each and headed to Linville to catch the bus for $10 each, round trip.
We settled in to watch the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games opening ceremony.  It was fantastic with bagpipe bands and each clan walking the track in groups for the Parade of Tartans (their family colors and crest).  I tried to get pictures of each one.  There were quite a few, so I’ll include pictures of the best ones.  

view from the main gate of the tents surrounding the field

Grandfather

 

                                                                        Dancing competion

                                                                    Opening ceremony

                                     

 

        End of opening ceremony with flags of each Clan

We watched several sporting events-kilted running events, sheep dog demonstrations, highland dancing, children’s tug-of-war and other events.

 

The heavy athletic events included the hammer throw, weight toss for height, the sheaf toss, the cabor toss.  They were all based on actions that were necessary for survival.
There were tents outside of the field that had different musical performances or workshops and demonstrations and competitions.

 bagpipe competition on the hillside

There were tents for shopping and food trucks.  We sampled almost everything at the British food truck-fish and chips, meat pie, Bridie, and sausage roll.  And of course we had to have Irish stew before leaving.  There wasn’t any alcohol for sale, but somewhere I read that if was allowed to bring in and consume “discreetly”.  

example try, but I think we had one of everything

we found the Zeller crest at one of the tents

It really was a fun event.  We would consider returning.  You can get a pass for parking at the event instead of the shuttle bus.  And there was an area for camping.  Those people looked like they had a lot of fun. 
We headed back to Brunswick, GA on Monday.  It was about an 8 hour drive, so made it in one day.

Jyly 10, 2021 Grandfather Vineyard and Winery and GR MT highland games

On Saturday, we went to Grandfather Vineyard and Winery.  It was landscaped beautifully near a stream.  There were tables set up along side the winery and the vineyards with a stage for the entrainment.  We found a table, bought a bottle of their French Colombard white wine, cheese and crackers and enjoyed great bluegrass music by the Typical Mountain Boys.  It was a perfect, beautiful afternoon.

 

 

 

seating along the water

 

 

That evening, we went to the highland games grounds, MacRae Meadows, on Grandfather mountain for their Celtic Jam concert.  We had dinner at a food truck of haggis and shepherds pie.  After waiting for a rain shower to pass, we took our folding chairs and headed to the grounds for the music.  
There were about 5 bands that performed.  Then at the end, they all jammed together.  It was fun, but more “rock Celtic” than traditional.  We did learn a new dance and I can’t wait to try it sometime.  

People from about 5 different bands joined together at the end of the night.

July 9, 2021 Grandfather Mountain, NC

We decided to take a mini vacation on our return trip, since the storm was no longer a threat.  On our way to the mountains of North Carolina, we found a beautiful spot by a stream for a picnic lunch.  We were able to use the new folding chairs we bought in Ohio.  There were several people inter tubing down the river.  And we walked across a swing bridge before packing up to hit the road.

new chairs with our rental car

suspended bridge

looking back at our car and picnic spot

We headed to Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.  We drove to the top to walk across the swing bridge there.  The bridge has been in place since 1952 and rebuilt in 1999.  The Mile High Swinging Bridge is America’s highest suspension footbridge.  The 228 foot bridge spans an 80 foot chasm at more than one mile in elevation above sea level.  It was very windy, but the views were spectacular.  That made 2 swinging bridges in one day.

 

if you zoom in, you can see a sailboat on the water and ugly condos at the ski resort on top of the mt

We checked in to the Best Western  in Banner Elk, NC and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant recommended by the hotel.  I had researched the area for live bluegrass music and also found Scottish highland games in the area.  So our weekend was set.

July 5-8, 2021 Road trip from SD to NC with Brueggemans and Zellers

7-5 We left Pierre today undecided on whether to drive to Rapid City, SD before returning to Georgia.  As we drove 30 miles south to interstate 90, we made the decision to turn east and not west.  Hurricane Elsa was heading towards our boat in GA, so it made more sense to head back.  We drove to Ames, Iowa.  We forgot that it would be a Monday holiday.  So lots of traffic and busy restaurants.

7-6 Tuesday.  We were close to Pam and Terry Brueggemen in Marshalltown, Iowa, so they met us for a late breakfast in Ames, Iowa.  Pam is my first cousin that grew up in Faulkton, SD.  It is always fun to catch up with them and hear about their family.  Our mothers were sisters.  Her mother, Julia Bower, is living in a nursing home in Faulkton and over 90 years old.  
We drove as far as Champaign, Indiana.

Dave, Mary, Pam, Terry Brueggeman

First cousins Mary and Pan

7-7 Wednesday.  We visited with Pete awhile before hitting the road today.  He was at our boat securing it for hurricane Elsa.  We then drove to Cincinnati, Ohio to meet other relatives for dinner.  We met between Cincinnati and Dayton to meet with James and Christa Zeller, John, Melanie, Zohn, and new born Hayden Zeller.  Their parents, Jim and Jane Zeller, were visiting their daughter Katherine in Arizona and her newborn daughter.  It was great seeing them again.  We stayed in Fairfield, Ohio at a Holiday Inn Express.  They are not all the same quality across the country, sadly.  Tonight, Hurricane Elsa looked like it wasn’t going to hit our boat, so we were able to relax and enjoy the trip home.

phone weather app  our boat is at the pin

John, Melanie, Hayden and Zohn, James and Christa Zeller, Mary and Dave

7-8 Before hitting the road on Thursday, we went to Jungle Jim’s, an international market that James and John told us about.  They boast that they have over 180,00 products form up to 75 countries.  This place was huge and amazing.  We had to just focus on a few countries we were interested in, like Germany, France, Denmark, some oriental sections.  We picked up a few non perishable items.  Our main focus was on the pâté and cheese section.  We wanted items for picnicking on our road trip home,  which we did at a city park.  We made it to Pikeville, Kentucky that evening.