Robin's Reports

TRAILERED
On the road again .........(Can you hear Willie Nelson?)

First off, because I was cut off in my morning blog (or was that yesterday?), I wanted to say that this guy worked his tail off yesterday helping to ready the trailer for today's task. Not only does he look like his father, he sure has his father's mechanical sensibility. That's 100% manpower in his facial expression.

And this lady......... she did a lot of work on this project to get to this point as well. Here I am holding the ends in place for Jack to secure.

Right before this photo was taken, we almost had a near catastrophe. Look closely and you can see the trailer wheels near the front of the boat, right? Ok, when those were up another foot or two (to the right), our friend John was under the center of the boat. The back end had 2 blocks, one on each side. We also had a hoist for *SAFETY* attached to the back end. As Jack went to raise the hoist about mid-way, the boat weight shifted forward instead of backwards and then it wobbled back and forth on the backend. That doesn't seem like much but it was. If there hadn't been a heavy hoist holding stable (that's why it is a "safety"), it would have surely rolled to the far side and killed John. Jack says it wasn't that bad, but I tell you, it was. I felt a massive heart-pounding like elephants running across Africa and then hyperventilated. I bent over as if I had run a mile in 3 minutes and then felt myself going into tunnel vision. Thank goodness I didn't embarass myself and pass out. That's when I came inside and emailed Renee for prayer. I could no longer be useful to the guys, nor effective in prayer. I was a mess, as I cooked lunch. Thank you Renee for your calming prayers.

This "thing" had to be lowered to match with the new seating on the trailer bunks. The wench is the round thing in front but I don't know what they call that section with the new orange bumpers. Sorry, I really don't know *everything*. ha ha

The black arrow represents where we had originally placed the bunks, knowing we'd have to adjust once it was placed. The red arrow represents the new location. Because we still have another 500 lbs of engine to throw on the back end, all boats need the extra foot of support there rather than at the front. Click on the photo to enlarge. Those are pressure-treated 13'x3"x13" wooden bunks, covered in carpet.

Here I am, very tired. Nobody left around for a few minutes, so I set the timer on the camera. Jack came out in the final beeps to see me pose. Whew am I glad it is over and I didn't even puke or take a valium. I went right inside and finished my last 50 pages of "Rebel with a Cause". I was left wanting more book. Amazing testimony to "God Room".

Here she is finally back on the trailer. Jack worked another hour or so after this point to add more bolts to the bunks. She is riding more level in her trailer bunks now too, which was something we had hoped to accomplish with the makeover.

It has been a long 2 months of work to go from removing the engine to being done with painting the exterior & renovating the trailer. It has been trying but moreso, a faith-building experience. I had to get out of my comfort zone and trust God to keep us safe under the boat as we sanded and painted. And much like childbirth with all that pain, discomfort, mental angst and prayer, it all was made worth it to see it finally done. It was like when the doctors hand you your baby. Everything melts away and soon it will be faded entirely. In the end, you're left with those warm & fuzzy feelings, only over an accomplishment vs a precious baby.

I can't wait to see the engine back on her next week.

Robin