Nice way to arrive at the marina

This is where I dock my pontoon boat. The channel in the upper right leads to a very meandering lake with about 170 miles of shoreline. I've meandered the entire shoreline many times at slow speed. I tell the dock guys I go slower and further than anyone on the lake! When ten feet from shore 5 mph is too fast.

However, unless you do that you will miss many many miles of hidden places, often shallow places. And on two separate occasions no place at all - having entirely run off the official lake nautical chart. That is a place where even the watter jet guys will not follow me. Trees from both sides meet in the middle and I ended up in a cow pasture wattering hole. Deep enough watter but not much wider then the boat is long and could turn around.

People stopped on the side road and stared. That place is only accessible at certain times because the final of four bridges is five inches above the boat when the boat is about eighteen inches above the bottom. Rocks are inevitable which is why I have a military enclosed lower propeller! And at both ends of the day I use a Mondial for land transportation.
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I would not even have done that except the Mondial has a parking brake that actually has some teeth. The only other car that has a a good parking brake is my Corvair. Thats because the automatic version does not have a "Park" setting.

I very much like my Mondials parking brake!

 

Hi Rob!

Always good to hear from you! Tell us about the 928 Ampha Car?

 

As a kid the very first thing or perhaps it was the twenty first thing my father ever told me about driving was: "Park the g*d d***d car in gear!" I was unaware at the time there were such things as automatic shift cars. Further! I was not only taught parrallel parking but firmly instucted when doing so on a hill to turn the front wheels such that tires hit the curb!

Once upon a time I could parrallel park my manual steering 1959 Chevy into a space only three feet longer then the car. This was an accomplishment of which I was quite proud and which was of supreme utility. This is because I went about Cincinnati in 1968 fixing typewritters with nothing BUT such parking spaces in, of course, the riot burned out bars in the black areas of town.

Anyone who looks back with nostalgia to the 1960's was not drafted and did not fix typewriters in the burned out black areas of town. Incidently I always figured I could fall back on my typewriter repair skills till my college education was completed. Which was true enough.

 

Soucourp - film clip

"You da MAN!"

 

rob

Its too late for me! Married twice and that was enough romantic aversion thearapy for a lifetime. I only wish my old man, in addition to driving instruction, had aclimated me to one or two whore houses. But that is whistfull thinking....

 

Well there is something to your observation. My choice of vacation/retirement locations was made on a Lotus Spread Sheet back in the early-mid 1990's using SSMA (standard statistical metropolitan area) census statistics. Things like how many days above 80F how many days above 90F how many dayse below 32F and how many days below 0F. etc etc. I even subscribed to an Ashville, NC newspaper and made a daily graph of their weather which is a bit colder.

Me and my first X-wife then flew down to Atlanta rented a car and drove up North into these Southern Appalachian mountains. Now you need to understand I am something of an Ohio Yankee by Georgia standards. So did not know what we would find. Dirt roads? Actual grocery stores. All the usual "Deliverance" movie stuff.

Well. Its a futhermucking resort area with a multi lane road all the way to Atlanta. We have a Methodist college that was bequeathed something like $300 million or some such. A nationaly known school of lapidary arts within walking distance. An internationally known school of folk arts 15 minutes drive away [hand made basket for $600]. And my favorite, a 100 yard canopied gun range. [$35 per year and all the range time you can use. I shot trap five years straight and scored the clups first 50 in a row for a first timer who just had his first 25 in a row.

And the weather? IMHO the best four seasons climate on the planet. And I have spent time in 40-50 countries. And lived two years in S. California which does not have weather. This is where all the retired Floridians come for the Summer. My property taxes for a house on about two acres with a KILLER mountain view with four levels of mountains including the highest mountain in Georgia is about $1,000.

But it is not is not the Bay Area. I do miss metropolitan stuff like in DC and while Atlanta is two hours away? Once you get settled into a place without any serious Winter or serious Summer just seems to far to bother with.

 

If I lived in Vegas you bet! But I am a shy guy who lives in in a small town. Besides. I am 68 years old and have, more or less, been there and done that. In actual point of fact the Ferrari was higher on my bucket list two years ago. But two years and going on 11,000 miles later I may adjust my attitude.

I am not quite yet reduced to bingo. But I can hear the ping pong balls in the distance. Gaining one me......

 

First of all the Nash Metropolitan. YES! It was made in England but only sold in the US. An actual collectible oddity. As for a photo of the pontoon boat I will get one. But it is just a 21 ft tri-hull. Its a high quality used item I purchased for two reasons. And the fact it is high end is NOT one of them. I have been boating since 1977 and very much prefer rough-used scows!

I bought it because 1) it had full canvas; and 2) an enclosed toilette area. Me and the guys don't mind wizzing over the transom, but if we should happen to invite the ladies I feel obligated to provide appropriate facilities!