Sore. From my shoulders to my calves. Five days of machete work had exacted a toll. Up at four, too frigging early. Why all the machete work? I had been searching for a dog I had rescued, brought home to foster who took off. It is a sad story, for the dog and for my cell phone. The maltreated, starving, injured dog had been abandoned and subsequently beaten resulting in a broken rib and a dislocated hip.
My dogs had returned last night after being absent most of the previous day and the night. I had locked them in the house up their return. I secured leashes and headed out to town. Upon arrival the boat wouldn't go into reverse. Here we go again. I docked bow in, a bad plan in waters where miscreants drive their boats close to shore, throwing wakes and rocking boats. I still don't understand this boating behavior.
I found the location where Spay Panama was to conduct a two day marathon of animal sterilization, worming, and vaccination. People gathered around with their pets and strays they had picked up, some nearby, others required trips to remote islands and the extremes of this island. Dogs in bicycle baskets, in the back of pickup trucks. Cats, two or three to a crate.
My dogs were first to go and I had volunteered to clean up while work was in progress. Hayu was given an injection and within three minutes was asleep on the floor. He was prepped and brought over to a plastic table. The front paws were tied to the table legs and one vet quickly performed the operation as Jessica was succumbing to her anesthesia. She was prepped, bound and serviced.
Despite the number of animals keeping up was easy, sweeping up hair, a spot of blood, the occassional vomit. Following surgery Hayu recovered quickly, but Jessica staggered around like a local at the bookstore, a den of depravity and wretched excess in which drink sales outnumber book sales several hundred to one.
Oops, "Can you stay here and clean body fluids while I go get my boat looked at?" Not much of a sales pitch, but I got somebody to take over.
I walked down to Hotel Angela in pursuit of Frank, a mechanic. I walked to Casa Verde; he drove his scooter. After a quick inspection he wanted to pull the outboard foot. He would be back at Hotel Angela in an hour. Back to Hotel Angela, with the boat, I docked it in very shallow water. A quick inspection revealed that a bushing had dislodged and was blocking the lever, precluding engagement in reverse. It was removed easily but Frank noticed another coupling was not pinned to a shaft and no clevis pin was evident. He tried to improvise one with a wire but it was far beneath the block. I removed another pin, one much more accessible and Frank tried to install it, meeting with failure. I spread the clip over a slotted screwdriver and worked it beneath the block and clipped it in place. The wire was used to secure the coupling from which the pin was borrowed. Ten minutes later, I was good to go. He told me to pay way whatever I felt was appropriate. I gave him $30. Hell, twice in a row he had worked on my boat immediately after being asked and effected a repair.
I told him I would would return to have him fiberglass my cowling that a local, a former friend had smashed while drunk out of his head, but I believe I covered that story elsewhere.
My dogs had recovered, I was asked to just take them. I left it. Hung out, bought three large crabs and a lobster for $9 from an Indian who had just caught them off of Christobal, hung out and returned home.
Well, my heart is just not into blogging today. Where are all the tourists? I need to take some pretty young thing out on a long boat ride.
My dogs had returned last night after being absent most of the previous day and the night. I had locked them in the house up their return. I secured leashes and headed out to town. Upon arrival the boat wouldn't go into reverse. Here we go again. I docked bow in, a bad plan in waters where miscreants drive their boats close to shore, throwing wakes and rocking boats. I still don't understand this boating behavior.
I found the location where Spay Panama was to conduct a two day marathon of animal sterilization, worming, and vaccination. People gathered around with their pets and strays they had picked up, some nearby, others required trips to remote islands and the extremes of this island. Dogs in bicycle baskets, in the back of pickup trucks. Cats, two or three to a crate.
My dogs were first to go and I had volunteered to clean up while work was in progress. Hayu was given an injection and within three minutes was asleep on the floor. He was prepped and brought over to a plastic table. The front paws were tied to the table legs and one vet quickly performed the operation as Jessica was succumbing to her anesthesia. She was prepped, bound and serviced.
Despite the number of animals keeping up was easy, sweeping up hair, a spot of blood, the occassional vomit. Following surgery Hayu recovered quickly, but Jessica staggered around like a local at the bookstore, a den of depravity and wretched excess in which drink sales outnumber book sales several hundred to one.
Oops, "Can you stay here and clean body fluids while I go get my boat looked at?" Not much of a sales pitch, but I got somebody to take over.
I walked down to Hotel Angela in pursuit of Frank, a mechanic. I walked to Casa Verde; he drove his scooter. After a quick inspection he wanted to pull the outboard foot. He would be back at Hotel Angela in an hour. Back to Hotel Angela, with the boat, I docked it in very shallow water. A quick inspection revealed that a bushing had dislodged and was blocking the lever, precluding engagement in reverse. It was removed easily but Frank noticed another coupling was not pinned to a shaft and no clevis pin was evident. He tried to improvise one with a wire but it was far beneath the block. I removed another pin, one much more accessible and Frank tried to install it, meeting with failure. I spread the clip over a slotted screwdriver and worked it beneath the block and clipped it in place. The wire was used to secure the coupling from which the pin was borrowed. Ten minutes later, I was good to go. He told me to pay way whatever I felt was appropriate. I gave him $30. Hell, twice in a row he had worked on my boat immediately after being asked and effected a repair.
I told him I would would return to have him fiberglass my cowling that a local, a former friend had smashed while drunk out of his head, but I believe I covered that story elsewhere.
My dogs had recovered, I was asked to just take them. I left it. Hung out, bought three large crabs and a lobster for $9 from an Indian who had just caught them off of Christobal, hung out and returned home.
Well, my heart is just not into blogging today. Where are all the tourists? I need to take some pretty young thing out on a long boat ride.
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