The culprits (thanks, Jas)

what really brought that plane down in the Hudson River:  

Sunday jam

So we went to the jam at Tom's Fiddle & Bow -and Anya and Richard Burgess were featured guests.  Wow! It's such a small room and when you pack 15 musicians in the sound is incredible. We have been working our asses off on the boat, Joyce painting and me in the rudder room chipping paint and rust with an air chisel, with three welders fixing the bottom. We are moving right along.  (toward water, we hope)                                                                                                                                                     

Happy Birthday Alice!

from your friends in New Iberia (we're eating some cat treats now in your honor).

the new bottom goes in

The shrimp do not create an acid bath, they put acid on the shrimp when they ice them down to keep them looking good and smelling nice, a common problem with wild caught fresh seafood. Usually it takes the boat a few days to fill their hold and a few more days for the critters to get to your table. When you get frozen seafood it's processed and flash frozen at sea as it's caught and stays frozen till you decide to eat it.

The picture shows "Amigo" welding on the new ribs. The tubes below are the keel coolers outside the hull that keep the engine cool. Amigo is mexican and doesn't speak gringo, so they just call him whatever. Half the new bottom is now in and the other half will go in next week. Despite the delay, I'm glad to have new steel between me and the cold dark depths.

Next week should be amazing. Even though Barak was obviously the better choice, it still amazes me that americans elected him after hundreds of years of vile stupid bullshit. Good to know that things can change quickly and easily. Even down here in David Duke country, you can feel a shift. A lot of people down here just want to put all that behind them and hope nobody berates them about the past.

OM  PADI  PADI

So we blasted the bottom and all these little holes appeared where the fish hold was, not only on the bottom but some on the sides too. I could have fixed them, but what about all the spots that were only 1/32 of an inch and about to become holes, so we're having it all cut out and replaced with new steel. The new plates came today, 10 ft wide and 20 long, 5/16 thick, one piece for each side. The fish ( shrimp ) create an acid bath that eats up the bottom, or so I'm told, but no problems with the rest of the boat. Joyce and I are in the engine room painting and getting ready to put that all together and on it goes. Joyce also has lots of fun doing art with her kids in school. Happy new year and have a blessed day, as they're fond of saying down here. It just makes me want to give em a big old hug.

Kitchen art

when we got home, this place just looked so COLORLESS, you know what I'm saying? so I glued up a lot of tissue on yellow kraft paper, and hung it behind the stove. Easy! Fun! Impermanent!

sandblasting

Finally getting some great weather to blast the boat. It's been either too cold or too wet the last two weeks. They have to prime the exposed steel the same day or it will start to rust. It's way to messy to be around so I've been staying away till they get through. Hopefully they'll be done next week.

Lorenzo makes the news (New Iberia version)

An unidentified man (that's Lorenzo!) catches a glimpse of the Dodge pickup that State Police allege was stolen in Jeanerette by an Iberia Parish Jail trusty Wednesday afternoon. Trusty Anthony Phifer, 44, of New Iberia, was traveling along Main Street in New Iberia, ran through a red light at Lewis Street and ran up the utility pole's guy wire. Phifer fled the scene but was soon captured by police. - Jim Mustian / The Daily Iberian

Louisiana the long way

Back in the land of sugarcane,72 degrees and muggy. Jan 3 and the gym had the aircon going. When we left Boston, it was 15 and snowing. Had a great two weeks visiting everyone and chowing down on lobster and moose. Longer trip back (12 hours! 3 airports!) allowed a visit to the Washington mall and Vietnam memorial. One quick night in New Orleans (sigh) in one of those red B&B rooms furnished in bordello lite. 12 hours in airportland and 10 in New Orleans- is unfair!