“How was your shower?” the XO asks.
“Incredible!” I answer. ” It had a bench and a hook!”
It’s a typical July day in Connecticut: sunny, hot and humid. We walk the well maintained docks of Dodson Boatyard en route to our dinghy, insulated bag full of ice in hand.
Dockworkers in matching tee shirts smile and say good morning, birds sing, fish jump, butterflies flit, all obviously admiring our cleanliness.
“I feel so good and scrubbed,” I say with a wiggle.
“Me too! Do you think we could get a bathtub on our boat?”
“We can,” I answer. “But it would take our entire water supply to fill it once!”
Nothing can break this wonderful mood I’m in. It’s a glorious day and we’re on vacation on our boat! Getting paid not to work!
Outboard motor won’t start? No prob, Bob. That’s why they invented oars.
“How the heck do you do that?” I ask. The XO is sitting on the rear bench of the dinghy, facing forward and rowing the boat forward! For those of you who have never rowed a boat before, believe me, this is really difficult to do.
“It’s that time again,” she says.
“Apparently,” I reply.
Because of some ridiculous government mandate to add ethanol to all gasoline, boaters everywhere have suffered. For us it means that every couple of weeks I will have to completely disassemble a carburetor and thoroughly clean it, for others who are not so fortunate, it means replacing an engine or a fuel tank. Sometimes both. Old marine engines were just not made to run on the stuff, and there’s a gazillion of them out there.

Another carburectomy.

One of the main features of Stonington are the trains that run right through it. It’s not so intrusive though; the high-speed Acela smoothly zips through the harbor in about 5 seconds

It’s time for a bike tour! We load up Ol’ Salty who is running tip-top this morning after his bi-monthly carburectomy.
Cycling is a great way to get around; it’s fun and you can see more things in a shorter amount of time. Not that we’re in a hurry, but before we got bikes, it would sometimes take all morning to visit one place, or go to the store.

Unfolding the bikes.

Cannon Square.

The Old Lighthouse Museum.

Inside the Museum. I got scolded for taking this picture.

View from the top.

The small general store. They had everything on our list, including a fly swatter!

The dinghy tour around the harbor reveals a small fishing fleet, a town wharf, and in some places, a shallow rocky bottom which we only hit once. Thankfully, there is no damage.

Fishing fleet.

Rusty dragger.

I love this bow art.

Memorial on the Town Wharf.

It is our last night in beautiful Stonington. Yes dear reader, there are still places in this world that remain pure and unspoiled. No wonder every person we meet is friendly and nice. I will never forget our time here.

Stonington sunset.