Chapter 46

So, here we are. The 2009 Mac Pro Desktop has died again. Not really. There are three deaders, two 2008’s and one 2009, sitting in various stages of disrepair and no end in sight. This may or may not be chapter 46. I have a perfectly good chapter on the 2009 but such is life. I have no idea what I wrote on the 2009 ... so. There is more to it than that. The 2009 mac pro is also called a 4,1 but I flashed the 4,1 to a 5,1(2010). It worked fine but the video card bit the big one. As soon as I get the second stimulus check I’ll be buying a new card. OMWP

Two generations of Flintkote women were standing on the foredeck of the Sailing VesselBasilisk. The lump they were looking at had come as deck cargo from Dunedin, New Zealand by way of the Tazman Sea to Gold Coast, Australia.

Surprise Me Flintkote had had the Basilisk rebuilt in Gold Coast and shipped by ‘saltie’(ocean going freighter) to Pentwater, Michigan while she and ‘presents’ flew from Southport to Macau. Zoe and Tyche Flintkote were the ‘presents.’

Surprise was the elder and Tyche represented the younger ... the two generations. The lump in question was the Farr 3.7 sailing dinghy that Tyche held her breath until Surprise promised she, Tyke, could sail it.

“Teach me!” Tyche said.

“Turn it over,” Surprise said, “You want it ... launch it.” She walked to the salon and talked to JW about the task.

Tyche rubbed her chin ... looked at the lump. Looked at the mast. Looked at the boom. Looked at the topping lift. Too small. Traced the halyard to the main and disconnected it from the sail. She hooked the clevis to the topping lift clevis hook on the end of the boom. She ran a line to a manhandle on the stern of the Farr and hoisted the boat and flipped it. Thump. She shortened the line and wrapped it around the center seat, picked up the boat with the boom and swung the boom over the side and lowered the Farr to the water.

She tied the Farr to a deck clete and took the halyard back to the mast and clevised the halyard to the mainsail.

She walked to the aft cockpit. JW and Surprise were chuckling about the dilemma Surprise thad placed in font of the four year old.

“Give up?” asked Surprise.

“No ... it’s in the water. I need the rudder, the mast, the sail and the centerboard.”

Surprise had just taken a sip of cold tea, when Tyche said ‘it’s in the water’ ... yup ... tea nose. It was a hearty brew ... and her sinuses burned for a week.

After the sneezing, coughing and gagging, Surprise said, “I’ll fetch.”

“No,” said the four year old, “Just tell me where.”

“Why?”

“I’ve done the hard part,” she said. “I don’t need help with the easy.” Then she turned to JW, “Daddy,” she fluttered eyelashes, “You should come see if I hooked the sail right.”

Her timing, again, was perfect.

Daddy’s turn to tea nose.