Chapter 8

Chuck

Tuesday morning was the usual confusion, yet precision, of getting the little ones taken care of and ready to transport to the patio for breakfast. There, Lisa and I had coffee and spoke with everyone for a while. Steve and I gave Billy the go ahead on beginning our machine shop and school. Tiny said he would come up with an accountant to keep the new business on track. I thought my morning was going well until Mark came to me after breakfast and asked, "Can we get together for some intense brainstorming for a while? Caroline and I think we might be heading home, or rather back to the island, soon. Funny how that place has grown on me."

I needed to go into the office to work with Wanda and the girls to see what was happening. It would also be a good time to find a place for Lisa. She couldn't just sit on her butt and do nothing. She would need some responsibilities, even though I may have her out of the office most of the time. The thought she might be an excellent investigator came to mind and she could analyze open cases to see if she could profile them for some of the stations. I still needed to talk to Mark, though.

Because most everyone had taken off for their job locations, Mark and I were able to garner a quiet end of one of the tables. Mark brought out a bunch of rolled up blueprints, along with a full three ring binder. Mark said, "I've done some investigation of how to build docks, wharfs, and piers for the man-made harbor you and I were talking about. These are some ideas for a harbor and pier for cruise ships. We would probably never have more than two at a time, but it could be more. One waterfront location here in the states may have the answer. When they constructed a harbor area, they used ideas the Army Corps of Engineers used during World War Two. Up in Frankfort, Michigan, they have a pier using what might work for us. They pour precast boxes of various heights, sink them, followed by dumping rock and even dredge material in and on them. We could build a protected harbor area using this method."

"The size of these cruise ships is a big problem. Most cruise ships are about a thousand feet long. If we brought the ships into the protected area, we would have to have a really big area which is going to get even more expensive. Let's say you figure the ship can turn around in an area of about three thousand feet. This means we would have to build this breakwater from the island out to a minimum of three thousand feet, then build an angled breakwater of another thousand feet. The total width of this thing is going to be about four thousand feet, or even closer to a mile. All these mean that barriers for the breakwater will be a total of about eight thousand feet."

Mark continued, "Within this harbor area, we could have slips for pleasure craft, large personal boats like your sailboats, as well as at least two big ships on the inside of the breakwater. We can build the breakwater high enough that it could be used as additional docking of two more ships on the outside of the harbor but I don't think you want to try to entertain more than two ships at a time or the islands would be overrun with visitors, without having the benefit of selling rooms at the resort. I would think one cruise ship at a time would be all of the extra people you would want to consider, as part of the mystique of the resort will be the peacefulness and isolation from the masses. Most cruise ships stop at visitation ports for less than twenty-four hours, so cruise ship guests would be in and out.

"Now, to build this thing, we are going to need a concrete plant that is almost totally dedicated for our use during construction. A concrete plant isn't a very pretty picture, but once we have the concrete part of the construction completed, we can reclaim the land."

I asked, "What about the small concrete plant you built down by the airstrip on the home island?"

Mark continued, "It just isn't big enough to pour all of the material we are going to need. What I want you to think about is the people that are going to be required. We will need concrete workers and laborers, and also welders for the rebar, and for hotel construction. If we think we might provide fuel services for the ships, that is going to take one hell of a group of tanks. I think we should make the ship's visits not include fuel or waste disposal. They have facilities at their home ports for that. We can supply electrical in both fifty and sixty hertz, so a boat with European two-twenty requirements can be hooked up to our power grid. Most ships produce enough desalinated water for their own use, so that shouldn't have to be considered."

"If a ship comes in with an emergency fuel need, we should be able to give them sufficient fuel to make it to a larger port, but again we would want to discourage providing fuel for large ships as much as possible. We should provide fuel, water, and waste removal for smaller craft up to about two-hundred and fifty feet. Anything larger than that would usually mean too much trash, too much waste, and too many people. If those people had reservations at the resort, they would definitely be welcome, but if they just docked and stayed on their boat, it's not going to really pay for the facilities.

"One thing to consider is whether to even invite cruise ships to the resort is that Limon already has a tourist industry with at least one cruise ship in port all of the time. That's one of the reasons Limon had to go outside their area to buy land for a landfill. They really should build a mass incinerator such as I'm considering for our use. Anyway, if we offer stop overs at the island, we'll be taking money away from Limon.

"Another way to consider this is to think about having a shuttle service from Limon for a day of golf and for the women to use our Spa's. Now that would bring money from a couple of directions, and the cruise ship passengers would be able to experience a day just like the high rollers they envy. Actually, that's probably the best way to do it after all. The folks in Limon will be upset with you if you keep cruise ships away from their port by hogging all the business, and I guess I should tell you that the cost estimates on the full scale harbor came in at about 700 million dollars – though those are at State-side prices. Even with Costa Rican labor prices and materials and no environmental impact analysis it's a lot of money." "Wow, Mark. You've thought this through a lot. Would this pier or breakwater also provide docking? Don't most cruise ships like to use a floating dock so they can use their lower hatches for passenger access and supplies?"

Mark said, "If we do invite cruise ships, we can have the floating dock next to the stationary pier so both the lower hatches and the large gangplank ramp can be used. That way, the stationary pier can also function as a hurricane anchorage for the floating dock, if you don't go all the way on the harbor. You know you're not talking small here. You're talking about building a floating dock of close to five hundred feet. This is going to be one hell of an undertaking."

Mark wanted to put in his opinion, "I think we should go ahead with the harbor idea but make it about half the size I just described as we shouldn't be inviting cruise ships to make our resort a lay-over. We can have some emergency docking on the outside of the harbor areas should a big ship need some help but we would not have a place for them within the harbor area."

"Okay," I wanted to get to the bottom line. "What are you going to need as far as equipment and people?"

"Terrell gave me some estimates for construction people, but it didn't include the breakwater, pier, and dock areas. He figures we'll need about three hundred men. We can get a lot of them as day workers from the mainland, but we'll still need a lot of skilled tradesmen from up here. I'm thinking more trailers can be used temporarily. When we're done, we can take them into Limon and just give them away if necessary. They will have paid for themselves. I'm thinking we can use most of the same people for what we need for the harbor, but we need to find an experienced engineer for something like this."

With a smile, Mark opened his three ring binder. He showed me some pictures of cranes and barges. He said, "We'll need at least two big cranes for construction, and they can also be used for the harbor area, of course. See this crane on a barge? That's what would make the harbor construction go a lot faster. This thing can move fifty tons of material at a time. It has a dredging, or drag, bucket that could come in handy to fill the concrete barriers, and also to dredge out any shallow spots where we want to deepen the harbor. These other barges will be able to carry the other cranes to the construction sites."

I asked, "Do we need to buy these barges?"

"We can, but they can be leased for a lot less cost. We will have to supply tugs, but there are a lot of big tug operators looking for work since the economy is down and the government has killed a lot of gulf oil exploration for right now. A lot of owner operators are working for other countries, pushing materials out to the gulf where these other countries are authorizing exploration. We lose a rig or platform, they put in three more, and with a lot less ecological considerations than what we are required to have. Anyway, I can get us five or six more tugs for our operation. We will probably use them for at least a year, and if we create the opportunity, we might be able to use some of them after the construction is complete."

"Good work, Mark. Tiny is supposed to find me a money guru, an accountant, with equal knowledge. You need to have someone besides me to say, 'Hey, I need another million to build down there or something like that.'"

I continued, "I asked Ben to set up a five hundred million dollar construction account that you can dip into as you proceed. If you think you're going to be crowding that, we'll need to talk. But do find someone who will take charge, a construction superintendent, for these projects and you only oversee them. Don't try to manage them, just check on quality and progress. Look around in Costa Rica and you might find someone qualified. Ask that lawyer we know down there, and also ask around at the yacht club. Spend some time enjoying life."

Mark said, "I think Gene and Sandy want to come down there to be with me. The holdup would be the grandkids. Sandy is trying to get some materials together for home schooling so they could still be tested up here. If Gene and family do come down, that will mean another house on our home island. Gene's a good engineer. I want to work with him in the R&D building down there. While he's an electrical and electronics engineer, he has a good head for building and quality construction. I think I could integrate him into the power generation and waste disposal needs we're going to have. Are you okay with that?"

"Actually, Mark, that would be great, but make sure Gene and his family have thought about some of the isolation this could mean. They would have to live in the main house until you complete yours and theirs, but it would take some of the burden off you. I want you healthy and rested. I know you're using your head and not your back on this, but don't make yourself upset with the monumental tasks in front of us."

Mark was happy, "I'm fine, Chuck. This has been a nice vacation up here. I think we'll keep my place here in the park, but Gene and Sandy will sell theirs. If we both come up at the same time, there is enough room in my place for all of us. You know I'm looking at a King Air for us to use. That would give us the room and range to make the trip back and forth in a cost efficient way. It would be a lot cheaper than a Citation or Lear. I haven't used much of my invention money, so this could be a nice present for my entire family."

I told Mark, "Check with John and DeDe to see if we have an extra or if they might know of a B-200 you can get at a right price. But don't I remember a King Air in the hangar down there? You need to fly that thing or it will cost a fortune to put back in shape."

Mark nodded as he folded up his materials. Mark added, "We've spent enough time talking about the islands for right now, but I do have a few more plans for us to look at before I go back. Maybe we can do this again tonight or in the morning."

My head was spinning with everything that was going to have to be done. We really needed a project manager that I could just let handle the whole thing, who could just say, "Go do it."

My ladies were busy helping get lunch ready. I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost noon. I wonder what they have been doing while I was talking to Mark. They seemed to have spent a lot of time over here, but I know they all went back home after breakfast.

Lisa walked in the door with Wanda. We three poured a mug of coffee and sat at one of the little tables. Wanda said, "I took Lisa into the office for a while to show her our operation. I think she can assist you with some of the paper you deal with. I've been doing it all, but I have a feeling you are about to get busy. You're going to need to visit major stations around the country. While you're out, you'll probably have several problems you'll have to help with. Our Secret Service contact called me to ask how busy you were, so that means there may be a need for you somewhere. I also have a memo from DOJ assigning you to both the Marshal Service and the Secret Service. You know if DOJ is involved, then there is that string that can be pulled by the NSA. (National Security Agency) I know they have been very busy lately and need help in Mexico. I told our contact that you weren't interested if this was for a real high risk mission right now, but to talk to you directly. The NSA people think it's perfectly fine to go into a hotbed of angry, mean, miscreants and assassinate the bad guys. From what I've heard from you and Lisa, I don't think you really want to do that."

"Thanks, Wanda. I really don't want to get involved in that right now, or perhaps forever. I'll protect our borders and help ward off any form of terrorism, but I don't want to be a part of pro-active counterinsurgency. All those big words mean I don't want for me or us to go somewhere and dispose of someone."

Lisa said, "Come into the office this afternoon to get the feel for the place again. Your chair needs your butt in it for a while. When you have a good feel for the place, you can make a plan on how you want to proceed. I want to fool around in the studio for a while this evening. I pulled a bunch of your old stuff out of your file cabinet for Pop and Rags to look at while we were gone and think we should work on a couple of them, especially the gentle blues ballads you wrote. I like the lyrics and the music. Pop and Rags have worked up the arrangements for the whole group. Of course, Bonita got involved so I hope you still recognize your own work. You may have a couple of real good pieces when they are done."

People were coming in the doors as women began bringing out platters of sandwich makings. Bowls of soup were being placed around the tables, as nearly thirty people showed up for lunch. Just as we moved to a big table, Rags, Pop, and Nancy showed up with the rest of the band. We sat together, talking about what they were going to play at the club tonight. Rags and Pop usually put together a loose itinerary of pieces, and let the mood dictate what they played. They always left room to go nuts for a while.

Rags said, "You know we're playing more jazz lately? All of it is pretty gentle and wonder of wonders, Pop is doing one hell of job with it. You would think he was George Shearing or Chick Corea. The audience really likes the change of pace during the night."

When we finished lunch, Steve came over to me and said, "You probably need to workout as much as I do. How about getting your sports leg and working out with the group. I know you have your own gym area at home, but it is more fun to go together with a group."

Lisa said, "That does sound good. Let's do it, Chuck. I really need the workout."

While we were working out, Lisa said, "We need to get back into the habit of forms and some light sparring. Maybe we should make a regular time to work out at Don's dojo."

I had to agree, "We were getting some decent exercise on the boat, but it may be a lot different now since Taiying and Sing are pregnant. I sure wish we could keep from having so many babies at one time. I love the idea of the family growing with children, but the six more that are coming at once is a bunch. That's going to give us ten kids running around the house, all of them within a year of each other. I need to tell Ben to invest in Pampers stock."

After the gym, we went home to shower before going into the office. At home, Mrs. Atom, my Nancy's mother, was holding little Nitika, acting like a grandmother. Nancy was sitting next to her mother with a huge grin on her face. When Lisa and I came in, I immediately gave Nancy a kiss, and a light kiss on the baby's head. Mrs. Atom smiled at our display of affection. She said, "I would never have believed you two would produce such a wonderful baby. I really didn't think Nancy and the other girls would stay around after they had their babies, but I can see there is more to your relationship than for you to just be a stud."

At the office, I stopped in to see Sarah, Sarge, and Marie Antoinette, followed by spending a few minutes getting warm hugs from Angelina and Conish before going into Wanda's office. She had rearranged her large office area to include a desk for Lisa. She had been busy as there already was a phone and PC on the desk. Lisa grinned at me as she sat at her desk while I went to my office. Looking around, I thought I needed to bring my office decorations back as they did make the office more comfortable and appealing.

After turning the PC on, I checked my e-mail to find only a few from today. One of them said, "Call Mother."

Did I want to get involved in something so fast? I wasn't sure my mind was ready for intense activity yet. I picked up the phone and called my contact. There was a smile in the voice as it answered, "Desk. How ya doin' Eyes?"

"Good, but how did you know I would be in today?"

The voice said, "I didn't, I've sent the same e-mail to you every day for over a week. I figured when you came back to work you would see the message and call me."

I spoke into the phone, "Wanda didn't tell me you were calling."

"She called to see what was happening, and I told her to not mention the e-mail and let you find it when you returned to work. Are you ready? You know like Monday night football used to be," and the man actually began singing, " Are you ready for some football?"

That put a smile in my voice, "I don't know, what's up? I don't know whether my head's into anything very nuts right away."

"I was talking to your new boss in DC to see if you had a travel itinerary. He was the one who told me you weren't back yet. He also told me you have so much accumulated vacation and injury time you could take off for the rest of the year without using up all of your time. Are you back, or are you just visiting your office?"

I told the man, "I suppose I should call Nightfox to tell him I'm in the office. Actually, I just stopped in to see what it felt like and make some plans."

"So how does it feel? Are you ready to make your travel schedule or are you going to sit on your butt and get fat?"

With a laugh, I asked again, "What's going on? You wouldn't be talking like this if there wasn't something on your mind."

The voice said, "Make up your travel schedule, have Wanda send it to me, and have Lisa call me. When she does, be with her. I'll talk to you later." Just like everyone in charge of something, he hung up on me. I guessed we were done.

I spoke loud enough to be heard in Wanda's office, "Lisa and Wanda, come in here, please."

Both showed up at the door with Wanda muttering, "The man has a perfectly good intercom, and what does he do? He announces to the world he's commanding his underlings into his office."

Lisa was grinning at Wanda, "Whatcha need, Chuck?"

"Wanda, you should have told me our contact has been calling. Do you have any idea about what's up?"

Wanda answered, "Not really, but it must be something important, since your other boss knows something is up, because he has also asked when you might be stopping in. Our contact has been pretty insistent about getting you to call when you came in, but not before. He's been asking for your travel schedule and itinerary since you took off after your meeting in DC."

I told the two, "Lisa, he wants you to call him, with me being with you, so that must mean for you to call in on your secure phone. I thought the cell phones they gave us were secure, but I guess not as much as yours Lisa. Wanda, there's nothing I need to do here right now, so how about making a loose schedule to tour the bigger stations and check with our contact to see if the schedule works for him. Lisa and I will call in and we'll plan on starting in the morning. Wanda, make Lisa my pilot or some kind of flight assistant to justify her accompanying me. Give us two stations a day, and make sure we're home for the weekend. No sense in staying out in a hotel over the weekend when I can be home playing with my kids."