12:20 p.m. on Tuesday July 9, 1991.  We are leaving for Miami with 118,509 miles on the Volvo.

It's been a thrilling trip so far, we made it to Carlisle, but the overdrive switch doesn't work, so we had to hit it with a shoe, the switch came off and starting working, then quit again, then the air conditioner quit.  Going to stop in Brinkley and get some freon and put it in to see if it works, if not, it will be all the way to Miami without A/C.  That'll be fun.

2:00
We just stopped in Brinkley, I couldn't get the freon in, now the overdrive switch quit working,

2:55 Still 20 miles to Memphis.  We just banged the overdrive with Sarah's shoe again and it's working!  I might think about how I am so philosophically opposed to air conditioning.  It is part the artificial atmosphere created by modern technology that keeps you away from true nature.

Now we are in Memphis, stopped again.  The Volvo place is across the town at 2085 Covington Pike in North Memphis; we are going south.  The overdrive switch is working right now, so I am not going all the way across town.  I'm just not going to stop this motor again until I get to Birmingham.  Tomorrow first thing, I will find the Volvo place, get the overdrive switch fixed and head on to Miami.  That's all there is to it.  No problem.  We gotta get there.

The boys are hungry so we stopped again and got the Pringles and a canteen of Little Rock Water out of the trunk.  The boys have been coloring race cars in coloring book.  Only gotten into one fight.  We won't throw them out yet.

4:40 p.m.
Andy said, Why don't we try the air conditioner again, it might be fixed.  I said, “Aw, Andy, that's crazy, but we'll try it.”  And the blooming thing is cooling.  I can't believe it!  So we rolled the windows up.  Maybe I fixed it after all.

This is great.  The air conditioner is working, the overdrive switch is working.  Shoot man, we don't need to fix this car.  We just drove 3 hours in the heat for nothing.

Andy saw a hay bailer working.  Andy said, That tractor eats the bails up and spits them out the back.  I said that's right son, all those big round things you see in the field are tractor poop.

Will is learning to spell Mississippi.

8:20 Got to the motel in Fultondale, north of Birmingham.
Unloaded the car and checked in.  I tried again on the freon and this time got one can in.  There are still a few bubbles in the glass, but not many.  I will try it today and see if it doesn't work better.  The problem should not be a lack of freon.  There may be something else wrong with the air conditioner.
 The boys were in the swimming pool within five minutes.  After I worked on the car, I joined them.  We all had masks and snorkels.  Andy wore his new fins and I wore mine.  He liked how fast he could go with them.  We found four pennies on the bottom and took turns diving for them.

July 10, 1991
Wednesday
 This morning we plan to go to McDonald's for breakfast, find the Volvo place to buy the switch, and head for Orlando.  Ten hours of driving, 500 miles.  I hope the car settles down and works better.  I hope the a/c works better.

9:30 p.m.
 We are in the Days Inn at Orlando.  The boys are swimming again.  They hit the water within 5 minutes of getting checked in.  It has been a loooong day. We have traveled 500 miles. Sounds like a song.  We left the Days Inn at Fultondale, north of Birmingham about 6:45.  We drove through Birmingham trying to find the Volvo place at 1800 Montgomery Highway.  It was not to be found at the place where it should have been.  We stopped at a police station to ask directions.  They were a bit perplexed but suggested it may be in Vestavia Heights.   Finally we found the Volvo place and bought the overdrive switch for $31.  We plugged it in and it seemed to work fine, but I was afraid to punch the overdrive button which actually turns it off and on manually.
 We stopped at McDonalds nearby for breakfast.  That McDonalds was on a Hollywood theme with lots of Laurel and Hardy stuff and mirrors that make you look funny.  After breakfast we were on our way.  I finally got brave enough to punch the overdrive button, and sure enough... it didn't work.  It wouldn't turn back on after I punched it off.  I was sick.  Sarah got out her shoe, but I wouldn't let her hit it very hard.  Finally, after driving about 5 miles it came back on, so I never punched the button again and we didn't kill the car until we got almost to Orlando.
 The air conditioner was working fine with the new freon, so we were on our way.  We had lunch at a Burger King so Andy could get his favorite a barbecue double.  Will played on the playground while Sarah ordered, and I walked around and around the running car for my exercise.
 We stopped in Ocala at a Cracker Barrel for supper.  Will wanted to stop at McDonalds.  I explained to him that we ate breakfast at McDonalds for him, Lunch at BurgerKing for Andy, and at Cracker Barrel at supper for Mom.

We lost an hour because of the time change, so we didn't get to the Motel until 8 p.m.  The only real stop was at Ocala for supper.  Will, the last of the big spenders, bought a magnifying glass like Sherlock Holmes uses.  He had wanted one last week when he went on a mystery trip with the children from First Baptist, Sherwood.  He had wanted to wear a raincoat, hat, and carry a magnifying glass.
 Andy and Will have only squabbled about twice today, which is remarkably good behavior for having been cooped up in a car for 10 hours.   The boys have returned from the pool, more hyper than ever.  The exercise was supposed to wear them down.

July 11, 1991
Thursday

We got up about 7 and left the motel about 7:30.  Breakfast at McDonalds, and we were on the road again.

We arrived at Pat's house about 12:30.  A lot of people were already there - Mr. & Mrs. Patterson, Dot & Jim, Mary Helen & Magno, Marti and Jay, Virginia and Jim.  John came in about 4:00.

We ate a little lunch and the boys headed for the lake.  They swam by the dock until a thunderstorm came up and everybody had to get out of the lake.  The boys took turns diving off the dock scaring the fish.

Magno came out to the deck while I was watching the kids and talked to me awhile.  I asked him what he had been doing since his retirement from psychiatry.  I was expecting him to tell me about some lofty kind of work or the writing of a book or the reading of library books.  But instead he told me about finding a baby kitten, and how they had fed it with an eye dropper and treated it like a mother cat would.  When it grew up it was the only male cat on the hillside.  So lots of female cats came around.  He studied how the momma cats treated their young, and contrasted that critically with how American mothers treat their babies.  I think I remember him telling me something very similar 10 years ago when we were at his house.  I later told Mary Helen that I  thought I had heard that sermon before; she said Just be glad you only have to hear it once every 10 years.  He talked about how American mothers birth their babies then we spank them immediately to get them to breath.  We have to spank them because we are in such a hurry to cut the umbilical cord.  If we waited the child would begin to breath on its own at the right time and we wouldn't have to spank them.  The mother takes the baby home and puts it in a separate bed in a separate room.  "No momma cat would do that!  They stay right with the kitten until it is time for the kitten to move out.  And we wonder why we have such a violent society.  Look what we are doing to our babies!"

Darl took Andy and Will skiing.  Andy picked it up again quite quickly and was even skiing outside of the wake.  Then Darl tried to teach Will.  He was a trooper and tried again and again.  But each time he got up, he would immediately fall.  He had trouble putting the skis back on in the water so it took a long time between attempts.

Jim Goforth returned from his deep sea fishing expedition with a 2 1/2 foot Barracuda.  He said he was going to freeze it and take it back so that he could have it mounted.  But when he got to the freezer with it, Dot intervened and refused to let him put that fish in with the wedding food.  So Jim cut the fish into several pieces and threw it into the lake.

Darl's brother and his family are here from Atlanta.  They have seven children.  Four college girls came with them.  The girls were all attractive, bright and interesting.  One is a computer specialist, another is working in the travel industry, and I can't remember about the others.

Mr. Patterson was either telling someone about some theological concern or at the sound system playing religious music.  He lives in a world all his own.

Mary Helen has come with gifts for everyone.  She had found a beautiful wooden angel at a craft show for Sarah.  It is really neat and it comes apart to lay flat.   Mary Helen's gifts for the boys were Japanese bath robes that look like karate outfits.  Will loved his.  He immediately started showing her all his karate moves that he has made up.  Mary Helen had to go get Magno to watch Will show off.

Magno learned from Andy that Will makes up songs, so he has written the words to a song and wants Will to make up the melody and wants me to play guitar accompaniment.

We sat with Duane and Denise at supper.  Their son Logan is about 3 years and took up with Will and Andy right away.  They also have a 4 month old son, Wade.  Duane is 28 and has been in the Air Force for 7 years.  I remember him as a skateboarding teenager.  Everyone has all kinds of tales about his daredevil schemes growing up.  So I guess it is appropriate that now he flies as the second man on fighter planes, F-4's.  He has just been transferred to California to begin teaching fighter pilots.  We had a wonderful conversation about the Air Force, the Gulf War, and about his work.  It's just hard to believe that teenagers can grow up to be Air Force pilots!

Sarah met Jeannie, a friend of Sally's..."her last single friend."  Jeannie is a pretty, petite red head with a bright red dress on.  She seems like the most flighty person you ever met.  When she told of her vocation as a jet mechanic, Sarah didn't know whether to believe her or not.  Upon checking with Pat, we discovered her story to be true.  I talked with her some later.  She said the main competition for her job came from retiring Air Force men.  But as she says, "I can do a better job and they can't bake cookies on the side."  She is unemployed now, but has several job offers, mostly in cities in places like Nebraska and Arkansas.  Places where she would never agree to live.  And the jobs on the east coast and with the major air lines are extremely competitive.  Besides she couldn't take a job before Sally's wedding!

Sally floated around the house like the queen of England in her elegant white dress with embroidered lace.  She is so thin as to look almost anorexic.  But she is beautiful and seemed to enjoy all the folderol.

Victor Mesa, the groom, is a wonderfully handsome Cuban whose father is a Spanish Baptist pastor in Miami.  Victor seems to major in beach volleyball, but is a delightful and handsome young man.  His family invaded the place like you would expect a Cuban clan to do.  Spanish flowed all night with Cuban women gesturing wildly and handsome Cuban men hugging each other like long lost lovers.

Magno and Mary Helen have been here a week.  Mary Helen attended a National Education meeting at the Fountainbleu.  One night at supper there they were entertained by a harpist.  Magno struck up a conversation with him, discovered he had Thursday night free, and engaged him to play at the rehearsal dinner tonight.  It was wonderful.

Pat's patio is covered and big enough for sixty people to eat!  In spite of the rain showers, the patio dinner was perfect.  Their master bedroom is right next to the patio and has huge sliding glass doors that opened up completely to provide a superb stage for the harpist.

7/12/91  Friday

We got up about 7:30.  Went to Burger King for breakfast because the boys hadn't eaten much for supper the night before.  They don't really pig out on Cuban food, neither did I.  They were serving cereal at Pat's house, but we wanted something a little more substantial.  The Burger King was in the mall down the street.  They had an indoor playground that Will enjoyed.

We went to Pat's where Sarah stayed to hobnob with the ladies while I entertained boys all day.  We left for the beach about 9:15.  We got to South Miami beach about 10.  We drove by the cruise ships, and the boys really enjoyed that.  We counted the rows of windows to see how many floors they had.  One boat had ten floors of windows, and I assume there were several floors below the windows.

We parked on the street, put 75 cents in the meter for an hour and a half, and headed for the beach.  The beach here is very wide, but not as white as Panama City.  The waves were very low today, but we enjoyed snorkeling and picking up shells.  Once we all got our masks on, Will with his life jacket, Andy with the life raft, and we paddled out about 300 yards into the deeper water.  But we didn't see much there.  There was one little striped fish about one inch long that kept swimming around us.  Sometimes he would swim right in front of my mask.

Andy built a sand castle which the rising water promptly destroyed.  But the destruction was as good as the building.  We enjoyed watching his deep holes cave in.

There were Spanish speaking people everywhere around us.

About 11:30 we gathered our things and headed for the car.  The salt and sand were awful on my sensitive skin for the first 10 or 15 minutes.  I remembered why I hate the beach.  I stung for a while like someone was sticking needles in my skin.  But finally it quit and I felt pretty good.  It was worth it.

We got gas on the way back, enjoyed the cruise ships again, and got back to Pat's about 12:15.  We had a sandwich, and jumped in the lake.  The boys both swam awhile, then Andy fished and caught four Oscars.  He wanted me to get them off the hook since they have teeth and can bite.  But I told him he was in the eighth grade and it was high time he got his own fish off the hook.  By the way, he was the only one to catch a fish.

John and I had a good talk.  I asked him about their decision to home school their 3rd grade daughter, Amy.  He explained that he was on a committee to evaluate a certain curriculum, and he liked it so much that he wanted his daughter to have it.  Gayle wasn't crazy about the idea at first, but he said, "Just look at this material."  When she read it, she agreed.  I asked who wrote it and he said Bill Gothard.  Amy has spent 3 years studying the Sermon on the Mount, and Bill Gothard has brought in science and math and other subjects tied to themes and Greek words in the Sermon on the Mount.

Dan Yeary made the wedding service very personal.  He talked about Sally being God's special gift to Victor, and Victor being God's special gift to Sally.  I liked the part where Dan asked everyone to pray silently while Sally and Victor prayed.  They held hands and said quiet prayers together, then Dan led a public prayer.  Sally had very definite ideas about her wedding, and I guess that was one of them.  She also insisted that she and Victor have a time all alone in the sanctuary before the pre-service pictures were taken.  She also was the one who wanted the men and women attendants to stand together instead of on opposite sides of the bride and groom.  It looked lovely.

A thunderstorm moved through during the reception.  We were afraid it was going to ruin Sally's exit.  She was to leave the church in the same automobile she came home from the hospital in - Darl’s 64 Pontiac Lemans convertible.  Darl has kept that car in good running order all these years.  The rain slacked up just in time for them to put the top down and breeze off into the dark with Duane chauffeuring them.  It was classy.

We came back to Pat's for an after-wedding supper.  I sat by Carol Lee, Darl’s 19 year old niece.  Carol Lee has cerebral palsy and has recently had some corrective surgery on her foot.  She and I began to work one of Darl's famous wooden puzzles.  She was very interested and insisted on working it herself after I had worked it.  I asked my favorite question, What have you been reading?  She had read and done a book report on Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.  I remembered reading Atlas Shrugged by the same author so we carried on a lively conversation about Ayn Rand.  In fact I wrote a paper in seminary on the philosophy of Ayn Rand.  I told Carol Lee about Rand's tendency to build straw men and mercilessly destroy them.  Carol Lee wants to major in dairy production and help with the family dairy.

The brother-in-laws are all going deep sea fishing tomorrow morning.  Andy is going with them.  I think it is great because Andy gets to go and I don't have to take him.  I have a great excuse anyway, Darl and I are going to Fort Lauderdale in the morning to get the sailboat.  Yes, the 41' Morgan Out Island sailboat!  Yes, sailing on the ocean!  I told Andy not to bring any old smelly fish off that boat.  He is to tell them he wants to do like they do on TV, catch them and then let them go.  Jim Goforth says Wait a minute, if the boy catches a real trophy, you may have to reconsider that.  I don't think I'll stay awake worrying about him catching a trophy.   I told Andy to take a picture of it and we would blow the picture up as big as his wall!

Saturday, July 13, 1991
We got up at 5:45 to get Andy up to go deep sea fishing with the brothers-in-law.  I was torn about wanting to go share the day with him, but Darl and I needed to get the sailboat.  I'm sorry but sailing took priority over fathering.  Andy was very sleepy but jumped right out of bed and took off.  He was as excited as I was.

I went back to sleep until about 8.  The we packed everything from the motel room to move into Pat's house.  Sarah's parents were to fly out at 8 a.m. so they vacated the playroom with the pool table in it.  That is where Sarah and the Will were to stay.  About 10 we had everything ready and drove to Pat's.

Magno and Bruce and Amy had decided to go with us and take the daysail back to Miami.  Bruce is Darl's cousin, about 58 years old, a retired Army Military Police, now working as a head of security for a bank in Savannah, Georgia.  Amy is Bruce's niece, about 21 years old, a student at Ohio State university majoring in fashion design.  She will leave in August to spend a year studying on a special program in New York City.  She is from Ohio.  And by the way she is a beautiful girl who simply takes your breath away.  Did mine anyway.

Amy was a very pleasant girl, a calm delightful person to be around.  It was her first time to go sailing, and she was absolutely thrilled with everything she saw.  Everything just got better and better for her.  When we went under the draw bridge and escaped to the open ocean, she was beside herself with joy.  When we saw the flying fish, the stingray, the starfish in the water she was genuinely excited and it naturally spilled over.

When we got to Lou Tassi's, the home of the man who owns the boat, we began readying everything for the trip.  Lou is also an airline pilot for Delta.  That's how Darl knows him and why Darl gets a cut rate on the charter.  We walked around the house and got our first view of the boat.  It is staggering to see the boat again and think, I am going to spend a week aboard that boat!  We began the hundred or so chores that are required to get a boat ready.  I starting looking in all the drawers and cubbyholes to remind myself where everything was.  We put the sandwich food we brought with us in the ice box, and the little ice from the cooler in the freezer.  We got the inflatable dingy and put the motor on it, launched it and pulled it up in the new davits.  It is a new dingy, an Achilles type..   Lou said some charterers got into a storm and the rope broke on the old one, it blew away and they were unable to recover it.  So he had to buy a new dingy and motor.  That's is good for us, because the old one was rather worn.

I see a comorant beside the boat which has just caught a 8 inch fish.  He had to struggle a bit, but finally got it down the gullet.  It is a diving duck, like a loon.  Darl calls them "anhingas" or "Ed Henry's" or something like that.  He just went under again and has been gone for a long time.  There he is again about 50 yards away.

We had to get the jib sail from the front porch and put it on the roller furling rig in the front of the boat.  The sail was huge on the ground.  It took two of us to carry it because it was so big and bulky.  It was interesting putting it on, because I had never put a sail on a roller furler.  I learned something!.  Then Lou began to go over the boat reminding us where switches were, how to run the air conditioner, the generator, where to check the oil, and transmission fuel, etc. etc. etc.  When he started the generator, he suddenly said, what's that?  I didn't' feel a thing.  But he said he felt something.  He asked if a boat were going by, but it wasn't.  Then he looked in the motor compartment and discovered that something was wrong with the generator.  He said the water pump was not working right, it was pumping air instead of water.  So it took him about an hour to fix the water pump.

Anyway with  all that went on there, we didn't actually pull away from the dock until 3 pm.  I remembered that the last time we chartered this boat we left Ft. Lauderdale about 1 or 2 and didn't get to Miami until dark.  But Lou says it takes 5 hours to Miami.  I think that must mean motoring at full speed all the way, because it took us 7 hours.

When we came out the Hillsboro Drawbridge at Lighthouse point, the traffic was unbelievable.  There must have been 50 boats going in and out at the same time we were. I was glad Darl was driving.  He is the power boat man, I am the sail man.  We tried to call the bridge on the radio but got no response. I then sounded the fog horn, one long and one short, which is the signal for him to open the bridge.  The current was moving swiftly in the channel so we had to keep moving and circling.  Finally the bridge began to creep upward and we followed another sailboat out.

Running out into the open ocean was exciting again. It was like we had been set free from the land.   Freedom is the best word to describe it.  Free at last.  The ocean at long last.  The wind was coming at us straight on the nose so we motored for a long time.  Besides there was a thunderstorm behind us and we needed to get away from that.

We ran into another thunderstorm about 4:30.  The wind really picked up in front of it and there were whitecaps everywhere.  It was not a scary kind of storm, but a beautiful one.  The water was so busy, the waves churning, the whitecaps blowing, the boat riding like a rocking horse over the waves.  It was wonderful.  Then we could see the rain coming.  We quickly got the dodger up just before the rain hit.  But while I was zipping it in, the boat plunged into a big wave and splashed water over the bow and drenched me.   We all huddled close by the dodger during the 20 minute rain storm.  Visibility reduced to about 100 yards, and it looked as if we were hundreds of miles out to sea.  How exciting!  I could just imagine that I was on my trip around the world.  The rain pelted the water and the boat, the wind was whipping pleasantly.  We kept a close watch for fishing vessels appearing out of the fog.  And in about 30 minutes we were out of it.

With the storm behind us, we decided to get the sails up.  Darl, Bruce and I got the main up, the jib unfurled and even set the mizzen.  Most of the time we had to keep the motor on low to give an extra boost in speed, but for about two hours we were able to just sail.  The wind picked up pretty good so that we averaged about 6 knots, but once got up to 8 knots.  It was so quiet, and such a powerful feeling for the wind to move this big boat right along.

For a while the sailing got down to about 3.5 knots or so.  We probably sailed too long at a slow speed, because it took us a long time to get here.

About 7 p.m. we took a good look at where we were and how far we had to go and realized we were probably going to be after dark getting in.  So we goosed up the engine a bit and tried to make better time, but it still took us until 9:40.

As we neared Miami, we got closer to shore, about 15 feet of water.  When we went to the front of the boat we could see the bottom.  Amy, Bruce, and I looked at the bottom for several miles.  Mostly it was just sand with occasional patches of seaweed.  But then we saw the stingray.  Amy thought it must have been about 3 feet wide, I thought only 2 feet.  But she was sure excited about seeing it.  Then we saw a big starfish on the bottom.  Amy thought she saw a lobster.  Bruce saw a turtle.  Then the flying fish began to skim along the water.  The day just got lovelier and lovelier.

The sunset over Miami was breathtaking.  It was so fun to look at the tall buildings from the ocean side, to watch the lights begin to come on.  It was dark enough by the time we entered Government Cut at Miami that we were navigating by the flashing green and red lights along the channel.

I was excited about sailing at night.  Ted, our instructor at the Annapolis Sailing School, had told me how much he loved sailing at night.  He had said that it was actually easier by night, because the lights are easier to spot than daymarkers are by day.  I quickly found that to be true.  The flashing lights could be seen way in the distance.  The chart clearly indicated how often the light should flash so that it could be distinguished from another.

Anyway, it was fun to motor into Miami as darkness fell.  We passed the huge container ships being loaded.  We passed some cruise ships, one with it's nose lifted up so that supplies could be driven aboard.

I got the spotlight and followed the chart while Darl took the wheel.  We make a good team.  I would tell him what to look for and then I would flash the light and spot daymarkers.  I was surprised at how well the daymarkers lit up when then light hit them.  By the time we went under the bridge, it was nearly dark.  The nightlife of Miami was shining on a Saturday night.  We were surprised at how few boats we ran into in the channel.  I guess the pleasure boaters were at home by now.

Under the bridge we started watching for the flashing red light off the starboard bow marking the entrance channel to Dinner Key Marina.  We spotted it pretty quickly, but couldn't see the green flashing every four seconds for a long time.  It was so exciting to make our way up Dinner Key channel following occasional lights and me spotlighting daymarkers.  We were headed straight for shore with a new moon, just a sliver showing, hanging low over Miami.  There were five or six really bright stars accompanying the moon in welcoming us home.  The wind had died completely about 8 and we had enjoyed motoring on the calm water.

We had no trouble finding our spot that Darl had prearranged.  We docked perfectly, tied spring lines, and Darl went to call and let family know that we had finally arrived at 9:45.  We learned that Amy's parents were very nervous about her.  They had called Pat several times wondering where we were.  They had even asked how they could try to get in touch with us.  Pat calmly replied that there was no way.  They said, "So all we can do is wait?"  Pat said, “That's about the size of it.”  Mary Helen was also visibly worried about Magno.  He is not a swimmer and doesn't really like boats.  Mary Helen likes them even less.  But Sarah and Pat weren't bothered.  They remembered that the same thing had happened last time.

We tidied up the boat and waited for Pat.  She came bringing Andy & Will in a van that a friend had thoughtfully loaned them for their busy weekend.  Andy bounded from the van to tell me about his fishing trip.  I asked, "How was it?"  He said, "It was boring, I didn't catch anything, but Dad, if I had caught a trophy fish would you pay half on having it mounted?"  At first I believed his story about not catching anything, and was really disappointed for him.  But he could contain his joy no longer, and blurted out...I did catch a trophy fish Dad.  In fact, I caught the two biggest fish!  One was a 30 pound Bonita and the other a 10 pound Kingfish.  I put him off on the mounting proposition.  I had warned everybody who went that I didn't want my son bringing home some smelly old fish to carry home in the back of our car.

When we got to Pat's Andy took me to the freezer to show me his trophy Bonita.  He had followed Jim Goforth's advice and wrapped it in a wet towel and put it in the freezer.  It was frozen enough already that the towel was sticking to the fish, so I took the fish to the shower and ran water over it until I could unwrap it.  It was a beautiful fish.  I am sure I will get snookered into mounting it.

Apparently all the five men who accompanied Andy on the fishing trip really enjoyed him.  He was so excited that they were excited for him.  They must have really enjoyed teasing him about him catching the biggest fish.  I deeply appreciate their kindness to him.  He had the time of his life!   I am so glad!

Will had an eventful day as well.  He mostly swam in the lake by the house.  But at some point in the evening he presented to the family an elaborate magic show.  He went to great lengths to make all the preparations.  He arranged the chairs just so, and made signs announcing this show, "Will's Magic Show Coming Soon."  Then when all was ready he took the sign down, scratched out the "Soon" and wrote "Now."  It must have been a hoot.  Pat and Dot had a delighted gleam in their eye when they told about it.  Dot was especially impressed with his creativity.  Will had to demonstrate some of his magic tricks.  He showed me his disappearing leg, which really did disappear.  And his disappearing fingers.  He was a real star.

At Pat's Darl and Magno and I ate a fish supper, it was the kingfish that Andy had caught.  Several of the men caught kingfish so we had plenty.   Andy said they caught 15 fish altogether.  The fish was delicious.  Of course it was 11:00, and we had only had a sandwich for lunch that day.

Darl wanted to spend the night at home, but Andy and I wanted to stay on the boat.  We can't lock the boat and I felt somebody needed to be here.  Plus I didn't want to miss the opportunity.  Marti and Jay brought us back to the boat in their rented van.  The van was full of people needing to go back to the motel, but they all decided they wanted to see the boat first.  So at 12:30 we all traipsed down the dock to see THE BOAT.  There were Marti and Jay, Magno and Mary Helen, Jim and Dot, Virginia, and Andy and me. Mary Helen looked at the tiny galley and laughed.  I don't think we made any converts to the sailing life.

Finally, they went their way and left us alone.  Andy and I stored our gear, made the beds, and fell fast asleep.

July 14, Sunday

I am sitting in the cockpit of the Morgan Out Island 41. The sun just peeked through the clouds on the horizon.  How perfectly lovely!  We are harbored at Dinner Key Marina in Miami.  There are million dollar yachts all around me.  The water is absolutely flat reflecting like a mirror the few stringy clouds and the azure sky.  I can hear a steady stream of exhaust water from the huge power yacht parked next to us.  When the air conditioners on such rigs run, they spurt a stream of water out the side.  Several tall buildings of downtown Miami stand around.  I see palm trees lining the shore.

Andy didn't get up until 10:30 a.m.  We slept cold with the air conditioner going.  We ate some cereal and bran muffin for breakfast, cleaned up and waited for Darl to come.

Darl showed up about noon with Duane, and 3 year old Logan.  Darl paid the docking fee of $20 and bought two bags of ice.

We left Dinner Key at 12:20.  The radio reported a line of heavy thunderstorms about Key Largo heading north at 10 mph. The thunderstorms had winds of 35 mph and tops of the clouds at 48,000 feet.  I really wanted to wait until 1:30 when the warning was to be over, but Darl said, "What's a little rain?  We can motor through it."  So we motored out into Biscayne Bay.  There were lots and lots of traffic with some sailboat races flying spinnakers.  It was a beautiful sight.

We put up sails, but could not maintain the 185 degree heading we needed.  The best we could do was 220 degrees.  The wind was coming almost exactly from where we wanted to go.  This boat is a pig into the wind!  I was frustrated all afternoon because we could not come through 100 degrees on a tack when we should have been able to do 90 degrees.  I think it may have been more like 120 degrees which is awful!  About 5:30 we finally gave up and hit the motor.  We had been sailing five hours and made good about 10 miles.  That is awful sailing.

But the good part is the thunderstorms went ashore before we got to them.  We didn't have any rain all day.

We motored through Featherbed banks and decided to spend the night behind Elliot Key so we could snorkel in Sands Cut like we did three years ago.  Several other boats were anchored out so we decided to stop among them.

Four times we let the anchor down into the hard sand, but it wouldn't hold.  For over an hour we tried to set the anchor by motoring in reverse, but we were just plowing a furrow along the bottom.  We moved around about 1/2 mile trying to find better bottom.  Other boats were anchored, why couldn't we?  They must have had a different kind of anchor, maybe a Danforth.  But finally it caught.  We ran the motor up to 2000 rpm in reverse to test it and it held, so we felt pretty secure.

We ate some ham sandwiches quickly so we could go snorkeling.  The ham was delicious.

Darl wanted to start the generator and let things start charging up.  The generator cranked fine and we were excited about having a cool night. But after about five minutes, the generator abruptly quit.  Darl decided the water pump that Lou had fixed just before we left his house was out again.  He was right.  The engine compartment was so hot that we couldn't work in it.  We would have to wait until morning to try to fix it.  It was to be a hot time in the old town tonight.

We got the mosquito net that covers the whole cockpit and stretched it out in place.  I used tape to try to close up the holes.  Lou doesn't have mosquito nets for the hatchways, so we couldn't get any air below.  We would sleep in the cockpit.

It was hot and sticky and miserable.  Mosquitoes buzzed around our ears all night.  The cockpit was an uncomfortable place to sleep.  I put Cutter on Andy, but he was still miserable.  We didn't have much of it so I didn't use any.  They didn't seem to like my sweaty body anyway.  I think I will sell my sweat as a new mosquito dope.

We started trying to sleep early, about 9:15.  By two we were all awake and slapping mosquitos.  Darl and I decided to try to fix the generator.  After about an hour we had it ready to try.  It ran, but it still wasn't pumping water like it was supposed to.

After that a nearby thunderstorm kicked up a nice wind that cooled things off a bit.  We bedded down in the cockpit again.  We slept pretty good until about eight.
 

Monday, July 15, 1991

I awoke at sunrise and enjoyed the early morning.  I counted over 50 mosquitoes caught on the inside of our netting trying to get out.  It's a wonder we weren't bit more than we were.  I was still tired from the miserable night so tried to nap until about 8 a.m.

We had fresh cantaloupe and cereal for breakfast.  The ice box and freezer are still cold so we had milk.

About 9 a.m. we went to Sands Cut for snorkeling.  We were apprehensive about leaving the motherboat without oars or a sail for the dingy.  I don't trust motors.  The outboard motor finally warmed up and ran well.

We motored to the Atlantic Ocean side of the cut and then let the boat drift through the swiftly running water of the cut.  We hung onto the boat as we floated through.  We didn't see as many as we did three years ago.  But we did see some angelfish, parrotfish, and yellowtail.  We would float through until we reached the shallow water on the bay side, crank the motor and go back to the ocean side to do it again.  We floated through about four times.

We got back to the sailboat about 11:30.  Andy and I swam around the boat a little bit, but didn't see much except sponges.   I swam out to the anchor and found it lying on its side.  I didn't see how it held us.

We put the dingy back into the davits, washed salt water off our bodies with a quick shower, and cleaned up.

We left Elliot Key at 12:30.  It was a late start and we needed to go about 25 miles if we were to reach a marina for the night.  The wind was blowing a bit better and we had an excellent day of sailing.  Most of the time we were going 6 or 7 knots.  We had to tack just once to make the first channel.

By 2:20 we were in Angelfish Creek.  We had come 10 miles in less than 2 hours.  Yesterday it took us five!  As we were coming out onto the Atlantic side of the creek, we saw some bone fishermen poling the boat in the shallow waters

About 3, Andy sat down in the cockpit and leaned back against a wasp that had been hanging around the boat all day.  The sting scared him so he jumped up and ran into the handle for controlling the motor and bruised his hip.  He was so scared it took him forever to stop crying.

Lunch was ham sandwiches again.  The ham is good, but we are getting tired of it.

After such an awful night, it has been a pleasant day of fast sailing.

We were almost to Pennecamp State Park when we took down the jib sail and motored directly toward the number 2 marker for the entrance channel.  Andy and I were sitting on the side looking for fish in the water.  Darl had the boat on autopilot and was busy with something.  Andy and I noticed that the water was awfully shallow.  I looked back and we were in four feet of water according to the depth meter, which meant we only had 1 1/2 feet under the keel.  The boat actually draws 4 1/2 feet, but the transducer for the depth meter is at the top of the keel 2 feet down.  The bottom line is when we hit 2 1/2 feet on the depth meter we are on bottom.  The meter dropped to 3.5, and I grabbed the wheel switched off the autopilot and turned out to sea.  But the numbers kept dropping.  It was an eerie feeling to see 3.2, 3.1, 2.8, 2.7, and then there it was 2.5 the magic number.  We looked back and the propeller was churning up sand.  We slowed and slowed.  I said, "We're aground!"  But Darl gunned the engine and we inched forward slowly, then faster, and suddenly we were free.  We couldn't believe it!  We were so lucky!  It would have really been bad to be on the ground there at 6 p.m.  It would have been a worse night that last night.  We both breathed a deep sigh of relief and stayed in the deep water.

We passed the Pennecamp marker and headed for the next number 2 daymarker for the channel to Coral Reef Marina mentioned in the cruising guide.  We were hoping that would have an available slip.  We tried radioing them, but nobody answered so we just headed on in.  At the entrance to the harbor we saw a sign advertising Marina Del Mar.  That was good enough for us.  I radioed and a beautiful lady answered and said they did have a slip.  We could pull into slip number 22.  We were very relieved hoping for a more pleasant night.

We pulled into the slip, tied up, and headed for the office where we discovered that the cost for the night would be $63!  We would have gladly paid $100!  Andy really had a craving for pizza.  The lady, yes the beautiful lady, said Tower Pizza would deliver to a slip.  Within five minutes we had a pizza ordered and 30 minutes later were eating pizza in our cool, air conditioned boat!  What a relief. I was so thirsty I drank two Sprites and a glass of Koolaid.

Darl called home.  I talked to Sarah and found that she had checked on prices to mount Andy's prized bonita.  $225!  But Marti and Jay were so interested in Andy's catch that they left $80 to go on the mounting, so I guess we will do it.  I can't believe I, of all people, am having a fish mounted.  Sarah, Will, and Pat will not be able to join us until Thursday because Tamara's choir trip has been delayed one day.

After phone calls, pizza and cold drinks, it was time for a wonderful hot shower.  It felt so good!  After a mosquito killing party in which we killed about 15 mosquitoes left in the boat from last night, we were and are ready for bed.  It has been a full day.  It's 11:20 p.m. and I'm off to bed.

July 16, 1991

Tuesday - I think.  It's hard to keep my days straight now.

What a pleasant night, air conditioning and no mosquitoes!  Andy and Darl are still asleep.  I woke at 6:00.  But went back to sleep for an hour.  So at 7:00 I slipped from my berth and went for a 40 minute walk.  We are very near the main street through the Keys with lots of commercial businesses.  There is a Wendy's and a BurgerKing just across the street, a food market, a drug store, and hundreds of charter boat places.  They even have a sign advertising the original African Queen, the boat built for the Bogart movie, but it is on vacation up north somewhere.  I am sure where there are fewer mosquitoes and less heat.  So it looks like we can resupply here.

Darl called Lou Tassi, the owner of the boat last night, and he is coming down this morning to try to fix the generator.  Maybe we will be able to anchor out the rest of the way and avoid the $63 docking fee!  I am sure we could find a cheaper place if we looked, but we were desperate last night.

I guess we will be docked here until about noon.  It will take that long for Lou to get here and work on the boat.  Maybe this afternoon we can go back up to Pennecamp and go out to a reef for snorkeling, then anchor out behind Rodriguez Key.  We saw several boats anchored there last night.

During the middle of the night last night, I sat straight up in bed thinking about our docking lines and realized that we had tied one wrong.  It was tied much too short and did not leave room for a rising tide.  I tried to think what it would do if the boat rose 2 feet and the line was tied too short to allow it.  So I got up and retied the line.  It must have been about 2:30 in the morning.  I thought, I am getting into a habit of waking at 2:30 a.m.

9:30 p.m.  We are anchored out behind Rodriguez Key after a pleasant day of snorkeling in Pennecamp.  Lou Tassi showed up about 9:30 this morning with the parts for the generator.  He was much earlier than I expected.  Lou arrived while we were eating the complementary Danish rolls at the marina, $63 Danish rolls.  Lou had a roll with us, and we moved his gear on board.  He had also brought a wishbone anchor which is what we need for the sand, a manual tiller in case the steering system breaks, paddles for the dingy, and two dingy anchors.  In about 30 minutes we had the generator working.  He had gone to the Westerbeke dealership and talked to them about the problem we were having.  The dealer said that Lou had used off-brand parts and needed a Westerbeke brand.  But when we helped Lou put the part on we discovered what we did wrong.  We did not properly prime the water system.  We had removed the top from the water filter and put water in, but we had not shut the seacock first so the water we put in was going right overboard.  At least that is my theory about what went wrong for us.

Then Lou was kind enough to drive us to a food market to buy groceries, ice, and gloves.  Darl thought I bought too much food. It was $40 worth, but I think we will need it all.  We stopped at a Snorkel and Dive shop to ask about snorkeling on the reefs.  The man was kind enough to help us and sold us a $1 map which marked the good spots.  One of the best was right out from where we were about 5 miles.

Back at the boat we stowed supplies, ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and pulled out at 1:30.  We motored out to the reef, directly into the wind, and found it about 3:00.  There were buoys to tie up to so that we didn't have to throw our anchor.  I had heard it was that way.  The Coast Guard boat that passed us yesterday was right beside us finishing putting up a sign that said, "Danger Reef!"

We had a problem letting the dingy down from the davits because the water was so choppy.  We had some pretty good waves and the boat was bouncing around.  I got into the dingy and tried to unhook the clips, but the boat was bouncing so I had a difficult time.  Meanwhile, I was upside down in the boat in rough waves.  That is the definition of seasick, and I soon was.  But we jumped into the water to snorkel over the reefs anyway.  But about 30 minutes later I had to come back to the boat.  I thought I was going to throw up in the boat.  We moved to another buoy and Andy and Darl went back down, but I stayed aboard and watched the horizon and tried to fend off the seasickness.  By the time they finished there, I was feeling some better.  We moved north about 1/2 mile to another buoy.   By now, Andy was getting seasick.  I went down this time while Andy slept on the boat.  This was the best reef by far.  We saw lots of corral and lots of fish, some of the really bright, florescent colors - blues and yellows.  There were lots of sea fans.  I saw one thing that looked like a leafless plant but it was a deep blue color.  I went back to the boat once to try to talk Andy into coming, but he was feeling too bad.

We finished snorkeling, washed off the salt water with a quick shower, pulled up the dingy (This time Darl got to ride the dingy, but the wind had died down so that it wasn't so bad.), and headed for shore.  Shortly after we started a National Pennecamp Marine Sanctuary boat showed up out of nowhere.  The man asked how we were fixed on our navigation.  We said we were planning to take 310 degrees back toward Key Largo.  He said, "Well, this is low tide and there are some low spots between here and there.  We don't want you to hit any of the corral heads, so you might want to take a circular route around Mosquito Bank."  And he zoomed off.  Andy rode the front of the boat watching for low spots.  I wasn't feeling well again, so I lay in the cockpit and watched the horizon.  It's a good thing Darl doesn't have seasickness problems.  Andy and I have agreed that first thing tomorrow we are taking the dingy into town to buy Dramamine.  We left the reef at 6:15 and were anchored by 7:30.

We had a little trouble getting the anchor set, but finally we did.  The generator started flawlessly and the air conditioner was running almost as soon as we stopped.  We quickly got out the propane grill and started cooking hamburgers.  I fixed pork and beans, peaches, some grapes, fresh lemonade, and we were in business for a good supper.  We all ate 2 hamburgers each.  We washed up the dishes, cleaned up the deck, and settled in for the night.

Andy and I went topside to look at the lights along the keys for a few minutes.  It was a lovely evening sitting out on the boat feeling a light breeze blow and watching the lights.  Mosquitoes weren't bad, but we finally got bit by a couple and gave it up.

Andy and I plugged in the computer, played a game of Solitaire and began to get seasick again.  There is just a little bouncing because of the waves, but I guess we are just sensitive after the day. O, for some Dramamine!

It's 9:55 p.m. now and I think I'll hit the sack.  I want to get up pretty early to look around in the early morning.
 

July 17, 1991  Wednesday  11:30 a.m.

It was a not so great night.  We turned the generator on for a couple of hours to cool things down a bit.  But about 10:30 we shut it off when Darl went to sleep.  It wasn't long at all before I was getting sweaty, but then I started feeling queasy too.  The boat is exposed to the ocean waves and was rocking gently back and forth, just enough to bother me.  I tried to think of other things, but my mind kept coming back to being seasick.  I left my bunk to try the center couch hoping that it would not rock so much.  But it still rocked too much.  I was hot and seasick.  Nothing to do but go topside and watch the lights on the horizon, regardless of the mosquitoes.  But when I got up there, no mosquitoes bothered me.  We had a pretty strong wind coming from sea, about 15 to 20 mph I would guess.  So the mosquitoes from Rodriguez Island and Key Largo couldn't reach us.  It was pleasant up top.  I sat there for a long time watching the stars and lights enjoying the breeze.  Finally I decided that I would sleep there.  I got my pillow and a sheet and moved into the cockpit for the night.

I didn't really sleep.  I was just too queasy.  About 1:30 a storm brewed up out to sea.  The wind began to howl through the rigging about 35 mph.  Then it rained here for about 10 minutes.  I propped up the front hatch before and after the rain to let some wind in on Andy.  But for some reason I forgot to open the tiny little windows by his bed which would have helped him even more, and might have made it comfortable enough for me.  But I was enjoying staying in the cockpit.  Darl came up about 2 and we talked a while.  After that I actually fell asleep until 6 a.m.  Then slept off and on until 8.  The first item on today's agenda was to get Dramamine!  No more seasick for me.

The night was beautiful.  Lots of stars everywhere and navigation lights all around blinking and winking at me.  There are other boats anchored out with their anchor lights shining at the top of the masts.  The lights of the town string along the shore.  I hear the constant swish of waves against the boat and the gentle rocking.  The rocking is fine when I am not seasick.  It was a great night for thinking and meditating.

About 8 we all got up and ate some Danish rolls for breakfast.  Cleaned up things generally, checked out the boat, and decided to go to town in the dingy.  We debated for a while about whether to move the sailboat closer, but decided to just go in the dingy.  We have a 9.9 horsepower motor on the dingy so we can go pretty far, but it is a wet ride.  The waves keep splashing over the front when we go fast.

Darl managed to go slow enough to keep moderately dry going in with the waves.  The harbor isn't much here.  I think there is only the Mandalay Tiki Bar.  We asked a man and woman where we could use the phone and buy Dramamine.  At first he acted like there wasn't such a place.  But then he remembered the Tom Thumb just a couple of blocks down the road.  We started walking.  It got hot on land quickly. We first went to a shell shop, but they had neither Dramamine nor a public phone.  So it was on to Tom Thumb.

At Tom Thumb we bought Dramamine and cold drinks.  Darl called Lou and the girls.  We needed to find out from Lou just where he wanted us to leave the boat.  He talked yesterday about maybe leaving it near Snake Creek south of Tavernier.  Well, Lou hadn't decided yet and the girls weren't at home.  So the trip in was wasted.  No, not wasted, we got the most important item for me - Dramamine!

We got back to the dingy at 10:45 and by 11:00 we were at the ship.  I have washed some clothes and have them on the lifelines to dry.  I think when you stay aboard long enough to wash clothes you are getting the feeling of a live aboard.

This is not the best time of year for cruising.  It is just too hot and too many mosquitoes.  I am sure that cruising in spring or fall would be much more pleasant.  Also the sun is a cooker.  I get too much sun just sitting out under the dodger.  The sun reflects off the water and gives me sunburn anyway.

Andy looked beside the boat and found a hat floating in the water.  He used the boathook to retrieve it.  It is a good hat, "The Ultimate Hat" it is called.  And it's just my size.  I washed it out and will wear that sucker.  I have wanted one for a long time.  They cost well over $25.
 

5:30  I am alone on the boat anchored behind Rodriguez Key.  Andy and Darl have taken the dingy in to call the girls and Lou.  I have taken my Dramamine and am hopeful for a better night.  Instead of using a/c we have windscoops on all three hatches.  The wind is blowing about 15 mph so we are pumping a lot of air below decks.  We also have every window open.  Now this I can take.   It is quite comfortable below with this much wind.  We are counting on having no mosquitoes like last night.  We are in the same place and the wind is from the same direction.

For lunch today Andy had left over pizza heated in the microwave - thanks to the generator.  Darl and I had peanut butter sandwiches.

At one we left for a casual afternoon of sailing.  We headed down toward Tavernier Key.  The winds were 5-10 from the East, so we made about 4 knots.  Arrived off Tavernier Key at 2:25, tacked about, and started back.  The wind picked up to 15-20 for the rest of the afternoon and we made 6 or 7.5 knots going back.  It was a beautiful sail!  We were back in less than an hour.  We sailed on past Rodriguez Key then headed with the wind wing on wing back to the anchorage of the night before.  Four other boats are anchored nearby.  A man and woman have been sailing all around the bay on a Hobie catamaran.  I was jealous of their fast ride until they turned over and have had a difficult time righting it.  It has been 30 minutes and they are still in the water.

This afternoon as we began our sail Andy was in unusually good spirits.  He was joking and teasing and so relaxed.  I enjoyed seeing him in that mood.  He has been bored a lot because he didn't have his friends to play with.  This is very unusual for him to go four days without even Will to play with.  And a couple of times he got very discouraged what with the mosquitoes, heat, and wasp sting.  But on the whole he has done much better than I expected.

I feel like Darl and I have learned a lot about cruising in our three trips together.  We are about to learn how to do it comfortably.  I hate to admit it but reading about it and doing it are two entirely different things.  I realize now how important it is to have the experience on the boat.

I wonder at times if I will really enjoy living on a boat.  At times like last night, I think it sounds like the craziest thing in the world.  There definitely are those times of great discomfort and real fear, but they are offset by the absolutely blissful, peaceful moments and times of sheer ecstasy.  We have had several moments that would make the trip worth the effort and cost.  This is one - alone on the boat, writing, with wind blowing on me, the waves lapping the sides of the boat and the clanging of the rigging. They skies are clear and winds are fair.

Today I have wanted to just relax on the boat. Before now I have wanted to go somewhere, clock so many miles of sailing, but now I just want to be here and enjoy it.  I sense a solitude I yearn for.  My life is entirely too hectic.  I yearn for life to be like this - relaxed, peaceful, stress-less.

8:55 p.m.
Andy and Darl returned from calling the girls and Lou.  Lou said we return the boat to Ft. Lauderdale.  That helps to finalize our plans.  Pick up the girls and Will tomorrow.  Go to Elliot Key Friday, to Miami Saturday.  The girls will meet us at Wendy's near Marina Del Mar at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Supper was chicken noodle soup and ham sandwiches from the last of that honey-baked ham.  We threw the bone and pieces of ham into the ocean. Seagulls quickly discovered the floating pieces of fat.  They then hung around the boat for an hour hoping for more.

About 8 a storm went nearby and kicked up a strong wind about like the one that went through at 1:30 last night.  The three of us quickly took down the windscoops, then sat on deck and watched the wind and waves. It must have been a 25 mph wind (Anders estimate).  It was so pleasant to watch the storm and know that we were in no danger.  We knew we had a good anchorage and could see enough of the cloud formations to know the worst would miss us and it would soon blow out.

I am thankful for Dramamine.  It's amazing how different I feel from last night under similar circumstances.  I am sitting in my front berth with the hatch propped open about 3 inches with a life preserver.  The wind is blowing hard enough that that puts a good bit of wind down on me.  The boat is bouncing quite a bit with the strong winds, and I am enjoying it - like swinging in a porch swing.  I am surprised at how much cooler the boat is tonight even without the air conditioner.  But then the day hasn't been as hot as usual either.

9:45
The storm blew over and the wind has settled back down to about 15 mph, so we put up the front wind scoop - the one right over our bed.  It feels so good!  Cool, breezy, no mosquitoes, Dramamine.  We finally figured out the system!

We stopped on deck to enjoy the stars.  Darl pointed out to Andy where Venus, Jupiter, and Mars were.  The perfect half-moon is almost directly overhead and reflecting beautifully or the waves.  The storm way out to sea is offering us a lightning show of the best kind - far on the horizon and heading out to sea.  What a pleasant night!  It will go down as one of my very best.

July 18, 1991  Thursday

Four sailboats shared our anchorage with us last night.  Two boats about like ours, one that looked like an expensive 60 footer and one that looked about 25 feet.  Their anchor lights joined the stars shining in the bay.

We went to bed early, about 10 p.m. last night.  I haven't slept well all week so I was ready for sleep, plus I had taken the Dramamine so I slept like a drunk.  The windchutes were working perfectly with lots of cool breeze blowing right down on the bed.  It was wonderful!  Better than the air conditioner.

About 11:30 p.m. another storm came through that woke me and Darl up.  We both got up and took down the windscoops.  No rain came through so we propped up the front hatch with a life preserver and that still gave us plenty of wind.  The thunderstorm that went nearby kicked the wind up to about 25 or 30 mph again.  Darl was concerned about the anchor dragging, but I was so sleepy I didn't much care.  I figured Darl would wake me if there was real trouble.  I slept like a rock.

We got up about 7:00, ate cereal and a Danish, and headed for Key Largo to get fuel and to pick up the girls and Will.  It took about 30 minutes to motor to the harbor, then it was about an hour getting fuel because another boat was ahead of us.  A dive boat was ready to leave with about 20 people on it air tanks and all.  They were all excited about their coming trip to the reefs.  The dive boats had names like Sundiver and Crunch II.  It looked like they stayed busy with people wanting to snorkel and dive.

The channel up the harbor had very expensive homes on both sides.  One huge home had a hottub under a gazebo, two Yamaha jetskis, an expensive powerboat, and 3 guard dogs prowling the premises.  Andy spotted a school of fish under the boat where we were waiting for fuel, but there was a sign on the post nearby "No Fishing."  Andy was disappointed.

The dock master allowed us to pull into a slip to wait.  He even let us hook up to electricity to cool down the freezer while we waited. But he did charge us $15 for water!  At least we were able to put in about 70 gallons.  We put in 40 gallons of diesel which cost about $70.

Andy and I walked up the road to Wendy's.  It was a hot walk.  The temperature on land is unbearable, but at sea it is much more pleasant. We got to Wendy's at 9:10.  The girls were not there yet, so we ordered large drinks and settled in to wait.  The girls arrived at 9:30.  We drove the quarter mile to the boat and loaded all their gear into the boat.  Will looked so cute coming to the boat with his blanket and raccoon teddy bear.

Sarah, Andy, Will, and I went to John Pennecamp State Park in the car to look at their aquarium.  I had read about it often, and wanted to see what they had.  It wasn't nearly as good as I had hoped.  They had a 30,000 gallon aquarium, but it didn't have many fish in it.  We did get to see a film about the ecology of South Florida which the boys enjoyed.  It seemed that the park specializes in their small beach and renting Hobie sailboats.  I was disappointed.

We were back at the boat and underway by 11:20.  We motored out the harbor and continued until we could sail at 30 degrees along the coastline.  The wind was blowing 15-20 all afternoon from the east.  So once we set the sails and the autopilot on 40 degrees (allowing 10 degrees for drift) we never had to touch the sails again for 3 hours!  We made good about 6 or 7 knots all the way.  It was a lovely sail!  Pat really enjoyed the boat.   Sarah was a trooper too and worked hard at relaxing even though we were in the Atlantic Ocean and about a mile from shore.  She even made one trip to the pulpit up front, but didn't like the bumpy ride there.

Will adopted my new hat immediately.  It really looked cute on him.  He wanted to claim it as his own, but I really want it for sailing at home.  He hardly parted with it all day.

Will had to put on his life preserver if he got out of the cockpit, which he didn't mind doing.  He wanted to explore the boat.  I followed him with one hand on him at all times.  He wanted to get exercise by going around and around the boat.  Finally, he sat down on the pulpit using the bottom roller of the roller furling gear for a seat and watched the waves.  It was hypnotic.  We never saw anything but seaweed, but it sure was fun.  Will was very relaxed on the boat and enjoyed it.  It made me wish for a larger boat so he could sail with me at home more comfortably.

Darl and Andy told about going to the Tiki Bar to make the phone call.  There was an old salt there with a long beard and skinny legs eating potato salad.  He was feeding his dog off his fork!  Said, "That dog will eat anything!"  I thought, "So will that man!"

We were almost to Angelfish Creek when we noticed a powerboat coming from sea and heading right toward us.  We felt like it noticed us, but it kept coming.  It finally swung close in behind  us and one of the two men on board said, "Pardon me, but could you tell us where Pennecamp is?"  We told him it was south about 15 miles.  They said "Thanks" and zoomed off.  Powerboaters!

After a lovely three hour sail, we entered Angelfish Creek under power and then motored through the shallows to anchor behind Elliot Key.  The anchor didn't want to set, but we drug it about 100 yards then it caught.  I hope it is a good set.  If not we can drag it about 10 miles before we hit land across Florida Bay.

The anchoring process is a smooth routine for us now.  Darl uses the motor to head us directly into the wind over the spot we have chosen.  I flake the anchor line over the deck so that it will fall over without tangling.  When the boat finally coasts to a complete stop, I hoist the anchor over the deck lines and drop it slowly trying to make sure it falls the right way.  We let the wind drift us back and slowly play out the anchor line until we reach the end.  When it snugs up, Darl puts the engine in reverse to test the set.  He revs the motor up to about 1500 rpm and if it still holds without us moving, then we are set.  If the anchor drags, the anchor line stretches tight through the water ahead, then suddenly slacks as the anchor scoots on the bottom.

After the good anchor set, all the men immediately got into our "gunkholing gear" (swimsuits and fins), jumped in the dingy and set out to explore Caesar's Creek.  As we were motored through the Creek the motor acted like the prop was slipping.  It was like we had sheared a pin, but it ran fine when we motored slowly.  It scared Darl and me a bit because we were almost 3/4 mile from the sailboat and the current was running away from it.  We snorkeled a little bit in the Creek then decided to swim around the boat for safety.  We really didn't feel like paddling 3/4 mile and were sure our delay in returning would alarm the girls.

We enjoyed swimming around the boat even though we didn't see any fish.  I looked around and discovered Will was missing.  I hollered at Sarah on deck, and she said he was swimming around the boat.  The little bugger could swim without fins almost as fast as I could with fins.  Then Andy and Will took turns diving off the side of the boat.  When they finally tired, we took turns in the shower to wash off the salt water.

Darl put out the grill and started the steaks.  Yes, steaks!  Steaks and twice baked potatoes and a wonderful fresh fruit salad with cantaloupe, watermelon, peaches, pineapple, and grapes for supper.  It's nice to have real cooks on board.

After supper we all went up top to watch the sunset.  It was too cloudy to actually see the sun, but we got the effect.  Just before dark we made our preparations for the mosquito onslaught.  Since we are behind Elliot Key the wind blows right over it and brings the hordes of mosquitoes out into the bay.  We took down the windscoops, and put the mosquito screen over the dodger.  Will really wanted to see the mosquito screen up.

It is 9:30 and we have started the generator, which, thank the Lord, is working.  The air conditioner is beginning to cool the cabin down.  Sarah and the boys are playing card games, solitaire and battle.  Pat and Darl are reading sailing magazines left aboard.

July 19, 1991  Friday

Time - about 1:30 (My watch band broke so I haven't kept as close tabs on the time.  I should have left it at home anyway; I'm on vacation!)

We slept very well last night with the generator running.  The air conditioner was cold, but it wasn't as pleasant as the windscoops.  But we were anchored behind Elliot Key where the mosquitoes are.

Last night we put up the mosquito netting about dark.  When we saw the first couple of mosquitoes we headed below and cranked the generator and let it run all night.   I typed on my computer until I began to feel seasick in spite of my Dramamine!

I woke about 7 and went up top to enjoy the early morning.  I didn't find any mosquitoes trapped inside the netting so we may not have had as many as before.  The water was beautiful - peaceful.  Slowly everyone else began to awaken and join me in the cockpit.  We rolled up the netting and turned off the generator then sat for a couple of hours, enjoying the spot.  We had cereal and bananas for breakfast.

I spent most of the time following Will around and around the boat.  He wears my new hat everywhere.  Now he says it is his hat, but I can wear it when he is not.

A rain shower came through while we sat at anchor.  We enjoyed it too.  Afterward the wind settled to a dead calm.

About 10, I pulled the anchor up without using the motor at all.  We slowly began to drift as we set sails and slowly headed north.  Within 10 minutes the winds were fair and we were doing five knots.

After 30 minutes another thunderstorm came right over us.  First came the rain again, the suddenly the winds were blowing 20-25 mph.  We were going 8 knots and heeled way over.  Before we could turn around Sarah had her life vest on.  I have to admit, it got scary pretty fast.  Darl and I got out in the rain and dropped the jib.  Almost as quickly as the wind came, it dropped...finally to nothing.  For about one hour we sat almost becalmed.  Pat and Andy fished a little.  The rest took naps or read.  Sarah fixed lunch.  About 12:15 the wind began to pick up again and improved steadily until now it is fine and we are doing five knots.

We are headed for Miami today.  We can see the skyline now.  I hope we anchor in No Name Harbor tonight.  I have read about it, but never been in it.  We will still have all day tomorrow to sail, then go to Pat's and wash clothes, spend the night, and get up early Sunday headed for Disney World.

Andy has listened to Fun Rock a couple of times today.  Will has played all over the boat like on a big playground.

Will wanted to drive the boat, so while we were creeping along at 1.5 knots, we let him try.  He paid good attention to the course heading and learned port from starboard.  Darl was very patient with him.

7:50 Anchored in No Name Harbor!
The wind continued strong all day as we sailed up Biscayne Bay looking at the skyline and other sailboats around.  We passed Stiltsville, which is a line of houses built on stilts way out on the far edge of Biscayne Bay.  We ran just past the entrance channel to Dinner Key then gibed around and headed for No Name Harbor and Cape Florida on Key Biscayne.

We had sailed all day without using the motor.  Darl had turned it on for insurance when we were going through a narrow channel in Featherbed Banks, but he never put it in gear.  So we have sailed for about five hours without the motor.  When we were ready to drop the sails and motor into the harbor, Darl hit the key and nothing happened.  Motors!  They are a curse!  We fiddled with it about 5 minutes and finally it caught and cranked right up.  We motored by some million dollar mansions on the Bay.  They were wonderful!  O, to live there!

Then we found No Name Harbor and motored in.  There were four other boats anchored out.  We picked a spot between them and let the anchor down.  There is a $8 charge for staying here.  As soon as we stopped Will was pulling on my shirttail saying he wanted to go ashore.  He had spotted a raccoon around some picnic tables.  He immediately went below and found his raccoon T-shirt to wear ashore.

Darl started the generator so the girls could cook in the oven, while Andy, Will, and I took the dingy and paddled to shore.  Then we walked around a bit.  We saw a blue heron, a rabbit, several doves, but never saw the raccoon again.  And the mosquitoes came from the underbrush after us.  We will have to use the generator tonight!

We paddled back to the boat and got the gas tank so we could explore.  As soon as I cranked it up Andy wanted to learn to drive an outboard.  As soon as Andy started, Will wanted to learn too.  So we went round and round the harbor with the boys taking turns running the boat.  It was better than Disney World.  Then I took the helm and we headed out into the Bay and went up the island about a half mile.  We saw several people fishing from the bank, some were fishing with a hand line, no poles at all.  We saw one of them hook a fish, but it got off before he got it out of the water.

We came back into the harbor and I let the boys drive some more.  We spotted two little girls about 7 and 10 on a lovely sailboat that looked like a live-aboard.  You can tell a live-aboard by all the stuff up top, the tarpaulin stretched out over almost the whole boat, clothes hanging on the lifelines, etc. The older girl was taking their dingy to shore to meet their mom who had taken a bicycle to the town and returned with a paper sack of groceries.  Directly, the Mom got both girls in the dingy, and oared around to each boat in the harbor.   Finally, they came to us and said they were collecting the fees - $8.96 including tax.  I asked her if she lived here.  She said she had for the last three years.  They collect the fees for the rangers in exchange for staying in the harbor.  The girls go to school here on the island, and she works at Crandon Marina.  She didn't mention her husband, but I saw him coming aboard, I guess from work, a little later.  She said, "One day we will pick up and just go!"  My heart stood still.  She couldn't have been any older than I am, but there she was with a lovely boat and almost ready to go!

Darl and I put the mosquito screen over the cockpit, lowered the windscoops, and cleaned things up for the night.  The girls had supper ready by then.  What a wonderful meal!  Lasagna, fresh fruit salad, and celery.  It was delicious.

After supper we all went up top to have a spreader light check.  We found the bosun chair and tied it on to the mainsail halyard, with a bowline, of course.  Then Darl and I pulled Andy up to the spreaders about 30 feet up and had him adjust the spreader light.  He didn't mind the ride at all, so Will wanted to go too.  We hoisted the little bugger up.  He loved it.  Pat said she wouldn't have done that with her children, and if someone else had, she wouldn't look.

We are settled down for the evening.  Andy has just finished reading one of his books.  Can you believe it?  When he finished, he said, "Mom, I just made another $2."  Mrs. Taylor, his tutor, gives him $2 for each book he reads.  It has been a good motivation for him.  Pat is helping Will build a Lego boat.  Will just came asking me if the running lights were green on the starboard and red on the port or the other way around.
 

Saturday, July 20, 1991

Woke up in No Name Harbor about 7.  I slipped out of the bunk and went up top to enjoy the early morning.  It was a hot and sticky morning.  No mosquitoes in the netting, so maybe we didn't have as many as we expected.

When Darl, Pat, and Sarah joined me, we watched the neighbors in their morning routines.  Two of the other boats have dogs aboard, and the owners got the dog in the dingy and oared to shore to let the dog do his thing.  We tried to put together the life histories of each of our neighbors by watching them and analyzing their boats.

When the boys woke up, Will started talking about taking out the trash, which being translated means, "I want to drive the outboard motor some more."  So soon Will, Andy, and I were going around and around the harbor with the motor idling and Will steering.

We finally pulled up the anchor for a day sail on our last day on the boat.  Our plan was to motor out of the bay, set sails for Government Cut, then motor by the big cruise ships and back to Dinner Key.

As we started out by Cape Florida and the lovely old lighthouse, we noticed a sailboat grounded on the shallows by Stiltsville.  He tried to cut the corner too close and was now high and dry.  Later we saw him in the water taking his anchor out to kedge off.

As we left the bay up the Stiltsville channel, the ocean waves began to hit us.  Will, Andy, and I went to the bow to ride the boat up and down like a roller coaster on the waves.  The waves got bigger and bigger!  We must have had several that were over 6 feet.  With our boat heading right into them, they would life the bow about 15 feet into the air and then crash down into the next one.  It was quite a ride.  I looked back and found Sarah petrified.  She was beginning to get seasick.  Darl asked if we should turn back. I took one look at Sarah and knew it was the only thing to do.  It would have been a rough sail.

We enjoyed the trip back through Stiltsville.  Running with the waves gave us 2 1/2 more knots of speed and a much more pleasant ride.  There are thirteen houses built out on the flats, many of them of quaint architecture.

Once back in the safety of the bay, we set the sails and made a fast run to the Richenbacker Bridge.  We lowered the sails and motored by the downtown area of Miami.  It is really exciting to go so close by all the tall buildings.  Then we ran up Government Cut by the shipping docks and saw container ships being loaded.  One barge had about 40 huge containers stacked on it, plus an eighteen wheeler, several motorboats, a tracker, and a camper.  It was an odd assortment of freight.

We made the turn by Fisher Island where Darl says the million and a half dollar condominiums are.  Sophia Loren does their advertisements.  Then we headed back by the cruise ships.  They are incredibly big.  It was fun, but the wind was then to our back and it really got hot on us.  We saw about five cruise ships, the biggest being Sovereign of the Seas.

We were a little worried about going under the new bridge which wasn't on my charts.  We didn't know how high it really was.  Our mast is 55 feet from the water.  I thought we could make it, but you always wonder.  Plus there was a draw bridge on the other side that needed raising.  We kept calling the Dodge Island Bridge on the radio, but got no response.  But just as we got to the bridge it started opening and we made a dash for it.

We motored back by downtown Miami, under the Richenbacker Bridge, then hoisted our sails again.  We ran into Dinner Key channel under mainsail, and made an easy docking at Merrill Stevens dock.

Darl got his friend Fred to drive him home to get the van to come back and pick us up.  It was a very hot afternoon.  Tidying up the boat almost gave me heat-exhaustion.  Spring would definitely be a better time to cruise.  I ran electric cords and plugged in the air conditioning for our wait.

Finally Darl returned.  We unpacked the boat of all our stuff, stowed the outboard motor below for safety, and headed for Darl's.  Shortly after we got there and unpacked, Darl and I drove to Key Largo to retrieve our Volvo.

Upon returning, Pat had ordered Chinese food which was delicious.  Sally and Victor have returned from their honeymoon and are house-sitting for Darl and Pat.  They had two friends over and were watching TV.  Victor and Andy had a big time sharing stories about Championship Wrestling.

I was exhausted.  After a nice hot shower, I hit the sack.

Sunday,  July 21, 1991

Up at 6 a.m. to pack and head for Orlando and MGM Studios.  The overdrive and the air conditioner are working fine.  The boys slept part of the way which was good.  We arrived about 11 a.m. Stopped for lunch at Burger King and headed for the park.

The day was a typical hot summer Florida day, but not as hot as I have seen it here.  We enjoyed various rides especially the Star Wars ride and the Indiana Jones Stunt demonstration.

About 4 we left the park and checked into our motel for the boys to swim a while.  Sarah and I took turns watching the boys and taking a little nap.  After supper at Pizza Hut, Sarah and the boys returned to the park for a final tour and the fireworks display.  I had an upset stomach so I waited for them in the motel room.  It was a good thing I stayed behind, my stomach was really upset.

 
Appendix 1
 Lester Patterson's Life Journey

I was born May 26, l911 in the Baptist Church parsonage at Elk City, Kansas.  We moved to Sandwich, Illinois, to  Farmington, Missouri, and later to a farm near Arcadia, Missouri.  Then Father pastored small quarter-time Baptist churches.

When I was twelve, we moved to Strafford, Missouri.  I was saved and baptized into the Baptist Church that year.

At age l4, we moved to Lambert, Oklahoma.  When I was l5, during  Falls Creek Assembly, I felt God calling me to serve as a preacher and missionary.  Bro. Inlow was the camp pastor.

When I was l6, we moved to a rural church near Ames, Oklahoma.

During my last year of High School, some events in the church caused me to turn away from the will of God in my life.  After about three years I realized that nothing would go right away from God.  In l932, I returned to Oklahoma and in January l933 I enrolled in the last semester of High School.  The last week of May l933 I went to OBU. I had promises of work for my meals by Mrs. Holly in the dining hall.  I was told that I could do some repair and painting for a room.

President Hale Davis told me that I could not work at OBU. for both meals and room.  The school needed to share with more students and that I did not have enough money at that time.  He  suggested that I come back later.                                                                                                   Saturday after coming home from OBU I met one of the men from Lambert in the Kress store in Enid.  He invited me to go home with him to visit.                                                                                                                  The first Sunday in June 1933, I visited the Lambert Baptist Church.  They had no pastor.  Wheat was 25 cents per bushel.  Fifty-five were in Sunday School.  I enjoyed meeting friends again.  At the close of Sunday School, Bro. Bruner said that they wanted to hear my first sermon.  I thought that I had one good idea and outline for a sermon.  In that instant, it did not seem like a good idea.  My teachers for 2 years of Sunday School were there.  The church had listened to well-known preachers and what could I say to them?  We had a song service and I brought my message on the "rich ruler".
Those present said some kind words and Bro. Bruner said, "We want you to preach tonight."  I only had one sermon and it was gone.

There were several churches in the area.  They kept us busy.  One day I visited with Bro. C. Lex Shelby, Pastor at Cherokee for dinner.  Bro Harry Morgan had stopped for dinner.  He was on his way from Oklahoma City to Woodward.

Bro. Morgan was pastor at Woodward.  He invited me to help in a revival later.  I was to make crayon pictures to illustrate hymns  and do something in youth music.
 

While in the revival at Woodward, Bro. D. O. Northrip, pastor at Waynoka visited Morgan's.  He invited me to lead the singing in a revival at Taloga, Oklahoma beginning the first Sunday in December 1933.

After the first Sunday morning service, I met a young lady in the aisle.  She became my wife June 27, 1934.

The middle Sunday of the Taloga revival, I had to go to Waynoka to supply for Bro. Northrip.  Sunday evening on my return to Taloga, I learned that the First Baptist Church of Taloga had extended a call to be their pastor, pending my ordination.  Also, they requested that I move my membership to Taloga and let them call for the ordination council.  I moved my membership and was ordained January 18, 1934.

I have served as pastor from December 1933 to the present time.  Some of the early pastorates were short.  Time between has always been brief.  God has led someone to call.  At no time have I sought another man's pulpit.

We have eight children, seven girls and one son.  Six have university degrees and four a second degree.  Two went part way through the university and married.  Our son is a graduate of Southwestern Seminary.  Three son-in-laws are pastors with seminary degrees.  God has blessed us in our home and family.  All are in the Lord's service.

I served as interim pastor at Rhea, Oklahoma for a short time.  After this, I served as pastor at Helena for a year.  We moved to Taloga and I led singing in several revivals with Bro. B. N. Lumas.
After that I pastored Liberty Church near Gage for a year.  From there we went to Bethel Church near Carnegie.  After this I served as music leader for several revivals.

In 1940, we began our services with the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Guthrie.  In 1945, we moved from this church.

For one year, I went on the train from Guthrie to Marshall for the morning service only.  At night, we attended the First Baptist Church, Guthrie.  Sometimes I preached in rural school house services.

About 1952, I went to Mulhall north of Guthrie, 13 miles.  We served as mission pastor there.  The Brotherhood of First Baptist Church, Guthrie, helped prepare the building.  We were a mission of the First Baptist Church of Guthrie.  We began with 24 in Sunday School.  Attendance soon averaged 50.  We organized as a church after 1-1/2 years.  Land was bought and graded for a building.  In 1955, I felt led to resign at Mulhall.  Tuesday following, I was invited to preach in the Cheyenne Indian Baptist Church at Kingfisher.  Four weeks later I was called as pastor.  I was at Kingfisher seven years.

We began Monday night services at Canton in 1957.  We first met in a home and later moved into a rented store building.  Later Bro. T. H. York was called as mission pastor.  He was a home missionary and a faithful man.  They bought and remodeled their own building.  He was there until his death.  Bro. York held mission services at Seiling.

At the request of one of our members, we began services in the home of a member of our church in Geary.  We had Sunday School at 7 p.m. and preaching at 8 p.m.  Attendance average about 50.  Later, we rented a store building.  The mission at Canton and Geary were missions of the Cheyenne Indian Baptist Church of Kingfisher.

Services were started on Monday evening at Watonga in a home. After a few months, we arranged to use a small Methodist building for Monday services.  After a few months, Bro. C. T. Perkins and Bro. Sam Scantlan arranged for us to have $50 per month to rent a V.F.W. Building.  First Church, Guthrie, helped with seats.  Someone provided us with a piano.  FBC Watonga let us use their baptistry. This also operated as a mission of the Cheyenne Indian Church, Kingfisher.  Attendance Monday night averaged 50-60, VBS over 50.  There were 16 in G.A.'s.

While at Kingfisher, I received a citation from the Indian Health Service for helping get the Indian children and youth to a clinic held in our church for immunization and to the Indian Clinic at Watonga, and to the Indian Hospital at Clinton.

Bro. Mel Fitzpatrick was pastor of the FBC of Kingfisher when I began with the Cheyenne Church.  Later Bro. Jerry Barnes became pastor of the FBC, Kingfisher.  They helped us some every month.  After Bro. Barnes moved to Shawnee, Bro. Welch became pastor of the FBC of Kingfisher.  He wanted to use what they were spending on the Indians to build a new department on their building.  He asked Bailey Sewell to have me appointed as a Home Missionary and pay my salary.  I was serving as janitor at FBC and doing some contract home building--using Indian helpers, to live.  Bro. Sewell explained that the Home Mission Board had helped about $3,000 on the Indian Church and that the FBC had agreed to maintain the work.  He said that they did not have money for another missionary and that they expected FBC Kingfisher to keep their agreement.

About that time, someone from the Home Mission Board wrote to the FBC of Kingfisher asking them to return the $3,000 in order that they might help another church.  Some of the FBC members wanted to give the building to the Home Mission Board.  The Indian Church did not own the building.  Brother Welch said that he would ask the Kingfisher Church to cut out Cooperative Program giving to pay for the Indian work.

Bro. Bailey Sewell asked to meet with the FBC Kingfisher Missions Committee and myself.  He stated that if I would resign that he would find the church pastorless and in need of help and that he would ask Bro. Smith to move to Kingfisher.  He was then at Clinton mission.

I resigned in March 1962.

In April I was invited to the New Orleans Association for a School of Missions.  During the second week, I was guest of Barataria Baptist Church at Lafitte, Louisiana.  They had been without a pastor for seven months.  Before returning home, they asked me whether I would consider moving to their church.  My reply was that I was not able financially.  Wednesday night after my return home, the Deacon-Treasurer called to ask how much I needed to catch up on my bills.  My estimate was $750.  He said that they had voted to call me as pastor and would advance me $750 and pay the mover when I arrived.  We moved May 30, 1962.  We were there six years.

The Barataria Church conducted a mission six miles south as offerings increased.   I also served in the New Orleans Baptist Association and the New Orleans Ministerial Association.

We bought ground for a mission and later around our church to provide room for a new building.  After about four years, Bro. Perkins, Associational Missionary at Kingfisher, wrote that he was preaching at the Kingfisher Indian Church but did not know how to preach to Indians.  I sent him a bulletin and a note saying that he might ask the Lord whether He wants me to return to Oklahoma and pastor an Indian Church.

Bro. Laddie Adams later wrote asking was I serious about returning to Oklahoma.  Bro. Perkins had talked to him about it.  My reply was that I enjoyed serving the Indian Church and if it should be the Lord's will that I would come.  My work at Barataria was going very well.

Bro. Rutledge of the Home Mission Board sent me an application for appointment.  While at Barataria, we attended Indian week at Falls Creek in June each year.

October 1, 1968 we arrived, at Carnegie, Oklahoma to pastor the Indian Baptist Mission of the FBC.  I had known Bro. Dickover, pastor of the FBC, during his high school days.  I was at Carnegie 4 1/2 years.

In March 1973, I accepted the call of Cooper Memorial Indian Baptist Church of McLoud, Oklahoma.  We have mostly Kickapoo Indians.  Most live in a radius of 35 miles.

I serve as Director/Teacher for a Seminary Extension Center.  We teach the basic books.  For the year, I served as chairman of the Pottawatamie-Lincoln Association Mission Committee.  Our Director of Missions gave me a letter from Bro. Haskins regarding voluntary chaplain work.  We agreed to try to enlist the Shawnee Ministerial Association in sponsoring a Voluntary Chaplain program at Shawnee Medical Center.  Bro. Al Farrow, a retired military chaplain, agreed to serve as Voluntary Chaplain Coordinator.  After the Shawnee Medical Center Voluntary Chaplain Program was established, I was asked by the Shawnee Ministerial Association to serve as coordinator for a similar Voluntary Chaplain program at Mission Hill Hospital.  I began the program there ________.

On _______ I began serving as voluntary chaplain at the Carl Albert Indian Health facility at Ada.  This is for Tuesday and Thursday.  Many Indians from our church families are referred to the hospital.  Both hospitals expressed good will toward my service in the hospital.

The year that I was 65, 1976, Southwestern Seminary began classes at OBU on Monday.  Our state convention assisted in the cost for several years.  They expressed a need to enlist 75 to 100 students to make the off-campus school a success.  I wanted to keep my mind active, they needed pupils to make it go, and my work among Kickapoo Indians needed every advantage.  Therefore, I enrolled.  The first semester I enrolled in 8 hours.  This was too much.  Four hours per semester was enough.  After nine years, I found that I had more than enough hours for a degree.  In 1985, I received an Associate Degree.

I have attended several day seminars on Pastoral Care at Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City, one on aging and one on heart transplants, also a seminary extension course on Pastoral Care in the hospital.  I have listened in on several of the chaplain conferences at Glorieta.

Most of the time during the seminary class days, I conducted two home services each week.  That made five sermons per week.  Many ideas came during class.  Beginning January 15, _____ we began a 15 minute local radio program each Sunday morning.  This station reaches about 50 miles coverage.  The fall of 1990 we discontinued it for a while, they raised the price.

In September 1989, I attended the Billy Graham School of Evangelism at Little Rock, Arkansas.  I also attended the Crusade services in the stadium three nights.  Attendance was from 29,000 to 48,500.  Many races and ages attended and responded.  The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association includes several Associate Evangelists.  They had a display of their work.  In my vision, I thought that such a crusade would reach many in Shawnee.  They said that they would come to Shawnee to investigate the possibility of a crusade if the Shawnee Ministerial Association would invite them.  They asked how many I thought might attend.  I suggested 5,000 to 7,000.  Later I wondered why I said that.  No facility in Shawnee would seat over 2,500.  On my return to Shawnee Friday evening, the Shawnee paper said that the Expo Authority had voted to begin at once the construction of a 7,300 seat grandstand.  This was dedicated July 4, 1990.  Four thousand were there for the dedication.

The Shawnee Ministerial Association voted to invite a representative from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to come for an Investigation Meeting.  Later we had a Presentation Meeting.  A survey was then made of over 150 pastors.  The Ministerial Association voted to proceed and I was elected Executive Chairperson.  The date for the crusade is August 11-18, 1991.  John Wesley White and Franklin Graham are to be the speakers.  At this time we have 120 churches involved.  So far 615 are trained for counselors.  In July we have a repeat training session and expect over 900 to have the training.  Our crusade budget is over $91,000.  We are half-way in raising the budget.

We were married June 27, 1934.  We have eight children, seven daughters and one son.  We have 9 grand-children and 3 great-children.

Our first, Mary Helen, graduated from OBU, and the University of California in San Francisco with a Master Degree in Nurses Training.  She is Director of a nursing school at Napa, California.  Her husband is a medical doctor and psychiatrist.

Dorothy graduated from OBU, and with a Master of Religious Education from New Orleans Seminary.  She is the principal of a special school in Huntsville, Alabama with 400 pupils.  She has received national recognition and Presidential recognition.  Her husband, Dr. Jim Davis, has a doctorate from New Orleans Seminary.  He serves as a counselor for the juvenile court in Huntsville.  He also serves as supply preacher and teacher when needed.

Bertha attended OBU one year and the nursing school at Baptist Hospital in Enid two years.  She met an Air Force pilot at FBC in Enid.  They were married at Vance Air Force Base by the chaplain.  Her husband is a graduate of Ohio State.  He is a pilot for Delta Air Lines.  They live in Coral Gables, Florida.  She is a secretary to Dan Yeary, pastor of University Baptist Church, Coral Gables.  Her son is married and is stationed in California.  He is navigator on fast jet fighter planes.  Bertha's daughter works in a ladies' clothing store in Miami.

Virginia attended one year at OBU.  We moved to Lafitte, Louisiana.  She worked for a time as secretary in the associational office in New Orleans.  She married a preacher attending the seminary.  He is pastor of FBC, Rusk, Texas.  They have two sons.  They have been called to the ministry.  One is ordained.  They graduated from Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Carol attended one year at OBU.  Later she graduated from a university in Kentucky.  She has two children.  She works in a hospital.  Her husband is attending school.  Both are active in their church.

Our one son, John, graduated from Mississippi College in Clinton and Southwestern Seminary with a Masters Degree.  He has served as pastor and at present educational director for McLauren Heights Baptist Church in Pearl, Mississippi.  His wife graduated from Mississippi College.  They have one child.

Sarah graduated from Louisiana College at Pineville, Louisiana.  At Louisville, Kentucky Southern Seminary she met her husband, Dr. C. Michael Anders.  He is pastor of a church in Little Rock.

Martha took pre-med three years at Louisiana College and one year at Little Rock, Arkansas.  After this, she was given a scholarship by Alcoa.  She received another degree at Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Martha is a chemical engineer.  She is employed by Eastman Kodak at Longview, Texas.  Her husband is geologist.  They are active in their church there.

I am classified as a retired person by the Home Mission Board.  I am still pastor of Cooper Memorial Indian Baptist Church.  Our people often move.  Many live 35 to 40 miles away.  Sometimes I can preach the same sermon Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening.  My wife will be the only one to hear it more than once.  I checked a three month period and 80 plus attended at least once.  Very few are regular.  I have about 200 over nine years listed as unsaved.  We actually have over 2,000 on our ministry and prospect list.

My hospital ministry reaches many of our prospects.  I have reduced the home ministry but increased the hospital visitation.  It reaches some.

The Lord is blessing our life with something to do, our home, good health.

 
Appendix 2  Magno Ortega's Writings

From MATING to MOTHERING

Our cosmos is deaf,
Not indifferent;
It's a Super-Bowl,
Not a Wailing Wall:
Our whole life in it
Making one more noise
That softly echoes
An older Big Bang.

It has rigid rules
That we can all play,
But not to a tie,
Nor to win or lose:
Have we evolved
But to multiply,
Only to divide
Before we die,
Just to be reborn
With another cry?

If we sink or swim,
Does the cosmos care?
If it does not,
Does it matter?
When we feel like
Unfinished business,
is our mothering
As yet incomplete?

BECOMING, BELIEVING, BE-GETTING

When we were very young, we trusted without needing to believe.  Faith is trusting without believing.  If our parents are trust-worthy, faith does not require belief in saviour-martyrs, master-protectors, and/or patron-sponsors.  Like other well-mothered animals, we will not hesitate to beget.  Doubts breed believers who postpone becoming what they can be and begetting when they can.  (But they tend to defend their beliefs as their children from their critics.)  Setting aside for later requires larger brains for bank-ing memories than headlong pursuit.  (Prudence is procrastination of what comes naturally.  Harmony with nature takes a backseat to harmony with self-serving society or deity.)  Bigger brains below folding fontanelles get battered at birth.  Damaged on delivery, its owners are violence-prone whenever frustrated or provoked.

Love is sensual and grows with freedom, procreation is sexual and comes with puberty.  Everything else is social, including hate, which has to be taught.  Entrapment produces hate, territorial jea-lousy leads to violence.  Outside the brain, a primitive sympathe-tic nerve chain looks after feeding, love and sex, AND its opposite or para-sympathetic counterpart takes care of fleeing, hate and violence.  The human brain adds murder to violence, heaven to love.