Category Archives: Rancho Roly Poly

Visiting swallowtail

Posted on June 25, 2007 | Comments Off on Visiting swallowtail

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Showers off and on this morning, as the storms roll north, and a swallowtail butterfly comes to call. 

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly

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It’s a boat, 5

Posted on June 24, 2007 | Comments Off on It’s a boat, 5

Got the gas aboard this morning for tomorrow’s early trip to Yacht Harbor Marina, even if the forecast is for a 70 percent chance of thunderstorms. I think the forecast is overly broad, as the area most at risk is east of I-35, not Lake Travis in the hills west of Austin. So, it’s worth a gamble. If there’s lightning in the sky, I’ll call the marina and cancel. If not, I’ll motor the 2-3 miles to their dock and tie up. Then… multiple problems. Get the jib off the forestay, and the mainsail out of the mast, detach the topping lift, lazy jacks and boom vang. Then unhitch the boom. If it’s not pouring by then, the rerigging might get done. If it is, and the rigger wants to put it off, I can always take a cab back to my car and go home.

UPDATE  Well, I find that LCRA is forecasting only 40 percent for Monday, and they run the lakes.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Sailing, Weather/Climate

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The travelers return

Posted on June 20, 2007 | Comments Off on The travelers return

Mr. Boy and his mom came home today from her latest family reunion in Western Maryland. I had to relinquish the computer for a few hours so he could play his Harry Potter game after a week without. Mom started pulling weeds in the front flower bed that were encroaching on her cilantro. I’d been concentrating on the backyard while they were gone, when not blogging, working on the boat or editing a book of family stuff I’m doing for Mr. B. He was delighted to be home, went around kissing things, from his stuffed animals to the refrigerator where his artwork hangs. Blew kisses to the backyard where it is still wet because it is still raining off and on. He’ll go back to summer day camp in the morning.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly

Rain, rain, go away

Posted on June 20, 2007 | Comments Off on Rain, rain, go away

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Hasn’t stopped raining for long since Friday, and this morning’s downpour was forecast as only a 20 percent chance. I guess we got all 20 percent–almost half an inch, which we can add to the other half inch of the weekend. As you can see the Texas flag is very adaptable. I suppose this was made in China, like so many other American consumer goods these days. I didn’t look.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Weather/Climate

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Rose of Sharon

Posted on June 18, 2007 | Comments Off on Rose of Sharon

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Not a rose, but a hibiscus, also known as Althaea. These blooms at the rancho are on a tallish shrub. It flowers earlier than the photo date indicates, and is still blooming away and will all summer and into the fall. 

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles

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Travis still rising

Posted on June 17, 2007 | Comments Off on Travis still rising

LCRA says the weekend’s rain is expected to end tonight, but Lake Travis is still taking in runoff from storms in the watershed, including one area that got almost six inches overnight, and the lake is expected to be about 683 feet above mean sea level by next weekend. That would be about 18 inches above where it is now, which might put the rest of the parking lot at Anderson Mill marina underwater. With the sloop’s rerigging scheduled for Monday, the 25th, I’ll have to hope the water isn’t full of debris and boating banned by then. It should take me about thirty minutes to motor to Yacht Harbor Marina for the work, unless there’s logs and other big stuff to dodge.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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It’s a boat, 4

Posted on June 16, 2007 | Comments Off on It’s a boat, 4

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It was in the inviting 70s this afternoon so I went out and continued working on the sloop. Decided to stick with the old cabin lights, aged-looking as they are, until they quit, before using the new ones. Hooked up the new gel battery with the trickle-charge from the solar panel on the top of the boom there, but left the new charger installation to another time. The tuned-up Suzuki 4 started on the second pull. Next is the dreaded cleaning and painting of the teak, seen here in all its decrepitude. But if overnight rains don’t cause flooding, I believe I’ll motor out into the channel tomorrow. See if I can shed some of the marine life I can see on the rudder, and can’t see but can assume is on the keel and the bottom of the hull. Want to hold off sailing until the rerigging is done on the 25th.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Sailing

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