So yesterday I got a call from Paul, the owner and proprietor of Paradise Cove marina and bar. He needed some computer help with the desktop unit he has behind the bar for POS operations as well as in bar entertainment. Paul knew I was back in the hood after the Buddy Fred, Fran and I visited him last Sunday on the Buddy Fred speed boat.

Anyhow, I checked my busy schedule (nothing planned for the next 7 days) and with the promise of lunch and free beer I headed across the creek to see if I could help. Initially, I was alone at the bar with Paul and after a few minutes it was fairly apparent what the problem was, so I started squaring things away. Twenty minutes later we were golden and as I finished my beer and prepared to leave Paul asked if I wouldn't mind looking at his laptop as well.

With the beer flowing freely, I had no problem looking at it as well. The problem was a little more involved and we didn't have all the necessary equipment on site to fix the problem, so we made plans to hook up tomorrow and finish the operation.

I hung out until about 7 pm just shooting the breeze and then returned home before dark so as to ensure I could get the dinghy back on board the mother ship. Before I left, Dave, the sometimes bar tender and all around decent guy mentioned that there was a marine flea market this morning starting at 8 am downtown on the water front.

With it being the first such event of the year, attendance was way down, largely due to the fact that no one knew it was going on (no advertising), but there were a couple of guys there with their wares set up and on display. I found one old dude that had two sets of hoistable mast steps and after an intense round of negotiations, I picked up the longer of the two sets for fifty bucks.

Amy and I have often thought about buying a set new, but the price always seemed a little steep at $450, so we never did. I had a chance to buy a set from Fat Chance Frank last season and totally forgot he had them and so they went to another buyer. The set I got isn't as nice as Frank's was, but it had the correct track fittings for our boat where as Frank's would have had to been replaces and so I guess things worked out for the best.

Tomorrow I'm gonna put Mila weasel in a harness an have her scale the ladder to the top and see how it works. Just in case those PITA Nazis are still reading along, rest assured she'll have a weasel sized safety helmet on as well as an emergency reserve parachute at her disposal.

Remember, we take safety damn seriously here on board Team Dream Catcher. Pictures to follow. End of line.