Livin' Life

Today is the day we find out the fate of our motor. Gator heads down to the marina to meet up with Donny, the mechanic while I hunker down in the hotel room to catch up on 4 days of blogging. Gator calls me a little while later and asks if I’m ready for a road trip……..sure, I’m aleays ready for that but why? The motor has thrown a rod and the head needs replacing. Weighing several options, Gator has decided that rather than spending more time in Fulton to do this, we are going to Elizabeth, Illinois to pick up a used motor. Donny has assured us that this is the best thing to do. He even offers his truck.

Gator picks me up and off we go.

It doesn’t take long to reach our destination and meet Steven, a reputable Johnson outboard mechanic and nice guy. Here, in a parking lot in Elizabeth, Illinois, we do the deal…….swap cash for motor.

The Deal

When the deal is done, we head back to Fulton and the awaiting mechanic, Donny. During our excursion, Donny has pulled the boat out of the water up to his shop where he can work on it.

Donny, "Mechanic Extrodinaire"

We arrive and while Donny works on the changeover, Gator and I go for some pizza.

I go back to the hotel for some more blogging while Gator hangs with Donny. The day creeps by and I finally get a call fom Gator saying that the “Joanie Belle” is back in the water ready to go. With the help of Ashely, he has reorganized the “Belle” and has made repairs that she acquired during the storm. He returns to the hotel, we order a pizza, chill and watch as the “Heat” beats the “Mavericks.” I blog into the night and as I listen to Gator snore I reflect on the last few days and really cannot believe that we will be back on the water in the morning headed for New Orleans. Thanks again to everyone who helped make this possible.