RAMS

9/28/08---The 4mcgees had discussed atentending a pro football game in St. Louis for quite some time. The opportunity arose last Sunday. After choking at the cost of tickets we decided to go, as this would be our last chance this season. The Rams hosted the Bills. Keith met a couple of characters at one of the tailgate parties.The game went well for the local team thru the first half with a score of 14 to 6 over the Bills. The second half went entirely in favor of the Bills who won the game handily 31 to 14. It was a lot of fun to see a game in person. The fans make it a lot more exciting. Did somewhat miss the comentary and all the replays that are shown on TV. The half time show was a group of 100 breast cancer survivors. The ladies showed a lot of enthusiasm as they showed the pink ribbon. I am sure they gained a lot of support for their cause.

OKTOBERFEST

9/27/08---A beautiful fall day! Old town in St. Charles on Main street was busy with people going to and from the Oktoberfest held in Frontier Park. We chose to eat at the Lewis & Clark Restaurant at an outside table on the third floor. The Missouri river could easily be seen from there. At the park a two man band was playing some old time rock and roll that was great fun for listening.

We met the St Charles Area Wood Carvers, Charles Sapp and Bill Kuhn. They had the very best carved pumpkins at the festival.

Participating in the displays that were sponsered by the Art Council they were certainly good representatives.

Some of the painted pumpkins at other displays were quite amusing.













Keith and Maryann showed great interest in the hand carved cookoo clocks.

After several hours were spent at the Oktoberfest we moved to another active spot. There is a place called "New Town" not far from where we keep our boat. They were celebrating their Fourth Annual "Blast" sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. It is truly a family festivity with lots of children enjoying the the various booths. The largest grocery cart I ever saw was on display. A powerhouse engine would make fast shopping! A fun day was had by all and even thou the band was still playing we chose to go back to the peace and quiet of the Dream Manor before the mesquitos began taking over.

CLASS

9/26/08---Spent much of the day doing homework in preparation for the afternoon class. We enjoyed the instructions presented by Gus from the Power Squadron. There was a lot of coverage on navigational rules. Identifying boat sizes & types by lighting takes some practice. After learning more about PWC's we enjoyed learning how to tie knots.

WARRENTY

9/25/08---Factory representatives from Gibson Boats manufacturing plant came to Polestar Marina to do some work on various boats. We moved our boat to Polestar for the day. Keith & I had a good visit with Tom Austin, Gibson's General Manager. The work done on The Dream Manor was to remove the shifter locks. The purpose of the locks was to keep from shifting unless the throttles were fully backed off to the idle position. That is very important, but sometimes the locks would hang up and prevent the shift levers from moving. Not a problem in the middle of a lake, but in close quarters around the dock it is important to be able to shift in a timely mannner. We are glad to have them removed. Vents were also installed in the stern platform to stop the condensation from forming and dripping from the light fixture. The pictures of the boat show returning the boat to our slip at Woodland Marina. While we spent the day with warrenty concerns, Maryann and Carol spent the day shopping in the town of Florissant. They also enjoyed seeing some of the older parts of the city.

STUDY

9/23-24, 2008---The main cabin area of the boat looks like a classroom. The instructor comes to our boat and presents the material to us. Each day there is plenty of homework for the 4mcgees to study in preparation for the next days class. Spent some time on Wed doing service work on the engines. There was a sensor on the bottom of the fuel filter on the port engine that appeared to be the source of the diesel fuel leak. Changed out the sensor and replaced the primary fuel filter elements on both engines. Primed the engines and then ran them to check for leaks. Everything appears to be okay. What a great sound to hear the engines purr. It was August 7th since the last time that sound was heard. We are looking forward now to getting back out on the river.

WORK DAY

9/22/08---A busy day! Maryann & Carol took the laundry to town. After getting that task done they got the van washed. In the meantime, Keith & I (Allen) washed the boat. It was a mess from all the bugs. It had been a month since anyone was here to do that job. It now looks like someone lives on the Dream Manor. The afternoon was our first day of taking the Squadron Boating Course. Bill Morris came on board and connected his laptop to our TV for presentation of the material to be covered. There will be several more days as we signed up for the 12 hour course.
Another picture is posted to show the change in water level. It has gone down 10’ since we returned on Sept 19th.

MOSAIC

9/21/08---A lazy day. We drove into St. Charles for lunch. The day was clear and the temperature comfortable in the low 80’s. It made walking up & down main very enjoyable as we viewed the work of various artists. There were numerous tents set up with displays for the Mosaic Festival of the Arts. One of the most interesting were the birds & other animals made out of old shovels, rebar, augers coiled springs, bicycle seats and anything else the artist could salvage from a junk pile. Quite the imagination!

HANGER DANCE

9/20/08---The river level has dropped 4 ½ feet since we returned to the boat. Those who have been ravaged by hurricane Ike will be glad when levels return to normal all the way to the Gulf. Wahoo Marine held their Houseboat Fall Expo at Polestar Marina. They had several boats tied along the walkway for people to board and view. We enjoyed visiting with Scott Bachman and his family as well as some of the folks just looking or dreaming of owning a houseboat.
After lunch at the Muddy Gap Restaurant a nap was in order. Then preparations were made to attend the Stand Up For America Hanger Dance. The theme was dress from the 40’s. Carol and Maryann did a great job and several people asked to have pictures taken with them.

The 25th annual event was held at the CAF Hanger at Smartt Field (St. Charles County Airport). Music was appropriate for the era being portrayed.

The “Sentimental Journey” band played great music. Maryann dresses as Rosy the Riveter and attracted plenty of attention as she showed her muscles.

Carol dressed in her Grandmother’s clothes that she has been saving for so many years. Being all original attracted the attention of the judges and she received top recognition in one of the three categories.