(Our flag is at half mast to honor Dolly Parton, a great entertainer and human being who met her eternal reward this week.)

Here are some of the recent posts from recent weeks that are directly related to this one:

“We think we’ve got it!”

Shoring the ditch…

Utilities under our 14ft masonry circle

Miller Pipeline indicated that their new pipes are 6 feet below the pavement, so they should not conflict with any digging in our 14’ masonry circle.

The latest:

Today (Sept 2, 2026), Lumen = L3 and = Century Link fiber indicated that their underground fiber under our lawn is 16 feet down! “You’ll never run into that!”

These guys were fridndly enough. Unfortunately, they could not find the fiber cut.

Missing from the photos are Chantel “Channy” of Buccaneer, who was preparing some (fantastic) chicken and garlic bread on the grill. Crystal of Heart Strings also joined in the fun for the evening’s second wind. She and her husband Mark have a crew of five home-schooled offspring who keep them young.

South Africa, Ireland, and all corners of the 50 states were represented by these well-travelled Loopers. “Beyond the vittles, it .was truly a linguist’s banquet with all the dialects and stories that everhone brought and shared.

Thanks to the folks at Port 32 for this fantastic venue, complete with BBQ grills.

Reportedly, they have to dig up along Appleton Street one more time [tomorrow they hope] to “tap and test” the finished joint.

They simply ran out of time today.

https://shellerina.com/2026/07/15/utilities-under-our-14ft-masonry-circle/

Work that began last month continues today.

The shoring is in-place between the existing constraints enabling the fellow to safely enter the ditch to make the new natural gas pipeline connection (2” to 4”).

But… the weather turned on them!

Nasty thunder showers and damaging winds were just being predicted… and the reports were confirmed on weather radar.

Before the pipe connection could be made, they had to pull the shoring box out and fill the hole in before the rain hit.

Safety First

They could not leave the hole overnight or through the extreme weather event.

So they will have to start over from scratch tomorrow morning.

The worksite is in the background.

The very best seafood bisque either of us have ever had. Great people and service too!

Orange=existing Fiber Optic

Yellow=New Natural Gas going in today.

Both are right under our 14 foot raised plant masonry bed, corner of Euclid and Appleton.

A succinct doc about Florida Anchoring:

https://boatersrightscoalition.org/hubfs/BoatersRightsCoalition-AnchoringInFlorida-2026-06.pdf?hsLang=en

A “soft start” feature was added to the compressor as the best of three options. The high initial amperage on compressor startup is commonly tamed by adding a “hard start” component to the system which reduces the initial inrush or surge needed to start the compressor.

But a soft start is an even better 3rd option which will prolong the life of the compressor even longer, and it prepares the system for a future generator or solar power. “We have that on the boat; we will probably want it for our home as well, down the road.”

I first learned of “soft start” circuits from researching and upgrading our HVAC system on the boat. Today we did the same upgrade to the house as I had done on the boat years ago.

https://shellerina.com/2024/11/23/new-a-c-reverse-cycle-unit-project/

Beyond the gentler, more efficient startup circuit, improvements to the ductwork in the attic gave the house’s air flow “better balance” so we now get more cooling where it was needed most. “This equates to more cost effective thermostat settings bringing a higher comfort level throughout all our living quarters!”

In April during the inspection period before closing on this house, Mike Eagle helped us understand the improvements he recommended to the house if / when we progressed to the final sale.

Now, after we closed, and after we have lived in the house for a couple weeks, Jacob executed the necessary upgrades, Shelly says, “The improvements were immediately noticeable!”

Happy Wife = Happy Life.

Furniture Has Arrived!!!

https://shellerina.com/2026/05/03/shellerinas-landing-coming-soon/

Congratulations! to them and this Kadey Krogen 41 for being the latest to finish America’s Great Loop!

Chris & Diane aboard Midnight Rambler are starting to blog. For some reason they asked me for advice.

Easy walk to the park (left), or grocery store (right).

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2107-Euclid-St-Jacksonville-FL-32210/44491362_zpid/

Chris and Lydia of Edna’s Secret, take a break aboard their Sabre 36 Fast Trawler (1997). It is very well cared for! It has very large side windows and a rear cabin and bridge.

Lots of boat in this 36 footer!

April 23, 2026 will be long remembered by Jeff and Kelli Warren of Venture, aboard their first big boat, a Jeanneau; and it is their first day as newly retired full-time cruisers who live aboard!

They selected this port town, this marina, and this C-Dock as their start point for their new life; Shelly and I are honored to be a small part of their big day!

They have a Youtube channel called VentureSailing.

While this life IS new to them, they appear to have a full resume of adventures and war stories to share already!

They came by sea.

They came by land.

Free overnight ‘parking’ by land or by sea.

Jacksonville’s South Side Riverwalk includes this fantastic fountain…

Spears 854-030 3” PVC Van Stone Flange SOC CL150. Available at commercial plumbing supply vendors.

3” PVC Locking Waste fittings by Valterra. Available at RV vendors.

Not shown:

Valterra Master Blaster Tank Wand A01-0184VP. This 27” wand hooks up to a charged garden hose on one end and has a 90° pressure nozzle to lower into the tank.

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Shelly and I discovered this great Greek restaurant a few weeks ago. So Becky and Jordan of “Mental Floss” joined us Friday night.

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We assured her, “We’ll be back!”

13-3/4” is the critical number.

The fitting I found on the cold water supply to this tank had a check valve installed; reportedly this is common on boats and RV-s. The hot fitting was not a check valve.

No brass or bronze fittings should come in contact with aluminum as galvanic corrosion is likely.

(The factory-installed pressure relief valve must have some type of barrier to prevent the disimmilar metals from contacting each other…teflon tape = adequate?)

The atypical type of plastic water supply fittings on the Mainships depend on a ferrule to fit into these fittings. So care to be able to reuse everything is called for.

Blue LED is wired to the 1500w heating element; it gives its status. Thermometer shows water temp in the tank, whether from engine running or electric power. (These will be permanently mounted in the galley.)

This lets us know if it is ready to take a shower or do the dishes!

Final mounting for display & status indicator.

The crews of Galene & Shellerina love to hang out together!

These are some of the detected bird songs recorded [automatically] this morning!

For more info or to find Birdweather stations near you:

https://app.birdweather.com

Unfortunately, no photo credit was in this online article on MSN.com. So, I can’t give credit where credit is due.

The above pic has to be a few years old though, as the Wells Fargo name was removed from the landmark in July of 2024.

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Even older!

Below, this 2003 pic shows the Jacksonville icon with yet another prominent tenant’s name advertised.

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Shelly and I looked into the possibility of having “Shellerina.com” put up on this building for a five year stint. Alas, it was determined that our lettering would not fit with a font to our satisfaction.

Rather than changing our domain name, we are now looking for a larger building.

Historically, this building reportedly has had four different names:

1974-1995 “Independent Life Building”

1995-2002 “AccuStaff Building”

2002-2011 “Modis Tower”

2011-2024 “Well Fargo Center”

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Unrelated cool thing in JAX:

I-295 & Butler Blvd. (Rte 202)

30°15’10.6”N

81°30’58.4”W

Near Town Center Mall area… housing, most notably, a very large West Marine store!

Ray and Bob, of M/V Always R Summer Place, enjoy the Port 32 Marina amenities on a balmy afternoon in February!

Taxes are done.

Projects are done.

Weather is fine!

SO:

Time to get some ‘winter’ pool time in!

They get two or three shipments direct from Maine every week, all year long.

It looks like there is a respectable Antenna Farm here in “4-land” = a HAM Radio Station on the south side of Rte 40.

The most common pine tree species near Lake George, FL, is the Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii), which thrives in the area’s flatwoods and wet, sandy soils.

University Ave + I-95 in JAX

On the “Marina Mile”…

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Nancy was especially impressed with all the amenities here at Port 32 Marina – Ortega Landing – Jacksonville FL.

January 6 is the “Twelfth Day of Christmas!” This was the best finish to our best Christmas Season ever!

When my “non-invasive” water pressure strategy stopped working, (after months or years), I determined the more aggressive project was necessary. Pictures of the larger project follow:

A 4-1/2” round inspection/access port was cut through the inside of the starboard midship bulwark. Once cut, I could remove the thru-hull fitting and hose.

“Why is this vent hose important?”

A clogged vent hose inhibits the aerobic digestion process AND it forces methane “sewer gas” to bubble up through the sanitary hose to head itself… inside our living space. Not a good thing.

A street fitting enables a smooth maintainable 90° turn so a snake can be used to clear this vent hose.