The next time you walk into Home Depot, I want you stop for a second and look around at the amount of stuff one Home Depot holds. Then, I want you to walk over to the hardware section and find a screw. Hold that screw in your hand as you take in the number of screws on that one aisle. Ponder the millions of people it took to get that screw into your hand. First, there was the inventor of the screw. For those of us who are constantly working on a boat built in 1982 Taiwan, we bless the inventor of the Phillips head screw as we curse the flathead screw guy who obviously never had to use his own invention. After invention came the funding from a bank. Then, there was the engineering team. Once engineered, someone had to locate the raw materials that were made by another team in a factory that was kept running by a large group of machinists who ordered replacement parts from another factory designing and making those parts. Then, the screw had to be manufactured and packaged in packaging that had also been designed, engineered and produced by yet another group of people. Following the labor comes the shipping. That screw arrived by either plane, train, truck, ship or all of the above. Last but not least, the store worker had to unpackage and stock that screw into the correct bin. That screw in your hand is one amazing item! Even though that screw may have been designed, engineered and produced out of America, the fact it is in your hand along with a million other options for screws in that one Home Depot is 100% American. Now that you have partaken in my exercise of awareness, come along with me on our journey this week in Grenada….
We began the week by making a list of hardware and fittings that Bill would need to attach to the fuel tanks prior to installation. There were a variety of things needed including screws, elbows, Ts, valves and a variety of tubing. With our list in hand, we headed over to Island Water World which is our go to place on the island for most things ‘boat’. As we began to look for parts, we found a few things that we needed but not all. To continue our hunt, we headed over to ACE Hardware followed by TrueValue Hardware then Budget Marine. Each store had one to two of the items we needed. To make the day even more adventurous, the credit card machines on half the island were not working so we had to run to the ATM to get enough cash for our purchases. Exhausted, we took our pile of gems back to the boat to determine what we had and what items we were still missing. Bill began placing the fittings and then mapped out what pieces we were missing and what were some alternative pieces we might possibly be able to use. Back in the car, back to Island Water World, back to the hunt. As I found pieces that were the correct measurement, Bill would take a look at them and say, “Nope. That one is a female, we need a male fitting” or “Nope, that one is flare and we need a regular”. As one of the store employees approached us to help, Bill asked when the next shipment of parts would arrive. The employee thought for a minute and said, “We just put in the August inventory order. That means it will arrive on the freighter that comes in at the end of October”. Swell. Needless to say, waiting until the end of October was not an option. I am pretty sure that once we get the fuel tanks assembled and installed, the fittings may rival those on the Delorean time machine in Back to the Future. Our next Grenadian challenge this week was how to watch the Georgia v Clemson game. Bill has not seen a UGA game since we left the states. He usually follows them on the computer as the Dawgs are playing but no live action. One of the other boaters went on a mission this week to get the game. On Wednesday, he announced he had engineered a way to get a Tampa station so we were all set for the viewing party. We planned our snacks and were ready to go. On Thursday, he announced that he had been cut off from the Tampa station by forces unseen. Not to be deterred, he began again. By Saturday night at 8pm, we were all sitting on his boat watching the game. The signal generally cut off about every 10 minutes but with a little work, we managed to see the entire game. The funny part is that the other boater who worked so hard to get us the Georgia game was a University of Florida graduate. Only in Grenada would times be desperate enough for a Dawg and a Gator to sit on the same boat and watch a game together thus proving that world peace may yet be possible. As you can see, it has been a week of missing the conveniences of the States. As we sat watching the blinky tv, we all raised a beer to the fact that while living in paradise has it challenges, we would not trade it for all the screws in Home Depot.
1 Comment
Rebecca Smith
9/5/2021 07:00:11 pm
Congrats on your win! That was a rough game to watch! Can't wait to hear about your exploits this next week!
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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