Sunday, September 16, 2007

Champagne and heroin.

The temperature of the water of the Pacific Ocean is considerably higher compared to the weeks before.
This means that bathing has become an ultimate pleasure performed a few times a day.

Yesterday a bathing session became noteworthy.
What is called “a champagne moment”.
Coming out of the water and walking towards the belongings on the beach, a pelican flew by.
It saw the humanoid coming out of the ocean where itself dives into in order to catch fish.
The pelican changed course and made a sharp turn to the right.
Flying now straight on a course towards the humanoid.
Somehow the pelican had developed a curiosity to see what was coming there out of the ocean.

And it must be confessed, bathing at El Triple takes place without wearing any clothes.
It also must be admitted that after more than a month at El Triple, living healthy, eating little, exercising a lot, the humanoid is deeply tanned, slim and in excellent shape.

It always will remain a question whether this was what arose the curiosity of the particular pelican.
It could be.
Any the way, the flying trajectory of the pelican was now straight at the naked and tanned person on the beach and rather quickly it became clear that a crash would very likely occur.

Just to inform the fervent and loyal blog readers: a pelican is a big bird.
And has a sharp hook at the end of its long beak.
Nobody wants that to penetrate any part of the body.



Usually pelicans are very shy animals.
They stay away from humans.
They watch them but preferably while flying by at a safe distance.
Therefore the performance of this sympathetic pelican was very, very unusual.

Being naked no manual was on hand to check what exactly to do when a pelican flies straight at a person.
And it was hard to understand.
Why was the pathetic pelican doing this?
It was difficult to believe it confused the person on the beach with a tasteful sardine to swallow soon.

Being totally Zen these days, except when thinking of the continuing water pump problem, the destiny of dying due to a collision with a kamikaze pelican was fully accepted.
While the insisting flying instigator continued its fatal course the arms were spread doing a perfect imitation of a bird.
This genial action was by intuition.
By impulse as if this was the thing to do.

So now we have a pelican, acting like an idiot, flying straight onto a humanoid while that person acts also like an idiot by pretending to be a bird.
Oh, those things that happen at El Triple!

Many smart fervent and loyal blog readers have already figured out that it did not come to a dramatic collision with the long beak of the pelican driving like an arrow into the right eye socket of the poor human and leaving from his left ear resulting in two dead creatures on the beach for the vultures to eat already waiting in the dunes.
If this had happened there would not have been exactly a posting on the blog today.

The pelican, already labelled sympathetic, at the very last moment, changed course and veered away.
A strong stream of air was felt on the face.
And a “zzzzoooooffff” sound.
That is how close the encounter was.
But what a good pilot!

This is what is called “a champagne moment”.

The same day though a “heroin moment” was experienced.
Based on the advices of Donald Shapansky of Garnet Instruments Ltd, Mr. Chip Haven, the best expert in the USA concerning expedition vehicles and several concerned loyal and fervent blog readers, the way the water pump was grounded was changed.
The wooden panel around the place where Santek Trailers had mounted the grounding was cut away.
The grounding put back but now tight against the metal of the steel beam of the camper box.
This gave such an enlightened feeling.
Believing that now the water pump would work properly and that the danger of the Fuso Szulc going up into flames was over.







But soon a cold turkey was experienced.
The landing back into reality after having been in heaven.
A faucet was opened and no water came out.
The problem had not been solved…

One of the expert advices was to take off the ground from the frame of the camper box and connect it to the chassis of the truck.
The true place of ground.

This morning when water was needed, again nothing.
But becoming more and more smart, while the faucet was opened, the water pump was checked outside to see if it was actually running.
It was not and this is good news.
The switch on the Seelevel Tank Monitor to the “on”-position, the faucets turned open and the water pump not working.
It means that the problem has nothing to do with the flow from the water tanks to the water pump.
And that it might very well be that the ground the water pump has now is not effective enough.
Therefore this morning the ground will be disconnected from where it is attached now and re-routed to a ground on the chassis of the Mitsubishi Fuso truck.
To see if the “heroin moment” wants to come to an end.







.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Since your box is mounted to permit flex with the chassis, it would probably be a good idea to connect the two with one or more heavy gauge (2 or 4 awg) electrical bonding cables or straps.

Since you are in such remote locations are you equipped with a LARGE A:B:C class fire extinguisher.

And as a precaution do you have a family member or friend who would alert someone if you weren't heard from for a certain period of time?

Don

Anonymous said...

Have you verified that there is power at the water pump?

there should be 12.5 Volts at the + terminal of the pump.

Al