C James

Hrmmm, are you sure there were no machinations in the rest of the chapter? ;-)

Thanks!!!! We'll be finding out a lot of the mysteries rather soon. ;-)

I've never had XXXX beer, but I'm not much of a beer drinker. The only beers I like are pub microbrewed wheat beer that I have when in Germany. I'd heard XXXX was not that great though... but at least it's better than Fosters. :-)

I try very hard for accuracy, and to get the details right, but every so often, I put my foot in it. There will be changes to chapters 44, 71, and 72. These changes will not affect the plot. In chapter 44, the narration mentioned Trevor checking to see if the safety was off. Well, this one is embarrassing for me, because I'm a gun guy: Trevor's gun is a chrome plated Magnum .357 Smith and Wesson revolver. Those guns, with rare exception, do not have a safety (Chroming can be done at the factory or aftermarket, so that's not an issue here). My personal preference is for ACP pistols (automatics, that use a clip for the ammo) but I do sometimes shoot with wheel guns (revolvers) so I should have known this (some wheel guns, including the .38's I took a combat course with, do have safetys). In fact, worse still, I do know this about S&W and most wheel guns, and I spaced it. The gun I had blurrily in mind turned out to be the Smith & Wesson Model 60-15 .357 Magnum J-frame Revolver. That does have a safety (a key lock). HOWEVER, as the name states, it's a J-frame; a 5 shot snub-nose. The shorter barrel reduces muzzle velocity and adversely affects range and accuracy. Okay in close quarters, but a standard barrel (and six rounds) is better. I don't see Trevor having the snubby, and I did not mention a keylock, so this is not his gun. What happened was I didn't think it thorough, I was just writing along and didn't think. So, the reference to the safety in 44 will be deleted. The other issue is a big one. I keep saying goats cannot count, and boy, did I prove it. The issue is that, even in Australia, the day after Tuesday is Wednesday, not another Tuesday. I picked Trevor's arrival date in Carnarvon very carefully, and began listing dates with greater precision as he neared Australia. This was so he'd have Thanksgiving there, and I used the 2006 calendar for this. Heck, I even checked to make sure I had the tide times right for the dates when tides are mentioned. I also kept what I was planning secret from my team, because I try to avoid giving them spoilers. (it takes away the fun of reading IMHO). So, they didn't know, and thus could not check me. All was well, until Kookaburra sailed from Carnarvon. I hadn't measured the distance to the south end of Hamelin pool, so I wrongly assumed they'd arrive there the day they sailed. But, at ten knots, nothing doing. It's too far, and they could not negotiate the winding channels of Faure Sill in darkness. So... I added the night at Faure Island. Only, I managed to overlook one little detail; when you add a night, the next day is a different day. OOPS! Trevor and Shane explored Carnarvon on Tuesday. The next day, they foxed the press and sailed, and spend the night at Faure Island. The day after that, they meet Martin Blake on a Wednesday, and the next day is Thanksgiving, a Thursday. OOPS! Yes, it's true: Even in Australia, there is but one of each day in the week. So, to fix this, I could either re-write Trevor's arrival a but to change the date by a day, or change it at the other end, thanksgiving. Moving Trevor's arrival date was tempting, but unworkable due to the bank. They wouldn't be open on a Sunday. The option of the manage opening up as a favor to Fowler wouldn't work either; bank vaults have timelocks; they are set when locked to open at a specific time, and not before. The manager could not have opened the vault, and Trevor was there for a safety deposit box. It would have required a lot of changes to the actual story, and that's not fair to readers when these are posted chapters. So, the best remaining option appears to be swapping some scenes around in 71 and 72. They'd arrive to meet Martin Blake on Thursday morning, and then have the T-day dinner that night, when arriving at Monkey Mia. I'd move the dinner to 71, and what's now the arrival dinner to 72. I'd also change references to the meeting being on a Wednesday. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank glsswm for both of these catches. I strive for accuracy, and I very much appreciate him taking the time to let me know of these issues so that I can fix them. A second reader later e-mailed about the days of the week issue, but glsswm got it first, by quite some time. Thanks Marty! I'll make the changes to the posted chapters next week. I've been stalling to avoid making the change while some people may have read 71 but not 72. So, if anyone had any remaining doubt that goats cannot count, this should remove all doubt. Let the teasing commence!

A lagoon 55 and 57 had a draft of 3 feet, 11 inches, with the daggerboards up. Their hulls would as you suggest have significant sail area, enough to make maneuvering in close quarters interesting (not in a good way) in windy conditions. Cats are harder to maneuver than monohulls as a rule. Characters can be mistaken, or lie, or tell halftruths. The narrator must be truthful, though he does not have to tell everything. As a practical matter, it's a sad fact that the narrator might make a factual mistake, but that must be corrected, because it is an error and thus not a part of the story. For example, if the narrator (meaning the author) puts his foot in it and makes a factual goof, it has to be fixed (and the author thus owes a debt of gratitude to the person pointing out the error). There will be a perfect example (two, actually) of this in a forum post by me (probably Friday, internet connection permitting).

Good point on the warning. Bridget found a place in Lisa's heart; Lisa was rejected by her mother, and Bridget stepped into that void. So, Lisa has a deep trust in Bridget, a trust that, shall we say, might be poorly founded. Bridget has also been of great help to Lisa and Joel in many ways; finding the engagement ring when Joel lost it, giving them a place to be together, etc... Shane has a knack for longer planning for his practical jokes. Trevor is more spontaneous. Shane does seem determined to protect the trees from Trevor. I think you mean Henry, the PI? Erk, I started to say something that's based on chapter 74, but I caught it in time. 74, BTW, is called "Intrepid Investigators". Bridget and George are in the spirit of giving... it's just that what they are giving might prove... problematic. Lol. poor Trevor... so distracted. At one point, they built the world's longest fence, nearly 1500 miles, north to south across Western Australia to keep rabbits out. The introduction of mixamatosos (a rabbit disease) eased the problem, but it's still a problem for a lot of wildlife. Rabbits and other introduced creatures are a big problem in Australia and NZ. They've led to the extinction and near extinction of a great deal of native wildlife. ****************************** Chapter 74 is called "Intrepid Investigators" and should post on time.

Chapter 73, Machinations, is now up.

Chapter 73: Machinations As Lisa and Joel left for their Thanksgiving dinner, Bridget strode purposefully into her parlor, taking a seat beside George at her ornate desk. With a nod at the car title that Bridget held daintily, George handed her a clear plastic bag. Bridget carefully slid the title into the bag, and then leaned back in her chair. “I think that went well, considering that I am somewhat unawares regarding why I did it,” she said, giving George an inquiring glance. “You wer

Nah, because we don't know if Shane meant it to be a double entendre or not. It may well be just our dirty minds. The next chapter, coming this Tuesday is "Machinations".

You're right: Bridget didn't sign it, and Joel didn't fill in the transfer part of the title (No point, if it was going to be junked). All the title has is Trevor's signature (he signed it before Joel left from Cyprus). Joel has no reason to report this sale, because he believes the car will be junked. Trevor can indeed be a bit clueless at times, BUT, I've been hoping someone would notice that he's been worse in some ways (including that) since arriving in Carnarvon. There's a reason for that... and it's not Shane. I'm not saying that's the case in this particular instance, though. Shane's quip about "Budgie spotting" may be (I can't say for sure, as it might be a spoiler) a double entendre. *IF* it is, then one meaning is literal; Trevor was spotting budgies in the trees. The other way is rather different; Speedos are nicknamed "Budgie Smugglers" in Aussie slang (something Trevor knows). But, "Budgie spotting" wouldn't mean speedos. It would mean, hrmm, how to say this.... the budgie being refereed to in the term "budgie smugglers" is a certain part of the male anatomy. And Shane had been adjusting himself in his shorts when Trevor fell. So, *IF* Shane's comment was a double entendre, he was saying that Trevor was distracted due to spotting (or trying to spot?) that particular part of Shane's anatomy. This could be good news if true; it would mean that Shane isn't what Trevor most fears: homophobic. Shane's demeanor when he said it wasn't accusatory, it was in jest. Or, Shane may well have been just referring to the budgies in the trees, so this may mean nothing at all. There were indeed budgies in the trees. There are often lots of them in that area. Here's a photo take a few miles away at Hamlin Pool. If Shane really did intend a double entendre, Trevor might well have missed it. He might know what "Budgie smugglers" means, but he might not catch Shane's usage of "Budgie" in that regard, and plus, as you say, he was distracted by the real budgies (as well as being a bit rattled). Hrmmm... Me? Evil? 0:) I do know which way the wind is blowing, but as to which day of the week... we all know that goats cannot count!

Maybe Bridget was just being generous and nice? Dec 17th is the big day in the story timeline, and it's coming soon: The number of days per chapter starts to speed up.

Now that's just not true!! I'd never go anywhere near a cliff! Goats are very adverse to cliffs, and cliffhangers.

I'll mention, just for fun that Canadian bills are cocaine contaminated to almost as high a percentage as US currency. I blame Canada! Shane is definitely unpopular in Carnarvon, as we saw with the job apps. It's a small town, and he's not just an outsider, but a known thief in their midst. We know little else about him other than what he's said himself. Well, that, and Martin Blake thinks highly of him. I love teasing, so I can hardly complain!

I absolutely (not absolutly ) have a weird sense of humor too. I call myself the king of typos :king: ... I have a knack typing something other than what I'm thinking. Plus, of course, typing with hooves is hard...

Good point! Heck, it varies from state to state, let alone country to country. In Florida, the title document (Also called a pink slip) has the owner's name on it. To sell it, the owner has to, Fill in the “Transfer of Title by Seller” section. Fill out the odometer reading, sale price, and date. Seller AND buyer sign the form. (This is proof that the buyer has taken possession) The buyer takes this to the tax collector’s office (DMV) to get a new title in their own name) What Trevor did was just sign in the box for his name. Joel would have filled in everything else at point of sale. However, Bridget (if on the level) wouldn't need to hassle with the paperwork just to demolish the car; easier to just go ahead and do it. Also, as an aside, the sales price is often fudged. For example, if the sales price is $5000, they may well fill it in at $2000 and consider the $3000 what the buyer paid for the air freshener (or whatever else they make up; or more likely, the buyer would just pay with two separate checks, or cash and check) The reason is taxes; in many cases sales taxes apply on cars, and even if not, registration fees are based on value (sales price, in this case). CJ

Goats cannot count! Or, an eight day weak could be due to Australia's backwards calendar (Winter in July!).

They wouldn't need to worry about declaring the cash. As we saw when Trevor arrived, you only need to declare amounts over 10k (Australian equivalent) per person. Joel now thinks Jim, not Dirk, is the guilty one. Bridget has something else... the title to Trevor's car, signed over to Joel but not Bridget. Thanks! For all we know, Bridget might hadve just wanted to be generous and give them a Christmas present, like she said. Trevor may indeed have interesting times in coming chapters... but will it be from Shane, or interesting in a different way, from Bridget and Sanchez? I'm not saying whether this is relevant to the story or not, but Snopes has a good article, and they confirm the cocaine-contamination issue. Around four out of five bills are contaminated. What's throwing a monkey wrench in Gonzalez's reasoning is that he thinks Bridget had one motive to kill Trevor; getting his father indicted. He has no way of knowing that she has a second one; the need to stop Trevor from finding Ares. And if that happens, it gives me an excuse to tease you. It's not Tuesday, but I do have some good news... Thanks to my team, chapter 73, Machinations, will be posting this coming Tuesday. So, no two-week gap this time.

Cliffhanger??? No worries there; I never use those, so that's the one thing you can be sure you'll never find in one of my stories. A touch os suspense, perhaps, but never a cliffhanger. Why assume impure motives for Bridget? Maybe just was just being nice? Or maybe she wanted Trevor's car for herself, to drive around in? (maybe she got tired of her Mercedes Benz?) It could have been far worse... they could have mentioned Carnarvon. The chapter was about 6k words.. so it's not shorter than average, but I agree it felt shorter. I'm not sure why it did though... if anyone has any ideas on why, I'd like to hear them. Poor Trevor; succumbing to gravity yet again... :wacko: I liked Shane's cheery remark, when he asked if Trevor was budgie spotting and that's why he fell. Hrmmm, why does everyone think that Bridget is up to no good with the car purchase? That dinner was a nice surprise for Trevor! Poor Lisa and Joel; if the bugs are found, they lose their make-out spot! Uhoh!!

Your estimate is probably better than mine! I'm the guy who thought this was a 20 chapter story. I knew I was way off when Trevor was still setting out in chapter 10. As is often said; goats cannot count.

Do I know? Hrmmm! Either I do or I don't, or if I did, I could have forgotten.

Just a note to add: This wasn't supposed to post until midnight, but I had to do it early; I have to be up early in the morning.

Chapter 72, Surprises, is up! What's it about? Surprises!

Chapter 72: Surprises The parasailing flight along the coast continued, with both guys relaxing while enjoying the spectacular views and the wind against their skin. Halfway through the flight, the boat turned to retrace its route to Monkey Mia, giving Trevor and Shane another look at the shallows, the sharks, the endless miles of uninterrupted beach, and the incredible vistas of Shark Bay. All too soon, they were approaching Monkey Mia and the ride neared its end. The towboat angled clo

Surprises. :-)

:2thumbs: :worship: :worship: Thank you!!! And Welcome to my sig file! Well, of course! Even though I don't use cliffhangers, I know 'em when I see 'em, so I did try to get you and others nominated. :king: