I AM IN SALT COUNTRY

Salt ‘n Sand here. I am still sitting on the ground, Rich and Carol came to see me on Monday and gave me the information that I am posting here.  Jim gave Rich an update and showed him the parts from my transmission that had been damaged.  He also told Rich that my turbos were leaking oil and that is leading to soot on my transom, Rich told Jim to replace my turbos as well.  I heard Jim say that he thought I would be back in the water next week.  This is the longest I have been out of the water.  Being out of the water is uncomfortable for me as all of my weight is put on 9 small points rather than spread throughout my hull when I am in the water.  I can’t wait to get back into water.

Rich and Carol went to see the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, NY.  The museum is located in the old Weigh Lock house.  In this lock each barge was weighed to determine the amount of toll it had to pay to use the Canal. 

Rich also learned that Syracuse was the salt capital of the early United States and salt was shipped in all directions.  The salt was obtained from boiling the brine of Onondaga Lake in large pans with fires under them.  Men with shovels would dig the salt out of the pans.  I guess that is where the phrase “working in the salt mine” when discussing hot, hard work came from.  Prior to the invention of refrigeration salt was critical was for the preservation of food, production of chemicals and tanning of hides.  One of the ways, England tried to control its colonies was to control their access to salt by shipping it all from the Northwest England.  Syracuse salt help give independence to the new country.  Salt was very valuable and so arose the phrase “Worth his weight in salt.”