1 – We’ve gotten totally hooked by a podcast and blog at NPR called Planet Money. These guys do a fantastic job of tracking down stories about what’s going on in the economy, and more importantly, why. Last weekend, we were driving down State Route 24 here in North Carolina when I saw a sign that tickled my funny bone: “Free boat! With homesite purchase.”

“We have got to take a picture of that when we come back tomorrow!” I said to Barry. Unfortunately, the following day was drizzly, which made it harder to take photos from the Squid Wagon. Barry managed a U-turn (a feat that requires a road the width of a football field) and we figured out which window could roll down and then (more importantly) roll back up again, stuck the camera out, hit the shutter button, and then said, “Thank God for Photoshop!”

I submitted the photos to the Planet Money blog with a note, where they’ve been publishing images illustrating “Half Built America.” It got published today — check it out!

2 – Speaking of websites, we spent a couple of months swearing at different web browsers, then launched a website for the boatyard we call home, Bock Marine. For those of you who have been complaining about how few photos I’ve published, many of the ones on their site are mine, so you can see where we are. We definitely feel like family here!

That’s it for this week’s excuses. I have a much funnier essay ready for you, but the pictures blew up and have to be re-shot. That part’s not funny.