It makes me a little sad to open up my blog and see how long it has been since I took the time to sit down and make contact with the outside world. For those that don’t see me that often, you might think that I went to Cape Decision and stayed there. As much as I would like to have E-mailed Rhonda and asked her to bring some food, a summer’s supply of Port Royal Stout from our friends at Seven Seas, and our dog Captain Jack, I did not. We did however have a very productive two weeks and at the same time made some good friends at the University of Alaska Southeast. I would like to elaborate but want to use my time to bring us a little closer to the present.
As always the fourth of July celebration at Salmon Beach was a big all day party more or less starting with the rowboat race that starts on or around noon. I had our 1948 Willits canoe in the water for its annual paddle up and down the beach and the conditions were perfect to actually participate in the race. Amber was supposed to paddle with me but ran a little late so I took on the field by myself and held second place from start to finish. It was still the prettiest boat on the water and paddles like a dream.
In August Rhonda put together a very nice sit down dinner to celebrate my birthday (does 56 at 56 sounds like a good reason to have a little party?). Then late in the month my two wonderful sisters-in-law (Jeana and Linda) and our daughter Amber threw a party to mark our 30th wedding anniversary. The gathering was wonderful with friends and family filling the room with love and laughter. A few hours later down at the beach our special group of beach friends threw another party that went on till 2:00 am the next morning. It is humbling to be the center of attention like that but we had a great time and we thank you all for your love and support. Nobody can successfully do anything for thirty years without the help of the people you surround yourself with.
All this time we are getting Amber’s new place ready for her to move into. It has taken almost every week night and all of our summer weekends and we are just about there. I knew when I was making plans for my trip to Alaska that it would be pretty much it for my summer but It has been worth it to not only spend some valuable time with our daughter but also to get a chance to see her so excited about putting a house back into shape after years of neglect. The place was a grim sight at the start but she stayed with it and our finished product is something she can be proud of for a long time.
Not that we needed any more projects on our plate but as we finish up this one and start to dream about getting back to the Whitehall, an opportunity that could not be ignored popped up . It think I may know what it may have been like to be in a boat that just harpooned a whale. The opportunity arises, you take your shot and hang on for dear life and ride it out till it kills you or you get your prize. It has felt a little like that for the past month when Rhonda and I along with our neighbor, good friend, and now partner made and offer on a place at Salmon Beach when it came up for sale. Some things in life are, in my opinion, meant to be and I felt from the beginning that this was on of those things. Just like before when Rhonda and I bought #56 this could not have happened without the help and cooperation of many many people. In both cases it was a little like putting together one of those 1000 piece puzzles but in this case we had the added excitement of a very short window of time and the possibility that someone else was more interested(hardly likely) and better funded (more likely). Thank you to everyone that we involved in this, especially my wife who for no perceivable good reason continues to allow me to pursue my wild dreams. I am pleased to announce that the new home of the S.B. R.P. rowboat will be in the first floor shop at #76 Salmon Beach.
Jessie at #34, location of our current boat restoration project has asked if we would at least finish and launch the Whitehall down there and I see no reason why we shouldn’t do just that. He and Kat have the perfect little sandy piece of beach for a relaunching party. So sometime this fall we will get organized and get started on the new shop while hopefully the finish work continues on the Whitehall.
The main reason that I have the time to sit down and get you all caught up is that Rhonda, Chris and I are sitting around out at Chris’s parents Cape Cod summer home. Rhonda and I had been planning an anniversary trip for this fall and Chris was looking to share his place with someone so we took him up on his offer. The trip has been wonderful with our first stop at Mystic Seaport. I was more than a little disappointed that we were going to miss our annual pilgrimage to the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend until spending a full day at Mystic. I can tell you that it takes more than one day to properly take in all it has to offer and we went away happy and tired. I definitely want to go back to see the small boat collection .I always come away from the boat festival inspired and energized I think that between our great experience at Mystic and the R and R of two weeks away from all of our projects, we will be ready jump back into it when we get back.
Yesterday a good friend of Chris’s came down from Boston and the four of us took a field trip all the way to the north end of the Cape and sought out as many light houses as we could. We got to three different sites and got into one for a tour. Now you all have access to my description of my trips to Cape Decision Light House in the old postings here on the blog so you know what an adventure it can be just to get to it and I wouldn’t want to suggest that they have it easy here but the Cape Cod Light is in a golf course for crying out loud. Granted, they do have a beach erosion problem and the light has to be moved every 130 years or so but still…
So tomorrow we are planning a side trip out to Nantucket, hoping to see more of the east coast small boat fleet and I will let you know what we find. Till then, if the weather is bad don’t let it get you down and if it is nice ,well, get out and enjoy it while you can and we will see you on the trail.
