News from the Wendiverse

So much to do. Laundry, wash,dry, fold. Shop, items, food. Dr.J, yup, it is broken and taped back together. Two more trash cans full! Yay! Back porch a bit better. Still can't find all my triangles.

Nina and Pinta

There are two replica ships at the ISM dock this week. Too bad it is not Columbus day. Got a tour of the galley on NINA. Better than SILENT MAID in some ways, but I have more head room than Betsy, NINAs cook.

Sci Fair

Spent Friday and yesterday organizing, setting up, and running one of the state regional science fairs down in Blackwood. Found and talked to two young students who had done projects on boats. Both were quite animated in there presentations, and neither knew that a museum in Philly was dedicated to boats.

Put a coat of glass on outside of step sump boxes for SILENT MAID, while Becky worked on more bowtie as air vents for her lockers/ceiling. Gina set up & glued rub and toerail on TORCH.

New Door

Fifty year old cardboard Levitt house.





Replacing the window with a rotted sill

with a door. put a floor in the bee hive for winter and restricted their access so they can put their little bee feet up against their fire and keep warm.

Cookies

sailboats

Stranger

Who is this masked man? Father Christmas?

Auxilary Power?

Saw this truck on Walnut Street.

Thanksgiving Turbulence

Rain, clouds, Atlantic Ocean waves.

From MAIBNov 2009

A Canoe Cruise in Ireland by E.T. Holding, from the Boys Own Paper 1892.

" In the morning, after a good swim, I cook breakfast, while Frank "washes-up" the supper things of the night before, for we can never summon up energy enough to "wash-up" supper things at night, but content ourselves by laying them to soak out under the stars. It is neither an easy nor pleasant job washing greasy plates and knives with cold water, grass, and mud. But it has to be done, and it is got over all the quicker by slipping into it with a will and not minding the grease. A good substantial root of grass with the earth and sand attached well soaked in the water is a grand thing for cleaning plates (we use small metal dishes) and for the rest plenty of river water and a thorough drying on a dish cloth answers admirably."

I do use the dishcloth after camp soap and hot water, but no mud and grass. Little or no grease for our modern no fat crew, just veggies, grains, and soup (Well, coffee too.) so the dishes clean up easier. Once when I tried to use river water to rinse, the tugboat wake just jumped right up and washed me. These 1892 guys lived long enough to write and publish their story, so they maybe just ate their pound of dirt sooner than we who live in the twenty first century, but theirs was likely not polluted by heavy metals and radioactive isotopes.

Boatbuilder Extraordinaire

Friday, October 30, 2009

John Brady, Boatbuilder

at 70.8%

Nice interview by Tom Armstrong. In fact, he puts up a lot of really interesting stuff here. These photos are from his blog.


I like the Ghost ships and the working boats.


I also hold Shadboats near and dear to my soul. I would really like to build/rebuild one. Maybe in glued lap ply. Such a lovely shape.

Norm Blanchard Regatta

Pete & I sailed in the Norm Blanchard Memorial Regatta. We sailed DEWEY, a 12' Woods Hole spritsail catboat from the Center for Wooden Boats livery service. Perfect Breeze, three 2nd's and a 3rd. Not bad for a couple of 'duffers' on their first try. Great folks out here, but the float planes are un-nerving, taking off and landing amidst the frivolity.