Wednesday: Unexpected Yacht Party

Lately, work has been pushing me over the edge, so while I’ve been spending time behind my desk pondering what I want to do for a living, I’ve been spending my evenings thoroughly enjoying myself.  For instance, my Wednesday:

I called one of my best friends, Laura, after I finished work around 8pm.  She came over to my bungalow, and then we hit the high seas.

At first we chatted and enjoyed the sunset...

Rowing like an angry woman (side note: I wear this shirt way too often)

Friendship circa 1992

We heard live music from the Waterfront, so we decided why not row to Tony and Joe's and grab a drink.  As we got close to the dock, a very friendly gentleman offered to let us tie up to the back of his boat; that way we could step out of our boat onto his and then onto the boardwalk.  He introduced himself and told us he was here with his girlfriend.  He told us to meet them at the bar.

Brian tying us to Channel Surfer

Looking like wash-ups, Laura and I climbed out of the boat and walked through the outdoor bar.  We spotted our new friend with a group of women.  Some people live by the motto age is just a number.  And indeed, our new gray haired friend (about 50) was dating someone half his age.  Awkwardly, we hid, ordered drinks, and discussed our game plan.  Do we try to sneak out without them seeing us?  Or do we do the polite thing, say thank you, and make small talk?  We knew one thing for sure, we could not let them leave with Baby Red.

After a few drinks, I saw the group head over to the boat!  I walked over and asked if they were leaving.  They weren't, and they invited me and Laura on their boat for pizza and drinks.  I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story:

Karina, Brian's Bolivian girlfriend, raising an empty bottle of Petron.  She suggests adding a mini bar to Baby Red.

There was a dog onboard

Brian taking Baby Red out

Karina, the girlfriend, could not stop talking about "****ing Baby Red" as she so lovingly yelled it in her thick Bolivian accent.  It was quite late when Laura and I rowed back to Jack's Boathouse.  We texted Karina to let her know we made it safe.

Her response: Make sure baby red has its blankie and tuck up.  Next nite we are sleeping in your boat

Lewes, Delaware and an Insanely Priced Boat

Last weekend, Katy and I had no intentions of going anywhere, but on a whim, we decided Sunday would be a great day for the beach.  Katy’s mom is from Lewes, Delaware, and since we were going to Rehoboth, we took a detour to the first town in the first state (as the welcoming sign indicated).  I had never been, and it was just as Katy had described it... “Quaint.” 

Photo courtesy of http://www.lewes.com/

Lewes is right on the beach with the Delaware River gently bending its way through the town.  If I could compare it to any place I had seen before, it was a little Nantucket-ish (or maybe I should say Nantucket is like Lewes, since Lewes was established exactly 10 years before the Grey Lady).  Simply put, it's a beautiful old town surrounded by wooden homes, shaded with thick burly trees, retired men fishing in the river, and its beach lined with tall beach grass and sailboats. 

The Zwaanendael Museum.  Photo courtesy of http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/americas/trail-of-the-unexpected-a-hitchhikers-guide-to-getting-around-americas-first-state-1053733.html

Christmas time on Second Street in Lewes.

Something you just might see in Lewes.  Photo courtsey of http://beachyinthecity.blogspot.com/2008/07/travelling-cape-may-nj-lewes-de.html

I wish I had taken pictures, but I didn't think I would be blogging about this experience.  We even saw a homemade boat flipped upside down on the dunes (a design I had seen in Gavin Atkin's Ultrasimple Boatbuilding), and still, I did not think to take any pictures.  We lifted up the boat to see inside and underneath was a nest with two mice--one shaking from fright, the other dead asleep...or possibly dead.

After revisiting Katy’s childhood summers, we went to Rehoboth Beach (only minutes away) to read some of “The Bedwetter” by Sarah Silverman.  Reading aloud, I probably said words I should never repeat, but I read them just as the author intended.  We finished our day back in Lewes for dinner and ice cream, and then headed home.

On the way home we drove through many a pasture and antique stores as daylight turned to twilight.  Something caught my eye as we were driving.  I turned the car around and stepped out to inspect this homemade boat.  It wasn’t made out of plywood, and looked like something early settlers would have built (minus the motor).  To my surprise, someone was watching us and yelled from afar, “The guy’s selling it for $5,000.”  Wow.  I said thanks and snapped a few pictures.  Hopefully he didn’t get his friend’s hopes up because I was not really interested in making the purchase...especially after having satisfyingly built my own.  If anyone's in the market, however, look for this boat along Route 9 in Delaware.  Needs some work, but maybe 5k is the going rate for this sort of thing.  Sorry the pictures are dark.

What should I do with my life?

June 9, 2011

me: What should I do with my life?

Bonnie: Welllll, the last time we had a conversation like this, you built a boat

Thanks for reminding me how this all started, Bonnie.

Mysterious Find at Eastern Market

On Sunday I ventured off to Eastern Market in Capitol Hill.  It’s without a doubt the best market in DC, and probably one of the best within 200 miles of the District.  Although I’m typically not an impulse shopper (I'm not much of a shopper at all), I am when it comes to market shopping.  Truth is, you never know if or when you’ll see the same item again.

One vendor was selling prints of vintage posters and I immediately caught my eye on this puppy:

The poster shows Georgetown University (the gray castle), Car Barn (the brick building with the clock--formerly a tobacco warehouse and trolley facility, now classrooms and offices for the University), the Washington Canoe Club (long building along the river), and the Potomac Boat Club (green and white building).

Realistically, these buildings aren't so close together, but you get the point

I rarely ever see posters of Georgetown (never from this perspective), but I knew I was going to be handing this vendor my hard earned money.  How could I not?  When I move to another city, I will decorate my new digs with a few paintings and photos of my favorite spots in DC for the memories.  This painting not only shows my favorite spot in Georgetown, it shows the home of Baby Red (before Jack’s Boathouse was established)!  It’s perfect.

The arrow is pointing to the home of Baby Red

I don’t know anything about the poster.  There’s no artist name or anything.  The vendor said some company in New York has a CD of old posters and that this is rare.  Whether he was telling the truth or not, I couldn’t find the print online.  When I Googled georgetown key bridge poster, the results didn't come up with the poster but instead pictures from my blog!

Picture of Katy in Google Images

Whether this was painted decades or just a few years ago, what was its purpose?  Tourism?  Seems unlikely.  Georgetown University?  Perhaps, but why doesn’t it say University after Georgetown.  Anyone have a clue?

So what now?

A number of friends have asked what I’m going to do now.  Some have noticed that since the boat has been complete, I’ve grown restless yet again.  But I can assure everybody that I will be enjoying my boat and free time… and I will not be taking on any major projects for a couple of months.  Baby Red has become a great getaway just minutes away from home.  The privileged few have enjoyed dinners and drinks out on the river, and strangers and new friends have adored Baby Red's beauty and craftsmanship.  It’s been an awesome experience to say the least.

I will continue to blog (this has become another hobby of mine since I started Baby Red).  I will post pictures when I take her out, share any new projects, and other interesting things I come across. 

Special thanks to everyone who has supported and helped, especially Katy, Uncle John, my parents, the kids, Laura, Timmy, Meggie, Bonnie, my readers, Jack's Boathouse, and shout outs from 20 Something Passions, and Bridger of Young, Hip, and Handy.

Taken June 12, 2011

The Big Reveal! (cont'd)

More friends joining

...still paddling

...and they made it!

Boat party

And they paddled back to shore for the Bruins game

Switching captains

Team work

The Big Reveal!

Just as I had promised, I would reveal the boat’s name.  As you know she is red and she is my baby.  Her name is Baby Red.  I posted some fun pictures from Saturday.

Snapped this photo after I finished painting her name

Young sailors

Getting her ready to go out

Leaving the dock



Passing the torch





Torch passed



Stenciling

This week I’ve been sneaking down to the boathouse before and after work to do some final touch ups on the boat.  I was proud of myself as I left Jack’s this morning.  She’s done.  She has a name.  And she’s ready for the world.  I’ll hose her down before I show her off tomorrow evening (she has some dirt from when I took her out on the water), but she looks great in my personal and very biased opinion.

I made a stencil to paint the name on the transom of the boat.  I can’t show you the stencil because that would reveal the name, which would defeat the purpose of the Boat Revealing Party.  So I’ll show you another stencil I made last year in a bit.

I printed the name out on paper, glued the paper onto poster board, and cut the word(s) out with an X-acto knife.  Pretty simple.  I brought the stencil over to the boat and spray painted over the stencil.  Then I went over the rough edges with a fine brush and exterior paint.  I will show you the final product after tomorrow.  Promise.

Last year, I was on a kickball team.  I was also told I was too aggressive during games  …Anyways, we wanted our team name to have an MTV Jersey Shore theme.  I suggested The Kickuation after Mike Sorrentino’s abs, which he calls The Situation.  I thought we could take it one step further and show our own abdominal and oblique muscles.  I made a stencil and brought a can of spray paint to our first game.  We were by far the coolest team (again a very biased opinion, but the league agreed).  



On the left: The Situation.  On the right: The Kickuation
...thought I'd clarify



Jack’s Boathouse

Underneath the concrete bridge that connects Rosslyn, Virginia to Georgetown, DC there’s a small but very colorful community.  It’s the most vibrant view all along the Potomac (even the graffiti doesn’t compare).  It’s my favorite spot in my neighborhood and one of my favorites in all of DC.  It’s Jack’s Boathouse. 

Last boating season, I would stroll down there and rent kayaks out.  Don’t get me wrong, my kayaking days are not over, but now I have a boat that fits perfectly with the atmosphere at Jack’s—a retro, chill,  no-worries vibe.

The staff at Jack's is awesome.  Quite enthusiastic, friendly, and very helpful.  They let me borrow their power tools, always ask me if I needed help with anything, and keep an eye on the boat when I'm gone.  Paul, the guy in charge, really cares about the boathouse, his people, his guests, and even my boat!  Hands down, there is no better place to canoe, kayak, row if you're in the District.

Here are some pictures courtesy of www.jacksboathouse.com.  If you get a chance, watch the Youtube video.  It’ll give you an idea of what I’m talking about…but if you really want to experience Jack’s, you have to go and see for yourself!

Email/message me if you are interested in joining us for the Boat Revealing Party.  I will send you details.