Our boat arrives!

which direction is it pointing?

Fred, John, and Mike in action

happy sailors

inside the cabin

on three!

our neighbor, Jack, peers over the fence

john looks happy as a clam

i think this is me hugging the boat.

john and fred figuring out the logistics

celeste is cute as a little button

me & Fred

us

backing her in

she fits!

Friends (L-R): Sheria w/Kinda, Laurie, Royal, Celeste, Jason & Oliver

Fred came around 12:30pm with the boat attached to his big white van.

He said "So, this is how we're gonna do this. We're going to back it in, drill a hole in the driveway and put an eyelet in, tie a rope to the eyelet and the boat and I'll slowly pull out and the boat will slide right off the trailor."

Uh. huh.

I shouldn't have doubted them. The boat slid right off without a hitch.

Neighbors, new and old, strolled by, peered over the fence, or drove over to offer their support, advice, and good vibes. Thanks to Mike for having a battery to run the winch, and thanks to Jack, Royal, Celeste, Laurie, Jason, Oliver, Evie, & Sheria for your moral support and for not thinking we're too crazy (or at least not letting it show ;-)). And many thanks to Fred for bringing the boat to our house and into our lives.

Later on in the evening, John and I sat in the boat and let our imaginations take over for a while. We didn't think about the money or the labor, sweat, blood, and tears that this project is assuredly going to bring, but we pretended we could hear the slap of the water against the hull as we laid in the cabin, and we could see all the hardware gleaming bronze and the compass pointing toward somewhere beautiful and unknown, and we could hear the sails at full mast beating against the wind. We had a great sail, and we hadn't even left the driveway.

Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination.