Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Oars laid out, tools at the ready, all is waiting for our return after the holidays,
except for one elf who will be very busy working on the boat.








 
In simple surroundings with homemade treats,
 we talk of the future sporting our new matching hats.



 
Add a little salmon

 
and a funky wad of lights on a stick,

 
and that's all we need to celebrate.
It has been a wonderful rowing season.
 
Happy Holidays to all. See you in January!
If you bring your headlamp we will surely be in the light.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Community

I remember hearing stories why the French Admiral's gig was selected for bringing Vérité to life. The essence went  like this... "the reason this boat was selected was because it took a whole community to build it." Indeed it did. Community was created as each rib was fashioned, each board bent. Middle age, youth, and elders made their way to a tumbled down old building to work together to build Vérité; each doing the job that was best suited for themselves. Some have come and gone, a few have passed, others grown up with children of their own, as it has been over 17 years in the making.  A committed community still surrounds the boat.  I know because I witnessed it in action last night.

Rainsuited women and men in a driving rain pumped and bailed. The challenge to keep the rain from filling the boat faster than it could be taken out. Oars and paddles, lines and anchors were carried up sets of stairs for winter storage and later work. As you will see from the photos Vérité was a little green. Hopefully, under better light, all will be as expected.

It was, however, the coming together of community that was the most remarkable.  Working in  sketchy conditions and inclement weather bonded all to the shared experience. This is the stuff stories are made of, regaled at gatherings and woven into the fabric of self. It took all - working together with the same intention that made me pause. If only other Washington could, would follow suit. I'd recommend they don their rainsuits and head lamps and just DO IT!





















 
 



 

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thankfulness

During this season of Thanksgiving we are thankful for the many hands who cheerfully bailed the boat (which had at least a foot of water in it!) with the winds howling and high tide slapping at their boots and for those who scrubbed life jackets around the communal washstand. Oh, the many hands made light the work. The joy of just 'being' together.




One last look at our 'precious' before we head home. She's sitting higher in the water now. You can't even tell 2 inches of rain fell during the morning. So, if it was only 2 inches then how come there was over a foot of water in the boat?

 
With luck and weather on our side we will try again
to take out the boat - Dec 3.

 
Here are a few pictures from Jill.
Rain didn't keep her from showing off the boat to her out of town friends.
 
 
Even in the rain she's pretty.
 
 

Monday, November 12, 2012

Last row... the wind was out of the southwest, huge dark ominous clouds rolled over our heads, and just enough of us to row one last time.


We seldom every get to see the gang plank horizontal. The waterway was so full!
 

 
The Vérité, Curtis and the Odyssey. What a nice trio.



The 509 cable stay bridge was beautiful with the dark background and sunlight hitting the stays.

Tea Time!
 



 


Cheers to our last row!




The photo trail ends here, but what you won't see is what we did next. We squeezed a little more light out of the sky for a few more strokes.  Instead of practicing shipping oars, catching crabs or lallygagging down the waterway, the conditions were just right to let Teresa, one of our newest try her hand at the steering oar. Wind and water were in her favor. At the mouth of the Thea Foss she turned us smartly around and brought us back to the zone. At that point mother hen clucked and returned to the stern to bring Verite into dock. Another wonderful row, but then when isn't it?