And So This Is Christmas

Fresh snow yesterday morning created a white topping for the dingy week-old snow already on the ground.

Christmas Day has been a quiet and relaxing day for Jan and I. For the first time in a long time there were no visiting family or friends (we saw family earlier in the week and visited friends last evening). Today we did see (via FaceTime) family in Oregon, Colorado and Belize.

Christmas is a time of reflection for me and, as I look back on the year, I am satisfied with the last twelve months. Did I finish Gardens and get her launched? No, completing and sailing Gardens will be a fine accomplishment, but it is not the entirety of my life. We were able to visit all of our children and grandchildren this year, which involved a good bit of traveling. Health issues took up a bit more time, but the results have all been positive. Fussing a bit about the political environment took up too much time before I remembered words of wisdom from Jan: I'd rather be at peace than be right. I've let go of the negative perceptions I experienced this year.

And so this is Christmas: I wish the same for everyone: be more mindful of being at peace than being right.

Things Are Looking Up

I can't explain the how or the why, but that grumpiness I whined about last week has resolved itself.

The cold and snow are still with us. Gardens sits waiting patiently for me. My workshop is still cold and in disarray. Christmas boxes have been, for the most part, mailed out. The lights and decorations have, mostly, been hung. And, the trip to Guatemala is further in the past. I'm glad to be home. Maybe listening to my six year-old granddaughter's stream-of-consciousness phone conversation helped...

Plans are in the offing for reorganizing the workshop, moving the wood storage racks to a more convenient spot in the barn, and figuring out how to get rid of cut-offs and scraps (I have some scraps that are several years old - if I haven't used them by now, I don't think I will). I'm counting on more storage and less horizontal surface will help de-clutter the shop. One can hope.

Closing in the Boat Cave is a bit trickier this year. With the gantry in place, the ceiling insulation is more piecemeal than it was last year. Still, making progress.

So, for whatever reason, I am in a much better frame of mind than I was last week and things are looking up.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Getting Grumpy

Winter is still more than a week away. Right… So, the six inches of snow on the ground don't really count yet… I don't mind snow - really - but this first snow of the season is making me grumpy.

Along with the snow, we're having prolonged periods of low temperatures (highs in the 20s). The cold is slowing progress on the rebuilding of the Boat Cave. And that is making me grumpy.

Work on the foils (centerboard and rudder) has moved into the shop where it is a bit warmer (low 40s) but it is tough to work more than an hour at a time and, yes, that is making me grumpy. A better heater is under consideration.

Prepping for the holidays is getting me down a bit, too. I like the results but not the work involved with decorating the house and tree. True, Jan does the tree but the lights on the porch have their own way of making me grumpy.

What is really making me grumpy is this sense that I am not making as much progress on Gardens as I think I should be making. Yes, I am making progress; just not enough.

Oh, I'll get over this grumpiness but it might take a few weeks. I am already looking forward to our annual New Year's Day visit to Pentwater on Lake Michigan: we stand on the beach (the pier is usually coated with ice!), face into the wind, shout out the old year and welcome the New Year with shouts of joy and then go enjoy a great bar burger at the Brown Bear. Sounds goofy but it helps blow off steam and takes care of a lot of grumpiness.

Winter Approaches…

Winter doesn't begin for another two and a half weeks, but today's two inches of snow and mid-30s temperatures gave us a taste of what's ahead.

And I have to catch up with the weather - the Boat Cave needs rebuilding - at least the north end - after making room for the gantry. That is the immediate task at hand.

We are done traveling for the time being (trips to Oregon, Colorado, Kentucky and Guatemala kept us busy the last five months) and I have no pending medical concerns (the last five months also included hernia and cancer surgeries). The to-do list is waiting for me but I can see the end of the build in sight.

Yes, winter is approaching but I am gearing up to complete Gardens for a spring launch.

Onto Stands

After a couple days of test (getting the balance point and slings figured out) lifts and show-and-tell demo lifts, Gardens was placed on her boat stands today.

Finding the balance point proved to be trickier than I expected. During the first test lift, the bow came up while the stern did not. I moved the gantry aft about six inches. On the second lift, the stern came up but the bow did not. Moving the gantry three inches foreward found the balance point as the boat rose evenly off the floor.

After reworking the boat stands (initially built them 21" high but reduced the height to 11") today, I raised Gardens high enough to slide the stands into place and carefully lowered her onto the stands. The foreward stand is fine but the aft stand needed a bit of reworking to account for the rocker of the bottom.

The hull is not as rock-solid-steady on the stands as I'd like, so tomorrow additional supports will be installed to minimize any tipping tendency.

Elmer Works

Tested the gantry system late yesterday:

On the floor:

Off the floor:

The gantry needs to be moved aft a bit - the test lift was not quite balanced fore-and-aft.

Busy Times

We've been busy over the last six weeks: Denver for a week (family), Kentucky Bourbon Trail for a long weekend (good bourbon, family and friends), the World Series (I grew up in Cleveland), outpatient surgery to remove skin cancer (not much fun), the election (not much fun about that either), and helping my brother-in-law complete a large woodworking project (fun but tiring).

The Boat Bay is being straightened up and cleaned out to make room for the gantry (to lift Gardens). Everything is ready (chain hoist installed, straps prepared, boat stands built, etc.) so the lift could take place any day now…

In the meantime, I built a portable-knock-down stand for my chop saw and I'm shopping for a new miter saw.