Sailboats, Funnels, and Websites

I thought I might have a post about a sailboat--sometimes week-ends go the way you expected, while other times, they don't.

We went to Jacksonville where one of our oldest college friends lives.  He has a condo in a complex that has a dock with boat slips.  One of his fellow condo members has a sailboat, a small Bayliner Buccaneer.  It needs a significant amount of work.  We thought she might be ready to part with it.

I may post pictures at some point.  You'll say that the boat is in such bad shape that we've lost our minds to even consider it.  But it can stay at the boat slip for free, and my spouse and our friend have dreams of restoring it.  I have no such dreams, but I'd like to learn to sail.

I have a vision that it might be easier to learn to sail on a boat that's in such bad shape.  I have a vision that I won't be so terrified that we'll ruin the boat; it's already ruined.

Of course, it may scar me indelibly.  When we bought trashed houses and restored them, I had a glimpse into all the ways a house could go terribly wrong.  Many glimpses, from aluminum wiring, to faulty plumbing, to rotting parts . . . on and on I could go.  Most people live in their houses with no idea of all the ways a house can hurt.

So, will we own a boat?  Stay tuned.  The story isn't finished yet.  We had a fun week-end thinking about it.  I enjoyed sitting on the boat, even though it was moored to the boat slip.  I saw a family of blue herons in the largest pine tree.  All week-end, they flew in and out, sometimes with food in their beaks for the babies.  They made quite a squawking noise.  I tried to decide if their presence was a good omen or a warning. 

While we waited to hear whether or not our offer would be accepted (we're still waiting), we went to the Folkston Funnel, a spot in southern Georgia where almost every train entering and leaving Florida passes through.  We watched the trains and went to the train museum, which was more fun than it might sound.  Along the way, we ate breakfast at a great cafe and talked to the owner, who had never owned a restaurant, but she knew she liked the food.  The news is full of business failures--it was great to hear from someone who's doing well.  We stopped by the Okeefenokee Swamp, which is more like a forest than a mucky place.

While I was away, my poem "Kitchen Remodels" appeared on Verse Daily!  I can't figure out a way to get a link to me directly, so you'll have to go to the Archives section and look for my poem/name, which appeared on Sunday, June 10.  Thrilling!  Thanks to all of you who tweeted and liked the page on Facebook.