Friday, August 31, 2007

Project Initation

Tomorrow is the first day of September. Time to begin the Chamberlain Marblehead Gunning Dory as drawn by the venerable late John Gardner. There are three constraints that will initially impede the project.
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First is my commitment to the success of Nanepashemet Project Management in developing a financially stable business. That constraint is the fuel that drives all other initiatives. Without this commitment, there will be no way to pay for the cedar and epoxy required to build the dory.
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The second constraint is space, or the lack thereof. The first action item in the construction of the Gunning Dory will be a wholescale reorganization of my garage and the space under the deck in the back of the house. The garage is twenty feet long; the Dory will be eighteen feet long. Efficiency in the use of the garage space is paramount. It I can't move around with ease from machine to machine, I will lose interest in keeping pace with the project requirements.
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The third constraint is the state of my basement. It used to be a fairly decent family room, but now it is filled with crap. The floors have to be tiled, the cabinetry replaced, the trimwork has to be completed, ceiling repaired and everything has to be painted. If I commit whole heartedly to the boat project, and neglect finishing the basement, I will lose the support of Joanne, Mike and Kate for the overall project and be subject to constrant derision and ridicule.
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I'd like to complete the Gunning Dory by next June.
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So there we have our equation for success. The Dory has to be built without compromising my commitment to my business, the garage has to be revamped and the basement project has to progress simultaneously.
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Somehow, I am not daunted.
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Since I spend a lot of time at Nanepashemet Telecom waiting for customers and vendors to call me back, it should be possible to fill in the gaps with focused activity. The Garage can be reorganized with the help of some serious dump runs in the next couple of days. And the basement can be looked at as a welcome diversion from Boatbuilding from time to time.
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Course, there is also social obligations that will bite into project tiime. Tomorrow we have Michael Murphy's wedding in Stow, MA. By Sunday, it may be possible to start the garage reorg work, providing a manageble hangover from the Wedding Reception. Murph deserves nothing less that a full party effort.
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But if it is a great day, we might have to get some striper fishing in... and the dump isn't open on Sunday, or next Monday which is Labor Day.
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So the project launch has some interesting challenges this weekend.

Fair Winds

Since the Bank meeting for Nanepashemet Telecom was so successful, I decided to blow off work in the afternoon and try to sail the Tender in Marblehead Harbor. Either the Tender doesn't sail too well, or I suck at sailing, or a combination of the two, because I soon became bored with trying to make headway sailing and bungeed the sail to the mast in favor of a row around the Harbor.
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Afterwards, I got a chance to see my grandson, Will, who eventually will be riding his bike over to Beverly Ave., hanging around the garage, learning how to build cool looking boats that don't sail too well. Maybe he won't suck at sailing like his grandfather.

No Sweat


Runner's World says that the maximum heart rate formula is 208 - (.7 x age).
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That puts mine at 170. I've been consistently at 150 beats per minute, and have also hit 160 on the Cybex stationary bike recently, so I was interested in finding out where I should back off.
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Anywhere over 140 and I'm getting a good burn based upon my breathing and sweat.
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When I'm rowing in the Tender, I don't really get a burn in because there are two many distractions on the water.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Peep of the Week - Week 34

Peep of the Week day.
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People shouldn't get so worked up about it.
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It's just another day.
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So why all the hubbub???, why all the dither????, why all the rigamarole????
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It's only Thursday, Peep of the Week Day.
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I suppose that if I didn't have the heavy and aching responsibility of selecting the POTW, I would get all hot and bothered too.
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Whatever....

Announcing
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for week 34 of 2007
  • Trish Rockett
  • Denise Sousa
  • Patrick Piscatelli
  • Bill Hillegas
  • Marion Solomon
  • Derek Jeter
So now that's over with. Everyone can take a chill pill until next Thursday when all of the angst and hysteria begins again.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Dark and Stormy Tour.

It was a nice evening with Lynda and Will Murray as we first graced the Corinthian Porch for a drink, then headed to the Boston Yacht Club for dinner. At both stops, I sampled the Dark and Stormies and rated the BYC's far superior.
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Both yacht clubs had better D&S's than the Landing Restaurant however, which advertises a "Best of Boston" for their Dark and Stormies.
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Course, the ones that I make at Beverly Ave. eclipses all of them.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Book Writing Methodology

I'm thinking of writing the Gunning Dory book on this blog, then transferring the text and graphics to Microsoft Word. That means that the many thousands of you who faithfully hit this blog every day will get a free book.
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Maybe it would be worth it.
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After all.... the book should draw millions, and a relatively few "loss leaders" shouldn't greatly diminish it's commercial success. Plus, I'll put a few bonuses in the Word edition which should lure the Blog Peeps to make the purchase.

Burdensome Free Speech

Have any of you Peeps noticed the comments made by "the Topper" and "Tuna Lips"???? They are bogging down the Blog, nasty to Nanepashemet, piercing to the Peeps. What can we do about these sinister influences???
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Even though I believe in a free exchange of ideas, and cherish our civil liberties.... I am troubled by the hapless comments made by these ill advised individuals.
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As always, I am open to suggestions from the Peeps in dealing with this unpalateable dilemma. Despite the fact that I hardly ever do what you suggest, I am still open.

Nice Bridge


Millau, the highest bridge in the world

The construction of the Millau viaduct in the southeast of France was a colossal engineering effort. The piers rise 803 feet from ground level, and the bridge weighs 400,000 tons. The bridge is supported by seven huge pillars. When the thickness of the platform (14 feet) and the height of the pillars are included, the total height reaches 1102 feet. That is about 50 feet higher than the famous Eiffel Tower. Construction of this bridge required more than 350,000 tons of concrete and 40,000 tons of steel. Assembled with the precision of a Swiss watch, this giant was designed to resist winds of up to 130 miles per hour and has cost almost 300 million euros (US$523 million). Built across the mountainous terrain of the Tarn river valley, the 8071-foot long bridge is part of the A-75 freeway that connects the cities of Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers. It will shorten by more than 60 miles the route connecting Paris with the Mediterranean.

Monday, August 27, 2007

New Beginnings

Last week of the summer before Labor Day. Even though the calendar year starts in January, September is always the month for new beginnings. We have Murph's wedding next weekend with Tina's the following weekend. It will be a nice beginning for them.
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In many ways, Nanepashemet Telecom will begin anew as we roll out some major contracts.
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I've also consciously decided to begin my book on building the Marblehead Gunning Dory, which means that I'll have to actually begin building the boat. This book won't be presold, which means that I will have a final manuscript to send to publishers.
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A nice byproduct will be that I 'll also have completed the Marblehead Gunning Dory as drawn by John Gardner after the prototype developed by William Chamberlain of Marblehead in the early 1900's. The boat will be developed using the cedar strip method similar to the process for the Tender construction. Improvements on the Tender will be a larger size - 18 ft. - to accomomdate two rowers or fishermen. It will be equipped to sail - with two sprit sail masts - but will also have an internal motor well to handle a 12HP outboard and fuel.
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A little something for everybody.
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The book will detail the construction process including not only the boat itself, but all of the distractions and issues that impede its completion. In many ways, the boatbuilding theme will be the note of resolve in a free flowing jam.
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I will entertain suggestions from the Peeps for a book title.
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As always, upfront cash for the reserve of signed, first run copies is perfectly acceptable.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Fish 1, Me 0


Today (as in most days) the fish won. But it was an interesting fight. Rowing across Conway Lake, I had two strong strikes, but saw no rising fish. Dead heading back to the put in, the trolling rod went down hard, and as soon as I picked it up, a large mouth bass leaped out of the water with a head shake that he must have learned in Tarpon school.
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I was pumped, and felt that the day was vindicated. While keeping the line tight, I was reeling in when the fish made another twisted jump clear of the water. I figured that if he didn't throw the hook on those two attempts, that I would boat him for sure.
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When I got him to the boat he came out of the water yet again, and rid his mouth of the lure. I lost him. He was by far the better competitor.
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I didn't mind losing him.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Another Day, Another Fish

Conway Lake will be the field of battle tomorrow.
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We'll see if any one other than the stout Yellow Perch will have the fortitude to mount a challenge.

Yellow Perch Recollection


The Yellow Perch is a feisty little fish.

Many years ago, I fished with my Grandfather, Adelbert Crosby, in Little Lake Ossipee and we caught a mess of these and took them home to fry. They were great to eat, but small.
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I thought of him today, catching these fish in Lake Umbegog.

The Battle of Umbagog


The confrontation with Small Mouth Bass and Brook Trout didtn't materialize on Lake Umbegog today.
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Five Yellow Perch fell victim to my deceptive and highly effective angler techniques..... but no small mouth or trout.
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I did catch an ambitious pickeral as well - the smallest fish that I've ever landed on a lure.







Other events of the day are worthy of note.
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I saw two bald eagles, three loons, two otters, and a dead bull moose at the side of the road. The moose took with it a Dodge Ram Pickup front end, and the three mountain men standing on the highway looked pretty perplexed.
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I was going to stop and take pictures, but then thought the wiser of it since I had my NY Jets T-Shirt on that Rich Berliner gave me.
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Umbegog is a nice lake. More motor traffic than I would have thought, and the wind that was written about, definitely came up after the noon hour, which made rowing back to the ramp a workout.




Friday, August 24, 2007

Confrontation with Small Mouth


By the time I finished three meetings today and returned to Marblehead to clean up a little, it was 5:30 PM. So I hitched up the Tender and headed to North Conway. This is the first time that I trailered the Tender on the highway, and there were no issues. I think this could be a regular occurence.
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Tomorrow morning, I hope to head to Lake Umbegog in Errol, NH first thing in the morning. Mike says that he say a TV news item that says that the Bald Eagle is making a comeback, and specifically mentioned Umbegog. I've seen one before, down in Naples, Florida where it flew right in front of my car like it was a common pigeon. It would be cool to see one again.
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The last time that Joanne and I were in the Umbegog region in Northern NH, a Moose crossed the road in front of us.
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Hope to have a violent encounter with some small mouth bass and brook trout sometime tomorrow morning. I will bring a camera, because no one will believe me otherwise.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Shaping up the Weekend

Tomorrow...
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A visit to our corporate counsel in Boston, first thing in the morning to take care of some organizational details, then on to lunch in Southeaster Mass with a customer.
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By 3:00 PM, I should be back in Marblehead, and will hitch up the Tender to take it to NH and test it in Lake Umbegog and Conway Lake for some trout and small mouth fishing this weekend.
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A fitting end to a fitting week.

POTW - Week 33

My day ended exactly as I wanted. We nailed the big meeting and it is full speed ahead from here.
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With Joanne in North Conway, I was looking for a celebratory dinner, but didn't have her finesse in preparation.
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So I went with the old standby, my famous buffalo wings which I supplemented with some canned oysters that I fried with the wings. The accompanying vegetable was two slices of swiss cheese. Combined with a couple or three Dark and Stormies, and the rest was pig out heaven.
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Now for the real matter at hand.
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ANNOUNCING....

Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 33rd week of 2007.
  • Jay Turner
  • Tom DiMatteo
  • Isam Halwani
  • Joanne Nestor
  • Craig Murray
  • Stacy Butler
Now on to glory and prosperity.

Morning Action

Feeder visitors of note were this Chickadee and a few of his flock, two young Cardinals - a male and female - as well as a House Finch and the Downy Woodpecker.
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I couldn't catch the woodpecker on camera.
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Other than that, the Sparrows are pigging out and a couple of Mourning Doves have shown up.

Today is the Day

Today is the Day.
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Everything is going to go right today.
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Just to make sure, I'm going to shower and change into some fresh underwear.
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I'll be brushing my teeth, even though I already did that once this week.
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Might even give the nose hair a little trim.... and shave my back as far as I can reach.
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Personal hygiene is a part of business success that shouldn't be overlooked.
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No detail will be left unturned.
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Today is the Day.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Approaching the Launchpad

With any luck, tomorrow will be a power day.
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The events and strivings of the past six months culminate in a crucial meeting that has the potential of launching this juggernaut firmly into a stable orbit.
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It would be nice if the meeting was definitive, but business rarely works that way. The suspense will probably play out a bit more.

A Good Start

Something about this T-Shirt that makes me think that it might work as the POTW version.
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A Damn good T.
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Kudos to a special Peep for the nice research.

Party On

Seen at the feeder this morning....
  • Common Grackle
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • House Finch
  • 2 Blue Jays
  • Chickadees
  • Tufted Titmouse
  • a flock of about 50 Sparrows (no exaggeration)
  • Mourning Dove
  • ....and the freaking squirrel.

It's like a Homecoming celebration.

Cool Bird

I shouldn't pick favorites, but it's hard not to especially like the chickadees.
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They are bold and will land on the feeder despite a flock of aggressive sparrows.
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They don't sit on the feeder and hog seeds, but fly to it, pick up one or two seeds, and quickly fly to a nearby tree branch.
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Their calls are distinctive, like their names..."Chickadee, dee, dee."
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Researchers claim that the number of "dees" indicate an alarm of a threat in the area to other chickadees in the flock. The more "dees", the bigger the threat.
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They hang out with other cool birds like the tufted titmouse.
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Some of the many reasons to like the Chickadee.
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What??? You don't have a favorite bird??? Why don't you get a life!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

T-Shirt Phenomonon

I ordered some T-shirts for Nanepashemet Project Management today.
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It always amazes me how effective shirts can be as customer or vendor giveaways. Grown professionals, who sport varied accomplishments and command substantial salaries, get all excited when you give them a free shirt. I know I do.
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If business keeps up at the current rate, we'll be handing out plenty of Nanepashemet T-Shirts.
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Which gives me an idea.....
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How much do you think people would pay for a POTW shirt??? The demand would probably be so high that I'd have to go to Asian manufacturers to handle the volume. Peeps would be hanging around my house worse than a Harry Potter book release.
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It probably wouldn't be worth the pandemonium and hysteria.

Deck Views





With the deck substantially completed, I reinstated the bird feeder and the birds returned in force. This morning Tufted Titmouses, Chickadees, and a flock of Sparrows were the guests for a breakfast of bird seed. It's neat to see the different and distinct characteristics of the separate species. Each approaches the feeder and acts differently.
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I'm pretty happy with the way that the deck railing and cap came out. It's how I originally visualized that it would look, but took a long time to materialize it. Now I'm going to stain the pressure treated deck planking with a dark, water resistant stain.
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I had envisioned a laminated and curved stair railing, but the mahogany 2x4 that I bought from Moynihan Lumber, for a totally different purpose, fit the bill nicely. It still has to be epoxy coated and varnished.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Onward and Upward

I politely declined an invite to Falls Church. Now is a time to remain positive and focused.

Milestone Burgers

So I'm headed back from Hartford when Joanne calls and tells me that she's on her way to North Conway. I'm stuck in Marblehead this week, at least until after Wed. with business obligations. The first challenge was dinner tonight.
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Sure I could get a pizza at Vesuvius, but I was feeling a little lazy from driving to and from Connecticut. When I checked out the freezer, there was a fresh box of Bubba Burgers and we also had some sesame rolls. Dilemma solved.
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Fired up the gas grill, threw on two Bubba's, took out cheddar cheese, pepperoni slices and peach mango salsa. All this on the sesame rolls and a little salt an pepper produced some of the best burgers consumed in my slightly overweight, middle aged life.
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I bet my dinner was way better than Joanne's.
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Frozen Bubba Burgers are something that you should check into.

Smart Business

Down in Hartford, Ct. this morning after setting up a small project. Panera Bread has the right idea - free internet. It makes you want to stop when ordinarily you would be dead heading to your final destination.
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I'll be checking my email, after having an asiago cheese bagel and a hot chocolate, then back to Marblehead to work on the business plan.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

The End is the Beginning

Finished the deck rail today. I even built the banister on the deck stair. Then the decking and painted railings were power washed. It all came out pretty good, but now the window and house trim look crappy in comparison. They have to be painted.
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And the area below the deck has to be completely overhauled.
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It never ends... but I guess it's not supposed to.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Fireside

What is it about sitting around an outside fire into the night that feels so satisfying???
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It must be something primeval in the human psyche.
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Starring into the fire in the deck chimura with a Dark and Stormy or a Lagavulin.... or both in short succession.... makes for a most enjoyable evening.

Tender Under Sail

Tommy O'Shea took these action photos of the Tender under sail.

Note to Self : Sailing is freaking hard.... Especially if you have no idea what the hell you are doing.

Breezy Saturday

It's a bright, cool, breezy late summer Saturday. High tide is around 3:00 PM. A perfect time to really test out the sailing abilities of the Tender.
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I'll use the morning to sand and put a coat of UV vanish on the deck cap. Then I'll fix the damage to the Tender seat that happened when Jim Peabody slipped getting in last week. By that time, it should be time to go sailing.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Threat of Success

I love it when someone doubts that we can succeed in business. It's better than high octane gasoline in the motivation engine.
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Living well is the best revenge.
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I'm thinking we will be very vengeful.
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BTW - it is not the sentiment that we will fail as much as the fearful knowledge that we will succeed that prompts our doubting friend. Success by others while the backbiters plot has to be threatening indeed.

POTW week 32

  • We had a fine North End dinner with DiMatteo, Elsier and two very ethical gentlemen at the Piccola Venezia on Hanover St. in Boston tonight.
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I do have a dilemma though.
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Elsier brought me a bottle of Lagavulin in settlement of a wager that I had won from him.
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Does this give him automatic status as a Peep of the Week if I get the Coveted Single Malt as the result of a bet, rather than a gift from a Peep?
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Definitely worth some pondering.
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I have to conclude that the receipt of a bottle of Lagavulin, under any circumstances, is worthy of automatic selection.

Announcing.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 32nd week of 2007.
  • the waiteress at Piccola Venezia with the four daughters.
  • Mike "Lec" Elsier
  • Tom Lannon
  • Len Cameron
  • Geoghan Coogan
  • Norm Chicoine
Not a bad dilemma.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Pasta Shapes

Why is it that pasta shapes taste differently?
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I like shells, but I dislike bowties. Vermicelli is good but I'm not a fan of fettucini.
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I assume that the shapes have the exact same chemical makeup... but some taste better than others.
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BTW - Macaroni and Cheese is my ultimate comfort food.... even better than Vesuvius Pizza with garlic, pepperoni and extra cheese.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Proud History



Marblehead was once the 15th largest town in the colonies. It always looked outward, to the sea and was not a Puritanical community.
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It's people were independent minded, fishermen, who rallied to the cause of American independence, and fought with Washingon in many instances, including the famous crossing of the Delaware during the mini ice age of 1775..

Stupid Name



Seems I caused a great deal of controversy with my assertion that Kate and Mike were messing with me about the Magic Hat Circus Boy brew.
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So I was wrong.... it really does exist.
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Who ever names a beer "Circus Boy" anyway!!!!
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I'd never drink it.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Business Development

"The first shall be last, and the last shall be first."
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Another Bible quote that always confounded me.
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But it seems to describe the way our Nanepashemet Telecom is progressing.
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The deals that I thought would be the first in the door are lagging, and most of our work is coming from customers that we didn't initially anticipate.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Productive Delay

I know you were wondering how the sailing launch went. After rigging up the sprit sail to the mast, and getting all of the lines in place. I pretty much lost the high tide. The sprit sail rig took a little time to figure out, but now that all of the mystery is gone, it looks rather forthright. It will be interesting to see how it sails.

So I devoted the afternoon to finishing the deck railing cap., and decided to catch the tide tomorrow morning. A good decision in that all of the rough sanding and shaping was fininshed, a final sanding at 180 grit and then the penetrating coat of West System 207 clear coat epoxy was applied. The wood will drink up this initial coat.
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A coat tomorrow morning before the sail launch should see the cap coming to life. It actually looks pretty good. Pictures to follow.

Not So Secret

A nice evening at the Oakley Country Club in Watertown with Joe Collins and Michelle. Joe shot a 73 yesterday in preparation for the Club Championship this weekend. Pretty impressive. I carefully protected my secret that I suck at golf.
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We promised to get them on the WhaleEye in Marblehead before the end of September.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Tight Schedule

This weekend the Tender Sail launch is rolled out. I have to get it done in the morning while the tide is right. After that it is do or die on the tax submissions that I have on extensions. I also really need to get a Bluefish run in, and sand the deck cap.
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Theoretically, it could all happen, .....but no way this will all get done. Monday morning will show up real soon with a 4:00 AM wake up call to get to our job on Cape Cod.
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BTW... Has anyone ever heard of a Magic Hat brew called "Circus Boy"? I think Kate and Mike are setting me up on this one.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

POTW - Week 32

Don't you think that the year is going by fast? Those late summer crickets are humming away giving a nice rhythm to warm afternoons.
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This has been one of the more eventful years for me in some time, and I'm certain that the action will not be slowing down. On the business side especially, things are in a kick ass mode.
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I hope your year is shaping up too.
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Announcing.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week of the 32nd week of 2007.
  • Joe Collins
  • Tom DiMatteo
  • Bill Hillegas
  • Maura LeClair
  • Joachim Phoenix
  • Kathy Peabody
So let's enjoy the rest of the summer and gear up for some real progress.

Gearing Up


I have a bunch of nice blues and striper fishing lures that have rusty, treble hooks. I don't know if the fish can tell the difference, but psychologically you should fish with equipment that you think will catch fish, so I'm replacing the hooks.
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At the Kittery Trading Post yesterday I bough some #4 stainless split rings and some, 1/0 Mustad treble hooks, as well as a special tool to spread the rings. Now the hooks on the rebel and popper plugs can be replaced.
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All that's left is to find some Bluefish Blitzes.

POTW Later

Remember..... you are not paranoid if they are really out to get you.
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Even you could be a Nanepashemet Peep of the Week.
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The crucial selections shall be unveiled this evening.
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Bon Cbance!

Why Fishing is a Sport

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Collins of Oakley

Joe Collins, my old UMASS college buddy and Michael's godfather, called me out of the blue today and invited Joanne and I to the Oakley Country Club in Watertown for dinner this Friday.
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I used to be able to beat Joe in most sports while in college.... which I'm sure he wouldn't admit to then and definitely not now.... but I can't come close to his golf game. Lucky we are not playing.
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Dinner will be something to look forward to.

Clams

Doug Maxfield turned us on to Essex Seafood in Essex, MA as the best place to eat fried clams about five years ago.
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Since that time, Joanne and I made the trek to Cape Ann specifically to eat here on numerous occasions. While in Gloucester today, I dropped by to make another contribution to their business.
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Doug was right then, and he is still right.

Hidden Opportunities

There are a ton of economic opportunities out there. Most arise in places that you don't suspect.
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That being the case, you have to stay in motion.
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If you aren't moving, you can't bump into anything...... And the bumps are where the opportunities hide.
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I'm finished with Maine for the time being and heading to Gloucester, Massachusetts this morning.
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Gloucester on Cape Ann is a very interesting place with a gritty middle class work ethic mixed in with exceptional natural beauty. I thought that Sebastian Junger caught the essence of Gloucester well in his best seller "Perfect Storm."

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Right and Wrong


Whenever I feel wronged by someone or something, and start to take mental defensive postures, my body starts to feel uncomfortable. Even when I am completely "right".
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But then if I realize that there is really no right or wrong, only the endless rotation of yin and yang, I start to feel pretty good again.
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It's better to let it go and feel good, because the facts and circumstances will change soon enough.
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"Those who know do not say, those who say do not know. " That Taoist phrase confounded me when I was in my early twenties, now I think that I grasp it.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Egg Rock and Katelyn

For years I have stared out at Egg Rock from the Lynn shore and never circled it in a boat until today when we took a boat cruise on the WhaleEye with the Peabody's.
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It is like a mini mountain peak sticking about 30 feet out of the water. The water depth plummets to 60 ft all around the rock, so it's a 90 ft pinnacle rising out of Nahant Bay.
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Also Kate and Stacey used O'Shea's pool while they were away.

Tender Sail Launching

I'm rigging the sprit sail that Joanne bought for me from Doyle Sailmakers to use on the Tender today. The sail was designed for the pram that I built a couple of years ago, it was never set up to use. High tide is at 5:00 PM and we'll be ready for a sailing launch by then, unless we decide to bring the WhaleEye to Brown's Island for the afternoon.
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I bought the kit for a full size sail from Sail Rite to use on the Tender, but it needs to be sewn and I'd rather use the smaller sail to see how the Tender performs
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When I build the Marblehead Gunning Dory, it will be rigged for the use of both sails simultaneously. By then I should actually have learned how to sail.

Looking Back in Time


This is a picture of the Galaxy M81.
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Who knows what it really looks like, because this is what it looked like millenniums ago, since the light just hit the Hubble telescope from 11.6 million light-years away.
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Everything that we see is a reflection of how long it takes the light of that object to reach us. Therefore, everything that we see actually happened in the past.
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Astronomical objects just emphasize that fact because of their extreme distance.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Cootie Free

It's nice to wake up back in Marblehead, in my own bed. I dislike hotels - even real nice ones. You always feel like cooties are everywhere. I don't even like to walk in my bare feet in the rooms. Yes, this does sound phobic, probably because it is.
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Anyway, there's no place like home. At least I know where the cooties come from there.

Friday, August 03, 2007

Vacation Planning


I am embarrassed that I waited this long in my life to experience the beauty of the Down East coast of Maine, when it is a half day drive away from Marblehead.
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And I wasn't even there on vacation. We can fix that.

Tee It Up

I love the smell of a communications tower in the morning.
~
It smells like.... Victory.
~

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Cadillac Mountain



Click on this map to enlarge it and see the indigenous tribes of Maine.
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I'm interested in finding the significance of Cadillac Mountain on Mount Desert Island to the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine and NewBrunswick.

POTW Selections - Week 31 in remote Maine


I know that you think that just because I'm way here up in Maine, that I'll forget to make the Peep of the Week Selections.
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That is so bogus. Forget POTW??? Not on your life!
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The thought of your lack of faith stirs anger and other negative emotions. Lucky I'm up here in friendly Maine on my best behavior, or I'd probably do something to blow off a little steam about now.

I have to make the selections now..... I can't waste too much time while I'm out in the field.

Announcing
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week - 31st week of 2007
  • Doug Maxfield
  • Tina James
  • Michael Murphy
  • Peter Crawford
  • Tom Egan
  • Tim Wakefield

Tomorrow we survey two more sites in on the coast, then deadhead the 4+ hours back to Marblehead. Mike is home from DC and Katelyn will be coming in from Boston. Looking forward to the weekend.