Deck Repairs

We are in a holding pattern with a couple of our projects, so I used the downtime to jack up a portion of the back deck that was sagging, remove the cap cedar on the railing that was failing, and purchase the red meranti mahogany for the new railing cap from Moynihan Lumber in Beverly.
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I jacked up the sag using the tire jack from my F140, then reattached the rim joist to the garage foundation using power actuated Ramset masonry nails. The system scares the hell out me because of the gunpowder explosion used to drive the nails into the masonry, but it is very effective for fastening wood to masonry.
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The 1x8 meranti went for $2.35/lf which would probably be about $4.00 per board foot. Expensive, but with the right finish, it will add value to the deck for years to come.
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I have to get some Bondo to fill wood gaps in the curved railings tomorrow and when that cures, I'll spray paint the bannisters, railings and posts, then apply the mahogany caps. Beneath the 1x8 mahogany, I'll epoxy 3/4 strips of oak to give a sense of bulk and also a two toned cap design.

Needless to say, once I got going on this project, I blew off the rowing workout in the Harbor.

A Biological Fact

I didn't get to row in the Marblehead Harbor as planned today, because Tyler Gill invited me to join his foursome at the North Shore Chamber of Commerce Tournament at the Ipswich Country Club.
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I haven't been to that development since it was new in the eighties and early nineties. It's still really nice and the course was in great shape.
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My golf game wasn't.
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Tyler hits a nice ball, and his EnerNOC colleagues were competitive. I had to be a drag to the foursome.
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Every time I play, I think it will be different, but by the 12th hole, I'm always done - with 6 or 7 holes left. Plus the game takes so much time. If the tournaments were 9 holes, I bet that I would even look forward to them.
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My father was a good golfer, and my boys, Ryan and Mike are very capable. But the golfing gene skipped a generation, because I truly suck. I feel that I am biologically incapable to score in the nineties.

A Great Place to Workout

Today, I was reminded that rowing is really good exercise based upon the overall soreness in my body.
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Since the Tender was so seaworthy, and fun to row, I'm planning on getting in the three mile loop of Marblehead Harbor at every chance when it is high tide.
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For the next two days, high tide is around 3:00 PM.
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It doesn't hurt that Marblehead Harbor is so beautiful. Even when I was a kid growing up in Lynn, I would ride my bike to the Harbor as much as possible.

Tender Launch

I know what you are thinking.
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"That must be a good boat to keep that Fat Bastard out of the water."
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Well, you're right.
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A successful launch witnessed by Joanne, Katelyn, Peter Crawford, Jim and Kathy Peabody, Chuck and Elaine Jellison along with William's great grandfather Pa Jellison, and Linda and Tom O'Shea.
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Peter Crawford provided the color commentary.
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It did leak somewhat, and the source has not been identified.
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But the trial run was great. After Katelyn and Tom took turns, I rowed out to the mouth of the harbor and back.... about a three mile trek that took me an hour.
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The boat was very stable and fast moving - a credit to the original Herreshoff design.
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Lots of compliments from onlookers.
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It is a freaking good looking boat if I say so myself.
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I hope that Ryan and Will catch a lot of fish from this Tender in Will's future childhood years.
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It is definitely a one rower boat though. I had hoped that two could row together comfortably, but the trial with Katelyn makes this doubtful.
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The next boat, the Marblehead Gunning Dory, should accommodate two easily.
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Now the sailing rig has to be finished to see how the Tender sails.

Busy Saturday

Lots of stuff to get done today.

• Install the centerboard and epoxy glue the front seat in place
• Clean up the back deck
• Get Mike a frequent flyer ticket to DC
  
• Launch the Herreshoff Columbia Yacht Tender
• Lay a row of tiles
• Drink some Dark and Stormies

I better get busy.

Power Week

This was as powerful a week as I've had in some time.
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Moved forward with two major projects for Nanepashemet Project Management and submitted a large proposal from out of the blue, met William Nestor, my new grandson, tied up a key loose end for Sundance Pre-school, substantially finished the Tender, and confronted my mortality in Concord, NH in the midst of coming in with the low bid for the NH State Liquor Commission.
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Whew!!!
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As much as the week was exciting, I wouldn't mind a little boredom in the next few days.
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Somehow, that doesn't seem likely.

Countdown

The last step before launching the Tender will be to reinstall the centerboard and permanently epoxy glue the front seat. I'll do that first thing in the morning with fast set epoxy so that it will be dry by noon.
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High Tide tomorrow is 12:57 PM EDT. So the launch will be at 1:00 PM sharp at the Riverhead Landing , Marblehead Harbor, opposite Devereaux Beach at the beginning of the Marblehead Neck Causeway. You are welcome to attend, but it will be pretty boring.
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Contrary to popular opinion, it will not sink!!!!
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After putting the Tender into the water off of the ramp, I plan to row around the perimeter of the Harbor, test for leakage and get the feel of the rowing performance of the boat with the fixed oarlocks. Afterwards, there will be Sam Adams on the deck at Beverly Ave.
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You are welcome to attend that too, and that shouldn't be boring for long.

Can't Top This

Lots of recognition and emails from the Peeps regarding the arrival of the Grandkid, Will Nestor. It was a great day. Even the freaking squirrel laid off of the birdfeeder for a while.
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It will be hard to top that day this summer.
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Even launching the Tender this Sunday won't top it.
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Even catching a Bluefin on Stellwagen won't top it.
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Even Katelyn letting me finish a sentence won't top it.
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Even losing thirty lbs. won't top it.
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Even a case of Lagavulin won't top it. ..... (But that would be close.!!!)

Now do you see what a great day it was????

Week 24 - Peeps of the Week

The easiest week by far to pick the POTW - all for inspirational reasons, which as you know I don't normally disclose.
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Also, because of the overwhelming events, this is the only week when only four Peeps were chosen.

Announcing
Nanepasehemet Peeps of the Week - Week 24 of 2007

William Nestor
Courtney Nestor
Ryan Nestor
Michael Murphy

Next week, we should be back to a mix of annoying choices - and hopefully a Lagavulin lock in.

Happy Birthday William

William Michael Nestor joined the human race this morning at 4:56 AM, weighing in at 7.35 lbs. 20 inches. Courtney and Ryan are fine but tired. Joanne is thrilled.
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We got the call from Ryan at 5:05 AM telling us to come to the hospital, and were in the car 1/2 hr. later. When we turned on the radio, the first song was "They Say It's Your Birthday" by the Beatles. That was weird.
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Wait till you see him!! He's really put together well.
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Oh Baby!!!

A Matter of Time

If you look carefully at his aerial view of Lake Umbegog in Errol, New Hampshire.... you can see some young trout that will be harvested from the Tender... hopefully by Kid Nestor someday.

Getting Born

Kid Nestor is making his move tonight. Praying for the best.