Dory Progress

Lately, a lot of you Peeps have been asking me how the Dory is coming along. Do you think that I don't sense the sarcasm and ridicule in this annoying question?
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You obviously know that I have neglected the Dory project, yet you persist in asking me about it's progress!
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A lesser man would undoubtably burst a gasket and shower you with obscenities, but you have pitted yourself against my superior discipline and self control.
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The fact is that all of my projects are ultimately geared to construction of the Marblehead Gunning Dory. First I have to fit out the basement so Mike will have a place to entertain when he ventures to Marblehead from South Boston. Then I have to make a series of tool boxes to organize my growing tool collection. And I'm thinking or seriously milling some birch logs into bench posts for a workbench that I have been contemplating for some time now.
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Also, this period of inactivity has given me the perspective to make the dory into a dedicated inshore lobster boat with a primary outboard power option and space to transport traps and bait. The Red Riser Davit Pulley System will be incorporated into this design as well as the Honda 9 HP Four Stroke.
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Plus, I've been grabbing ideas from my Brother Boatbuilders on the Web.
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So I really haven't been neglecting the Dory. It's just been mental progress rather than physical.

Bags

Tyler Gill needed some technical assistance in cutting some holes in plywood for his BAGS equipment. So we cut a template then routed it.
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For those of you who need some structure in your life, here are the rules.

What's Your Plan?

Why all of the interest in what I'm doing this weekend???
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Don't you have your own life?
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You do, and it's time that you stop living your life vicariously through my experiences.
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But just so you don't get hit cold turkey, I guess I'll have to let you in on my weekend plans.
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Tomorrow, I plan on getting some details on my Maine Swan's Island Coast Guard survey done early in the morning, then off to Moynihan Lumber in Beverly to buy the moulding for the basement work. If I still have some gas left, I'll set up the chop saw in the basement and start installing the ceiling moulding. I'm actually looking forward to it.
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That should take me through Sat and Sun until the Patriots game, at which time I'll kick back and plan the attack for next week's Nanepashemet Telecom's conquests.
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So now why don't you figure out what the hell you plan to do this weekend!


Tuna Lips said...
I'mma gonna glaze some hams! Coo Coo!

At Katelyn’s Request

Katelyn asked me to blog the episode in the life of Lauren Rathbone. Normally I would not concede to this type of request, but I thought this it was extraordinary that Kate asked me to Blog something, rather than remove something from the Blog.... plus it's really funny.

 

Lauren writes....

I have never been so embarassed in my life...I went to market basket tonite after the boys went to bed, and I have been trying not to eat sweets inorder to lose the 20 extra pounds they have left me...Well I had a major breakdown at the store and bought a slice of Boston creme pie,,who does that...But I was too embarassed to eat it at home(more like could not wait)...So I ate it driving home, well all the sudden "I get pulled over...The cop asked me if I was drinking because I was swerving on the back road..I had to tell him no I was shoving PIE in my face before I get home, because I broke my diet...He laughed in my FACE....I never in MY life think I have been so mortified,,,,and I cannot tell Jason he will never let me live it down...I was crying I was so embarressed !!!! I tell you I wish i was drinking...

POTW Week 43

So I was out at Swan's Island, Maine, 10 miles off the coast of Acadia National Park by Ferry, today, doing a tower survey for General Dynamics and the US Coast Guard.
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Not a tourist destination.
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I think that if I ever decide to cash it in and be a recluse, I will head to Swan's Island. No restaurants, one tiny store, no gas stations.... only a ferry landing, a Town Hall, some very scary housing and some high end vacation homes, interspersed with lobster wharfs and boats.

Clearly a place for contemplation. Speaking of deep thinking.....

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 43th week of 2008

Dexter Lee, Swan's Island Selectman
Murdoch Staples, Swan's Island Chairman of the Planning Board
Sarah Crawford
Eric Johnson
Paul McCauley
Will Murray

Tomorrow, I return to Marblehead, but not before taking a detour through Scarborough, Maine to see my old friend, Bill Shanahan, who is a member of the Planning Board there. I'm thinking that Bill might have some pull with the big Cabelas store that just opened there.

Smoke Clears

OK .... politics aside. My prediction is that the economy will continue in a downward slide, as per its natural cyclical nature, the Iraq war will continue on as Obama is faced with the realities and consequences of a swift withdrawal, and tax policy won't vary all that much.
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The Democrats and the liberal newsmedia will blame the Republican legacy, and the Republicans will splinter off into critical bomb tossers. Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson will continue to be transparent biased assholes.
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And so it goes.
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Our system of checks and balances works well despite all of the obnoxious nuances.
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And for God's sake, get off of Palin. It's over... you won.... if she is so stupid, why are you so afraid of her?????
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So I think the Palin bashing will continue.
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The one thing that I'm very concerned about is the resolve that the Terrorists will have to test Obama. After Bush kicked the shit out of Saddam Hussein, and sent that worm, Bin Laden underground, they haven't had the balls to crawl out of their holes, but I'm nervous about their next move to see how Obama will react.

Pride and Caution

Peeps.
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I have to rush to Maine. No rest for the weary, but I couldn't leave without letting you know that Obama won the election.
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Yes he did, and there are millions of race cards that can never be played again in this country. An African American has been elected President by an overwhelming majority. That in itself is something to be proud off. I'm happy to have seen it in my lifetime, regardless of Obama's political beliefs.
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That said, buckle your seat belts and hold on to your wallets. We are going on a wild ride.

Tuna Lips said...

Sage advice, Kemosabee. Known pickpockets, the Obama clan is, and generically previously inclinated to lifting things, then blamin' the likes of the Tuna kin fer only doin' as they does. And fer what, them teenagers wandered onto my property, and I could employ them fer my benefits. Show me otherwise, and take my picuture off that website. Level 3 my eye! If anything, Level 1!

But gettin' back to yer musins, there is no chains on me, and I am the president of my own destination! Tuna has spoken!

Additional Peeps

We suspected all along that Sarah Crawford was pregnant.... what with her enormous breasts and rather extended tummy.
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She proved us right today by giving birth to two little daughters named Charlotte (5lb 2 ounces) and Phoebe (4lb 11 ounces) at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
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Congratulations to Chris and Sarah and thanks for bringing some more joy to the world today. We'll be keeping a close eye on these Crawford girls in the years to come.

From Peter Crawford, and Worth Repeating.

You know you're from Boston if....

1. The Red Sox World Series win was the greatest moments in your life.
2. The guy driving in front of you is going 70 mph and you're swearing at
him.
3. When ordering a tonic, you say a Coke.
4. You went to Canobie Lake Park or Water Country as a kid
5. You actually enjoy driving around rotaries.
6. You do not recognize the letter "R" as a part of the English language.
7. Your social security number starts with a 0
8. You can actually find your way around Boston.
9. You know what a "regular" coffee is.
10. You keep an ice scraper in your car year-round.
11. You can tell the difference between a Revere accent and a Dorchester accent.
12. Springfield is located "way out west."
13. You almost feel disappointed if someone doesn't flip you the bird when you cut them off.
14. You know how to pronounce names like Worcester, Billerica, Gloucester, and Haverhill.
15. Anyone you don't know is a potential idiot until proven otherwise. (heheheh)
16. Paranoia sets in if you can't see a Dunkin Donuts or a CVS Pharmacy at all times.
17. You have driven to New Hampshire on a Sunday just to buy alcohol.
18. You know how to pronounce Yastrzemski.
19. You know there's a trophy at the end of the Bean Pot.
20. You order iced coffee in January
21. You know that the Purple Line will take you anywhere
22. You love scorpion bowls.
23. You know what they sell at a Packie.
24. Sorry Manny, but number 24 means DEWEY EVANS.
25. You know what First Night is.
26. You know at least one guy named Sean, Pat, Whitey, Red, Bud or Seamus.
27. McLobster = McCrap!
28. You know at least 2 cops because they were your high school drinking
buddies.
29. Sure there are 6 New England states, but Connecticut & R.I. really
don't count.
30. You intentionally give wrong directions to tourists, then say to
yourself ,"Ah, screw them."
31. You know at least one bar where you can get something to drink after
last call.
32. You're sick of the Kennedy's, but you vote for them anyway.
33. You know holding onto the railing when riding the Green Line is not
optional
34. The numbers '78 and '86 make you cringe.
35. You've been to Goodtimes before
36. You think the rest of the country owes you for Thanksgiving and
Independence Day.
37. You have never been to "Cheers."
38. The words 'WICKED' and 'GOOD' go together.
39. You've been to Fenway Park several times.
40. You've gone to at least one party at U Mass.
41. You own a "Yankees Suck" shirt or hat.
42. You know what a Frappe is.
43. You've been to Hempfest.
44. You know who Frank Averuch is.
45. ADVANCED: You know Frank Averuch was once Bozo the Clown
46. You can complete the following: "Lynn,Lynn......"
47. You get pissed off when a restaurant serves clam chowder, and it turns
out to be Snows.
48. You actually know how to merge from six lanes of traffic down to one.
49. The TV weatherman is damn good if he's right 25% of the time.
50. You never go to Cape Cod," you go "down the Cape".
51. You think that Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon are more evil than Whitey Bulger.
52. You know who Whitey Bulger is.
53. You went to the Swan Boats, Seven Gables, or Plymouth Plantation on a
field trip.
54. Bobby Orr is loved as much as Larry Bird, Tom Brady, and Ted Williams.
55. You remember Major Mudd.
56. You know what candlepin bowling is.
57. You can drive to the mountains and the ocean all in one day.
58. You know Scollay Square once stood where Government Center is.
59. When you were a kid, Rex Trailer was the coolest guy around. Speaking
of which...
60. You can still hum the song from the end of Boom Town
61. Calling Carrabba's an "Italian" restaurant is sacrilege.
62. You still have your old Flexible Flyer somewhere in your parents'attic.
63. You know that the Mass Pike is some sort of strange weather dividing
line.
64. The only time you've been on the Freedom Trail is when relatives are in
town.
65. The Big Dig tunnel disaster wasn't really that much of a surprise.
66. You call guys you've just met "Chief" or "Boss."
67. 4:15 pm and pitch black out means there's just 3 more shopping days until Christmas
68. You know more than one person with the last name Murphy
69. You refer to Savin Hill as "Stab 'n Kill."
70. You've never eaten at Durgin Park, but recommend it to tourists.
71. You can't look at the zip code 02134 without singing it.
72. You voted for a Republican Mormon as Governor just to screw with the
rest of the country.
73. 11 pm? Drunk? It means one thing: Kowloon!
74. 2 am? Drunk? It means one thing: Kelly's Roast Beef!
75. 5 am? Drunk? It means one thing: You wish you had a blanket in your
back seat
76. You know that P-Town isn't the name of a new rap group.
77. People you don't like are all "Bastids."
78. You took school or work off for the Patriots first Super Bowl Win
Parade.
79. You've called something "wicked pissa."
80. You'll always get razzed for Dukakis.
81. Saturday afternoons meant Creature Double Feature with Dale Dorman
82. Sunday mornings meant the Three Stooges on Channel 38
83. You've slammed on your brakes to deter a tailgater.
84. No, you don't trust the Gorton's Fisherman.
85. You know that Papa Gino's usually has a jukebox.
86. You think Aerosmith is the greatest rock band of all time!!!!!!!!!
87. Your town has at least 6 sub shops, and none of them are a Subway.
88. You know at least three Tony's, one Vinnie and a Frankie.
89. 20 degrees isn't that bad as long as there ain't no
wind- then it gets wicked cold.
90. You were very sad when saying goodbye to the Boston Garden.
91. Thanksgiving means family, turkey, High School football, and Alice's
Restaurant.
92. You know the guy who founded the Boston Pops was Athah Feedlah.
93. You know what the Combat Zone is.
94. You actually drive 45 minutes to New Hampshire to save $5 in sales tax
95. You pull out of a side street and use your car to block oncoming
traffic to make a left.
96. You've bragged about the money you've saved at The Christmas Tree Shop.
97. You've been to Hampton Beach on a Saturday night.
98. Playing street hockey was a daily after school ritual.
99. Hearing an old lady shout "Numbah 96 for Sioux City!" means it's time
for steak.
100. You remember Jordan Marsh, Filene's, Grants, Bradlees, Caldor, Zayres,
or Ann & Hope.
101. You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from
Massachusetts

Fall Protection

I don't see the point in this incessant raking of leaves. Plus the freaking tree in front of my house still has leaves that are green and are just waiting for me to finish raking so they can fall when I kick back on the couch.
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In the old days in Lynn, we used to pile the leaves up and burn them. The smell was so neat... it was the quintessential scent of autumn. Naturally that is illegal now. Government is doing it's job protecting us from ourselves. Something about fire hazards, although I never remember any problem burning leaves when I was growing up. Maybe we were just lucky.

A Cool Name

Many of you continue to ask the rather annoying question, "Where did you come up the name of this Blog?"
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Before the Pilgrims landed, the Sachem Nanepashemet of the Naumkeag band of the Massachusetts Algonquin tribe was the ruler of all of the land along the coastline from the Charles River in Boston, to the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth, and north as far as the New Hampshire White Mountains.
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He was killed in a raid in 1619 by the fierce MicMac Tarratine tribe that inhabited the Maine coast from the Saco River northward.
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There is a lot more to the story, but that is all I feel like telling you now.
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This turn of the century hotel that used to be on Marblehead Neck was also named after him. Apparently, other people over time have thought it was a cool name too.