Skip to main content

Happy Mardi Gras





Good Morning Everyone and a happy Shrove Tuesday to you all. We will be celebrating Mardi Gras ala Maine today. We’ll be out dancing in the snowdrifts in our long underwear and eating the last of the venison before we have to give up something for lent. While I don’t have any confessions (to shrive) to make I do have reason to celebrate. According to weather reports from across the country we have warmer temperatures headed this way and thoughts of spring are not far off. The kids were talking the other day about putting out the maple taps. Sunrise is at 0633 and sunset is at 1718 (5:18 PM). That is 10 hours and 49 minutes of daylight and we’ll take it, a full hour and a half more than we had at the winter solstice. Remember I told you that the cold is my friend and how much I do love the snow? Well Oscar, our propane delivery man, came yesterday and the bill for just keeping the barn from freezing was sobering. I may give up propane for lent. The sledding has been awesome as seen in the accompanying picture. The Appleton luge run down the driveway is about 600 feet and the real trick is stopping at the bottom before crashing in to the snow bank. So this has nothing to do with windjammers today except that Fat Tuesday reminds me that every week on a schooner gives me reason to celebrate. If you can't wait that long to celebrate I recommend grabbing your sled.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hail Mary

My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui

Swimming Anyone?

Good morning everyone. Winter is still here in New England though it seems to be taking a rest these days. We have enjoyed a little bit of a thaw. We still have snow covering our field but it is thinning out in the sunny patches. Mary Day rests comfortably in the harbor, bilges dry, cover intact, waiting for the crew to return. Another busy week has passed so I will get you up to speed on everything that is happening here at the global headquarters. Jen is putting the finishing touches on year end taxes. Blockfest 2008 is finally finished. The blocks have received quite the massaging. And while we have the off-white paint out we are starting in on the lifeline stanchions, the davits, and a few other miscellaneous parts. Alex asked me last night how we were doing with our pace. We are doing great but in the back of my mind I know that there is never enough time to do it all. Having perfectionist tendencies is a curse. I want to do it all and know we will never have enough time. There se

Fall Maintenance

Good morning everyone. The sun has been kind to us these past few days and the crew has been spending much time aloft prepping and painting the mast heads and tarring the rig as part of our annual fall maintenance schedule. They were a little silly on tar fumes by the end of the day hence the rat board dance moves. Am I the only one who is reminded of Willy Wonka's little friends at the sight of the crew in their tyvek suits? Schoona-loompas? The smell of tar, after all, is what we sailors live for. Extracted from the stumps and roots of pine trees through dry distillation pine tar will cure what ails you especially some skin conditions and any emotional maladies from being too long away from the sea. All we know for sure is that Mary Day’s rigging is kept hail and hearty by coats of tar mixed with boiled linseed oil. Notice that I specified boiled linseed oil and not raw linseed oil. Tar mix with raw linseed oil will not “kick”. Don’t ask me how I know this… just take my wo