A bit of a boat

Another winter weekend though we are starting to edge above freezing for the daytime highs. A little more snow is due to pass by but, given the beating the east coast has been taking, it seems kind of weenie to complain. In addition to the weather Deb had a bunch of things to do today, so heading to the boat wasn't really an option. Among the things she needed to do was getting a new cell phone. I don't think she really wanted a new cell phone but her's was ready to upgrade, mine wasn't, and I needed a new one.

Why did I need a new one, you ask?

Well, somehow, somewhere, at some point in my travels yesterday, I went one way and my cell phone went someplace else. That "someplace else" is a complete mystery. I had it, then I didn't. Retracing my steps to where I had it last proved fruitless. So I made the loop again just to make sure I was wasting my time. At least on the boat, when I lose something, I can be pretty sure it is at the bottom of the lake and so stop looking for it. In any case I have caught back up to the 21st century by having my service switched over to Deb's old phone.

I wasn't near the boat today, but there are a few bits of the boat near to me. And so I decided it was time to pretend the season is near. Out in the shop I cranked up my little heater, loaded up the palm sander with a fresh round of 60 grit, and went after Nomad's cockpit teak grids. To give you some idea of how rough they had gotten I ground though nearly 5 hours of 60 grit. It didn't need to be that much, they are only floor boards after all. But that is one of my favorite parts of jobs like this. I can grind away to my heart's content, making dust until the grids are smooooooooth like glass, or bailing out at any point and just finishing the job. (My grandfather taught me a long time ago, getting it perfect is always the enemy of getting it done.)

But even being around a piece of a boat can make for a good day. Out in the shop, working away, listening to some tunes and drinking a cold one (or two, gotta wash the dust out once in a while) is not a bad way to spend time. I don't know that I'll finish this job tomorrow, but this is an easy one. There is a lot more work to do but it will have to keep for a bit longer. The shop is just big enough for bits off the boat.