VAN

This made me laugh when I saw it rolling down the highway. Looks like it could be dangerous in a strong wind.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

SAIL FOR MAYFLY 16

When I built my Puddle Duck, iDuck, I put a yellow sail on her. At the time, I had not seen a yellow sail. Since then, I have seen many. My Mayfly will have a yellow balanced lug sail also. I started the construction today.

LAST DAY at STRUNK HARDWARE

Today was my last day at Strunk Hardware in Key West, Florida. It was a busy day, as I was training my replacement on the dreaded "statement day" routine. It went smoothly, better than my first statement day... thank you Sheri L. (just kidding Sheri) in which I did the whole thing by written instruction.

This group of fellow employees are a great group of people, and I have really enjoyed working with them all. It is two and a half years that I will remember fondly.

CHANGE

There has been an uneasiness within me for months now. I felt the need for change, but me being the cautious one by nature, I was reluctant. Change is scary, and the unknown has always scared me.

One day, I kept hearing these words in my head: "Be bold and courageous". Since I'm not getting any younger, and one never knows his tomorrow, I've decided to have fun and enjoy life this year. I want to go and do, and experience life differently. Because my employer expects me to work five days a week and only take a couple weeks off for the whole year, I'm going to have to let them go.


Several months ago, I had a gentleman come to my work and offer me a job in his sail shop. He wanted to expand his business to include canvas work too. At the time, I turned him down because I didn't want to lose my benefits with the current employer. I still don't want to lose the benefits, but working for him, I have more control over my schedule. So, I put in my notice.

What does this mean? It means I will be going to Port Aransas to help with the SNS builds for the Texas 200. This means I will be able to sail in the Texas 200 this year. I will have more freedom to do what makes me happy.

WHAT?

Key West has a large population of artists, and some have used their vehicle as their canvas. I wanted to share a few of the rolling art pieces. These are not digitized graphics, they have been brushed on... or glued on. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

Over kill! They keep adding to it every week!

Boom box? I'm not sure.

Must like fish.

Floral design.

This is my favorite, it truly looks like a painting.

And the work is signed.

The wheels are painted too.

BACK ON THE BUILD

I haven't done a lot of work on the boat lately, but that has changed.

The rudder and leeboard needed weight. Chuck has this little electric pot that worked very well. He even donated a few fishing weights.

The leeboard guards are being made this week. Hopefully the weather will hold out for the next week. It's been very windy with a shower here and there.

FANTASY FEST 2015

Remember when you were a kid, you went on Spring Break, got crazy, went home... and thought nobody would ever know? With a camera in every hand, and the internet posts... you can't rely on that  now.

We went to the Fantasy Fest Parade last night. When some of these people walked by, my first thought was, "Before you walked out the door, did you look in the mirror and say to yourself "I LOOK GOOD!" My second thought was, "What would your mother think!" There were some that had well thought-out costumes that were really cool. There were some that just threw on a mask. There were many, like me, that didn't dress in a costume.

This year, the parade was taped and uploaded to YouTube. I could have just stayed home and watched! lol