This marks my first attempt at public writing
outside of primary and secondary education.
I'll
assume you're laughing with me.
My
goal is to entertain, inform and provide a better sense of
manly, flannel wearing testoneronial balance to a fine publication,
albeit one that's a bit on the frilly side. (If you're reading
this, it means I have yet to upset the publisher too much).
You'll be reading about my personal exploits of enjoying the
outdoors with a family that includes five children (ages six
months to nearly 19 years old), my mom, my in-laws and a cocker
spaniel. Another one of my goals is to help you avoid the
mistakes that I make and better facilitate your awareness
of all the really cool things there are to do in Michiana.
Enjoy the articles.
As
stated in the bio, I've been working on my boat in preparation
for the upcoming season.
It's
a 1987 Sea Ray 268 Sundancer. Nearly all the boat manufacturers
include a number in the boat model that denotes its approximate
length. I guess that would mean that my boat is 26.8 feet
long. They were real specific that year. If you include the
swim platform and the bow pulpit, (remember what Quint was
standing on with the spear gun in Jaws?) the boat is about
30 feet long.
My
wife and I named the boat "Mile Zero" which represents the
end of Highway One in Key West, Florida. It signifies the
end of the pavement and the beginning of water. It's an attitude
thing that reminds us to leave the worries at the dock.
The
art of working on an "older" boat is a balance of the simple
enjoyment of doing a job by yourself and justifying the time
away from your family. There is always something to fix with
a more experienced boat. When working on a boat, any job you
think will take 20 minutes should automatically be tripled
and then multiplied by pi. The distractions include other
boat owners to talk with, other boats to look at, daydreaming
about your next BIGGER, newer boat and then actually doing
the work. Yes, it is lots of work and yet, it's strangely
satisfying.
The
only hitch was a low reading on my voltmeter. This is an indicator
of either bad batteries or a burned up alternator, or both.
In that the batteries were new, it had to be the alternator.
I took it out, got it tested, (it flunked) and repaired. I
just had to remember which wires attach to the connectors
on the alternator when I put it back. The reinstallation went
without a hitch. Let's stop to examine the manliness quotient
here.
I
just saved about $300.00 by doing the work myself. That means
I get to strut around with the knowledge that I fixed a significant
problem. I also get to spend another $150.00 on boating or
fishing equipment because everybody knows there is a 50% return
on money you would have spent by fixing it yourself. At least,
this is how I made the argument to spend more money on the
boat with my wife. Very high on the manliness quotient, very
low on the winning-an-argument-with-your-wife meter.
Family
Stuff
One
of our favorite family things involves cruising along the
beach in Lake Michigan on a very hot day with low waves and
warm water. We then find a semi-deserted beach, anchor in
about four feet of water and commence the swimming, Frisbee
throwing, sand digging and walking along the lake.
When
I look at the prior sentence, it really doesn't sound that
exciting or glamorous. Or manly.
It
is one of the few things, however, that everybody participates
in and somehow allows us to lose ourselves to a very basic,
simple level of family fun. It's one of those activities that
you know that as it takes place, gets saved to a very vivid,
dolby stereo, Hi-Def section of your brain that you can replay
at will. These memories get me stoked for each successive
year of boat prep and work. When I'm in the senile senior
citizens' home, I hope to keep the "family boat day" files.
I
can't wait for next weekend.
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St.
Joseph, Michigan is about an hour away via the 20 bypass
north or Old 31 through Niles. Things to enjoy include
Silver Beach, the Curious Kids Museum, walking on the
pier and of course, boating. If you decide to take your
boat for a day on Lake Michigan, check with the Coast
Guard for their advisories on wind and waves. Usually,
winds below 10 mph are best for boating and will not
produce waves that can be hazardous. Make sure you have
PFD's (personal floatation devices, a/k/a life jackets)
for everyone on the boat. Actually wearing them is also
a good idea. Now go and have some fun.
Reference
Websites:
www.uscg.mil/
www.wunderground.com
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