I posted this on another boating site but reproduce it here as it's easier to do that than write anything. I got SEVERE spring fever today and damned lucky to do anything.

Oh my. Six of us trundled into a rental Ford van for twelve in comfort or fifteen in love. 14.9 miles per gallon for the trip. We headed up first to Olympia WA for lunch and wander some docks. Locked dock gates posed no problem for we sharp movers who snatched an opened gate and entered at will. I confess the group drew a couple of looks as we were a bit like old kids in a candy shop. Out of the blue, I saw my old Freedom 25 looking pretty good and being kept up and maybe even sailed. I had pangs as it was a very good boat! I saw all the work I'd done and imagined the work that couldn't be seen by the naked eye. My side windows treatment and forehatch lens replacement and use of Dow Corning 795 were still perfect after 10 years. The solar panel was tilted on the clamps I'd fabricated from HDPE with adjustable turning knobs to maximize the sun. It was a bittersweet sighting but I was happy it looked so well kept up.

We arrived at about three in the afternoon at a friend's place and spent the night near Seattle. Oh my. I reckon you could say several middle aged guys and a couple geezers on a tear for an afternoon and an evening. Personally I had not been on a tear for over 20 years, mebbe thirty. I didn't really know this homeowner well though had spent a night there last time I went on this trip. It really was a much more subdued trip three years ago.

One aspect was the homeowner set up his somewhat extensive guitar stuff and sang, one middle aged kid played the conga, one played his harmonica, and another a recorder. I hadn't known the homeowner had once spent nine months trying to break into the Nashville scene playing at the Ryman and at the Bluebird. Nor had I known about his cooking skills as evidenced by his preparation of very nice spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread and the food discussions that followed. I had two almond butter and St. Dalfour's jam sandwiches on rice bread toast that I'd prepared at home and brought in a paper bag. What was evident in his place was his hunting and fishing skills with hides, bearskins, and mounts all over the place...along with lavender scented accents in the bath. There was expensive scotch flowing at near breakneck pace as it was "after five somewhere." I'm writing a song for him. Got two lines already. I suspect the next lines may be more difficult to come by...

I tumbled into my sleeping bag on the floor of a back bedroom at 9:30 pm and was up 2:10 a.m. and ready to go as we readied ourselves to get there early. Apparently a couple of folks may have overindulged and we didn't get off until after 3:30 a.m. but it was only sixteen miles to go. In Seattle and within blocks of being there we stopped at a 7/11 for coffee/tea in the dark. One of the still tiddlies was going to give the two cops there for coffee a hard time about being cops and not firefighters until he looked around and noticed every other one of us had dissappeared and he stood down. Considing the potential offender is a highly placed person in a fire department, we didn't think he was being very wise.... Several of us are retired firemen..uh, firefighters.

The first thing happened upon arrival within forty feet of the van was that very same middle aged kid very likely still a bit tiddly missed a curb in the dark, tripped badly, and slammed into a van and ended up on the ground. Luckily, it didn't hurt the van and he was ok, too. Seven of us attended this event as we'd picked up another at our overnighter. We'da hated to have to put one in the van for three hours until we were done shopping before we took him to the hospital.

When we got to the swap meet and ready with our flashlights many early vultures were getting worms ahead of us. Nonetheless, with the exception of one item I saw going out, I got sixty bucks worth of a few good toys cheap and all I really needed or wanted. Brought home a nice SS three step extending ladder for the transom of Jaunty for 35 bucks, brand new but missing one half the strap, a minor thing. I got a 12" brass porthole mirror with no glass for 5 bucks, a teak faced 6X16 complete drawer for 5 bucks and hauled it all in a collapsible "crate" styled cart with extendable handle like luggage for ten bucks assembled. There was a dad and two boys selling some stuff and I beat the ten year old boy (whose dad kept saying, "it's your sale, you decide") out of a pair of used 34 dollar new price side mirror extensions for ten bucks. Old age and cunning will win out over youth and skill every time.

One guy got seven cast bronze 6X12 portlights mostly intact with beauty rings and screens for SEVENTY FIVE BUCKS TOTAL! Most sellers were asking 75 bucks EA. It was the sale of the day. One guy got some fuel strainers cheap and a 3/8" bobstay with SS turnbuckle on one end and a mechanical, hence adjustable, eye on the other for his 29' under construction. Stuff.

We ended up with breakfast at the Five Point Cafe in downtown Seattle with rock music and bacon and eggs sorts of breakfasts. The music was so loud I could see the waitresses lips moving but could hear nothing but some kind of music. I just looked at her tattoos until she upped the volume of her inquiry. The cook wore a tee shirt that said "we cheat tourists and drunks". The wall directly ahead of me had a couple of bumper stickers. One said "Jesus loves you, everyone else thinks you're an #####." The others were unprintable in this venue.

After breakfast we stoppped off briefly at the marina in Des Moines for a look. It was cold and very windy and I stayed in the van along with another. We then had a long van ride home hitting every other rest stop for we geezers. Near where we picked up our cars at the yacht club is a marine gear exchange. A stop there for a quick look at the too high prices and a potty stop, I finished off with a good lunch at Sushi Hana in Tigard and headed home, exhausted. Nothing a good eleven hours of sleep last night couldn't fix.

As an aside, the Olympics and the Cascades were both clear and snow capped and beautiful in the sun!