Yeah! We picked up our new dinghy recently. For those of you
who don’t live on boats, think of it as the family car when you live in a place
with long distances and no public transportation. It’s indispensable…if you ever
want to get off the boat, that is, without swimming or pulling into a marina.
We realized just how indispensable it was when our dinghy was stolen in the
Dominican Republic a few years ago and we had to beg rides ashore. Generally
dinghies last a long time; the one stolen was more than ten years old. However,
the cheap replacement dinghy we bought in the DR started to leak at the seams
last year. Chris would no sooner patch one when a new one would go. Finally,
all three seams on the bow split, and an inflatable dinghy with no inflation
isn’t much good to anyone.* Luckily, while attending the Boston Boat Show this
winter, we found a new dinghy at a good price, and we just picked her up. Isn’t
she a beaut? There’s even a small forward locker where we can put groceries or
clean laundry so they won’t get wet on the way back to
Mr Mac. Woo hoo! (Yes, I’m easily pleased.) We look forward to many
years scooting across the water on her.
*Except the guys who were pleased as punch to come and take
a free deflated dinghy off our hands. I guess they’re going to use it as a
project.
Yeah! We picked up our new dinghy recently. For those of you
who don’t live on boats, think of it as the family car when you live in a place
with long distances and no public transportation. It’s indispensable…if you ever
want to get off the boat, that is, without swimming or pulling into a marina.
We realized just how indispensable it was when our dinghy was stolen in the
Dominican Republic a few years ago and we had to beg rides ashore. Generally
dinghies last a long time; the one stolen was more than ten years old. However,
the cheap replacement dinghy we bought in the DR started to leak at the seams
last year. Chris would no sooner patch one when a new one would go. Finally,
all three seams on the bow split, and an inflatable dinghy with no inflation
isn’t much good to anyone.* Luckily, while attending the Boston Boat Show this
winter, we found a new dinghy at a good price, and we just picked her up. Isn’t
she a beaut? There’s even a small forward locker where we can put groceries or
clean laundry so they won’t get wet on the way back to Mr Mac. Woo hoo! (Yes, I’m easily pleased.) We look forward to many
years scooting across the water on her.
It was rather apropos that during this, our con season, the
Museum of American History was hosting the exhibit Fantastic Worlds: Science and Fiction 1780-1910. This period was
rich in scientific advancement and discovery, inspiring writers to twist the
new knowledge into fascinating fiction. For example, the emerging sciences of
chemistry and electricity inspired Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The exhibit discussed the influence of exploration on
land and sea, of geology and fossils, astronomy, aeronautics, industrial
mechanization, and more, on people’s imaginations. If you have a chance, check
out this terrific exhibit.
