..."to the vagrant gypsy's life"... WHERED THE SUMMER GO?

Thanks, I'll remember that, it fits with what I might guess. I'm an allergic susy-Q and have no trouble around them, which may color my take on them, plus thinking they're beautiful. But I'll listen to your estimation of the data.

Looks like mostly the thorny barrier planting kind are the ones that thrive here, guessing those that thrive may be native - but I haven't looked at our local sharp nurseries. (I usually look for 1 gallon cans of anything at the most and the nurseries tend to work things up from there, that not meant as a complete dig.)

0 Replies

I see I'm pulling tangentially. Quiet now.

0 Replies

Ive got nothing to add on this tense subject other than the entry of a sliver of information re the Australians penchant for celebrations that involve consumption of beer and vegemite. Making holidays out of otherwise humble events is a sign of a civilization that has waay too much time on its handsWATTLE DAY

Quote:

Wattle Day is a day of celebration in, Australia of the first day of spring with the use of acacias, known by the common name "wattle" in Australia. A sprig of Australia's national floral emblem, the golden wattle, Acacia pycnantha is traditionally worn on this day. The native AUstralian males will, in a holiday induced drunken stupor, attempt to deflower the young females wearing sprigs of wattle . In 1992 September first was formally declared as "National Wattle Day" by then Minister for the Environment and Mixed Beverages, Ros Kelly at a ceremony held at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.[1] The wattle day history (incredible info)(more info www.nsw2880.com) The day was originally conceived as a day to demonstrate patriotism for the new nation of Australia by wearing a sprig of wattle, and to throw up on the statues of British Naval Heroes. The first known use of wattle as a meaningful emblem in the Australian colonies dates back to the early days of Tasmania in 1838, when the wearing of silver wattle sprigs was encouraged especially on the occasion of an anniversary celebration of the seventeenth century European discovery of the island' grape culture. However the first recognised use of wattle as a symbol of the first day of spring was the formation in 1899 of a 'Wattle and Gin Beverage Club' in Victoria by Mr A. J.("Tiidy pants" Campbell, a field naturalist. For several years the club organised bush outings on the first day in September at the annual uncorking of the surprisingly powerful semi Red Wine "Chateau Nui Sans Woga Woga". The first suggestion of a Wattle Day was made by Mr Campbell during a speech in September 1908.The first wattle day was celebrated in 1910 in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.[2]

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wattle_Day"

0 Replies

Getting ready to pack my puter and cast off. Well keep in touch when we can. Hope to see some whales basking around the Grand MAnan Channel.

"CAst off"!!

0 Replies

Way, hey, and up she rises...

0 Replies

BAAAAAACK. Took paqrt in a whalers Gam out in the cool straights.
Very sun and windburnt and very tired. Write later. Done wake me til, next Tuesday.

0 Replies

If I could combine the life of farmerman and bipolarbear -- their Darwinian adventures and sexual exploits --

That would be it. I would be a happy man.

How I envy those two.

But, alas, I tend to my sheep and dream.

0 Replies

we travelled up to da Nort Shore and did a brief trip to Montreal by car. I was able to do some fossil huntin g in the Mesozoic of New Brunswick. Theres a lot of drilling for gas going on in the shales out on Gaspe.
It seems that the new gas finds are potentially quite extensive in Us and CAnada.herever there is a nice black shale, there is a lot of gas.

Time to get back to work. Were gonna pack up the RV and hed home and I hope to sell the boat by next spring. Its fun but, with the price of diesel and my back problems, its hard to justify beating myself in the head and neck just for a long boat ride. I think Ill downsize to a nice Wellcraft (used of course, only idiots buy new boats)

1 Reply

@farmerman,

Hey fm I just finished reading Narrow Dog to Indian River. It's good, about a Welsh couple sailing a peculiar boat from Chesapeake Bay to Florida on the coastal seaway.

Might be entertaining to a chap like yourself.

1 Reply

@McTag,

thanks McT. Ill look for it. I always wanted to write such a book but our trips were always full of yo hum and only infrequently punctuated by times of terror.
I suppose that boating , sailing or tugging can be boring after a bit unless one lets ones equipment get nasty or one sails too close to ones ability.
Old pilots and old sailors have a lot in common.

1 Reply

@farmerman,

Author Terry Darlington. He's a hoot.

http://www.narrowdog.com/

1 Reply

@McTag,

Marine diesel has taken a precipitous decline so I may reevaluate my decision to sell Iapetus. We have it listed with a brokerage and Ive actually rented it out to two competent parties who wanted to do some local cruising to St John and Parrsboro.

We may go up this year and do a short putt around to the Bras D'Or area of Nova SCotia. Maybe latye August and part of Sept.

I miss the quiet days on the sea, just chugging in some direction only lately decided upon. I love sailing into the rising or setting sun.

1 Reply

@farmerman,

IAPETUS will be landing at Southwest Harbour for some fitting and we are going up to meet her and take her out on a small overnighter to Monhegan before we go any further out to sea. The last guy who rented her has apparently backed her into a piling so Im gonna see if theres any jet damage. (hope not). Diesel fule has dropped another 15 cents since I last checked. Its less than 3 bucks a gal now. LAst year it varied from 4.35 to about 5.50 all over the seaboard.

Maybe I can afford to go somewhere (I getabout 4 mpg cruisng and 2 mpg at open throttle). She carries 250 gal and we always top er off because of the damn water problems in marina fules (now that they add some ethanol to diesel even)

1 Reply

@farmerman,

Yo, Farmerman. I'm reading and paying attention!

We haven't been afloat this year yet (although as you may know, I'm a "voyaging under sail" man, and think motorboats should be kept well away from civilised people)

Unless and until, of course, an auxiliary engine has to be used.

1 Reply

@McTag,

McTag wrote:

... I'm a "voyaging under sail" man, and think motorboats should be kept well away from civilised people)

Unless and until, of course, an auxiliary engine has to be used.

When I passed my sailing license (just inland waterways and coastal region), I got - more or less automatically [more 'more' than 'less', actually] - my license for motor boats as well, even up to 75 passengers.

1 Reply

@Walter Hinteler,

"Ragbaggers" always seem to get a Mainship Trawler when they turn 60. They get tired of furling and unfurling sheets. I just got a head start on my geezerhood.

I dearly love wooden sailboats and will go waaay out of my way to see whats newly built in Lunenburg or Sou'west Harbours boat schools. Im a long time subscriber of Wooden Boat Journal.
Like people who only like dogs, I have prblem understanding the mentality of exclusivity re: "Ragbagger v Smudgepot" worldviews.
The only boats I have no real use for are the ultralight racers and off shore ciggy boats. Usually the drivers of ciggy boats are apile of high maintenance assholes who like to use their boats as instruments of domination.

Im a quiet and careful sailor who has obsessed on owning and refitting a lobstah boat for yeras before we bought her.
We designed and redesigned this tub in our heads so many times that I think I can patent some of its novel features.

I awalyas give ragbaggers the ROW and , if its neat enough, Ill radio them to take some pix as we run circles around them.

I can rig my boat as a half n half should I ever get nuts enough to want to sail the Atlantic (THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN).

Im soberly impressed at the powers of the N ATlantic and its various moods. Ive been impressed with 25 ft seas and shallow angle waves and I try not to encountyer them as a habit. Ive towed several sailboats back to harbours when they get de ruddered and (on one occasion) dismasted.

"There is nothing , absolutely nothing that can compare with merely messing about in boats",

GIMME a canoe, Zodiac, pontoon, lobstah, orChoy Lee or Pearson ketch, Ill ride em all

0 Replies

Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou.

(hey I'm gong to Oxford on Saturday- maybe I WILL get the chance to pole a punt....I've done it before, at Cambridge; I'm quite a dab hand.)

1 Reply

@McTag,

sun of a gun we'll have big fun on the bayou.

I love engaging total strangers in conversating. Want to know about the world? Meet friends at the local filling station.

http://news.aol.com/article/teen-circles-world-alone-on-sailboat/565236

1 Reply

@Letty,

I recall Robt Grahams trip I was his age when he started his trip in 1969. His boat wasnt nearly as googaw laden as this kids. The self steering mechanisms have gotten to be high tech contraptions than was the unit that Graham had. Graham was the first, everyone else is a mere detail to that page of exploration history.

I cant believe that Graham is 58 years old now. I still have all the National Geographics that covered his trip.

1 Reply

@farmerman,

The sea is horrible. That's why we crawled onto the land and grew legs. It was a dead end. You couldn't get electricity in a sea species. What you could get as a sea species is being fished out and harpooned by the species that got onto land and grew legs.

The sea just wallows back and forth and up and down. It's a dead loss. Apart from being a suitable dump for ****.

1 Reply

..."to the vagrant gypsy's life"... WHERED THE SUMMER GO?

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know