Kaimusailing

Cornelia Marie arrived early on Thursday, unusual, she had taken a day off and now wanted it to be productive. I had broken part of the rear porch steps stringer. We now glued the broken parts together and sistered solid wood to it and left it to set up overnight.
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The next day we started to put together a picnic table. In the heat and humidity we couldn’t work for long before having to run inside to the air conditioning. After a break we would run back outside and complete a few more steps. The construction was simple, 5/4X6 planks were laid on sawhorses with about 1/8” gap between the 5 planks, a pair of cleats about 2 ½ feet long are screwed to the planks, 2X6 legs with the ends cut at about 12 ½ degree angle, parallelograms, were cut to make a height of 29 ½ inches, and are screwed to the cleats. Next comes crossbeams to hold the seat planks, but here CM shows me some internet picnic table plans using 2X8’s for seat beams.
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We take a break and head to the home improvement store and buy two eight foot 2X8’s and carriage bolt hardware. The legs of the table are marked to put the beams and their 2X12 seats at 18” above ground. The beams are bolted to the legs. 2X4 stock is cut with 45 degree ends to serve as diagonal struts between the midpoint of the seat beams and the bottom of the table. We screw the diagonals to the seat beams and tip the table off the sawhorses exposing the top of the table planks, now the diagonals are screwed to the table top and the table can be tipped up further. It is done, complete. It is very solid. It is a very good table. CM orders an umbrella for it.
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There is a two day art exhibit and CM has a painting in it. We go to opening night and look at art. I toy with the idea of buying her painting but not sure what to do with it. I decide not to. Later I think maybe I should. Eve also has a nice painting shown.
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I’m starving, no lunch again, but we are headed to a tuna grille at the Legion. Orange crushes on an empty stomach. The conversation is lively at our table in the corner of a deck overlooking Daughtrey Creek and Jaynes Island. The chef is not far away with his grill on the deck. People are pouring in. Something else is about to pour in, a dark menacing cloud is approaching, we drag our table under shelter, about 20 feet. Everyone gets Ahi tuna steaks just seared a bit, I get mine medium rare. This chef knows how to do it. Great meal, however, I have been spoiled by the tuna at Suisan market in Hilo, Hawaii.
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We take turns ferrying drinks in from the bar. There is no wait staff at this place. If you get too drunk to walk to the bar to order drinks you are effectively cut off. Of the seven at our table, Eve takes a walk to talk to someone and a dark haired fellow who seems a bit unsteady plops into her seat. Soon we find out he is the plumber who fixed CM’s mom’s shower. He is from Crisfield and has that accent, plus he is slurring some of his words, CM’s mom says he fixed my pipes, he’s a plumber, he came upstairs into my shower and fixed it, and he only charged me 20 dollars. We were laughing so hard I thought I was going to die right there. Perfect timing and delivery.
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The Red Shell Shanty had closed due to extensive flooding, but this night at the Legion was very special and a lot of fun. The next day CM was preparing a pot roast that would cook all afternoon. I offered to wash the dishes. I knew she did not really like doing that chore and I like doing it, so I biked over from the marina. The water was so deep my feet on the bicycle pedals were going under water. My plan was to wash dishes, go to the boater’s lounge to watch NY Jets football preseason game, then return for pot roast dinner. It started pouring rain outside. I am stuck. Oh well, I can just watch highlights of the game on YouTube sometime later.
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It stops raining and I speed over to the marina on my bike but as I approach the lounge I notice several cars parked at the Shanty, nearby. I go by there and see they are open, I go in and set up their big screen on the game and have an orange crush. I’m happy to watch the Jets new quarterback throw 2 touchdown passes against the mighty Green Bay Packers. He would end up with a 154 QBR, which is phenomenal. Eve the artist comes into the shanty with her friend Diana. They order crushes. The game goes to halftime and I go to CM’s house for pot roast.
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CM’s mom and Buster, her boyfriend, show up. The table is set and we have a very nice meal. We still chuckle at the repartee at the tuna grille.
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The next morning I need a shower, CM is raring to get a pressure washer at the new Harbor Freight in Pocomoke, not too far away, she is there waiting at the marina and I better hurry get my mask and wallet. Off we go to Pocomoke. I buy a sawzall tool, a new blade for the circular saw, and wood and metal blades for the sawzall. How far is Don’s from here, not too far, we detour and have an orange crush apiece.
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CM puts the pressure washer together while I change the blade on the circular saw. She starts pressure washing the back steps and after a while lets me take over for a bit. In the wet grass my foot slips and my open toed flip flop falls apart. A dark cloud is approaching. We just barely finish, put everything away, and the rain hits. We take Nori the wonder dog to CM’s mom’s house on the water. Eve the artist had texted me she had a box of red wine for me, bring it and yourself to the house on the water. The ladies get to work in the excellent kitchen. The box of wine is a sweet sangria, not what I would normally get, don’t look a gift box of wine in the mouth Eve says. It actually wasn’t bad and I had some. Buster and I were out on the rear porch where I discussed boatbuilding while Buster discussed single malt scotch and had some.
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The food was once again excellent, bruschetta, antipasta salad, chicken cacciatorre with linguine. I explained why I was running around barefoot. Barefoot Boat Bum. Eve, who volunteers at the Arts Council says CM’s painting had sold. This means she has sold art in the last two exhibitions, the only artist to do so.
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The image is a photo of departing rainclouds, bye bye.