...... do oft times gang a'glee.

Burns words could not be more true this past weekend as our big plans to be out on the boat waxing and washing and getting ready for launch came to a screeching halt with a torrential downpour on Sunday. Probably just as well as it was Mother's Day and daughter Kayt arrived on a surprise visit for the occasion. Barb and I were next door at the Bistro 138 for their Mother's Day brunch and were just sitting there when Kayt and her stepson walked in. Queue the waterworks as Barb managed to choke back the tears! In the pouring rain Kayt got us some lobsters for Mother's Day dinner (much better than the pork chops that I had planned) and we had a good visit before she had to head back to Halifax. It didn't do much for our boat chores, but truth be told we weren't going to get much done anyway in the rain and it was more fun to have her there to chat with. This coming week is pretty much shot for boat work: Monday night we have a beer tasting party to go to (crappy job, but we have to do it to support a new local enterprise), Tuesday I will be in Halifax for a medical appointment but maybe we could do something when I get back, Wednesday and Thursday there are town meetings in the evening, and that brings us to Friday (and rain), Saturday (more rain), and Sunday (you guessed it, still more rain). The week after looks OK though.......

This past Saturday the volunteers put the club docks in. This was my first year to be able to here and help and wow, was it ever impressive. They have the whole operation down pat and were able to do the whole thing, docks, finger piers, electrics, all within a half an hour. It was rather like the exercise in herding cats with about 20 guys all milling about, then rushing about in little knots, shouting at each other to fetch tools, pins, cotter pins, etc. Truly a scene of organized confusion but the fact is the job got done and without mishap, other than one fellow who fell into the harbour accompanied by much laughter from those watching. And as I said, all done in about three hours. If you look at the phot accompanying this post you will see one lonly figure standing at the end of one dock in the foreground. That would be me, surrounded by my closest friends. I am told that the extraction in the fall is even slicker. At the end of the effort we were all rewarded with free hamburgers and hot dogs. Barb and I even had a visit from some folks that we knew from the Squadron back in Halifax who have a 60' power boat. We spent the time renewing our acquaintance and trying to convince them to come down to Shelburne with their boat for a visit. Once they have been here it will be easier to get them to move down permanently. Hee, hee, hee!

Still I am guardedly hopeful that within two weeks we will have Nelleke alongside at the club again and we will be getting her ready for our first weekend foray. It'll be a short one just our the harbour to McNutt's Island on Friday night for the weekend. Hopefully we will be able to persuade other cruisers to join us there.