A new family member . . .

Recently my husband sat down at the dinner table and began conversation like this: "I think we always need to have a derelict boat in our possession." Those who know my husband will think this is a perfectly typical thing to come out of his mouth. And it is. Those who don't know him should know that he grew up boating. Sailing. Dinghy boating. Power boating. You name it. I myself grew up on a farm. There was no time or interest in boating on my family's part so my first real experiences were when I met my husband. I love the water, so I'm happy to be a part of our own little boating family. But I do have limits.

Let's get back to derelict boats. I was quick to point out that we were already in possession of a perfectly derelict boat in my parent's barn in Indiana. He retorted that we were planning to "fix her up." So we needed a new derelict boat and bygolly he knew just the one. It was a great deal and it was in New York.

Reluctantly, I agreed to buy the boat. It was a good deal, even I knew that. And as long as we have parents who are willing to loan us barn space for a boat to tinker on, really, I don't care.

So off Ian went to New York to buy the boat. Now, when I say New York I should clarify that we are talking just north of New York City. Ian buys the boat, her name is Phoebe Snow (We will rechristen her when she is up and running. Boat naming in our family is almost as important as child naming so we aren't settled on a name just yet.) To get the boat home Ian has to cross over the George Washington Bridge. If you aren't familiar with this bridge it crosses the Hudson River from Manhattan to New Jersey.

I'm not sure if Ian has ever been in the city before but I know he's never towed an old jalopy boat through. And things are not in your favor when said old boat is on an even older trailer. The trailer fairly disintegrated on the bridge.

Ian managed to locate and get to a trailer dealer somewhere nearby. Puzzled that the trailer even made it across their parking lot let alone across the George Washington Bridge the old boys at the shop told Ian they couldn't repair it. So they helped him find a place that had a new trailer in stock. Of course, that place was an hour and a half back where Ian came from. So he left the trailer there and headed out to buy a new trailer.

As Ian is telling me this story I am wondering how on earth he got the boat from the old trailer to the new trailer. This apparently weighed on his mind and those of the fellows that were currently in possession of the boat. They helped him find a local fishing pond and carefully get the boat launched and onto the new trailer.

And how exactly did he dispose of the old trailer? Lucky for him the trailer place had about fifty old, rusty trailers laying around. Some with large trees growing up through them. These weren't the kind of guys to say no to an old trailer. So they suggested he just "park 'er over there." He did.

Our good deal turned out to not be such a good deal. At least she has a new trailer. And a good story.