Tomorrow Is For Our Kids, Today For You, This Weekend, For All Of You!
A funny thing happened when you turn 15, you think that the entire planet is there for you, and that fun, is only for folks under 25. Parties, hip cool people all walking / shaking around the place. Doing selfies and posting your entire lives on various new apps that promos to be the latest thing. That’s cool, I suppose in a way, it is your world that you are entering, but not to be a downer to you. We all were 15 and we all live in our worlds. Our time. And yes, Our time is less novel, but it is more defined, and understandable. But from time to time, our world, and yours, intersect. They intersect in timeless moments, and are shared in experiences that enable all the worlds of time to meet and have a common joy.
Long time fellow Woody Boater Dennis Hansen out on the families wonderful U22 with… the family of course.
Sadly though, many of the wonderful things that can be like that vanish in time. The joy of a drive in movie, gone, the joy of a simple board game of Monopoly on a hot summer night in a cottage with no TV, no phone, just the sound of crickts and the warmth of the milky way. Sure, the cabin is there, but the cell phones and video games, Wi Fi, all have taken that away. But, your Woody Boat is still a time machine that equally can excite all ages the same way. The perfection of Varnished Mahogany, loud engine and smell of water, oil and gas all mixed is a unique experience, all while being out on the water. Somehow Cell phones and video games never get used or thought of on board or behind the wheel. That’s the true magic of the Classic Boat Culture.
My two sons out on their Whirlwind. One hit of the throttle andthe same look on his face that i have had a thousand times was there.
I am not talking about boat shows, or any formal events, I am speaking about an impromptu “lets go out and tear up the lake” kinda moment. So this weekend, get out there. Take your father and your son out. Run with the wind in whats left of your dads hair, and floor it. You will see the family resemblance in there smiles.
Thanks to Mike Mayor for today’s wonderful Header shot of his Dad, Hank The Plank and Mikes son Porter out doing what Woody Boating is all about. Having the fun of a lifetime of lifetimes.
hallmark card day on wb. Not quite ready to splash a boat, But i will be sure to take the kids/ grand kid out soon. good looking hacker.
This weekend is the weekend you start thinking about what you need to get the boats ready. Next weekend is the one where you order any needed parts or supplies in between last second mothers day shopping. The following weekend you start the work. If all goes well, Memorial day weekend you launch and water test. THEN you are ready for a family weekend of boating.
In short, you are a good month early!
Going be close to 80 here in VA this weekend! Also you can always work with your father and son on the boats. It’s never to early to pick a fight! Ha
Sunny and mid 70’s in Michigan this weekend. Water Lily may make the transition from the barn to the boat lift. That will be the official start of Summer!
I think someone else has also figured that out.
Even though it’s not a Woody the sentiment is the same. Boy hanging out on the back of the boat talking “stuff”, and dangling feet. No phones, no games, no texting but Talking.
This came last weekend from a Friend with lakefront property nearby. He’d captioned it; “Boats are in! It’s officially summer?”
Grand kids in Texas, enjoying her namesake, Cadence.
The speedboat outlaws posse. Doesn’t get any better.
Coincidence…Youngest grandson called just last night to see if grand dad will give him lessons on running the boat this weekend…You know I will….
Coincidence that our youngest son Bradley turned 15 today.
This summer he will graduate from the Aqua Loop to driving dads Cracker Box. It maybe the first of May but even though water levels are low and cold here in Ontario it was time to tryout the modifications we did over the winter.
Happy Birthday Bradley.
Seattle Yacht Club Opening Day (of boating) 2015 celebration has been going on since Wednesday – This afternoon ACBS boats will be giving rides up and down the Montlake Cut as we get people excited for the crew races and culminating parade tomorrow. Weather is looking good – mid to upper 60’s and sunshine! Always a fun event. If you want to see more – Google it, you’ll get a look at what has been called the largest waterborne party in the world. 🙂
These two are in college now. Priceless time on the water.
We’ve already has two successful days of water testing the ’69 Cavalier Ski Boat in preparation for Seattle Yacht Club’s Opening Day of Boating Parade!!! The only time the phone is allowed out on the boat is for passenger acquisition and photos!! Otherwise it’s all about the scenery and enjoying the rumble of the old 327!!
Here is a pic of the family, which got a little bigger this winter with the birth of our second son Liam (this was his first boat ride).
Matt,
Great header today!! “Hank the plank” is the man!
Liam looks like he is having a good time. My oldest son Brian was 6 weeks old on his first boat ride. He is 28 now and he owns and has restored that very boat.
Tom, that’s awesome that your son had the privilege to restore and own his childhood boat!! Liam is 5 months here, big brother Declan is 2-1/2! Maybe in their lifetimes they’ll get to help me finish the restoration of our Cavalier… I had big hopes but taking care of two kids has become my full time job, and leavese little to no time to work on the boat… How old, is old enough to work a paint roller and block sander??
Matt, Nice Whirlwind!
There is no cable or satellite at our cottage in Hessel. We have a TV and a laptop, but they are used for screening DVDs. (Good ones at that. For instance, my kids love Miyazaki films, Chaplin, and The Marx Brothers.)
There is no Wi-Fi.
There is weak cell service (right Texx?), and that’s a good thing. iPhones are rarely picked up.
The kids are not allowed to Instagram, tweet, FaceTime, Facebook, or surf at the cottage.
There is a landline. However, it might ring twice a summer, no one answers it, and no one uses it to call out. (It’s there for emergencies only.)
All this is by design for the reasons you and others mentioned above Matt. I want my kids to have a memorable childhood doing REAL things up there.
They’ll never forget the midnight swims last summer. But a night watching epic fail vids on YouTube would never be remembered.
I’m not draconian. They can and do go in town to a hot spot and check their messages and spend some online time each day. Just not at the cottage.
Do they like this? Do they understand why? Not one bit. It’s a real battle: them against Dad. But someday they will. That’s all that matters.
Makes total sense for the children. Hopefully they will appreciate it when older. Sneaking away to the “Islander” makes sense for Adults.
I have to admit the lack of Internet access at the cabin in Hessel was refreshing. Although I did discover a great WiFi hotspot in front of the drugstore on Main Street.
We have no TV or DVD player at the lake, but we do have WiFi coverage so all family members and guests can check Woodyboater throughout the day and even post comments and photos from their phones. The kids are severely restricted from electronics except at bedtime or when the weather is nasty.
As for landline phones, I think my parents used to have one of those a long time ago.
We’ve been boating for a week on Muskoka, with a woodie yet, but the 3 of us from the US came to Canada to open up and found ice was out everwhere except in the boathouse. That can make launching somewhat difficult. We’re now back home in Ga/SC/Minn from the Toronto Spring Tour, what a great event.
I guess we’re a couple of months early for the Gravenhurst Show.
One of my sons favorite memories is of the Gravenhurst Show and the ride we had on the Segwun steamboat. With all the people topside we went down to the engine room. My son and i had been building an r/c steamboat model which he told the engineer/crew. They were so excited to hear my 10 yr old son talk about steam they gave him a personal tour of the engine room and took him down into the coal bunker and gave him the “opportunity” to shovel coal into the fire box. He’ll never forget that day, most of the coal ended up on his feet trying to reach the fire box.
Eleven years later he’s traded steam boats for hot rodding BMWs and other vehicles but he still recalls that day fondly.
6 yrs later and we’re still chasing steamboat rides.
Very cool photos Floyd BTW is that a hardtop Greavette that you were using to break the ice on lake muskoka?
CK, we had no choice. I hauled it up from Ga and owner wanted to get it in his boathouse ASAP. But we had his aluminum Stanley out right after that when we found the boat lifts wouldn’t float the boats as there was 1 foot and a half of ice under the first foot of water. I “powered” the Stanley off the cradle and then we borrowed bubblers to melt the icebergs.
No cable or satellite at our Wisconsin cabin, but we have a TV to watch classic movies (like “The Great Outdoors”). We’ve been known to make everyone deposit their cell phone into a basket for the weekend. In our family we have a saying: We judge the quality of our weekends by how much we spend at the gas dock (not that Rabbit, with a Chrysler Crown is a gas hog.)
Some of my best memories are the excitement while waiting for my father to get off his damn phone and go boating. Although I don’t seem to recall the first picture, which goes to show you.