Ripple Effect

 Today I witnessed something that brought a tear to my eye not only because it was an act of care and  love and value of family,  but also because it brought to mind the never ending consequences of a similar event that occurred 75 years ago.   An event which was motivated by determination and bravery and value for the future generations.  An event  which if it had not   proven successful might have made the occurrence of today's  happening an impossibility.

We went fishing and camping this weekend at our local semi isolated spot.  I describe it as isolated but in actuality it is not too  " Far from the Maddening Crowd " if  one counts the arrival  of  numerous boats, owners, and trailers all in various states of repair, age, and rust. 

  It being the weekend of Father's Day there were several couples of younger men and older men out for their obvious obligatory time of togetherness  on  the recent Friday and Saturday evenings.  

 Last evening one  of the younger men was particularly chatty and seemed to approve of our camp site and cheery fire.  When this same young man and his father returned today to launch their small  14 foot aluminum boat with 9.5 hp boat motor, it was only mildly surprising that this time  they also came with lawn chairs and cut fire wood in the hull.   Upon further investigation (via binoculars) we noticed that this couple had taken their boat to a part of the lake accessible only by boat, which had  a sandy shore and proceeded set up a fire pit and a circle of chairs.   We  watched with interest as two cars arrived on the edge of the lake and several people got out with coolers, babies, and life jackets in hand and stood on shore waving to our 'picnic ready' Pop and Son duo.

Then we watched as the small boat made its way laboriously across the lake towards the shore where the waiting hoards awaited and proceeded to load as many passengers as the captain deemed safe and motored back across the lake to the sacred and well prepared picnic site.   It took three trips back and forth before everyone was safely on solid 'sand'.  Three hours later we watched as the same procedure was repeated only in reverse.  Finally a fourth trip was observed to bring back lawn chairs and coolers.. The captain had to load the  boat on the trailer at the dock and  then travel back home again  for work tomorrow.

  I am sure all involved were  accompanied with memories of happy times and sandy shoes to dream about and discuss with glee at the next gathering of the clan.


While I was watching this procedure of loading and unloading I thought of the care, attention, and determination of the Captain of the boat as he picked up family members and took them safely to their destination.  It occurred to me that the success of today's activity was probably motivated by the same type of values inherent in  the Captains of the hundreds of little boats that travelled over the English Channel to Dunkirk to rescue the Allied Soldiers some 75 years ago. The operators of so many family fishing boats like the one I saw today, which were en route to Dunkirk traveling the 20 miles across the Channel, were driven by the recognition that there was no question that they had to brave the strait in order to  help accomplish their goal to stop those who would challenge the freedoms we still enjoy  and sometimes take for granted.

  The freedoms to which I refer are inherent in such expression of family values, duty and, respect that was able to be demonstrated by today's captain and his 'evacuees' . 



Today was a balmy sunny day at the lake . 
 
The days of the Evacuation of Dunkirk were shrouded in fog. 
 
Ironic?
Perhaps. 
 
Accidental?
Not Likely.
 
 
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkirk_evacuationDunkirk


 

Trailer Boat Innovation

 

 

 

 

 1. Note the position of boat in relation to shoreline. 

 

 

 

2. Back trailer up close enough to hook up winch rope.

 

3. Hook up rope.

 

 

4. Begin winching as boat rolls along easily on extra extended tire surface.

 

 

 

5. Boat on trailer in less than 2 minutes.



 
 
 

 

 

 

With this little extra device, the trailer only has to be in the minimum amount of water to allow the boat to be rolled off quickly and easily.

 

Minky Business

10. Generators should not have to be running 24/7 while camping.  One may as well sit in their own living room with the windows open and the TV turned up to the Nascar Races to get the same effect.
9.  No one should be sitting on the bow of a boat at any time. That means NEVER...even when the boat is out of the water..and especially when the boat is on the water travelling full throttle..life jackets or no life jackets...and especially  especially if you are under five years old.

8. Red wine can truly effect your enjoyment of a Sunday afternoon..sometimes it enhances it..sometimes it doesn't.

7. The sound of someone playing the fiddle will be enjoyed the most by those who can't tell the difference between C and C#.
6.  Just because one doesn't actually plant a garden does not mean that nothing will be growing in it.

5. The chance that someone is going to drive behind your vehicle increases 100% whenever you choose to  move  your vehicle in reverse...no matter where you are...busy city streets, lonely country lane or empty camp ground.

4. It is interesting to note that the stance involved when sitting on a toilet is the  much the same as when one is sitting at a banquet, living room chair, or church pew.

3. Sometimes the people who like to think that they are  part of an exclusive group forget that maybe they are the ones being excluded from something even better.

2.  We should all be thankful that we do not have to walk in another's shoes...even for an hour.

1.  The 2nd Amendment in the United States..the one about the right to bear arms.. should be honoured (honored) but only on the condition that the arms referred to are those that were available when the 2nd Amendment was written--1791. Musket anyone?

0.  A Mink in the wild  isn't nearly as pretty, cuddly , or warm as it is when it is in a coat.

 We need the tonic of wildness, to wade sometimes in marshes where the bittern and the meadow-hen lurk, and hear the booming of the snipe; to smell the whispering sedge where only some wilder and more solitary fowl builds her nest, and the mink crawls with its belly close to the ground.”--Henry David Thoreau