I'm trying to reduce the numbers of things I'm storing and not using (while raising a bit of funds for present endeavors.) One project has been to sell a beautiful sailing canoe I bought perhaps 15 years ago. I used the canoe on one trip to lake Huron, and perhaps sailed it two or three other times. That should send a message.
The canoe is a beautiful end of 19th century design, hand built (not by me) and beautifully finished bright (natural mahongany plywood) all around.
To get it ready for sale, I thought I'd refinish the bottom which was getting pretty grotty. So I invested many hours stripping to bear wood, sanding smooth, sealing with expoxy, and multiple coats of varnish. If you don't look too closely it appears a a functional piece of furniture that can glide through the water. All that work was pretty gratifying. And of course the reward for all the hard sanding is the smooth stroke of the brush laying on the last shiny coat of varnish. Ummmm. Pretty much equiavlent to eating comfort food without the calories.
So the point is.....looking back, I could probably have sold the canoe as was. Maybe I would have gotten $100 less for it. But I just wanted to pass it on looking great. In one sense I wasted 40 or so hours of work. In another, I'm glad. Both Abby and Roz asked if I now wanted not to sell. Actually I'm still glad to sell and feel better about how I'm passing it on.
At another level I was cipherin' on this experience trying to see where my desire to refinish came from. Out of the deep subconscious floated my father's occupation for 30+ years.....refinishing floors....beautiful oak floors in fancy mansions, and durable floors in old fashioned factories. The apple don't fall too far from the tree. That becomes more and more evident the longer I'm around the deeper I reflect.
PS. When I figure out how to download from my blackberry, I'll load a picture.
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