Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Dock


The weather over the weekend was spectacular - crisp, clear, almost humidity-free.

(We are never completely without humidity just like we're never completely without ants, mosquitoes, flies, fiddler crabs, cats that need feeding, unwelcome/uninvited Canada geese, dirty laundry or grass that needs cutting.)

The setting sun combined with this crisp air made for a delightful light display on the dock.

These photos, taken from the dock and the boathouse area, won't win any awards, but hopefully they help convey the point I'm trying to make.

Believe it or not, there is a point here, somewhere. I think it has to do with lighting. Or maybe it has to do with insects those missing boards and all the other repairs the house dock needs. Still, maybe the point is I'd rather have a million cats in the yard than even two geese, because at least the cats don't leave feathers and other distasteful deposits that make it nigh on impossible to walk through one's OWN yard barefoot.

Either/or.



Below, because there aren't enough hazards already, is an old crab net that hangs right in the middle of the doorway leading into the boathouse and the fish cleaning area.

(No fish have been cleaned in this area since Pocahontas gave Gwynns Island to Captain John Smith the 1970s. Archaeological tours are available by dialing 1-800-Nothing Ever Changes.)

There are plenty--plenty--of other places we could hang this net, but for some reason we keep it right here as if we hope to catch a human.



This is a better illustration of the missing boards the light show.

The dock is vital to our survival here in Mathews. It allows us to fish, crab and--most importantly-- communicate.

Just tonight, after exchanging pleasantries from the end of our dock, I learned from our neighbor that the reason she was hauling furniture off her dock onto higher land was due to a Major Storm predicted to possibly skirt the coast here in the next couple of days.

Since I hate skirts never listen to the weather forecast; don't watch TV; rarely listen to the radio; only occasionally read anything; and seem to get by just fine on oblivion word of mouth for everything up to and including an impending hurricane what's on sale at the Best Value, I guess I'd best be gettin' ready for a storm.

To anyone out there who lives in civilization watches TV: Do I need to batten down the hatches tonight or tomorrow night?

To anyone out there who knows what it means to batten down the hatches: Please give a brief overview of how to batten, especially in the throes of a storm you didn't know was coming, and give special emphasis to the hatches, which may or may not have any particular meaning to the person you're talking to.

To anyone out there still awake: Is this thing even coming close to us here on the Chesapeake Bay?

If so, I have a lot of work to do, right after I come home from work.

15 comments:

abb said...

"(We are never completely without humidity just like we're never completely without ants, mosquitoes, flies, fiddler crabs, cats that need feeding, unwelcome/uninvited Canada geese, dirty laundry or grass that needs cutting.)"

Uh...You're talking about Connecticut...right??? (Except that fiddler crab thingy - we don't have that variety.)

deborah said...

hatches -Isn't that what skeeters and geese do?
batten- Thought that happened during baseball games.

Annie said...

mmm...it all sounds familiar...

and I would like to know if that storm is coming close too...cos my little nyc family is staying at the beach this week....argh....

hope those hatches are battened down soon...and the storm flies away from you, and my babies...

Anonymous said...

I get the Richmond news and they are only predicting a 20% chance of rain on Friday. You know how quickly that can change though. I know what you mean about last weekend. It was beautiful! I wish our humidity level was like that all the time. My hair does too! Glad you had a good vacation. The ocean can work wonders.
Trinia

Meg McCormick said...

I don't think Hurricane Earl is coming close enough to the coast to cause problems for you - maybe some higher than normal tides is all. Now the coastal beaches are going to have riptides aplenty. So I guess what I"m trying to say is, LISTEN TO THE WEATHER FORECAST!

Jamie said...

OK, Good ole Hurricane Earl is coming up the coast but according to he Sentinel (Deltaville's source for up to the minute news, well once-a-week news) they are saying that any slight change could be bringing Earl into VA they mentioned Hampton Roads area in particular. This is of course happening because I am headed down there this weekend. I'd tie down the crab net.

Ann Marie said...

DUDE!!!!! this is sooooo easy..
1. you ignore any and all warnings because it is sooo not happening.

2. continue to not listen to news or read the paper or radio.. cause then it won't happen.

3. just to be on safe side purchase double amount of wine as usual based solely on word of mouth from neighbor.

4. do nothing until Friday which is when it is scheduled to "hit" because that is what how we roll down here at least. Last time a storm hit we were in waist deep water walking around the yard retrieving things... you are supposed to make a drinking game out of it!

wv mulsh... what the heck is in my yard after a major storm.

Mrs F with 4 said...

I can't help with the storm, the crabs, the ants, the mosquitoes (got plenty of my own, thanks) or the laundry (ditto). But I *could* help with the geese. Heh heh. Want I should pay a little nocturnal visit to Gustav?

Wv. Sadam. No kidding. I AM Sadam to geese!

Mental P Mama said...

...what Re said.....I don't know about it either...I'll be in Rome when it hits. Yeah, bragging.

Trisha said...

How I yearn to be almost humidity free! 81% is just too much to walk in!

I think the net is prefectly positioned to catch unwary humans!

Daryl said...

Mama will be Rome .. well la dee dah .. I wonder if her Spanish will work there ...

Now if only Earl was the same Earl as the angel on Saving Grace ....

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

Batten is what you do when playing Badmitton and Hatches are the openings to the wine cellar. Which is where you want to be in case a storm hits!
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foolery said...

I know that beautiful light. That's the light you get with low humidity. There's a price to be paid for that light, however: gator skin, cracked lips, static in your hair and clothes, wild fires, and LOTS of Come-Heres moving out from the cities.

Your humidity keeps you free. And dewy-fresh : )

Jamie said...

And because it looks like Earl might be a little bit of an issue there, to batten down the hatches is to cover hatches (openings) with battens- which are wood strips. So basically, rip up some battens from that dock of yours and nail 'em over your windows and doors. ;)

Diane said...

I noted this thing you call humidity during my visit. My lungs were very impressed!

I hear there's a storm headed your way. I hope it misses Mathews.

Hatches are whatever was biting my legs the whole time I was in Virginia. Batten was me swinging my hands toward my legs trying to knock "critters" off them so I didn't git bit worsen I got.