I'll admit it's a stretch, but I can explain. Here in the northwest US we've had a cool, cloudy, slightly damper-than-usual Spring. It's all relative, of course -- my family from California would probably say we're still having winter weather here. As most of my free time has been in the garage, working on the boat, it hasn't affected me that much, but it has been annoyingly gray.
This last Saturday, the first of a 3-day holiday weekend here in the States, started out gray, too, but then ... out came the sun. It warmed to a pleasant 70 degrees F. And I was due to start sanding the interior.
We took the Boys out on the front lawn so they wouldn't be too far from the toxic dust. They LOVE the front lawn. They were staked on long ropes so they wouldn't run into the woods after a squirrel or fox or raccoon or otter or nuthatch, should one happen by, and they were situated so they could be in sun or shade. Susan put down a blanket and joined them on the lawn, getting up from time to time to trim this or that shrub.
I sanded. This was all hand-sanding, and actually began with 30-minutes or so of non-sanding, which is another way of saying Wiping Down with Denatured Alcohol. And then I sanded around the bow seat.
Even though it was sanding, it was so nice being out in the sun, I was having fun. An old song -- I do mean old -- "Summer Means Fun" -- entered my tired brain (and wouldn't leave). It was recorded back in the 60s by Bruce & Terry. Or was it Jan & Dean? I dunno. I think the Bruce guy ended up joining the Beach Boys at some point. Why do I know that?
In this particular mindless surfer tune, "all the girls are two to one," which at the time was, for Bruce and Terry at least, of paramount importance. I think there may have been a similar period during my life, but in the mid 60s I still wasn't quite interested in girls. Or boat-building.
It was during this time that I did experience my only other woodworking project. I built a wall shelf of maple in 7th grade wood shop. Do they still have wood shop in school? Or was that lost to budget cuts?
As the sanding progressed, I considered the allure of "drive in movies every night, staying out 'til half-past one." I can't make it to 11 any more. If I stay out 'til half-past one they'll find me asleep in a gutter somewhere.
Don't look too close -- you'll see all the flaws. They're everywhere. I think I'm only going to sail with my eyes closed. No, maybe not. If I close my eyes there's a risk that song will start up in my head again.
So everybody, grab
Your baggies and bikinis
Cause it's only just begun
We're gonna have a ball until the fall. Now.
Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher. Musical, if not lyrical, talent well beyond any woodworking acumen I might ever display.
In the manual they keep telling me to repeat "Sanding is Fun." It sounds a lot like "Summer Means Fun," doesn't it.
It's going to be a long build.
Until the fall now.
Cause summer means ...
