The first time on the boat, I could only stay a couple of hours. They put me to work by having me paint the white wall around the windows (on the picture below). I was sitting on the ground rolling the white paint over the freshly cut wood when I remembered how my grandpa used to be the designated painter in our family. If anyone needed painting done, he was the guy. I can still see him standing on the ladder painting the red wall on 6 bayshore. He was the go to guy for a lot of things. By the time I had done a full brushstroke, I remembered that he was an electrician in the Navy. My confusion of my obsession of this boat finally made sense.
Today, my job was to reorganize an endless amount of incredibly small objects. I emptied this box onto the floor and picked things out one by one. There were about four different categories. (Flo, if you're reading, I think this would make a great puzzle! :)
I kept thinking about this girl in my internship class who has a hard time being an assistant to an artist, running errands and doing seemingly unimportant tasks. How she struggles in feeling as though she isn't making a difference in the world. Because while sorting through the hundreds of parts, I found myself intrigued by every little part, not having seen most of them before. The purpose was irrelevant to me. I was just doing it and, for whatever reason, enjoying it.
The separating did not stop at that box, in fact it lasted over 2 hours. I went through about 5, finding homes for all the pieces. I became aware of my patience at its best today. there were a handful of parts that were no bigger than my pinkie toenail. One was a thin metal square with a hole in it. It was like an extremely tiny, square washer. I couldn't and still cannot fathom what it was/is for.
Sun shining through the classic ship window.
I never knew how these windows worked. They are surprisingly simple. I really like them. And I love this photo.
When I was done separating, my task was to paint part of the front deck. I wish I would've taken a before and after picture. Before I started, I had to vacuum, use a wire brush to get the dirt out of the crevices and then wash the floor with water and a rag. I pictured my mom with the soapy water and toothbrush on 6 bayshore scrubbing the grout in the kitchen. I'd have gone through 5 toothbrushes in order to get this clean. I couldn't get every speck of dirt up, but the purpose is to get it as clean as you can and pick up all the loose dirt so that it doesn't get into the paint. I discovered that I like painting metal better than wood. When I was done, I had to use this industrial blow dryer to blow dry the corners so that everything would dry before the temperature dropped.
I feel like this picture really captures the essence of the boat, as is.
The two guys working on it are living on it. I like these two pictures, I don't know why. Life boat living I guess.
Who needs buoys, when you've got tires?
Favorite picture ever. No filter.
After about 6 hours on the boat, I came home to a Valentine's package :)
Pete and Gina were happy about this too! So many goodies and sweet treats! A taste of home <3
What a great day <3
I might have to find time to work on the boat more than one day a week. It's so rewarding
Hope your day was as rewarding as ours!
Pete & Abbey
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