The Tail End of Summer

Ha. It's not quite the end of summer by the calendar, but as we are returning to Seattle Saturday and schools are starting, we are putting things away at the island. Getting this grey rowing float out in May and putting it away in September is not a small job- we have to recruit some help, usually another couple we can talk into it. Our friends are getting less enthused about this. :-) So this year, H and I dragged it away from our dock and down to the ramp by the boathouse on the beach at the end of the bay last night at high tide. Today at low tide, we separated it into 3 parts (It's kind of like tinkertoys...) and then our neighbors with a gaggle of teenagers and their friends pitched in to do the last. There is a generator and a winch to drag it up the concrete boat ramp, (which scrapes off a lot of the barnacles and mussels) but then we have to pull/push it over into the grass where it spends the winter. It gets heavier every year! We have NEVER had 12 people before - was the quickest yet! But I couldn't resist this photo. You can't tell the teenagers from the 50 year olds!
If you wonder what the heck I'm yakking about, Here is the float at the dock.
It's half height so good for the rowing shells, and handy to pull up other boats and kayaks.