View from the Captain's Chair

I got my hair cut this morning. Not in order to look good for the christening of the Port District's new dredge--the two events just happened to be on the same day. We stood around on the dock with several dozen other folks and listened to a bunch of speeches, cheered when the woman finally managed to break the champagne bottle and pour bubbly on the Twin Lakes (see Extra), and partook of the excellent refreshments set out by a couple of local restaurants. And then: The Tour. We were allowed on board, admired all the shiny new surfaces, and attempted to understand how this thing works, sucking sand from the depths of the harbor mouth and spitting it out on the adjacent beach, a very necessary task to keep the harbor open year round. It was exactly the kind of event my father would have loved, not because he was a boat person, but because it was a chance to see something new and learn a little bit about how things work. He was forever dragging my mother around to see whatever was within driving distance: the making of a movie, college crew competitions, car shows, nature walks. 

Backstory here, if you need more information on the dredge.