The Pride of Baltimore II

Back in the day, when Anne was still working at the Army Corps of Engineers, her boss once espoused, “Now folks, let’s not go pole-vaulting over mouse turds here.” Then that was just Dilbert-speak, but today that was my reality. You see dear friends; I’m too short to high-jump over the mountains of mouse turds and posthole-beetle sawdust that we found here. Fortunately, Dan was here and we were able to shovel our way clear of the monumental mound of rodent poop. Actually, the sawdust was way worse than the excrement, but I suppose that the beetles do do-do too. Frankly, I’m not sure how effect the fumigation was, based upon the amount of dust and how widespread it was, but enough of that sh!t, I’m retired now and I’m at the cabin, let’s live a little. It is different being here will so few other people and as the ‘responsible’ adult. I promise that I won’t burn the place down; at least until Jane arrives later tonight, then it’s all on her. I met Corey this morning, Janet’s amore. He, his mother and sister were at the Jack and Fran’s cabin. Dan and I went to town for brunch at Penny’s Kitchen, there being no food in this cabin. Afterwards, it was Walmart. I got out of there for only $100, when I was expecting more than twice that. I now understand their allure. Not much of a beach day today, being cold and windy and not much of a beach either, still a very good day. Any day at the cabin is better than a day at work and since I don’t have anymore of the latter, I better stick with the former.

The Pride of Baltimore II is a replica of the original War of 1812 privateer. The original, as a privateer made it a legit pirate, which seems somewhat contradictory. The Viking long ship, which we weren’t able to see, due to its weather delay and our schedule, almost never made it to Bay City in the first place. The problem being the un-budgeted $400K cost for a pilot. After crossing the Atlantic, the ship settled for a visit just to Bay City and will skip the rest of the tour. If you were to ask any medieval Briton about the Viking, they would surely call them all pirates. I’m reminded by this long ship’s difficulties of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, The Pirates of Penance. In that show the central storyline is put into play when the protagonist’s nannie mistakes her instructions and apprentices her charge to a pirate, instead of a pilot. It sounds like the later would have been way more profitable. OBTW, while several of the tall ships fired a cannon upon arrival, the Pride let loose a broadside.