Deliverance and Restoration

Just a quick post to clarify a few things. I had already restored this dang canoe, 11 years ago, and it is in pretty good shape. Looking at the different canoes at Old Town's site, many look similar to this, but this is the Otca 16'. The Deliverance canoe was definitely an Old Town, but probably not the Otca as the layout of seats looks different than the canoe in this picture from the movie.

I wrote Old Town 11 years ago with the serial number and they sent me the shipping info where they sold it to Pt. Jude Boats in June 1968. It was originally canvassed, but I think Roger's gramps pretty quickly fiberglassed it, probably the first time he had to recover it. They do come in fiberglass now, but I don't think they did then. From Old Town's price list they sent me in 1994, you could buy one from them for $2925. I imagine they keep that price high because they have a strong dealer network and want you to buy from a dealer. Mac, you are right, canoes like this in mint condition are going for big bucks, I've seen them as high as $7K for a canoe from 1920.

This is a pic of the Otca 16, not mine but the same, pretty similar condition. Jeanne is clearly sending me Reiki about the canoe because I am boat whispering it myself. Thanks Jeanne.



As for the peeing thing, I have always had pretty good bladder control and the trip to the rope swing in Scituate was only about 40 minutes. I think there was another trip to Maine or New Hampshire where I tried to enforce the no stops rule, and Pat (was it Pat?) started to hang her ass out the window. I relented.

For marriage preservation I want to clarify that the girls at work wanted to work for me because I was the most hands-off manager (figuratively and literally), and most people had a good time working for me. I think.

Ossification

Had my ~1 year bone marrow biopsy on Monday, and passed with no sign of leukemia. I probably have had this for a year now, but we'll celebrate when we get to Feb. 9th, Dx plus one year. Only have to swallow another 2,155 pills or so, 54 more blood tests, and 12 more injections of vincristine. And one more bone marrow biopsy. And we're done!

I pulled the cover off the Old Town canoe the other day (I keep it stored at Beauchemin's) and was dismayed to see that it needs some patch-up work, sanding and varnish and paint, and a new seat. I bought this a long time ago from Roger's grandfather. He had replaced the original canvas exterior with fiberglass, but otherwise it is the same one that cracks in half in the movie Deliverance, nice wood interior, teak rails, cane seats. So I started that project today and I probably need to put in about 50 hours to get it back in shape. It is really a waste of time because we never use it, but if I don't do it the rot sets in. It has been in the water maybe once every 2 years, when we atke it into the back bay of Morro Bay and over to the sandspit. It's a 16' fishing canoe, designed for calm lakes and ponds, and I hate fishing. Kayaks are more suited to conditions here, and the canoe is a bear for one person to move around. Roger, are you out there? Does this canoe have emotional value for you?

Young John is finally getting healthy but way behind on schoolwork. Everyone else is OK, chugging along. There was an article in the paper the other day about a local 2-year old with ALL, same as me, so I called and left a message for the parents offering to tell them how some of these drugs make me feel, figuring a 2-year old may not be able to verbalize how she feels. The mom called me back and we talked for a half-hour. The kid is 6 months into treatment with many of the same drugs but no cranial irradiation and more steroids, which give her the most trouble. They first thought something was wrong when their daughter complained that her bones hurt, and she stopped walking. Her bones were so full of leukemic cells they were clogged! I am trying to remember if my bones hurt, but I don't think so. My guess is at 2 years your bones are growing rapidly, and that might explain the pain and not needing cranial irradiation. Me, I am ossified.

And as GWB said, "We got an issue in America. Too many good docs are gettin' out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their -- their love with women all across this country." Go get 'em docs!

Drifting

What a world, what a world! Had a long weekend at home with Johnny, who now has mononucleosis. I brought him into the doctor on Friday, who tested for strep and was pretty sure that was what he had. Got some antibiotics going, and by Sunday he was sicker and could barely breathe. The odor coming out of his mouth let you know he was pretty sick, like someone had crammed a hundred mushrooms in his throat. He crawled out of his bed at 7 last night and said he was afraid to go to sleep because he thought he might stop breathing. I asked if he thought we should go to the ER, and he said yes. I adopted the wait-and-see attitude I have toward ER, since we theoretically had this covered with Friday’s Dr. visit.

Dana was off with her sisters for their annual pilgrimage to the spa at Ojai, doing pilates and wearing mud masks and eating right. When she got back Sunday night, she carted John into ER right away, and they fixed him up with steroids and tested for mono, which it was, meaning the antibiotics were useless. I guess I could’ve killed him with inaction, and I am having some bad feelings about my abilities to parent any more. It’s a good thing Johnny is almost baked, 5 months and he’s 18. If I can just keep him alive for 5 more months!

I do much better with inanimate objects, and I don’t do well with them. Remember the hard drives I killed last year? Anyway, I was on my way up to Jade Cove last week, in spite of 15’ surf, and I stopped at Beauchemin’s to borrow his camp coffee maker. Some of my best beachcombing happens in his yard, and sure enough I noticed this giant piece of driftwood in his driveway, must’ve been there ten years. It was rotting in some places, but right away I could see that this piece would be perfect for a bonsai display. Sue didn’t care about it, and Mike said I could have it. He found it years ago at Arroyo Laguna, just north of Hearst Castle, and gave it to Bruce Mundt, and then Bruce gave it back some years later.

So now I have a new project, and like bonsai this could take a long time. First I have to decide how to handle the rot – either cut it out or chemically treat it. I have decided to experiment with the bottom side first, trying a chemical treatment like Liquid Wood. The thing about this piece is that it resembles a sea lion or seal, and has these large burls that would hold bonsai perfectly. I envision a piece I would call Seaside Dream, with swept-form Junipers or Cypress like you see at a windy coast. The trick is to not overwork the driftwood at the same time you make it into art, otherwise it is not befitting bonsai. It could just be a sculpture on its own, I suppose, and if I mess it up that’s what I’ll say, sorta like war with Iraq.

Today is megadose day, so I went to the docs and got shot up with vincristine, then came home and swallowed masses of pills. Johnny mono-boy was amazed that I can take all 23 pills at once, but they’re not big and line right up in the throat. All is as planned according to the doc, chugging along, bone marrow biopsy next week.