The Ship That Sails

One of many beautiful large fishing trawlers that I photographed this afternoon at a wharf five minutes from one of my workplaces.

As I left the hotel this morning I could immediately see that there had been still more snowfall in the mountains overnight.  It was a quiet morning, with very little fog and cloud cover.  By the time my 10 minute walk to work was complete it was obvious that the sky was going to clear and that it was going to be a beautiful sunny and warm day.

By late morning the sky was almost completely blue, the snow in the mountains surrounding my office were reflecting back at me from all directions, and  I felt compelled to leave my desk and my still on-going budget numbers and my emails and walk away.  And so I did.

I walked towards yet another wharf - one of so many that can be found throughout the city and borough, and one that was only a few minutes from my office.

The boats at this wharf were unlike most that I have photographed up to this point. They were bigger, sturdier, less pristine and show-room, and more often than not real "work" boats. Many of them carried worn and badly chipped paint. Many were worn, rusted, faded.  Many of them were rigged up for serious fishing expeditions. Many of them had rugged and weathered workmen around them, who were busily repairing.

 

Every post that made up part of the support structure for the piers was full of these types of....barnacles? 

After all of the big boats with all the fancy fishing gear that I photographed, I think at the end of the day that this is my favorite picture from the wharf.  It's just a quiet simple boat and I love the simplicity of it after all of the complex crafts I had just seen.

The Ship That Sails

Anonymous

I'd rather be the ship that sails

and rides the billows wild and free;

Than be the ship that always fails

to leave its port and go to sea.

I’d rather feel the sting of strife,

where gales are born and tempests roar;

Than settle down to a useless life

and rot in dry dock on the shore.

I’d rather fight some mighty wave

with honour in supreme command;

And fill a last well earned grave,

than die at ease upon the sand.

I’d rather drive where storm winds blow

and be the ship that always failed

To make the ports where it would go,

than be the ship that never sails.

A last picture taken from the back entrance of the hotel late this afternoon.  Today I posed hard questions to those higher in pay grade than I am.  Today I was deflected.  Artfully.  But deflected none-the-less.  Before I bring my family here I need some answers.  Today I finally got my hands on a mountain bike.  I tested it out briefly - a well-worn community center mountain bike with platform pedals - but it both changes gears and stops when I want it to, has good tires, and after not being on a bike since before my knee surgery in early December, I can hardly wait to take it out on Saturday.  Right now it is sitting on my hotel balcony beckoning me to ride it, and to take it far away from the hustle and bustle of this small town world.