Final Destination
So we're standing on a dilapidated dock in the dilapidated town of Aberdeen (nicknamed by those who know it as "Methlaberdeen"), lugging debris around for reasons which aren't entirely clear to me.
"There used to be a building here didn't there?" says someone, observing that the outline of a building foundation can be seen on the solid part of the dock.
"Yes, the Lady Washington was built right here" says The Captain. We all look around. Trash floats slowly down the river. A freight train rumbles by in the opposite direction. Behind us a Wal Mart dominates the landscape. On the fourth side, the beautiful Lady Washington floats like an island of beauty amid a droll crappy landscape. It all began HERE?
In googling public transit options just now I came across the following quote from an article that otherwise paints an idyllic picture of the REST of the Northwest:"In the hopeless town of Aberdeen, Washington, where the downtown seemed to have completely given up and moved to California, I sped past a muffler shop advertising a concrete statue of local son Kurt Cobain, who got out of town as quickly as he could. I could have gotten off and checked it out for an hour, but I decided to follow the rock star's lead and stay on the road."
(I still like this place better than say anywhere in Southern California though)
Shortly after arrival, several of us had been belowdecks watching Zombieland while sewing canvas, when a call came down for all hands to report to the dock. There we found that we were to help move a dilapidated rowboat from the dock to the shore. In order to do this without it sinking (it looked likely to) most of the crew went to the shore and a line was run from the boat to the shore. We all pulled it to shore as fast as we could (got it going pretty fast actually), and proceeded to pull it up an embankment, across a parking lot, and into the foundation of the former buildings.
Wednesday night a bunch of the us ended up playing Apples to Apples for several hours. Hilarity, of course, ensued. "Lady Washington" and "Our Captain" were written on blank cards (the latter got used for the word "Pure," much to everyone's amusement)
Thursday evening a bunch of us sat around in the hold practicing knots or teaching / learning knots. You know, typical sailor activities. Then we all sat around Daisy and she read Pippi Longstockings to us. Just typical sailor activities (:
Yesterday it dawned on me that since Sage was leaving a day before me (today), I would actually get to move into the forecastle ... for about 24 hours!
This morning moments after Sage had departed, down the ramp comes a new new-old crewmember, who apparently will be boatsitting the boat over winter break. I had sudden flashbacks to Jesse's arrival the day Daniel left and snatching up that bunk! ...fortunately she moved into the aft cabin, leaving me to move in to Sage's now-vacant bunk.
Welcome to Aberdeen, Washington
Tomorrow (Sunday) I depart the boat. Public transit my way to Seattle, crash at my friend Janelle's place that evening and catch a flight back to Southern California Monday morning.
In the mean time though I've got to hammer out some kind of LJ Idol entry on "reprobate" this evening when I SHOULD be spending one last evening with my crew. d: