The Cast of Characters & Quick Guide to the Story

Monday, May 23, 2011

All Crewed Up with Someplace to Go



Fallen petals on a street in Marblehead.
Today was another day of change. We grew by one and it looks like Hawk will be leaving us tomorrow. When I talked with my sister, L, she agreed it would be a good idea for me to run through the current crew. So, before we embark on our longest voyage yet - first the three-day leg to Nova Scotia and then roughly 10 days down the St. Lawrence, here's who's onboard:

The Marlin is my name for our fair vessel. Our current leader, Captain Dashing. To navigate the locks of the St. Lawrence you need a pilot's license, and since Captain Flash doesn't have this yet, she has stepped down and is acting as First Mate for this part of our journey. Smith is our bosun, and I, C., am the cook.

In the foc's'le (or, forecastle, which is the cramped foreword sleeping quarters of our crew), we have Eve, our engineer; Rigby, our new gunner; Harrison, our assistant engineer and coxswain, which is the small boat we use as a tug; Neb, previously referred to only as New Guy on the Dock or New Guy #2; and today we got Chip. We will also have two paying passengers for the trip to Nova Scotia, whom I will call, for simplicity's sake, P1 and P2.

More about Marblehead
Today made me a little sorry to leave Marblehead - a town we barely had time to look at. It is super cute. Eve and I went on a walk and everywhere we went, people knew of us or had seen us, had toured the boat or been on a cruise. A lady walking her dogs stopped us to talk. The old ladies in the optomatrist's office were captivated and wanted to know more about our travels. Later, at The Landing, a woman bought us a round of drinks.

During the day I bought some truffle butter and bananagrams as treats for the crew, and chocolate and a copy of Moby Dick as treats for me.

But the highlight of my day came at lunch when Rigby told me not to buy an apron in Marblehead. "Why not?" I asked. Had he seen all the aprons in town and thought them ugly? Then Harrison and Hawk and Rigby declared in unison that I simply should not buy one. I couldn't imagine what all the fuss was about, but then Ms. Jane blurted out, "Because they already got you one!"

Monday's Menu
Lunch
lobster roll and onion rings at Maddie's
Dinner
I joined Eve and Smith, and Smith's friend who lives in town, and we split a lobster Mac-n-cheese, some unrecommendable noodle dish in a basket, and I had a bowl of French onion soup.

3 comments:

  1. We missed our phone date yesterday, damn, but it sounds like you had plenty of fun...
    I was honored to get a mention in your last entry! I'm glad my Denali-climbing-snow pit-scrabble made an impression... Lest you think that was a naturally occurring phenomenon, the snow pit is left behind from us quarrying snow blocks for building tent walls. We cut a couple giant blocks for seats. :)
    Shall we talk next week?
    xo
    CB

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  2. I guess there's no better way to work out the kinks and get to know each other like a long transit. Have fun!

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  3. Thanks for the crew roundup, and the definition. Maybe a glossry would be helpful, too!

    Bananagrams: yay! Apron pic, please!

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