Building Gypsy Rose

The days have grown short and our decks are covered with ice as the morning sun rises over Shelburne Bay. For the past five months we’ve been greeted with the sunrise over water as our daily routine begins.

Our “neighborhood” consists of about 60 boats moored around us at the Shelburne Bay town moorings. Doug lives aboard Kite, a 36-footer three boats to the north. Cal and Nancy arrive on most weekends to sail Inida Wind II. Ken and Fran are getting to know their newly purchased Islander 36, Release, but were gone for much of the season delivering a sister ship to our own, Raven (Pacific Seacraft 34), to the Caribbean.

Stan and Elizabeth’s boat (above) stands silhouetted in the early morning light.

In April I took a position with Local Motion, a Burlington-based bicycling and pedestrian advocacy non-profit. In the photo above, Marion and I arrive at the member soiree at the Snow Farm winery in South Hero. We rode to the event in style on a stretched out recumbent tandem.

The photographer for the local newspaper Seven Days had us hold that pose for many, many shots as he collected images for a story featuring Local Motion. Clockwise from top left, Charlene, Brian, yours truly, Leanna, Chapin, and Todd.

Marion spent many of her days growing a large portion of our summer’s food in our garden space at the Burlington Community Gardens in the Intervale along the Winooski River.

I don’t know why brussel sprouts have taken such a bad rap. We love them and enjoy them on the plate often.

Marion planted a flower and herb garden at the center of the vegetables. Marigolds bloomed in abundance.

By the time I’d make it to the garden after a long day’s work, I was usually too tired for much more than simply watching Marion contentedly go about the work of nurturing our plants. With fingers and toes deep in the soil, she works with ease and contentment to bring food to the table.

In addition to my work at Local Motion, I kept busy on the water as well. Once or twice a week I loaded a 32-foot wooden Cornish pilot gig with youth rowers and helped them learn to pull together. In June, July, and August, I rowed with kids from Spectrum Youth Services and the King Street Youth Center. In September I formed a rowing club at Burlington High School. On October 11th their practice and teamwork paid off when the crew won their division at the James Wakefield Regatta. The event drew 120 youth rowers to the Burlington waterfront for a series of races in the harbor.