WE GOT A CANOE.

WHO WANTS TO COME CANOEING WITH ME?!?! Seriously, who wants to come canoeing with me?


Here's how it all went down:

Kara and I had emailed this person on Craigslist who was selling a nice looking canoe. 16' and bright blue. We wanted it. AND WE GOT IT. It was a great price for the great quality and overall awesomeness of the canoe.

The canoe was located in Manchester, NH, which is not too far from where we live. So, Kara picked me up from work in Kittery on Friday, and we headed down 95 to the 101 and over to the Queen City. We found the location of the canoe pretty easily and tied it down to the car with some straps that Kara had bought earlier in the day. SUCCESS.




Yes, that is Kara's car with the canoe strapped down, parked in front of Mr. Mac's, which is a macaroni and cheese restaurant located in Manchester. DOUBLE WIN. We knew that we would want to celebrate our new canoe with some macaroni and cheese. And it was pretty delicious. The girl working there asked me and Kara if we were twins. NOPE! Surprisingly, that girl is like the one billionth person to ask us that. We get it all the time. And it makes absolutely no sense because we don't think we even resemble each other even just a little, tiny, teensy bit.

Anyways, the car looked great with the canoe on top.



Now, due to our hectic work schedules, it was a few days before we were able to take the canoe out for her maiden voyage. Or at least, our maiden voyage with her. We had been searching and searching for something to name her, and had finally come up with Nancy Blue. A play on Nancy Drew, because the canoe was adventurous and blue.

SO, I had been reading up all morning on boat blessing ceremonies and how they're necessary in order to keep the water Gods at bay (haha. "at bay.") I had read through all 7 or so pages of a traditional boat blessing and picked out some parts that I really liked and thought were the most important. After all, we weren't launching the boat in the ocean, and it was only a simple canoe. BUT - I didn't want to skip any necessities that would mean bad luck.

So, I went to the grocery store and purchased a bottle of fine $6.99 champagne, printed out the blessing and we took the canoe to the lake!

We get to the lake and start loading things into the boat when Kara spots a tiny nameplate at the bow of the boat. We read it and it says,

"Welcome aboard the MOONRAKER." Then, in small letters at the bottom it says,

"For a fun time
la belle epoque."

Which means, 'the beautiful era.'



So, then we had a quick captain's meeting and decided that we would keep the name of Moonraker and call her Nancy Blue as a nickname.

Moonraker is the name given to the very highest sail on a sail boat, usually only used for speed. I think it's a sweet name. Moonraker.

So then we brought the boat down to the water for the blessing ceremony. Kara opened the bottle of champagne, ready to pour over the bow. This is what I read,

“In the name of all who have sailed aboard this vessel in the past and in the name of all who may sail aboard her in the future. We invoke the ancient Gods of wind, Aeolus, and the sea, Neptune, also hailed as Poseidon, to favor us with their blessing today.”

“Mighty Neptune, King of all that moves in or on the waves, and mighty Aeolus, guardian of the winds and all that blows before them! We offer thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past. We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm and enjoyed safe passage to port.”

"In return for this, we rededicate this vessel to thy domain in full knowledge that she
shall be subject as always to the immutable laws of the Gods of wind and sea.”

“Oh mighty and great ruler of the seas and oceans, to whom all ships and we who venture upon your vast domain are required to pay homage, implore you in your graciousness to take unto your records and recollection this worthy vessel hereafter and for all time known as __________( new name), guarding her with your mighty arm and trident and ensuring her of safe and rapid passage throughout her journeys within your realm”.

“In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal this pact with a libation offered
according to the hallowed ritual of the sea.”

“In appreciation of your munificence, dispensation and in honor of your greatness, we offer these libations to your majesty and your court.”

And then we poured the champagne over the bow!!! It was an exciting time. Then we took some sips, but not very many because it was warm. I had also read that to ensure your safe return on your maiden voyage, you are supposed to place a branch of green leaves at the stern of the ship.




Stern first, into the water. We eventually turned the boat around.





And we were off!!!!!




This was the area from which we first saw the lake. Way back in December. By all those electrical equipment. Today when we were there, it was making a lot of noise, which must meant it was doing something important. Also, there were giant orange balls floating in the ocean:





EXPLORING THE LAKE WAS AWESOME. So full-filling and amazing. Like, we couldn't believe that we were actually there.





We found this nice little bay which we canoed around for a while. We ended up naming it Michael Bay.





It was such a beautiful day!!! The lake is gorgeous and so big. There are lots of islands floating around.




Also, lots of tiny clearings on the shore with CAMPSITES. Campsites that at one point were probably the home of an awesome high school party that I was not invited to. Not that I would get invited to a high school party now, because I don't know anyone in high school. But, rather, a possible high school party that I was not invited to when I was in high school.

POINT IS: apparently I was lame in high school. ALSO, I've seen more people I graduated with this year than any other year since I graduated. It's been a little crazy. But mostly awesome. Mostly happy, but also a little sad.

ACTUALLY, the point IS that the lake is totally awesome. And that one night Kara and I are going to have our own awesome party at one of those probably illegal campsites.




Also everywhere: LILYPADS.
Also everywhere: DRAGONFLIES.

Seriously guys, this lake is infested with dragonflies. There are probably a billion. And they just land in your boat and hitch a ride. And then me and Kara say,

ME AND KARA: Hey pal, get outta here!

Seriously though, that's what we say.




AND - there are some birdhouses!! In trees!! Much like the one pictured above. It's a very interesting lake, because there are some small human additions that make for an overall mysterious experience.

The lake itself is actually man made, formed by a dam made across the former 'Hatfield Bog.' That's probably why people call it Hatfield Pond. Where the name Murdock Lake came from, I have yet to find out.

Kara was at a bonfire the other night and she heard a myth that there are bodies at the bottom of the lake. She also heard a myth that if you drive down Ridlon Road at night, your car shuts off. I tested that rumor last night and my car worked fine. I was prepared for a ghost encounter, though.

But, getting back to the bodies - the lake used to be a BOG! Which relates back to when we were in Ireland two years ago and went to the Bog Bodies exhibit in Dublin. About when they found all the beautifully preserved bodies hidden in the bogs. BOG BUTTER!!

I guess that doesn't really relate. Whatevs. That was a cool exhibit.






Then there is this little part where the island connects ever so slightly to the land. What's the geography term? ISTHMUS!!! Yep. Had to Google that one, but got it eventually. It's pretty over there.




Another campfire site!









I have probably at some point in this blog talked about how I want to find the road that connects Long Swamp Road to Ridlon Road. I think it's more of a glorified path, actually. But, it's there. And you can't access it by car from the Long Swamp side due to a large gate.

And there is a section of road that crosses the lake. AND I BELIEVE IT TO BE THIS SECTION, as pictured above. We tried tying up the boat and getting off to explore this area, but it was too marshy and gross and too dragonfly-y and so we aborted the mission. Instead, we'll walk the path by foot sometime, because we DID find the access point on the Ridlon Road side.

You have no idea how excited I was to find this. Like, YOU HAVE NO IDEA.




OK. So this is an island Kara and I have named 'Shoe Island.' We wanted to look at this path closer, so we canoed up to it. As we got closer, Kara said,

KARA: OH MAN. You're not gonna believe this...


THIS IS WHAT WE FOUND:



A PAIR OF SHOES AND SOCKS. Stranded on the island. We tried to figure it out. There was no boat anywhere near this island, so if there was a person on this island, they must have swam out. But why would they swim in their shoes and socks?? MYSTERY. Which makes me believe that there are in fact, Island Folk that live on these islands. The birdhouses, the shoes, the campfires...





After exploring the lake for about three hours, we decided to row back to the shore.




"...and they returned safely home."


I put that in quotes because it sounded like it was maybe a line from a book.

What great explorers we are.

Here is a map of some of the places we just talked about!



Penguin Island is named for a piece of wood sticking up in front of the island, and when I saw it at first, I thought it was a penguin. Kara thought it was a baby goat, hence the Goat Island in parenthesis. I've also marked the location where we launched our boat, and also Ridlon Road, because I talk about it a lot and am obsessed with it.

Oh it was so fun. so. fun.

We went back to the lake the next day and did some more canoeing/exploring. I hung my feet over the side of the canoe while Kara paddled!! It was super refreshing.

We're actually really great paddlers.

CANOE: so far it's a great thing. The paddles are great - they have pictures of feathers on them, which is something I didn't even notice until we were using them. The canoe is a bit heavy to lift onto the car, but we've done it without problem every time. It took a few tries to feel safe with it strapped to the car, but we've got it down pretty good.

Our arms are gonna be ripped by the end of the summer. It's hard work lifting and paddling. I think I'm gonna buy some sort of makeshift car rack so that I can take the Moonraker out if I ever want to go out with one of you. Or, someone other than Kara. Come with me!

In other news: I just painted my fingernails hott pink and my toe nails mint green. Fresh, summery and crisp! Watching 'Chopped' right now. Think I'm gonna go get some sherbert.

Been really thinking about my compass tattoo. I want it, man. Bad. I really feel lacking in direction. And it's so great and general, it scares me. I feel scared because I have absolutely no idea where I'm going. I'm not doing anything substantial. I'm feeling disappointed in myself and also with the way things in my life are turning out. And I'm torn between feeling like I shouldn't complain because I have it better than a lot of people, but also feeling like I need something good to happen in my life, because I'm sort of stuck in this phase that I don't know how to get out of. And I think it's a negative thing, which I'm trying to turn into a positive.

That didn't make sense because it was totally cryptic.

Yeah. I'm sure it's a negative thing. And I've tricked myself into thinking it's a positive. And now I feel tangled.

I have also been toying around with the phrase 'downward spiral' when thinking about my life over the past few months. Not like, being totally serious, just like, wallowing, mostly. But I shouldn't complain, because I'm mostly being stupid about everything.

OKAY. That was enough depressing stuff, right? Yeah. You're totally like, "omg, what's up with Julie, she's so weird and depressing!" You're totally running for the door. Closing your web browser. Turning the computer off.

Thanks for listening, friends. This is a safe place for me. I've had this blog for a long time now, and it kind of feels like home. If I were made up of the alphabet, all these entries are what I would look like.

Love you guys,

Captain Julie


☸ ☸ ☸