One Man's Handiwork

The dog days of summer are in full force; my least favorite months of the year in the South have always been July and August. But at least it rains in southeast Louisiana in July, providing moments of respite from the heat, if not the humidity. We have had so much rain that I have not been able to keep up with the quickly growing grass in the lawn; the days are so hot and humid that I prefer leaving lawn mowing until after 5 p.m. On Friday, I edged all the flower and herb beds in the back yard while Tom put the finishing touches on the kayak he has been working on since January. Tom had been looking at kayak kits for years and decided that his Christmas present in 2012 would be just that: a kit purchased with his end-of-year bonus. He could have made the boat without a kit,  purchasing all the materials individually and cutting out all the pieces, but he doesn't have the woodworking tools (yet) for that kind of project. We had hoped to take Tom's finished kayak for its maiden voyage on Saturday, but our plans were stymied by a day full of rain. Early Sunday morning, though, we headed out to Bayou Cane, the cool breezy morning reminding me that these dog days of summer will pass. Tom's commitment to his own projects helps me endure the ennui, melancholy, and lethargy that often descend on me this time of the year.

Putting the kayak puzzle together

Tom begins stitching the kayak together, February 2013

Adding fiberglass

Tom stitching the top of the boat

adding epoxy

making progress

finishing touches

loaded up

in working order

And on Saturday, while waiting for the rain to pass, Tom canned tomatoes we had gathered from our garden.

tomatoes peeled

12 pints canned

This post is for Tom, whose energy and love of handiwork inspire me in my own work and help me to endure the dog days of life, which seem, sometimes, to come around too often.