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February 2007 Konza Sailor Page 5 |
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(Continued from page 4) by Bob Mullen
Insects
It appears that the Purple Matins have helped to keep the mosquitoes in check out at the shelter. The fly population also seems to be down this year. Those black flies can really be a nuisance for sailors. The Lindgrens and Mullens recently returned from the North Channel of Lake Huron where many mosquitoes and black flies call home. The slogan up there was “One hand for the tiller; all others for the fly swatters.” Colleen and Gene even bought a second swatter! Those pesky flies remind me of a couple of stories – one on land; the other on water.
The first is about a young guy who wrote a book about his practical jokes. I forget his name but recall that he went to Cornell University, near my home. One of the stunts he related was while he was an Army clerk after World War II. Seems he was bored with the military paper mill so jokingly fabricated his own report. In those days the buildings (and even homes) had many fly stickers streaming from the ceilings. For his report, he drew diagrams of the sticker locations in the mess hall and enclosed the diagram with a narrative explaining the |
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number of flies stuck each day in the thick glue of each sticker. After dispatching many daily or periodic reports without any response he gave up the stunt. However, it was not long before his commander received correspondence from headquarters admonishing him for failure to submit his fly paper report.
The other story is about flies aboard our 22 foot sailboat while we were anchored at Milford Lake. Seems Jane had decided to combat the flies by hanging fly stickers near the bulkhead. In the middle of the night, probably in a fit of passion or dream, I flailed my arm near the bulkhead and became entwined in the fly stickers. A fight with the stickers progressed until Jane and I were both covered with the sticky glue. We were wrapped in the paper streamers, flies (many still alive) stuck to our skin or hair and with no hope of escape until dawn when we could swim to shore. Tethered together throughout the night gave meaning to the song, Stuck on You.
Hopefully, insects will not be a nuisance at the coming pig roast. It is reported that another Martin house will soon be installed on the club grounds. Fly paper will not be draped in the shelter, no matter what!
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Report from Vice Commodore: |
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So much for those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer! I haven’t had time to be lazy at all nor have I had much sailing time on Tuttle Creek. Linda and I did, however, have a wonderful sailing time in Door County, Wisconsin the first of August.
I have kept rather busy at BVYC mowing, trimming, and other stuff that the Vice Commodore is supposed to do! Wayne and I got the new railings installed at the shelter. A wood shelf sits on top of the rails where you can set your drinks while bragging about your sailing skills. The sailboat motif was well received and we plan to continue the sailboat scheme on the entry gates. Watch for that cosmetic improvement. We still plan to install steps leading to the lower level from the shelter. Hopefully that can be done this Fall.
The B.O.D. is still discussing improvements to the porta-potty, which include enclosing it within a privacy fence. The fence would allow one to use it as a changing area. Stay tuned for further developments.
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Fall Work Day is scheduled for Saturday September 23, and will be here sooner than we think! A task I would like to accomplish on Work Day is to move all the boats in the dingy park and mow & trim underneath them. If we can get that done, then maybe we could complete the same operation under the big boats and trailers. Also the wood shelf on the new railings needs to be stained.
Bring your garden tools, trimmers, paint brushes, gloves, etc. to Work Day and we will have something for you to do! Your interest and efforts in making the club more attractive will be appreciated.
Respectfully submitted, Ron Frey |
