No, not the emerging crocuses or the buds on the trees. Just an old Mercury wagon with buckets of tools and one large boat propeller. It didn’t look so big on Annabel Lee. But it sure as hell does in the back of the car, and the shaft goes clear up to the dashboard.
Monday I’m dropping everything off at the prop shop for inspection and balancing.
It’s been a month, to the day, since I began revisions on Last Exit. There’s so much more I could say on the subject, but at this point my brain’s past thinking of words. At this point, it has shifted to that long awaited and quickly approaching goal… BOAT!
Okay, so this weekend’s supposed to be miserable, and I still have some things to take care of house-wise, but after that… BOAT! I’ve been hording gear since last fall, getting everything together, waiting. This week, I’ll be picking up some hoses, buckets, cleaning stuff, and next weekend, the fun (?) begins!
The forecast said it wouldn’t start until 4am-6am, but by 1:30 this morning the ground was already covered. Why was I up? It seems every animal in the house, including those who never set foot outdoors, was awake, likely due to some barometric/atmospheric/lunar combination. So I didn’t get much sleep. But it’s a snow day, and I don’t have to leave the house today, so I could sleep late? Yeah, right. Frank’s up early for the bus, so now it’s 5:30, and I’m moving now, so I might as well shovel the 5″ while it’s still light and fluffy, before it doubles. Shovel the drive, the walks, the deck, while the dogs go wild in the yard. I’m soaked through by time I’m done, so I head straight to the shower. Feed animals, cook breakfast, and on to the computer. I’ve been on a roll the last few days, writing well into the night, overflowing with thoughts of mayhem and making wonderful progress.
These late February days recharge my batteries. The snow is just a passing thing. The days keep growing longer, and the trees are already shaded faint red with hints of buds. Within weeks the ground will be muddy, then green. The cover comes off the boat, and the real work begins. As I write this, I’m surrounded by boxes of gear, replenished through the winter, just waiting to be stowed aboard. I need to check the control cables on the bridge, they were sticking last fall, and I think there’s air in the steering hydraulics. Scraping the bottom, repainting, and countless other things I don’t even know yet.
It’s still snowing, and should be for hours. I’ll have to shovel again later, and set off some more fireworks tonight. Right now, I think I’ll take a short nap!
NAMED ONE OF THE TOP THREE MYSTERIES OF 2010
~ Red Adept Reviews Annual Indie Awards
“A mystery in the John D. MacDonald tradition – both in its largely watery setting and tone, the novel also brings to mind Dashiell Hammett in the complexity of its plot, and even Stieg Larsson in its use of a strong young woman with an attitude as a main character. Last Exit In New Jersey is well-paced, densely-plotted story that mystery-thriller fans will enjoy immensely.”
~ Alex Austin, author of The Red Album of Asbury Park Remixed
And who the hell is C.E. Grundler?
You can also find me posting at Write On The Water
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