The Show!

"Sometimes You Watch The Show,
Sometimes You Are The Show!"
-Bob & Nancy Lawson

To this day, this is one of my favorite pieces of zen wisdom. I first heard it in a harbor in the Bahamas. There, it was all about anchoring or mooring one's boat. Some evenings, you could sit with a bottle of Pinot, feet up, back against a padded rest and watch, while some poor couple was "publicly" humiliated for their sins - or at least for missing the mooring. Other evenings, suffice to say, you were poor couple, suffering beyond imagination.

Yesterday at around 5 pm. That was us. Only substitute the Sperry-sporting onlookers for mumbling Mainers who really wanted to help.

You see, lot #1 at Thomas Point Beach Campground has quite a few trees still on it, adding to the rustic charm, and also to the challenge of parking an 8x26 foot box in the middle of it.

"Why donchu-bumble-mumble-dumble there and thenble dumble see the viewble bumble mumble do?"

"Yeah, we were thinking that, but we're gonna just try this first...."

"Yumble dumble k-then bumble lots of space over thumble too."

"Ok, we're just going to try this and then we'll see how it goes."

So, we backed in, pulled forward, backed in, pulled forward, a little left, a little right, a little "Look out for that TREE!" Then right, left, DAMN!

"Hey, still not quite in thumble dumble mumble over to thumble?"

(please note: underneath all of our frustration with parking, we were dying with silent laughter because Tim had been deftly impersonating this exact Backwoods, ME accent for the last 3 days. You can imagine Lindsay and I trying to hold it together.)

"Yeah, we were thinking of just turning around."

"Yeah, or you could bumble thenble umble overumble trumble."

"Ok. We think we've got it now, thanks for the help."

So we pulled out, pulled back in, dodged a couple more trees and found a spot. Phew.

Yeah, not so much.

After 10 sweating, jerking, tugging minutes in front of the crowd, the 5th wheel hitch just wouldn't let go. Turned out the truck has to be parked straight in front of the trailer. What fun, the show ain't over 'til the fat lady sings! So, back we went. Straightened it all out, parked again, and voila!

Time for an "Anchor-beer!"

The miraculous thing about all this, is that the show we put on pales in comparison to the show we've got out our window right this minute (see photo). And as an added bonus we're greeted with knowing smiles by everyone who was there for our debut!
-j