A friend many years ago called me an “obscurantist,” and I guess that since I couldn’t tell if he meant it as an insult or compliment, the obscurantist was him. But I can tease with only glimmers of my meaning or a truth, so I’ll be blunt:
I’m a morning baby; at 5:30 am I turned 57! Here‘s what I posted two years ago. Today I do all my routines at home and work; most folks I chat with along the way don’t even know it’s the very beginning of my 58th year, but I’m fine with that. Even people that know it’s that milestone for me have their own routines, obligations, and deadlines. A crewman on Aegean Sea or any other vessel heads out even if it’s his birthday or that of one of his loved ones.

Someone on that Bouchard unit off the Battery might just have to swing on the hook no matter that it’s one of those days. He probably has other ideas, wishes for the day: so do I although my long list contains only a few items.

Yet as one of my favorite songs puts it, . . . “there are planes to catch and bills to pay . . .“

Thanks to Mike Lesser for catching this shot of an unidentified tug heading north past Ossining. Birthdays remind me of motion, of how time is running out. And that makes me hate to waste time, urges me to have those experiences now.
When my Dutch celebrate a birthday, he or she who has the milestone buys the drinks. Since drinks don’t travel so well through the worldwideweb, here’s an alternative, suggested by frogma. She “tagged” me a week ago here. And her rules say, go to the 4th folder in your archives and choose the 4th foto. Comment on it. Then “tag” four fellow bloggers and ask they do the same. Email me if you’re confused with those directions. Here’s my foto.

I took the foto of John A. Caddell in Newtown Creek, the legendary stream that divides Queens from Brooklyn. The trip–September 2007– engrossed me . . . and I mean that like it sounds. I was fascinated and repulsed. Wikipedia has great info, a foto of Caddell, and fantastic external links.
And I hereby tag the following four waterbloggers: my dear bowsprite, my southwestcoast friend mage, the peripetetic captain ken e. beck, and my new irreverent friend zeebart of uglyships. More from zeebart soon.
So, no postponing my friends, no putting off in anything. Thank you all for reading this blog and responding in all the ways you do. And now I’m off in search of the next adventures.
















6 comments
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February 9, 2009 at 8:19 am
bowsprite
Tugster, Tagster, Punster, Sailor
Hunting like an obsessed Whaler
North to East, Bay Ridge to Kills,
Shooting bows and bumpers, bitts and frills.
Lucky for us!
Happy Birthday, Tugster!
February 9, 2009 at 9:31 am
Buck
Many happy returns of the day!
We’re all seeing the end closer than the beginning, but for most of us it means we better know how to spend those days. Keep on keepin’ on!
February 9, 2009 at 10:08 am
Mage Bailey
Ah, lemme tell you that I’m grateful that fourth picture was of the bay. It could have been anything. LOL
Happy birthday to you. And here I thought you were 29.
I’m over here singing that birthday song and waving.
February 9, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Peter A. Mello
Hope you have a Boat Rockin’ 57th Berthday!!!
February 9, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Jarrett @ Redwing
Happy birthday, Tugster! Hope you have/had an excellent day!
February 9, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Elizabeth
Happy birthday baby … ready to rock some more boats?