Day: July 5, 2008

New design, new install, good buddy

Mark Cahill, my web buddy since the days when giants roamed the earth, posted on Allthingscahill a few weeks ago that WordPress blogs needed to be kept up to date with the latest patches or risk the threat of being hacked. Having been hacked before through the XML-RPC door, I half-in-jest commented on Mark’s post that I’d be honored if he’d update Churbuck.com

Which he did. Today. Most nicely. Whenever I fire up the old FTP client and start mucking with the public_html directories I generally shoot myself in the face. While abdicating the sysadmin role to Mark sort of defeats the purpose of being a self-hosted WordPress dude, I am most grateful that he did the deed for me.

The theme is called Paalam. It is two columns. It is white (I cannot abide dark web pages) and it appears to be plug-in compliant and happy.

So — Mark. Thanks man. I owe you.

It’s a fluke


2008 07 04_0955.JPG

Originally uploaded by dchurbuck

This is the biggest fluke (summer flounder) I have ever caught. I landed it off of Succonnesset Shoal on the Fourth near the tail end of the ebb tide.

It fed four of us. It had big teeth.
The sucker was so big it hung over the edges of the cutting board.

Boat lust


2008 07 04_0949.JPG

Originally uploaded by dchurbuck

I was walking back from the town dock last night after some late afternoon fluke fishing and saw this gorgeous 14′ (or-so) lapstrake pulling boat sitting on a trailer down by the village center. I popped home for the camera and checked it out.

The oars were still wet, so someone and their friend were obviously enjoying a cold beverage at the KettleHo after a nice late afternoon row around the bay. The boat was immaculate — it looked to be only a few years old, and was put together as delicately as a jewel box. I’m not sure what the naval architects would call it. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a Whitehall because of the double-ended canoe hull. Peapod might apply, but again, not sure.

This pretty much embodies everything I’d like in a traditional boat. I’m not a fixed seat rower, but this one would fit the bill if I were one. Oh, and the leather collars on the oars were stitched on with a perfect herringbone pattern that put my efforts to shame.

 

Clinker built hulls — where the planks overlap each other — are beautiful things. This boat is riveted together with bronze rods peened over washers.

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