Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Ballet on a Boat at Sunrise Before the Cranes Come
Our town is in a bit of mourning because a cabin cruiser that’s been stuck on the Lake Michigan beach since last October after the owners ‘ran out of gas’ is being removed. Its removal has been the talk of the town for weeks as, first, a company tried unsuccessfully to float and pull it away from the beach, and now a company using cranes has lifted it up over the giant rocks that prevent erosion.
The boat got there because the owners said it ran out of gas and then drifted to shore, a circumstance out of their control, except no one is buying it. Too improbable. But then the owners hightailed it home, somewhere down south, and since then, the boat has become the town pet. Quickly decorated with all manner of graffiti, the boat became a wee tourist attraction. The boat had two names: Deep Thought and SS Minnow. But names didn’t matter. Everyone knew about the boat. Last week, I ate a giant ice cream cone and watched a salvage company try to float the boat from its perch. It didn’t work.
Today, a company using several cranes is lifting the boat across the giant rocks used to prevent erosion. The boat, now filled with tons of water and sand, is way heavier than its magical little self looks. The road along the shore was closed off today while this big operation was happening. If it hadn’t been, the entire town would be down there, alternately mourning and cheering the boat that has become our sweet, weird thing.
This morning, when I opened my phone, there was video of a single ballet dancer, in toe shoes, dancing and pirouetting on the deck of the boat. It was filmed at sunrise. Ridiculously beautiful, both for the incongruity of its setting and the loveliness of the dancer, the performance was oddly moving. How did we get so attached to a big boat covered stem to stern with graffiti? I couldn’t tell you.
I can say this though. We’re going to miss our beloved boat and right now there is nothing to replace it.
We have, in our beloved town, a void.
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You really must click on the links or you will never understand what I’m talking about.
One Comment on “Ballet on a Boat at Sunrise Before the Cranes Come”
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Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
I love the video of the ballerina. The Deep Thought was incredibly and totally covered in graffiti. I hope the owners are paying for the cranes. Having lived in a small community with little excitement, I can see why the boat could become a tourist attraction. I remember some of the press coverage of the original event, but had no clue to how it had evolved.