In Which I Buy a Boat

For quite sometime, I've been on the lookout for a cayuko, which is a small, wooden fishing boat made from a hollowed out log. Last fall, I saw one that had been cut in half the short way, fitted with shelves, and stood on end for a book shelf. I thought it was such a clever idea! So ever since, I've been sleuthing the beaches for old abandoned ones, which occasionally turn up when they become too old to be sea worthy.

Well, my boat showed up in the lagoon outside our gate a couple months ago. The lagoon used to be the river, but when it rerouted a few years ago, it left this huge body of brackish water. The cayuko, too beat up and full of holes to take out in the sea, seemed to be public property, with lots of different people using it to cross back and forth over the lagoon. I asked our gardener, Julio, if he knew anything about it, and he said he'd keep an eye out for the actual owner. That was months ago. Then last week, Julio reported that the owner was there and wanted to sell. After a bit of negotiation, we agreed on a price. Then, I just had to figure out how to get my prize into my yard. Being a little bigger than I'd thought and completely water logged, Julio and I couldn't lift it, but fortunately for us, our circus neighbors were willing to help.

I haven't gotten around to sawing it in half yet, but the girls think it's great fun to play in!

Hadley is a big fan of Dora the Explorer right now, so the boat was just the thing she needed to complete her helmet/backpack ensemble and ensure hours of adventuring fun!