MLC

I will be turning 40 in a couple of months. I am desperately looking for signs that will tell me what form my mid-life crisis is going to take. Motorcycle? Sports car? Boat? Trophy wife? Loud clothes? Gourmet olive oil and single cask whiskey? What I have is two bikes, an old car, no boat, a durable wardrobe and my wife is my own business thank you and I love her very much. No change planned in that department.

(I want to make it clear that I am a cycling enthusiast with an aversion to gear. I like riding my bikes and I want them to be reliable, that's it. No doo-dads, newfangled wheels, fancy transmissions or stealthy nanomaterials for me. I have anti-puncture tires, a split saddle, a package holder with bungee cord, fenders, three-speeds and a coaster brake.)

My better half knows that I have dreamed of building a cedar strip canoe for too long. She bought me a magazine about wooden boats yesterday. Beautiful pictures. There is a whole new language in this magazine that I desire. There's a great article about an Irishman who rebuilt a wooden fishing boat into a sailing yacht in a warehouse in Chicago. Larch decks, oak stem and ribs, galley and bunks for 10. The magazine included plans for building your own skiff from plywood-- it can be rowed, sailed or motored, looks kind of fun.

But I'm not convinced yet that my MLC will take the form of a power sander, epoxy resin and spar varnish.

There is an old saw that a man is supposed to plant a tree, build a house, father a son and write a book (thanks to Eldon). Check, pretty much check, double check and working on it. (I haven't built a house but I did build a playhouse, and have rebuilt most of the house we are living in.)