The Resounding Theme in My Life

I think that if there is a resounding theme in my life, it seems to be that if there is a vehicle or other some sort of motorized contraption used for transportation, I can kill it. (Also automatic cameras and computers.) I mean that I seem to have some sort of touch that allows the contraptions to let go of the final thread that their ability to run properly is dangling from, not that I go out with the intention of snipping the poor little threads. I just do.

I drove my dad’s van down to visit a cousin yesterday. It was a four hour drive one way and I was thinking, ‘oh, no. Don’t break down. I have my AMA card, but how am I going to get back to point A if I blow the tranny?’ For some reason, I worried about the tranny. I suppose because those vans are known for blowing them and it has gone over 250,000km and evidently occasionally has troubles going into reverse. So, basically, I figured that I was going to do in the van. But I didn’t. Thank God!

So then today, Dad was giving me a lesson on how to drive the boat. (A wooden gorgeous, ’73 Greavette.) Getting it out of the slip, I seemed to have a bit of trouble getting it into reverse, but we chalked it up to me just being a beginner and not being ‘positive’ enough in my movements with the stick. (Up is neutral, forward are various speeds of forward and backwards on the stick is, reverse.) Anyway, we get to the ice cream place and I am working on docking it. Dad jumps onto the dock to catch the boat and tells me to put it in neutral, having had it in reverse to slow us and pretty much docking the puppy. I put the stick up into neutral. But, hang on. I seem to be moving away from the dock. That is strange.

Nope, broke the stick. Moves freely up, down, all over the place and here I am going backwards all over the place and my dad, almighty teacher and fixer is on the dock.

Let me tell you, those wooden boats are not light. Especially not when you are paddling them against the current, or even with it for that fact.

Then, of course, we get the call that Grandma’s tire is in (finally) for her car. So, great. We are forever away (by car), in a boat that is stuck in reverse. (Did I mention that I had also worried about taking out the boat? Yeah, really wasn’t so keen on it. It’s like I could feel it coming.)

So, we went for ice cream.

And dad managed to jimmy the stick into working. Or at least, getting us to go forwards to get home.

But, let me tell you. I learned a thing about momentum and physics when we parked back in the slip in the boathouse. When you don’t have reverse, it is really hard to stop the boat before it hits the end of the slip. Trust me. I tried. Thank god the boat looks better than the wooden slip (and that I wasn’t the one driving. Although, my dad probably would have been strong enough to stop the boat, whereas me…well…not so much).

So, maybe my vehicle curse will wane again for a little longer. (Oh, please!)