May 18, 2023 at 2:26 p.m.
Fish Like a GIRL
What we'll do for the love of a boat
That said, when we moved, one of the big factors in choosing the house we would eventually buy was a place for the boat. At first our real estate agent did not fully grasp the importance of boat space. Then, as we chatted and looked at different places, she realized she knew some of the same people we did and they were just as crazy about bass fishing as we were. At that point, she totally got it and we went on a mission to find the boat a home, as well as to find a home for Chet, myself, and the dogs.
We did a pretty good job of that in a crazy market. After an open house that happened two days after I first looked at the house, there were five other offers on the place. Obviously, we won at that game, and still came in quite a bit under the appraised value. I was in shock almost when I got the call. For real? We were going to own that house? The cute one with the attached and detached garage with all of the incredible woodwork and built-ins inside? But it was true.
Of course, Chet and I never do things the easy way, so a heart attack that put him in the hospital in Milwaukee for about a month right before we were supposed to close on the house added more excitement than either of us were ready to handle. But eventually we closed on the house and moved in, all five of us (us, two dogs, and the boat).
To say that the "home" we found for the boat, the detached garage at the new house, is snug would be an understatement. Do not get me wrong. The boat fit into the garage... with about two inches on each side of the fenders as Chet deftly backed it into its winter hibernating spot.
Also, the boat "fit" in the garage lengthwise. As long as we put the Talons down to get through the garage door opening and then put them back up again, as long as we lowered the motor and turned it all the way one direction or another, as long as we folded the tongue in and finagled the garage door closure. As long as we did all of those things, the boat fit snug and comfy.
It was obvious, at that point, that we needed to do something. We started planning a garage remodel. Chet had a plan to raise the roof two feet and also expand it forward eight feet. Because it already sits three feet from the back property line, the only way to go was forward. Not a problem.
Last weekend, after fishing our tournament on the Stevens Point Flowage, several of the anglers from the field, as well as Chet's dad and his sister's boyfriend came over and the roof tear-off began. Knowing something is a big project and actually embarking on that project are sometimes two different things!
The guys worked their tails off and I did burgers and brats on the smoker and had a bunch of food for them. It was really a fun day, but also a lot of work. And the work had only begun.
As I began this column today, a long-time friend of Chet's who has his own concrete business was starting to cut away the concrete from the driveway to get ready to set the forms. Yes, there is concrete dust in places one would not think it could get to.
I will admit, as I was trying to work, it did get a little noisy, as they were working about 50 feet outside of my office window. I decided to take a little break. I feel pretty proud of myself only coming home with five different types of flowers from the garden center. I plan to use them for my container garden, so I reasoned that even if there is frost again, it would be easy to bring them inside. I mean, the bees and other critters are already out there looking for food, right? So I have to do my part.
One of the best things that came from the mess that the yard is now is that my raised beds, which are two feet high, are now almost full of dirt. This happened while I was out plant shopping, to my surprise and delight. There is just enough space left to get some topsoil and get to planting. Chet's contractor friend made quick work of filling those up for me, which is a great plus, even with all of the destruction before construction. Things always look worse before they look better, they say. And the yard is a mess. It is quite wet here in the spring, and driving a skid steer across the lawn has has some... side effects, let us say. But all is well.
We have plenty of time to get that fixed up, as I told Chet, who thought I would be mad about the lawn. Part of the area I had already planned as a rain garden anyway, so digging up the grass in that spot is another benefit. It is all about how you look at things, after all.
The next step, this weekend, will be to get the addition to the garage framed in. Once again, Chet's dad, his sister's boyfriend and a couple of friends will assist. I will, once again, be rolling smoke over some meat for the event.
Once that is done, we will have some other guys come over to finish the roof. As luck would have it, I saw a social media post from the real estate agent we worked with stating that her son and nephew just started their own roofing and construction business. Sometimes, no matter how hard things seem at the beginning, just having faith that they will work out and we can work through it makes all the difference.
We were not sure about getting the roofing on. I am not a fan of ladders and I still worry about Chet after his heart attack, and his dad is now 82. But along comes some kids we know and who actually helped us move a bunch of our furniture in after buying the house - and they now have their own business doing exactly what we need, exactly when we need it.
This last year has been quite an adventure. But it has also reinforced the "never quit" mentality instilled in me since I was a kid.
It may not be apparent how things will work out sometimes, but they sure do. And soon we will have a new home for our boat.
For the love of a boat, as the headline implies.
What a ride so far.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
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