I just sold the little canoe that could. There. It's done.We bought the skeleton of a 1937 Old Town HW canoe back in July last year. I planned to spend this summer, and most of 2008, restoring it to its former glory. The goal was to have this beauty ready for water by Labor Day 2008.
Well, things change. I called the Chicagoland Canoe Base to see if they had a bulletin board and ended up selling it to the guy who answered the phone. He came out and picked it up today. At least I know it's going to a good home.
The old me of 5-10 years ago would have left this canoe husk sitting in the garage for years, feeling bad about not restoring it at the same time I let it deteriorate year after year. The new, grown up, version of me recognized that I couldn't possibly start working on this for at least another 2 years and promptly found a home for it. Recognizing the problem and quickly removing it makes me feel almost as good as if I'd actually restored the thing.
Oh, I also made a small profit, and the new owner seemed really happy to have it, so I'm sure I sold it at a very fair price.
Life moves on.
8 comments:
I guess you had to sell it, but it would have been amazing to have restored it. Best to live close to reality, eh?
Danny, you're right...at least close. I'm not all the way there yet.
It would have cost me close to $1,000 to restore it in materials, and at least 100 hours of work. The end result would have been a wood and canvas canoe worth about $3-4,000. Wood and canvas canoes are just beautiful, and handle great on the water.
Working smarter rather than harder is indeed a sign of maturity. OMG you're a grown-up!
I had some of the same feelings letting go of some things around my home recently. As sentimental as I am about toy trucks my son used to play with or kitchen wares I bought when I got out of college, it's a good feeling knowing someone else will enjoy them, and they're not sitting gathering dust.
mazel tov, bubs! it is indeed an accomplishment in so many ways. it's a beautiful canoe. I love vintage chach. wait, is a canoe chach ;).
JG, if I used it as a planter or some type of decoration, then it's chach. In my garage, it was just junk. Only if I'd restored it would it have been a canoe.
Johnny, it's tough when everything has a story to go with it, isn't it? I'm about to spend the next few days cleaning out our garage and basement, I think I'll be going through the same thing.
Barbara, I almost titled this "I'm an adult now"
You rocked the boat just like you should have Bubs.
to bad I bet it would have been a fun project
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