04/13/2007

Father Time (our sailboat) is carrying precious cargo. For the past two days Nick has worked almost continually on transforming the sailboat into a bed for Nathan. Today it is finished (except for some small decorative touches that I will add now that construction has ceased) and Nathan is trying out this new bed for naptime. The house has been a regular lumberyard these past two days, and the sawdust has transformed our carpeting into something resembling a hedgehog. Splinters are a small price to pay for such a creative piece, but nonetheless, I will be happy to vacuum and dust now that the power tools have been put away.

I wish I could describe the boat/bed adequately. It is great! In our house, I'm the idea person, but when it comes to construction or the 'how to', that always falls squarely on Nick's lap. At first we had considered using the boat as a glorified toy box, but when we lugged the boat up to our second story apartment and situated it in Nathan's room, an incredible tranformation took place: This boat which had appeared so little and lowly on the waters of Clear Lake suddenly appeared large and dominant in these new surroundings. We were not about to take the boat back out of the apartment for several reasons. One, we were both still suffering from the hernias caused when bringing the boat upstairs. Secondly, the trailer had already been completely dismantled and placed in the dumpster. Not to worry! Plan B was just a matter of throwing on our thinking caps. A bed...of course...a way to keep the boat but have it be a necessary part of the room. Perfect!

As luck would have it, Father Time seems to have been constructed with a twin mattress in mind. Lack of a solid frame for the mattress was nothing a few 2x4's and screws could't fix. Some handcrafted railings prevent 'man overboard,' and a unique boardwalk allows easy access to the bed for the short of stature (namely Nathan). We have purchased some pillows which will be covered in nautical material and will accent the room's new theme. Nathan has a light comforter which resembles a rustic canvas but yet manages to feel dissimilar from sleeping in your average potato sack. Total project cost was somewhere in the ballpark of $70 (which I love to hear and Nick loves even more!!). Thumbs up for a creative alternative to the 'Father Time Bonfire' that I was planning. Thumbs up to having a house full of things that have memories and that no one else can ever have. Hooray for handpainted pictures! Yippee for home-sewn quilts! And three cheers for the USS Nathan (Father Time reincarnate), a special bed for our special boy!