Mike, A Scavenger Hunt & my perfect new girlfriend - Updated

Mike dropped by Dock 4 this afternoon as I was rolling around on the deck, kicking and screaming because the (newly rebuilt) alternator ain't alternating. Which means The Kid's unhappy and so was I - for a few minutes anyway.

Maybe because I was feeling so dejected I blurted out to Mike that the owner of the boat moored in front of me said I could have anything on board I wanted (why he's walking away from his 1960 Chris Craft Roamer is another story).

All I saw sitting in plain sight that I really wanted was a fire extinguisher, so when Mike said "Let's go take a look" I took the bait. Mike had the smart idea of actually going into the cabin, and we spent the next three hours taking turns for the goodies: "You got the microwave, now I want the spotlight."

Mike's treasure at the end of the day was a gorgeous teak spice rack but we almost got into a wrestling match right there in the galley over the best treasure of all ... but it was my turn and I got it: a brass mermaid about 5 inches tall.

Mike spied her attached to a bulkhead near the forward berth.

She's perfect, and now she's mine.


Doin' the Mermaid Dance Playlist
On that special day (and that day may never come) when I untie from the finger and motor The Kid toward Zombie without fear or anxiety, this is the song I want playing on board.

Think visually and you're halfway there.

Watermelon Man - David Benoit