Power, Rebirth, History, Family, Love & Adventure!

"But human experience is usually paradoxical, that means incongruous with the phrases of current talk or even current philosophy."
~George Eliot

Welcome back to the continuing saga of the Old Ship's Wheel...and the renovation of my beloved KingsCraft houseboat.

After introducing the romantic idea of the Old Ship's Wheel on my blog, I received lots of feedback:

• PLEASE tell me you bought it! [Ann]
• It might have been Christopher Columbus's!! He sailed the ocean blue! Or it might have come off the Titanic! Oh wait, that was 1920's? 30' or 40's. I have to re read my history book! : )  [Julie]
• You need to buy that wheel!  [Clive]
• How cool is that?  [Kathy]
• I think you need to buy the wheel and hang it on a wall or something as decoration. Your boat is beautiful and sleek....Keep the modern steering wheel and buy the old one as a gorgeous decorative piece. i've been thinking about it...I'd offer half what they are asking and see if they counter offer.  [Ann]
• Funny thing.... I do not like the wheel and was glad you did not get it.  [Niki]
• I like Ann's idea.  [Cheryl]
• I say if you love the wheel and it fits in your space then you should buy it. It will add character and be a very cool conversation piece. Who cares if the rest of the boat is brand new. The old wheel has a very cool spirit and should be back on the water!  [Mary]
• I say go for it! Buy the wheel! [Ashley]
• I love the wheel...but it seems incongruous with your sleek mod boat. Just a thought but what if you take a b/w picture of it and hang the pic in your boat? [Lauren]
• The wheel is too big for your boat.  It will get in the way of the controls. [Jerry]
• Orin thinks it would be pretty cool for you to get that antique wheel for your boat.  [Lisa]

The spectrum of responses to the Old Ship's Wheel made me feel even more certain that this wheel belonged on my boat.  Then came the response that sealed the deal:  

• I have wanted to help you in some way in rehabbing your boat. I would like to buy the wheel for you. You can Take time to make the decision to use it to steer or as decoration then and not worry about it being bought by someone else. [Kathleen]

The day I saw the Old Ship's Wheel, it caught my eye and I snapped a few photos.  I didn't think much else of it, right away.  But as time passed, it continued to find it's way to my thoughts.  The romance of the Old Ship's Wheel grew.

And now that it has been purchased as a gift for me by a member of my "chosen family," it is even more special to me.  Thank you so much, Kathleen Novicki & family! 

That is the magic that is Empress Bennu.  

Power and ReBirth, steered and guided by history, family, love & adventure.  

We have also made great progress on the ceiling--I think it is going to be stunning!

Just for fun, let's look at the original ceiling once again:

 

And here is the ceiling now (the ceiling is still not finished, but you can see the progress):

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This is what a bisection of the coffers, this is what they would look like:

I am so happy with how the ceiling looks!  Just yesterday, I had some visitors at the boat.  Some people bought a 40 foot, 1972 KingsCraft, and while searching for information online, they discovered my blog.  They were interested in seeing the things that had been done so far.  When they walked in and saw the ceiling, I heard an, "Oh wow."  Now I have heard that before, but in the past, it was more like, "oh wow...this is quite a project," or "oh wow, you are brave for taking this on."  It was very nice to hear a simple, "oh wow."

She's getting close now.  I hope to move aboard in May, and explore the river together this boating season.