The Establishment of Character

Before an Endeavor is embarked upon, it's character has already been gestating. It starts the moment the concept is dreamed of, with whatever mood is sparked by the impetus to begin.

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As I take on the project of intimately exploring new waters, I want to further own the experience by building the vessels I navigate. For boat building, I need a work space. As the shop has been set up and continues to grow, care is taken in how it is organized and sustained, even where it is located. (The mission and setting of the Tomorrow River Homestead is a perfect match.) Hence a humble, community-oriented space perched at the origin of the Great Loop, near the Subcontinental Divide, at the headwaters of the next leg of my (and my family's) journey.

I know I'm on the right path because of little miracles that serve as sign posts. One such example happened just last night as I was trying to find tunes that fit the mood of what I was doing. I went to my usual Jimmy Buffett on YouTube, but when songs started repeating I threw in some Johnny Cash. Again, strangely, the music cycled through only two to three songs. This had never happened before. I asked Bill and Marissa to put on their preference, since I had no interest in further torturing them with my limited selection. They put on a playlist based on a local favorite, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. Lead singer Adam Gruel, friend of theirs, is also their neighbor on Casimir Rd. They have a tight community up there, where Adam grew up. Many of his lyrics were inspired by the islands and marshes of the adjacent backwaters of the Wisconsin River. Funny enough, the landing there also happens to be where I launched Ripple, the first canoe I built 20 years ago. Great tunes with a fitting back story to set the perfect vibe, enhanced by Rob's backwoods amplifier-- blue tooth speaker in a metal can.

We worked on our respective boats, Marissa instructing Bill on how to put a little rugby into the stripped out screws he was extracting. We paused a time or two to compare notes on our favorite haunts up north and the wolves that call them home. I progressed further on the kayak's strong back than I had expected, and enjoyed the onset of a contended weariness as I installed the last station mold. In closing out the night, I realized that I'm usually tired before I even make it to the barn to work on this kayak, and most of the time I'm there to assist other people with their projects. Still, the time spent in this place is always great, with new people and projects coming through the door every week.

The time is always well spent. While the kayak is progressing at half the speed of my expectations, I'm already a happier person because of the project. In this space we learn, create, share, and bond. I have yet to lay the first strip, but this project has been an adventure already. We've carved out many stories at the barn, strangers sharing experiences and revealing insights through their work, not to mention the opportunities provided for people without a shop of their own.

It felt like I was dragging my feet at times in setting up the barn, the concept for Art & Rugby Endeavors, and this website/blog. I know the vision is still not clear, but it's essence will come through if you'll bear with me. It's kind of like Buffett's Margaritaville in its ambiguity, also with an essence of it's own that is fortified by the sum of its participants. The intention with which this has all been dreamed up and established is paying off in the experiences shared here and the growing community. It is unexpectedly humbling as it is already so much bigger than just me.

The kayak construction is in fact moving forward, and I'm finding a rhythm with the time I'm able to get to the barn and the peace I find there. As this project develops and the community grows, the boat is proving to merely be a vehicle for it all. As it gets on the water, I hope for the horizons and community of A&R to be vastly expanded.

I can't wait to see what happens next.