Manual Labor

A friend of ours, B, bought a schooner with 4 of his friends. They're fixing her up for a trip around the world.

E and I stopped by to check her out and were immediately put to work.

3 hours later, I'd pulled 250 feet of hulking anchor chain from the hull, moved it to the dock, laid it out in 10 feet increments and spray painted markings so that they'd know how much chain they were letting out when they set down anchor.

My hands are hot, swollen, and tight. My biceps are warm and creaky. My back is knotted. And I know I'm going to sleep better than I have in ages.

It's amazing how nothing reminds me that I'm on vacation (weekends are mini-vacations again!) quite like volunteering to take on labor that would be torture if it were a job.