I must give three Hip-Hip-Horrays and a BRAVO to one of the finest carpenters I know! (Who also happens to be my wife.)

With intelligence and sweat, Betty has resurrected our old Allagash canoe and turned it into a beautiful, lake-worthy craft.

For years it sat abandoned, full of dead leaves and spiderwebs, while the gunwales slowly rotted. I presumed, sadly, that we would either sell it at salvage or haul it to the landfill. (Good luck with that.)

But my wonderful carpenter-wife wouldn’t let it go, in part because of the sweet memories it holds. Some thirty years ago – (Yep, we’re that old!) – I gave her the canoe as a birthday gift and personally hand-pressed the letters – BETTY K. – across the bow.

So hauling our old friend to the dump would have been a sad moment indeed.

The most challenging part of the restoration – (Frankly, I didn’t think it could be done.) – was bending four 16-foot strips of very stiff mahogany to fit the radical curve of the gunwales. Inch-by-inch, using dozens of clamps, Betty made the mahogany conform to her will.

Amazing!

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we’re going to take the BETTY K. for a sail! Or is it a paddle? Watch the video here.