THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

Well, we have officially made it to the Dog Days of Summer.

Over the years we have featured many dogs in Upper Bay Boating Magazine. I figured the Dog Days of Summer must be about all the happy dogs going out boating, but somehow, I doubted it. So, I delved into what the Dog Days of Summer really are. And I was astounded to learn how the term goes back to SiriusXM, astronomy, ancient Greece, the Greek Gods, and Al Pacino! No, really, Al Pacino in a 1970s movie.

“Historically, they were the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the “Dog Star”), which Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. They are now taken to be the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.” Excerpt from Wikipedia. To learn more about The Dog Days of Summer and the star Sirius go to Wikipedia.

I’m glad we have the Dog Days of Summer. In the winter I head south for the Cat Nights of Winter… somewhere in the Florida Keys, like I am fur sure!

Trivia

So, I was at my family’s fourth of July Party with Tim and Brenda. I saw one of our little ones on a kayak with his dad. I suddenly remembered the first time I operated a boat alone and steered the wheel and all. I remembered where I was and thought I was probably 4 years old at the time. Then I looked around and realized that almost everybody at the party also remembered their first boat ride that they were by themselves and got to steer the wheel. The strange thing is we were all in the exact same place, about the same age and pretty much on the same exact boats!

FOR THE ANSWER TURN TO PAGE 37 of the Magazine.

Pirates, Wenches, Hand hooks, Peg Legs, Eye Patches and Madam Machete!

Just a reminder that the Pirates and Wenches Weekend is coming up in Rock Hall from August 9 through August 11h.

I hope everybody has plans to come down to this Chit Show!

I have always wondered what it was about Hollywood Disney Movie pirates that caused them to lose at least one leg like Peg Pete. Or lose a hand like Captain Hook? Or… an Eye Patch?

Historically the eye patch had one of three purposes. One. Because the pirate actually lost an eye. Two. The pirate was drunk and seeing double. Three. It was so hot it was used as a banana hammock – maybe.

Perhaps the best use of an eye patch was for going from one bright deck to a lower dark deck and switching eyes so the pupil was already dilated! Ummm, probably not, ha,ha!

Finally, to Madam Machete! Hope you and Richie have a great SummARRRR!!!

Speaking of Heading South… How the NBH’s Feel

I was at a party the other day when my buddy Mickey A. said this winter he was heading south! He was packing up, loading his “new to him” sailboat, and was going to cross the Equator.

Another friend of mine, a Non-Boating Human or NBH, explained that that sounded very dangerous to her. Mickey, much to my surprise answered the NBH….

“You’re right I could be swept off the deck and drowned, but in the meantime, I’m going to be enjoying nature, fishing, people, towns, snorkeling, scuba, the ocean, and things I’ve never seen.

While you are going to be driving down I-95 to the city to your office where you may experience shootings, muggings, traffic, pollution and possibly having an 18-wheeled truck run you over. I think I will take my chances!”

The Valeriepieris Circle

This is the Valeriepieris Circle. More people live inside this circle than outside of it.

In 2013 a Texas ESL teacher named Ken Myers took a trip to bustling Manila. As this trip continued, he noticed the density of the Asian population was very different and a lot denser. When the trip was over, he decided to do a study of how small the circle would be if he put more population into the smallest circle than the rest of the planet.

After a lot of tweaking and changing this is what he came up with. The smallest circle with the most people. Think about this! I think it’s incredible to think about. India, China, Japan, the Koreas, Micronesia, Viet Nam, Philippines, Loas, Thailand, Tiawan Mongolia, and Singapore! (Plus a few others)