Newly-built ship sets sail on summer’s last warm day

It was the last warm summer afternoon before the start of school and as a 10-year-old boy I wanted to make the most of it. My plan was to head to the beach.

I slipped on my sneakers and grabbed my swim trunks from the clothesline.

The late August nights were getting quite chilly and the overnight dew clung to my trunks.

They were just about as damp as when I hung them the day before.

I twisted the excess water, then jogged around the house swinging them in the air to further dry them.

My dog Mutt was not impressed with my running and waited patiently on the porch.

Before we left for the lake, I went to my room and got the model of the ship, The Bounty, which I had recently put together. I wanted to drop it in the lake and make sure it was sea worthy.

I pulled a beach towel out of the dryer and flung it around my neck.

I met Mutt on the porch and with my ship under my arm, off we went.

Mutt ran a few yards ahead of me, and all of a sudden she stopped and began barking like crazy.

I gave a quick look to the left and saw two bear cubs in a dead Spruce tree.

I grabbed Mutt by the collar and dragged her reluctantly down the road.

She was determined to go back to see those cubs, but I was not in the mood to let her spoil my last beautiful day of freedom.

I pretty much pulled her all the way down to the water.

The rigging on the ship had taken a beating from all the jostling along the way, but once I got settled on the warm beach I was able to set things back where they belonged.

Mutt was in the water before I had a chance to kick my sneakers off. I pulled off my shirt and went to join her.

I waded in up past my waist and gently set The Bounty down on the surface. The water was warm on top but chilly at my ankles.

The ship sailed along quite nicely, so I gave it a shove to see how well it would float under speed.

Mutt decided she needed to swim alongside it and began nipping at it.

I pushed her back into the direction of shore several times but she was intent on catching up with the bobbing model.

In frustration, I plucked the boat out of the water and headed back to shore.

Other than a little water leak at the hull, the ship had faired well in its maiden voyage.

I pushed together a pile of sand with my feet and made a platform to rest The Bounty while Mutt and I went back in the water.

We swam for an hour before deciding to go back to the towel and dry ourselves in the sun.

We watched the little ripples of water wash up on the sand on that last perfect day of summer.

Mitch Lee, Adirondack native & storyteller, lives at Big Moose Lake.ltmitch3rdny@aol.com