Tuesday, October 9, 2007

My hopes to be a sailor are dashed...

I have control issues I admit. When it comes to a big crafty project for school or gulp- CubScouts for the boys, I'm all over it. I would revert you to my post about Gameboy's pinewood derby car, but it's somewhere else. Lets just say I have issues and leave it at that.

I admit I take over and make the project mine, with a little assistance from the project manager (the kid). This time around it was making a balsa wood sailboat for the great Cub Scout Rain gutter Regatta. I was all over it like butter on bread. Bonus I didn't actually have to saw or use the Dremel. I only have first aid ninja skills and not woodworking ninja skills. I can sand things down and paint and glue.

Gameboy instructed me on exactly what he wanted for his ship and what colors he wanted. We went over the different parts of the ship like the hull, the stern, the keel, and the rudder. I was schooled as well as some things I didn't know. Any who I got him to sanding and then on to his favorite part the painting. He did pretty good and I helped (sounding like the shake n bake girl) by pretty much re painting over it. I told you I have issues.

I was really excited to get this going and went ahead and glued the important pieces the rudder and the keel and let it dry overnight which was Sunday night. I figured Gameboy wasn't interested in that part anyway as he already did what he wanted.

Monday afternoon we planned to all go the race as a family and watch him set it sail. I was probably just as excited as Gameboy about it since well it was MY ship. I even kept calling it that. As we pick him up from the after school care, I handed him my his boat. I even cut slits in the box to prop the boat as a holder. Oh yes I studied all up on the Internet of all the trade secrets.
The idea of the race is for the boys to blow on the sail of their boat as it races down a structure type rain gutter. I even coached Gameboy on the proper "blow" technique. The first one of course wins, and there was prizes for best design.

Remember the part about the gluing of the important pieces for the rudder and keel? These little pieces help keep the boat in balance so it doesn't keel over on it's side in the water. We get to the destination for the race and get start getting out of the car. Hubs gets the boat from Gameboy and looks at it. "What did you do to the boat son?" I looked up at the boat and the important pieces are no longer attached.
The look on face was probably priceless. My son's non chalant response was "I took it off." "WHY?!!" For some odd reason he didn't think those parts were necessary.

Hubs said well looks like were going home then. Both Gameboy and I were crushed. What else could we do? We didn't have the cement glue which usually takes a few hours to set. So we got back in the car and went home.

Hubs of course tried to instill a lesson on both of us. Telling me this was his project not yours and if he would have done 99% of it we wouldn't have had this problem. Gameboy should have at least asked what these strange little pieces at the bottom of the boat were and may be have been a little more interested in his project than other things.
You live and learn I guess.

1 comment:

kristi said...

Yep, I love to do Sara's projects too. I want them to look perfect. She gets so annoyed with me!

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