The Great Charcoal Pencil Escapade

Not that we have a couple of foundation posts setting the mood for this partially incoherent rambling of a blog about a father and son I will try to make an "about us page".   For those that are suffering from chronic impatience here is the short version.  We live on a sailboat and my son is homeschooled (Boatschooled).  I will try to convey important information relating to struggles and achievements in this micro vessel we call home.  For being ever so much similar to homeschooling, Boatschool has even more rewards and challenges.

An example would be our current escapades into the realm of charcoal art pencils.

Most of those living on land and owning a car would simply jump in and head down to Michael's.   But for us it is a little more involved.  The first thing you realize is the dyslexic cookie cutter society we are living in.  Every company has decided that Hell-mart is the supreme being.  "We'll just do it a little different."  is their internal marketing slogans.  As grocers become more like department stores, department stores become more like drug stores, and the drug store becomes more like everything you ever wanted but not what you need we are returning to the general store approach.  Whether it is box "A" or box "B" or even the box "C" store they are gradually containing the same items.  Only the names have changed.  Cheese Puffs, Corn Puffs, or Puffy Orange things they are in all the stores taking up space that may be better served by offering something the guy on the other side of the wall does not.  They are all falling for the greener grass.

If you haven't realized the transformation of what used to be specific identity within the retail market to repetitious wannabees you soon will when needing that last forgotten item for Boatschool.  First you take a dinghy ride to Publix and Walgreens, no luck.  Then a dinghy and walk to Win-Dixie and CVS.  Then a bus ride to Target.  Then you resort to, what address could I use for the next week to get a four dollar pencil delivered.  Then it sinks in the shipping fees.  How can the post office be going broke as much as they charge?  No wonder FedEx and UPS have grown so rampantly.  Then you go to the optional delegation of duty.  You need to find someone that is going to an art supply store sometime soon.  No luck.  Do you take the bus ride 63 miles north to Hell-mart or 50 miles south to Key West and hope to find and art store.  Oh, you need internet to make the decision.  So you spend part of the day dinghying back and forth trying to find an art store in another city on line.

By now you think you should have just spent $20 bucks to have the damn pencil delivered.  You are aggravated that in a land of artists that you must do so much to find such a simple little item.  While hanging on to your new found desperation the (modern LED low amperage of course) light bulb comes on.  Home Depot carpenters pencil will work for the time being and we have walked by it 10 times in the last 3 days.

As a Boatschool parent you must foresee the future needs of your child through out the cruise.  You must have a plan B and most of all...  be flexible.

W