BRAD MARVIN'S 80th BIRTHDAY PARTY & A VERY LITTLE BIT OF GOP POLITICS - October 26, 2008

                                                                

 Howdy from Bob Duff,   

                                    

The above is a rare smiling look at Bradford Marvin - 1928 - present - on the occasion of his 80th birthday celebration.  Most of this blog deals with that party.

I  published this Sunday night with some documents included toward the end.  I checked it today (Monday) and found that blog software had dumped them into cyberspace.  Here I am again reconstructing yesterday's masterpiece.  Hold your applause - please!

This first document ,"NORMAL POSITION - THE FINISH LINE",  will brief you on the racing rule or  the total absence of a current rule, and will outline my position versus my good friend and RC colleague Brad Marvin.  There is another RC member who persisted with him for some time.  They have both gone silent of late.  Click on this and any other image for an expanded view of a rather insignificant old argument.  RC members could see this at the celebration.

This  printed card with the "IC"was on the back of Brad Marvin's birthday portrait shown above.

Another (missing) piece of  "NORMAL POSITION" printing was on the back of  the beautiful glossy photo below of four International One Design yachts flying chutes on a downwind leg during the 2008 Marblehead NOOD Regatta.  It is the same Leighton O'Connor photograph shown above on the first document near Brad's portrait.  Their spinnaker poles are in "Normal Position"which is the whole point of this little exercise. 

 My friend Brad and another colleague objected to a winning IODs performance  because his/her SPINNAKER TACK WAS NOT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE FITTING ON THE END OF THE IOD POLE.  I immediately contested their stand.  They persisted in this argument for several weeks every time an IOD finished.  Fortunately, no "official protest action" was taken because they were both dead wrong.   These  documents present facts for this  esoteric dispute.  

As we approach election day it seems appropriate to note a little of that stuff endured here in Marblehead.  A good example happened just after Brad Marvin's part last night.  I had discussed some of those party plans with you last week.

You might understand  that we seldom talk politics at the Eastern Yacht Club. There would be no reason for such talk among yacht race friends! Along with several things for this celebration,  I printed 25  cards for each of the 25 dinner guests.  I planned on our playing  the little Japanese "business card"  game taught to us\by Alex Dearborn.  However, a very crowded table and much flowing wine made the game inappropriate for this lively bunch.

 I cautioned all party guests to hang onto their cards since I refuse to print more for Brad's 90th celebration.   Last night the rare smiling picture had been printed of this MIDDLE  CLASS (1950-ha! ha!) HARVARD COLLEGE GRADUATE  with "1928 - 2008" for the eighty years.  Brad pointed out immediately that this format is for a "tombstone" and not for a "living" eighty year old's portrait.  The proper syntax is "1928 to Present".  If  known,  I could have printed yesterday's portrait correctly and then used it again for Brad's ninetieth.  Anyway, the party was a great success for 25 dinner guests topped off by a big sparkler on a vanilla birthday cake. Wish you could all have been there!  

After it all,  I discovered this delightful bumper sticker on the trunk lid of my new golden VW convertible.  I would not have blemished that brand new finish myself, but I agree with its message.  I knew immediately that the lovely Mary Patricia "Pat" Ayer had done the deed. She had done the same for husband  Jim Ayer.  Readers know Jim's many photographs in my blogs and will recognize him as the maker of those remarkable wooden jigsaw puzzles mentioned here from time to time.

Pat sent a compatible political cartoon which defied my attempt to copy it to the blog.  Sorry about that.  Maybe I can figure out the process before election day when I may have some more TANGO memorabilia to share. 

The next piece of party art  was this lovely photo of 

my old International One Design TANGO #16 shown racing under red and white spinnaker with three others of her own kind.  I love this shot by Leighton O'Connor.  His web site is at the very top of my "FAVORITE YACHTING LINKS" above under Jim Ayer's photo of our race signal boat.  Take a look at Leighton's creative yachting photographs in that hyperlink, "AN EXCITING LOOK AT NOOD 2008.....". You cannot help but be amazed by the beauty which he captures.

Oh yes, I have almost forgotten Jim McCully's recommendation that I mark my writing with the warning CAVEAT LECTOR.   I have an old Texas friend now retired to Montana, Donald Lee Clark, who knows a bit about writing.  He tells me he feels the same  as Jim.

See you next week.