So yesterday we arrived at a US Navy fueling depot in the Norfolk area, and who was there to meet us but my nephew, Drew B, who is stationed in the neighborhood and went to the fuel depot on business, happily to find his never around uncle Paul grubbing around on deck, fussing at the dockman!
          Bear in mind that I'm 6 foot tall and 240lbs (sadly, much of that being fat, but whatever). I posed for a picture with this guy when I was a senior in high school. I had him propped up on one arm. Whatever the Navy's feeding him, it's working. In 30+ years of working on the water (I started goofing off on a fishing boat at age 7 for the grand sum of $5 a day), Drew is still the only family member who has ever been to my  place of work- he fished with me when I was a lobsterman, and now he's been to HAWSEPIPER'S floating global HQ/dollar store, and since he was there on business, he even got to see me in all my hard-working (shut up) glory.

 

I am currently under way en route for Wilmington, DE, there to discharge our cargo and then (I think) deadhead to Philadelphia for a day or two of refitting for our next jobs. As I type this, I can just barely see a dot of land far off on the edge of the horizon. Good to be at sea again.