Friday, May 31, 2013

Captains Thoughts Before I Hit The Road to Ohio Bike Week.

Let me start with the homeless issue. Yes I was critical of the 7 day vacate  notice and was public about it on WCAP and WBZ and the Lowell Sun but I am happy that most of the homeless have found housing and those that chose not to will eventually come in.

I know it is definitely election year watching the City Council meeting with the antic of certain city councilors and pandering to the residents of Lowell. In my opinion it is painful to watch and hope the voters will take note and remember on election day.

I like the idea of 2 way traffic coming back to Merrimack, Central and Shattuck. I hope this move will revitalize the downtown. We also need Enel to get off their butts and fit the bridges over our canals

Chickens, Chickens, Chickens. I have not heard more conversation about anything  in 30 yrs living in this city. In my opinion you want chickens  go to the MSPCA at Nevins Farm and donate so they can find good homes on a farm.

I also wish all the Candidates running for City Council and School Committee all the best, I takes courage and commment to put your name on a ballot and tons of work and support from family and friends and supporters. I wish you all the best.

My Harley is packed and heading out for a trip to Lake Erie Ohio for their Bike week at 7am Saturday morning. Please be good to each other while I'm gone.....Love Ya.

Sea Ya
The Capt.  



      

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Boating Season Begins And For Some It Ends The Same Day

At last it is here. After working on the boat these last two months I finally finish it. Every  two years I go through the whole boat with a new paint job,polish the brass and chrome and go through all the wiring. Of course there are things to do and buy every year because a boat is a hole in the water you throw money into but I like to make sure the boat looks good and I know what I have for upcoming problems.

Launch day will be next Sat. where I put in at Cashman's Park in Newburyport. They have a great boat ramp and it is well maintained. Sometimes they charge a 5.00 fee if the harbormaster is there but I go early to avoid the rush.

Launch Day can also be very entertaining if you're the person watching from the sidelines. For the amateur boater it can the worst day of his life and embarrassing for the seasoned boater when they get a brain fart.

Over the 25 years of boating and launching I've seen it all.....I think. Here are some of the funny and not so funny things I've seen

There are the people that can't back a trailer up tying up both sides of the ramp, some jackknife the trailer and twist the ball end of the trailer and thats it for them for the day. Then there's the guy that backs down and has no rope tied to the bow and the boat floats away. Then there's the guy with a boat on a roll off trailer and doesn't have it tied off and backs down and the boat rolls off and snaps the lower end of his motor off and the boat lands on the ramp. Then there's the guy that backs down but forgets to put the drain plug in and his boat sinks.

Between all of these things and the yelling and screaming and finger pointing it can be entertaining  if you're not the guy waiting to launch your boat. So if you happen to be driving by a busy boat ramp stop by and watch the show.

SEA YA
The Capt.



 

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Clock Ticking For The Homeless In The City Of Lowell

Let me begin by saying I am not a professional in dealing with this issue. My friends and I go down the to the camps and bring them pizza and new socks and clothing 3 times a year and have become friendly with them over the years. It is a humbling experience seeing human beings living in these conditions in the richest country the the world and they are polite and grateful for the merger things that you and I take for granted..

Yesterday I caught wind that the homeless residents were served notice that they had 7 days to vacate their campsites with services that were available to them pinned to their dwellings. This all came about with  motion brought forward by Councilor Marty Lorrey asking the  City in cooperation with state and federal agencies  to find housing and help with medical needs they may have.

I applaud the Councilor for bring this motion forward, but a 7 day vacate notice in my opinion is not enough.
This past Monday all the agencies that deal with Homelessness met at City Hall  and agreed on this plan and fanned out across the city to solve this problem in one week....are you kidding me?

I went before the City Council and spoke on behalf  of the Homeless that they need outreach on a one on one basis and that they all had different needs and you can't just  displace them . I understand that they live on UMASS Lowell property and DOT property and city land but this is their home.

Some have substance abuse issues and  mental issues and some just like living outdoors and I also understand that we can't have people just living outside with no sanitation and open fires.  This issue should have been on these agencies radar all along. I know they do good work along with the Christian agencies but this in my opinion is too fast a move for these fragile people.