With him gone now, I was thinking about getting a "half ship" and my better-half said she'd get me one, but what to get...
Racing sailboats, as sleek and/or colorful as they are, didn't really appeal to me (as a life-long power boater). And although I liked the lines of a clipper ship or a Maine lobster boat, I guess I wanted something a little different and that appealed to my likes. Then I mentioned to my gang that I also wanted to go see the U.S.S. Constitution in Boston (Charlestown Navy Yard, more correctly) again some time, as she was my favorite ship when I was a kid growing up.
So take a look at what they found for me for a Father's Day present... My bride and the kids really surprised me with this! And it's got a real wood deck too, with the painted cannons cast from brass. Too bad the assembler used a little too much glue under each cannon, but you can't see it unless you look real close (or use a macro lens). And when it's hung on the wall, you don't see those details (or flaws) anyhow. What really impressed me the most was the detail on the hull -- it's actually a thin sheet of copper-colored foil wrapped around the plastic form, and it's been carefully inscribed with lines showing the individual copper plates. This pix doesn't do it justice, but you'll get the idea. So there she is in all her glory, Old Ironsides now adorns the wall of my den.
Yup, I'm going to have to go see her again soon... It's only been 45 years or so since I last walked her decks.
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
Tight groups,
Old No7