One Finger

Standing around and talking on the docks of the Gondola Getaway in Alamitos Bay, I noticed that my friend Peter Dever had a clever way to carry a forcola.
Spend enough time around gondolas (and their forcole), and you're bound to become acquainted with every contour and detail.
Peter discovered that with the right balance, he could hook one finger under the overhang of the testa.
He wasn't showig it off, but I noticed it.
My guess is that he's been doing it for many years.

Breaking the Ice

photo by Joe Gibbons

Joe in Boston shared a photo along with the following description of a problem that's unique to locations above a certain lattitude:
Hey Greg kinda funny but not!! Yesterday we had to remove the final pieces of equipment: docks, float ramps, and "Old Faithful" - our Boston Whaler. 
We got quite a surprise with about three quarters of an inch of ice. That's Steve on the bow of the Boston Whaler smashing ice so we could tow our boarding dock.  
Happy holidays everybody, bring on the snow!

Thanks for the report, Joe.
Glad you were able to get things wrapped up for winter.
I hope you get lots of snow soon for snowmobiling.

Fifty

Here's something you don't see very often (or ever).
A caorlina regatta is amazing to see, with nine boats, each rowed by six pumped up vogatori, plowing through the water and fighting for position.
Now imagine that it's not nine caorline...but fifty!
Think of the waves coming from a fleet of those big boats.
Nereo Zane caught the race which was part of the Festa Granda de S. Andrea.
See his post at:
Regata delle 50 caorline

There are lots of great photos.
Nereo includes details of the top four finishers, as well as the names of the guys in the boat that came in last.
Rowers of the caorlina that crossed the finish line last were given the name "Regatanti da Caorlina dei Morti" or "Rowers of Caorlina of the Dead".
It's one thing to come in last in a field of nine boats, but fifty? 
I can't imagine it.
If two boats were fighting for the 49th place finish, 
I bet that would be almost as interesting as the race for first.

Ready and Waiting

All up and down the Grand Canal you'll see them, ready and waiting for passengers.
They are long and sleek, glossy black ambassadors of the city of Venice.
Thirty-six feel long (give or take), asymmetric, and each built by hand,
there is nothing in the world quite like a Venetian gondola.

This photo was shot at the servizio across from the railway station. 
More photos from that sequence can be seen in the post"
                                                            "Servizio Gondola Ferrovia".

Being the Only Gondolier in the Room

I sat down to write a post on the subject of family gatherings and kept going back to something I posted two years ago.
Finally I decided to just post it here with some minor tweaking.
Why reinvent the wheel?

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah and tomorrow is our official day to give thanks here in the US (but I believe most of us should give thanks every day).
Here's my repost:

On your way out the door soon to a family gathering?
If so, you're probably experiencing a range of emotions.

We love our relatives, well, most of us love most of them.
They are genetically the most similar to us, but get them in a room together and you'll see both similarities and differences.
In many families there are recognizable common traits - whether appearance or personality based.
The shared physical traits don't cause any problems, but sometimes similar personalities don't get along...especially if people have had enough time together in the past to get sick of each other.
Welcome to the family gathering!

Why am I waxing on about family dynamics right now?
Because now, more than ever, you're likely to find yourself in a room full of relatives.
Between Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas eve, Christmas day, and New Years, just about everyone ends up in a room, house, apartment or other place full of relatives and/or friends.

If you're like me, you're one of the "weird ones".
Yes, there will be people at these parties who have "real jobs"
(and probably don't like their jobs nearly as much as you do).
There will be drunk relatives who can't help but belt out a bad version of
"O Sole Mio" when they see you walk in the door (and they will be certain that nobody else has ever come up with something so clever).
There will be folks who think that you push off the bottom with a pole,
jet skiers who think they can fully identify with your craft,
and someone who wonders why your college degree isn't being put to
better use (again with the whole "real job" mindset).
With a few exceptions, each of you reading this will probably be the only gondolier in the room.

My hope for all of you is that in the coming days you'll enjoy these gatherings.
After all, as a gondolier, you are an exceptional human being,
(no bias here, I swear)
and with great power comes great responsibility.
Let's look at some of the folks you'll encounter.
These are caricatures but many of them do exist.
I've also thrown in a few "do's and don'ts" for your consideration.

The Singing Uncle
As gondoliers we have an unusual variety of skill sets.
Most of us can outsing just about everyone in the room.
Really, you'd be surprised how bad an out-of-practice relative can sound when compared to someone who sings for a living.
Some sound even worse after a few drinks (then again, others might sound better).

So when that drunk uncle greets you with his best "O Sole Mio",
just laugh. Laugh like it really IS funny.
It may be hard to do, but no matter how much it might annoy you,
remember that he's doing it because he likes you.

It would be considered bad form to then blow him away with YOUR best "O Sole Mio". Instead, if you feel up to the challenge, teach him how to sing it right.
This may or may not be easy (or worth doing) depending on how drunk your uncle is. In no time, you and your drunk uncle can be serenading the whole place, whether they like it or not. Believe me, it's fun...in an obnoxious way.
Caution: if you do the job too well, your uncle might ask for a job.

The Tough-Guy Cousin
He's bigger than you, lifts weights, loves mixed martial arts,
and his favorite movie is Fight Club.

If you were to tell him that Venetian rowing was a "sport",
he'd probably laugh out loud at you.
(show him a copy of the sports page from last month and maybe he'll change his tune - if not, ask if he's ever been in the sports page).
Watch football on the couch next to him and you'll learn almost everything you need to know about him. Almost.

There's one thing that you and your cousin may not be aware of:
there's a good chance that his smaller cousin
(the gondolier)
could beat him in arm wrestling!
Caution: before you allow things to go there, and before you whip the guy in arm wrestling, remember that,
He's bigger than you, lifts weights, loves mixed martial arts,
and his favorite movie is Fight Club.

The Parents Who Paid For Your Education
Insert your own pulp and clichés here. You know them better than I do.
Maybe they didn't actually pay your college tuition, but they raised you.
Impressive jobs and status symbol cars are nice, but at the end of the day,
a lot of parents really only want a few things for their children:
they want their sons and daughters to be happy, safe, and able to provide for themselves. In short, a lot of parents want to make sure they prepared you for the world.

Love your parents.
Tell them how much you enjoy this funky job we do.
If you own your gondola operation, remind them of your job security (especially in this economy).
Then, do what far too few of us do until someone is terminally ill:
Thank them - for a bunch of things - think about some of the sacrifices they made for you and thank accordingly.
Tell them that you love them.
Express in whatever way you deem appropriate, that they did a great job as parents.

Ok, enough of the mushy stuff, let's talk now about
The Women
There are aunts, grandmas, sisters, cousins, some are younger than you,
some are older, but they are all female.
Why is that important? because as a gondolier
you have a keen awareness of all things romantic.

Romance is a woman's true primary language.

Most guys think they know about romance, but in truth...
most guys don't.

Most guys know about as much about romance,
as most ladies know about football.
Sure there are exceptions, but you get my point.
Most guys need to take a "romance as a second language" class.

The women in the room won't want to hear about the rowing, the wind,
the drunk idiots hanging from bridges, no.
They want to hear about the romantic stuff.
Proposals, anniversaries, surprises, and 9 out of 10 will make some kind of swooning noise when you tell them about how some guy last week proposed to his girlfriend by floating a message in a bottle.
Heck, a gondolier can almost "hold court" with the women at a family gathering.
caution: do too good a job and someone might want to date you...and they're related to you!

The Guy Who's Better Than You
He's got a "real job". Maybe he's got more degrees.
He may wear a Rolex, and he's probably arrived in a car that's worth more than you make in a year.
He's better than you - just ask him - he'll tell you.

He's determined to be the one to die with the most toys...and he'll probably succeed in dying before you do.
The stress of his pursuits will help speed that along.
Be his friend to the best of your ability, not because someday you might need him, but because whether he knows it or not...someday he'll need you,
along with everyone else in the room.
He just doesn't realize it right now.

Oh, and this guy is a classic example of some guys in the romance department.
his idea of romance involves buying a woman's heart.
The Screaming Kids
Well, they might not be screaming when you get there,
but at some point they will surely make a lot of noise.
If presents are to be opened,
there WILL be screaming.
As a gondolier, you're probably more energetic than most of the adults there. And if you regularly pilot a small boat in challenging conditions,
you're surely able to handle the stress of screaming kids.
You've probably had a few screaming kids on your boat now and then.

If it's Christmas - play Santa.
No, you don't need to wear the suit (but that can be really fun),
just be the one who distributes the presents.
Make a big deal out of every gift. Inspire the screaming.
Heck, join in and do some screaming of your own.
I'm in my forties and I still love it!

The Geezers
These are the really old folks.
To the kids they are about as exciting as the furniture that they are sitting on, but to them - everything going on in the room is fantastic!
Every person in the room is somehow connected with them,
and in one way or another,
every person there...is there because of them.

I use the word "Geezer" for comedic reasons,
but also because I look forward to being one some day.
And I'm sure my great grandkids will find me about as exciting then as I found my great grandma when I was one of those "Screaming Kids".

The Apostle Paul said "be all things to all people".
I believe his message in that was to communicate in different ways for different kinds of people.
Speak to each person in a way they will best receive the message.
If you talk to the "screaming Kids" the way you would talk to your Great Grandma Ruth, they'll tune you out almost immediately.
More importantly, if you talk to your Great Grandma Ruth like you would to the "Screaming Kids", things will not go well.

The old folks would love to visit with you, to hear all about this unique job you have, and maybe impart some wisdom from their many years of experience.
Remember that they prefer things to move at a little slower pace, and may not hear as well as you do.
Take a breath, shift gears, and soak it up.

You are more than just your job - especially to the Geezers.
They've known you your whole life and have been proud of you since before you could ever realize it.
they see potential in you that you don't yet know about.
The time you spend with these folks is more valuable to you than you may realize...and it's more valuable to them than you can possibly imagine right now.

The Leading Ladies
There may be some women there who would like to get all the attention,
and then there are those who you should be sure to give credit and attention to.

Unless you came alone, the lady you came with should be at the top of your list.
There's an old saying in Texas:
"Dance with the one that brung you".
Wife, fiancee, girlfriend - if you arrived with her, you're gonna leave with her.
If she meant enough to you to bring her, tell her so, with your words and your actions.
This might sound elementary or silly, but it's an easy one to overlook.
If you're at a gathering of your family, you might want to disappear with the cousins you grew up playig with, or "occupy" the couch with the other guys to watch the game.
If this is your family, try not to abandon your lady - she might not know anyone else there.

The lady doing the cooking is often an unsung hero - sing to her.
She may be your mom, or another relative, but whoever she is, she's probably the only one working, and she deserves more credit than she'll probably get.
If you were going to sing for someone - sing to her.
And if you end up singing for everybody - sing in her honor.
If singing is not on your list of things to do, then raise a toast to the person or people who did the cooking.
Along the same lines, if your grandma baked a pie - tell her how much you loved it. She will beam.

Now, take a look around the room.
Is there someone who doesn't look like they want attention?
Maybe they're not having a good time?
Seek out the ones who are quietly hiding and at least ask them how they are doing, and if there's anything you can do for them.
Sure, loud carousing is what this time of year is known for,
but selfless caring is what it's really all about.

Blessings to you and your families from the Gondola Blog.

Providence 2014!

It has been announced that the US Gondola Nationals will be held next year in Providence, Rhode Island.  The place where it all started, with the GondOlympics in 2012 will be the host city once again - with Marcello and his fellow gondoliers at La Gondola rolling out the red carpet for us all.

A new facebook organization page has been set up so people can stay updated.
go to U. S. Gondola Nationals

Many of you have probably already received at least one e-mail about this,
and I'm sure there will be further developments.

If you live on the East Coast, you'll enjoy the shorter commute.
If you're on the West Coast, start planning your trip - it will be well worth it.
The 2014 US Gondola Nationals will take place on Columbus Day weekend, October 11th-13th.
One of the things I'm really looking forward to, is seeing WaterFire - an event that is unique to Providence (learn more at waterfire.org).  The gondoliers in Providence have rowed cruises along the WaterFire route for years (something I've been openly jealous of).
Marcello says:
I hope to offer as many visiting gondoliers as possible the opportunity to row during WaterFire, if they are inclined to do so.

Now, all I have to do is figure out how I'm gonna wait almost eleven months.
Well, that and train up for it.

The Circle of Six

So many amazing things happened at the U.S. Gondola Nationals,
and almost all of them were photographed.
Almost.

In between the team arrivals, oar snappings,
and captivating wins and finishes,
something quiet happened. 

It wasn't showey or loud, and in fact unless you were part of it,
you might not have noticed it.

Several times, as we were navigating our way through this remarkable event, trying to decide the best solutions to the last-minute challenges presented by time, weather, and the differences between boats, The owners of six gondola operations stood in a circle and reasoned it out.

This is the closest thing we have of a photo of the "Circle of Six",

it's a low quality frame from a video clip when there were five of us.

The guy in black is Joe from Boston, going clockwise we see John from Minnesota, Sean from Coronado, Marcello from Providence,

and me in the black cap.

Tim wasn't in the circle as he was tending to some sort of hosting duty,

but we grabbed him shortly after.

We all know each other, and while some of us had seen each other before,
this was the first time we were all standing in one place.
I've often said that nobody understands a gondolier quite like another gondolier,
but taking that a step further, nobody, and I mean nobody understands the weird challenges faced by the owner of a gondola company like another owner.

Each guy had his own perspective, based on experiences and the way he was seeing things unfold.  Everyone was wise and fair, open to hearing what the other guys had to say. 

There were no titles, nobody had been elected to a position,
no credentials other than "hey, those are some of my guys out there and here's what they're dealing with", which was followed by "I know what you mean,
let's grab _____ and see what he thinks".
In a short time we were all there, with various gondoliers stepping in from time to time, either watching or adding their two cents.

This "Circle of Six" made the difference in more ways that I can count.
I have great admiration for each of the guys in that circle,
and it was an honor to be a part of it.

Catch of the Day

photo by Steve Elkins

My right-hand-man Steve Elkins sent me this photo from the docks today.
His text read:
Who needs to go fishing when you've got gondolas!

The "suicidal fish" phenomenon seems to occur more often when it rains.
I really don't know why.

Perhaps the fish, seeing that water is falling from the sky,
decided that "today is the day" to try swimming in this new water-filled
place called "the sky".
They break the surface with all their might,
only to land in one of my boats.
It really is a sad thing to find them, dead on my boat.
It's also sad that most of them are too small for eating.

I asked Steve to grab a ruler and see if this one was long enough to keep
(most are too small so we feel obliged to throw them back). 
He couldn't find a ruler, but estimated that it was right about two feet long.

Never a dull moment in the gondola business.

New Use for an Old Hat

The gondolier's hat is a wonderful thing.
The design is timeless.
It does more than keep the sun of your head (a job it does quite well).
It serves as the ultimate piece of wardrobe - a guy rowing a boat is just a guy rowing a boat, but put him in a straw hat from Giuliana Longo or the Bampa brothers, and he's a gondolier!
A striped shirt doesn't hurt either, but in just the shirt he could be mistaken
for a mime or some other French guy.

Apart from holding your head in an upright position, the hat also works well
as a receptical for other things if turned upside down.
I've boarded many planes with a Giuliana Longo hat, and I can tell you from experience, that it makes a perfect "basket" for all those small pocket items
when going through security screening.

At the US Gondola Nationals, a bunch of guys from Providence showed up wearing snappy new hats.  At some point, Cole Hanson of Coronado noticed these three hats and snapped a photo fo them.

 

It seems that the guys from Providence recognized the "catch basin potential"
of these great cappelli as well, and deposited all their pocket items in their hats.

The gondolier's hat: It's an iconic piece of headgear,
and I'm sure there are other uses for it.

If you have any other applications,
feel free to mention them in a comment below.