Minnesota: Back to Normal

photos courtesy John Kerschbaum of Gondola Romantica

My friend John Kerschbaum in Minnesota has had some challenges

getting boats in the water this year. 

Snow kept falling and time kept passing.

 

Finally he was able to get boats in the water, but he told me that

in twelve years he's always been able to get his main gondola in the water

before May 1st...until this year.

But things are back to normal now and couples are enjoying the waters

of the St. Croix on the beautiful gondolas of Gondola Romantica.

 

Recently John posted this great photo on Facebook, with the caption:

"Don't let a little rain get in the way of your fun!"

A closer look reveals the freshly placed engagement ring on her finger.

Yes, things are definitely back to normal on the gondolas of Minnesota.

 

Just the Photo - Derrick at Sunset

photo by Brandon Hunt

Gondolier Derrick Johnson and his passengers enjoying a perfect moment
on Lake Carolyn in Irving, Texas.

Number Four, Rowed by Four

photos by Nereo Zane

 

In the midst of all the excitement and ceremony of the "Festa del Capiteo",

the GSVVM also found time to launch another new boat - a beautiful four-oared sandolo.

 

There are so many great people at the GSVVM, and it seems almost unfair to only point out one of them.  But then again...he did build the boat.

In fact Luigi Marcuzzi is responsible for a lot of beautiful traditional rowing boats in the lagoon - most of them are orange and blue (the club colors).

 

Here are a few shots of the boat, taken by Nereo Zane while she was under construction.

 

This sandolo is the fourth built by maestro Marcuzzi, and her first official participation will be in the "Festa della Sensa" on May 12th.

 

On her launch day, the boat was rowed by four of the youngest members of the club, who seemed to like rowing her quite a lot. 

The "Third Wheel" Gets Comfortable

photos by Derrick Johnson

 

While out in Texas recently, I took out my friends Kevan and Penny out

on a gondola, and they brought their young son who we will refer to here as

the "Third Wheel".

 

He really didn't seem to feel like a traditional third wheel most of the time

(ok, maybe a little bit when Mom and Dad were kissing under each bridge).

 

Arriving on the scene, the "Third Wheel" inspects the gondola.

 

Kevan and Penny settled right in and were relaxing and enjoying the experience as we pushed away from the dock. 

It was an absolutely perfect day, and much appreciated; we'd experienced all sorts of weather in the two weeks leading up to this day.

It had been cold and windy, we had rain and hail, there were plenty of days that were not the kind of days you'd like for a cruise with friends.

This day, however, was the kind that makes people want to live there.

 

Overhead view of our lagoon in Irving, Texas.

Notice the bright new fleet of pedal boats?

Special thanks to Joe Gibbons for helping make that happen.

 

We shoved off and began our voyage.

The "Third Wheel" settles into his seat.

 

Sunshine in Springtime.

 

 

Our small traveler seemed to be enjoying his perch at the front of the boat,

and what's not to like? He had the whole divan to himself.

He could watch the gondolier do that weird rowing thing off the one side of the boat.

 

Mom and Dad were certainly enjoying themselves.

 

As we approached the canals of Lake Carolyn, young master "Third" kicked his shoes off and took to camping out on the front seat.

 

"Camping" in action.

 

He discovered that the notch in the middle of the seat-back
was a perfect fit for his chin.

The canals of Lake Carolyn are so perfect for gondolas; they really lend themselves to creating those "perfect moments" we all try so hard to create in our line of work.

If these two photos look familiar, you may have seen another photo from this sequence in my post "Just the Photo - Surface Reflection".

Jutting off the main canal here and there, you'll find four small canals that end in dramatic waterfalls.  On this cruise we took a short detour up to Glatter Falls.

All the above photos were shot by my Texas manager Derrick Johnson
(who did an excellent job of stalking us). 
I snapped these next three images with my cell phone while rowing.

The kid has definitely gotten comfortable.

 

As I turned the boat off course and in the direction of Glatter Falls,

I made an announcement that we'd be visiting a waterfall. 

The "Third Wheel" got very excited.

 

The falls come into view.

 

I'm not sure if he was afraid that we might be going down a waterfall,

or if he just liked waterfalls.

Either way, the little guy in the front seat perked up.

 

Of course, I should mention that every time I approach one of these waterfalls, it's like I've had a double shot of espresso.

There's energy, a sort of electricity in the air.

 

I'm sure there are lots of people who can offer facts or opinions as to why,

all I know is that there's a heck of a lot of positive energy there.

 

Glatter Falls after the turn.

 

One other thing about these waterfalls - some of them have wall contours just wide enough to turn a gondola around.  Glatter is one of the tightest.

It makes for a fun challenge - even moreso when placing a message-in-a-bottle in the water for pickup.

 

All-in-all, everyone aboard had a great time.

My passengers totally enjoyed the experience.

I may very well have enjoyed the cruise more than my passengers...

it's been known to happen.

 

The Festa del Capiteo

photos by Nereo Zane

One day I will live in Venice.
I'm determined to make that happen at some point in my life,
and it's events like this that continue to foster that hope.

Each year around the first of May there's a ceremony that takes place around a special capiteo in the lagoon betweek Venice and the mainland.
In my post from a few years ago I explained that:
A capiteo is a sort of shrine.
The Venetians are famous for having their own versions of words.
The Italian word is "capitello", but the Venetians
(always looking to soften an "L") call it a "capiteo".
Most of these little shrines are on the sides of buildings,
and I've also seen them along the sides of roads.

This capiteo is along the main boat channel that most follow when traversing the water to and from Venice.  This is where many GSVVM events take place, and it will always be a place that's dear to my heart.  I received many rowing lessons there from the late Arturo Moruccio, I've spent a lot of time there, and have many fond memories associated with that place.

If you've been around Venice, no doubt you've seen several of these shrines.

Ever wonder who builds and maintains these small religious landmarks?
In the case of this one, it's the folks who spend most of their time around it.
This year's ceremony was put on by two rowing clubs: the GSVVM and the Gruppo Sportivo Voga Veneta Riviera del Brenta.  The big red peata "Brentana" was a perfect platform for the ceremony.

Nereo Zane was there to capture everything, including some regata action.

I miss a lot of things about being on the water there, 

and photos like this bring it all to the forefront of my mind.

To see all the images from that day, go to Nereo's blog
and check out his post on the event.

Believe me when I tell you:
This is not the kind of thing you see on a typical tourist vacation.

The "Under the Bridge Club"

photo by Robert Dula

As a gondolier, one of the things I love to do is visit and row in other locations.  Different operations do different things, and the creative spirit is alive and well among gondoliers.

Here's a case-in-point:
At City Park in New Orleans, there's a great operation called "NOLA Gondola". Gondolier Robert Dula, a.k.a. "Roberto" has seen hundreds of marriage proposals on his authentic Venice-built boat. 
In fact as of this writing he's up to 246 successful "yesses".

Like just about every other gondola location, City Park is unique.
There are beautiful sights, placid waters, and bridges to go under.
Only one problem with those bridges - some of them are too low
for a gondola to fit under.

Roberto, however, is a very inventive guy.
After some serious contemplation, and the careful application of a saw to both ends of his gondola, Roberto managed to solve the clearance problem.

I like it when gondoliers think outside the box,
and so do the 246 couples who would have been stuck with a substandard proposal if not for this slight modification.

Now the gondola fits under every bridge.
Now the couples get to kiss under those bridges too.
I'm sure this goes over quite well with all involved.

Another detail worth pointing out, is that because some of those bridges are too low for an unmodified gondola, once he figured out a way to get the boat under them, the passengers were a lot closer to the underside of the bridges than they would be in normal circumstances.

And with some of these bridges within easy reach, gondolier Roberto started handing couples pieces of chalk and they started scrawling their names beneath one particular bridge along the route.

A great tradition was born.

Roberto writes:
The passengers really get a kick out of it.  Unfortunately, I'm running out of space and folks are writing over other names.

Sounds like a nice problem to have.
Now and then I see something and truly wish that I'd been the one to come up with it first. Roberto's chalk-under-the-bridge tradition is definitely on that list.  He calls it the "Under the Bridge Club".

I think it's more of a play on words in reference to the playing card "bridge clubs" than the infamous "mile high club".

I've even seen a photo of one young lady wearing what looks like safety glasses while reaching up to write.  I'm sure chalk dust in the eyes could really ruin the mood.

This fun and original way for couples to literally "leave their mark" has become a great Nola Gondola tradition, and lives on as a fond memory for each and every couple who has written their name.

Bravo Roberto!

Just the Photo - Surface Reflection

photo by Derrick Johnson

Red Stripes on Varnish

photos by Simon Atkins

Lately I've been kind of obsessed with painting stripes on oars.
I'm fully aware of the fact that most gondola remi never have anything but a clear finish.  And having spent a fair amount of time lately, I think I know why - it takes time and effort to essentially "make the remo blade look pretty".

I would argue, however, that it's not just about aesthetics:
in fact I believe the main purpose of painting brightly contrasting stripes on the blade of an oar is for safety.  Think about it - if you operated a rowing boat with a single (very long) oar, in waters where there were lots of other boats buzzing about, and if you wanted to make sure the pilots of those other boats could easily spot, and thereby avoid that oar, you might want to paint it bright red and white.

A while back I realized that one of my remi needed some varnishing, and with my new stripe-painting obsession, I considered going with the classic red and white chevrons.  The problem was that the wood grain looked too good to cover up.
The solution: red stripes over varnish.
After the red stripes had cured, I threw a few more coats of clear varnish over the whole thing to seal in the painted areas.
I think it looks pretty snazzy.
What do you think?

Serious Carvings

photo by Kathleen Gonzalez

 

Most of the gondolas in Venice are on display in the water.

Most of them.

Now and then, however, you might run into a stunning crescent-shaped boat out of the water.

Kathleen came across this remarkable gondola and had to snap a couple shots.

Yes, carved decks on gondolas are rare, but there are still plenty of them to be found if you look.  This boat has carving work unlike any I've seen on a gondola.

I really don't even know whether or not to call her a "wedding gondola".

I do know that I'm very impressed with this carving work...

and I don't envy anyone who might ever have to sand and paint such an intricate field.

I'm also glad that Kathleen grabbed a photo of the felze on this gondola.
I wonder when this boat was last on the water.