Images of the day - the Isabella Celeste is back in Newport

Several years ago, I shipped one of my favorite gondolas out from Newport to our Irving, Texas location. She did well but got knocked around a bit more than I would have liked.
I admit, she was shipped back to Newport mostly out of frustration - I tend to get a bit emotional when it comes to gondolas, and this one was named after my youngest daughter Isabella.
After Chris Harrison and I restored her to her original glory and she was re-powered, we sent her out to our Lake Las Vegas operation. the staff liked the boat but in heat that reaches 120 degrees, they often chose to drive the gondolas which allow them to sit in the shade. Say what you want about "toughing it out" but I'm not about to ask folks to do anything strenuous in that kind of climate.
Back in July, I decided to bring the Isabella Celeste back to her original home. We had an interesting experience at the Navada/California border (see posts about Quagga Mussels), but she arrived safe and sound in Orange County. After completely going through her, she now has fresh paint, new aluminum rub-rail, a new motor mount (I broke the other one while hauling out in Lake Las Vegas - yeah, insert your favorite "hey Greg, you're a bonehead" remark here), a bright red boot stripe at the waterline, and fresh antifouling bottom paint. In addition, I had the ferro professionally polished, washed the canvas, and mounted an italian flag on her sternlight pole. The flag was one that we flew off the Phoenix during the Columbus Day Parade in NYC after the Hudson River Expedition.
Senior Gondolier Joey Hammamoto and I launched her, his brother Danny (also one of my Senior Gondoliers) brought her back to the docks, and today, gondolier Tim White and I ran her through the tests - making sure everything worked properly.
Here are a few of the photos from that exercise, and one of some yahoos battling it out in sailboats (I just liked the shot).

Yahoos, I tell you - a bunch of yahoos!

One week till V-Day, and only a few days until our first busy day. I've got to get some sleep.

Images of the day - towing in Newport

As we approach Valentine's Day, we spend a lot of time servicing and polishing the gondolas. The other day, senior gondolier Joey Hamamoto and I hauled one of the gondolas out of the water for some "under-the-boat" mechanical work. Here are some photos I took of the towing portion of the adventure.
The gondolas pictured are 25' motorized vessels with mahogany decks, built by Don Curtis.

A close-up of Gondolier Joey.

I threw this one in just because I like the shimmer on the water.

Guys, don't just settle for a "decent proposal"

Several years ago I was asked to write an article for a local magazine.

While I can't divulge the name of the magazine, I do have rights to the text.

As Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and V-Day is arguably one of the most popular times for proposals, I though it appropriate to post this now.

Guys, don't just settle for a "decent proposal"

your gondolier takes proposals beyond "dinner and a movie"

Let's face it guys, when the ladies are talking and you're not around, all bets are off. They're going to talk, compare, and eventually evaluate you in the areas that are most important to them and at the top of the list is romance. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you don't always want to be as romantic as she does - maybe you can't stand romance, but chances are you'll find yourself falling for someone who requires it. Chances are you'll put a ring on her finger some day. Chances are she'll tell every one of the ladies she knows how you went about giving her that ring. Give her something exceptional to tell them, here are some ideas:

1. propose to her in a hot air balloon - there's nothing like a captive audience. Some of the locations include Wine country,

2. prime her with a day of pampering at a salon, then provide that black dress and pick her up for an evening out in a limousine

3. tell her to meet you in a park and surprise her by showing up on horseback - suit of shining armor is optional

4. arrange to have your proposal displayed on the big screen at a sporting event - now that's a big audience

5. rent a video to watch with her but make the video one of you proposing to her

6. skywriting is great but make sure you're in a place where it has maximum effect, like a surprise gourmet picnic with all of her favorite items. The nice thing about skywriting is that you can tell others to expect it, they can see it, and yet they don't have to be there with you to witness your proposal

7. pop the question on board a venetian gondola in Newport Beach - gondolas are considered by some to be "the ultimate symbol of romance

no matter what:

DON'T hide the ring in food - chipped teeth do not add to the experience

DO get down on one knee

If she's under 30 DO ask her father

It sounds funny but DO tie a string to the ring if you choose to propose on a hot air balloon, in a boat, on a cliff, bridge, ferris wheel or the Empire State Building - that little item which you may have taken a second mortgage out for can be very slippery when so many nervous hands are involved.

And when it comes time to pop the proverbial question don't just say "Hey ya wanna get married?". Look her in the eyes, take at least one of her hands in yours, present the ring, address her with her full name and follow up with "will you marry me?" as you gently slip the ring on her finger. This is the stuff that her dreams have been made of. If she's speechless it may scare the daylights out of you but chances are you'll get a tearful "Yesss!" and find out later that you blew her away. She's heard the stories from her friends and all the while hoped that some day it would happen to her. There are some things you only get one chance at - this is one of them.

POSTCARD HISTORY LESSON - Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts

By 1907, the US had seen gondola in many places. Fairs and expos in places like Chicago and St. Louis had brought gondolas to the continent. Established operations in places like New York's Central Park contributed to the popularity of gondolas. Not surprisingly, there were folks who got caught up in the excitement but either didn't have access to Venetian boats or just figured they could make do with something similar.

In 1905, someone set up a sort of permanent "mini-fair" called Paragon Park in Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts for people who might want to visit an expo or world's fair without travelling far or fighting the crowds. These vessels were part of the attraction, and appear to have been modified canoes or other double-ended boats, with enhancements on both bow and stern (notice them in white). It also appears that the gondoliers wore uniforms reminiscent of Navy dress whites. I wonder if they sang to their passengers.

SNOW ON GONDOLAS - photo 8

I know that by now some of you are tired of seeing photos from Bacino Orseolo, but this one is exceptional.

Ingo Stahl, our gondolier friend from Wörthsee sent this one and I love it.

The big chunks of snow make it look almost like it was shot in Colorado rather than Venice.

Ingo actually used it for a Christmas card a few years back.

POSTCARD HISTORY LESSON - Seattle 1909

Let me begin by saying that I don't believe the boat on this postcard was a gondola, and for that matter, I'm not so sure it was marketed as one either.

I discovered it on e-bay about ten years ago because the seller had listed it as a postcard with a gondola.

There are some things about the boat that echo back to the gondola, such as the size and shape of the hull, and the straw hat worn by the "gondolier" on board, but then lots of men wore such hats back then.

The fact that the boat is red carries little meaning because many gondolas brought over between the 1890's and the 1930's ended up being repainted - often red, white, green, or tan. What really convinces me that we are not looking at a gondola, is the absence of any decks. A child is sitting where there should be a bow deck, and the positioning of the gentleman at the stern serves as a clear indication that no "poppa" deck exists.

The postcard is postmarked with the words "WORLD'S FAIR SEATTLE 1909", and the text on the front of the card tells us that the image came from Lake Washington in Seattle.

My theory on the boat is that it was either a very "creative" take on the gondola, or that it was actually a boat from one of the native tribes in the Pacific Northwest.

This is a fun one in that it's such a mystery.

Got any theories of your own?

Images of the day - Newport

As some of my friends know, I'm still getting to know my new camera. With three cruises on my plate tonight and clear skies, I decided to take the camera out and take some shots while rowing (a challenge in itself). Photographer Cind Meadors taught me about the "golden hour" and I'm trying to get the best photos I can during that time period.

Gondolier Matt Schenk takes the Golden Swan out for a quick spin before h
The bow of the Golden Swan, with her unique ferro

One of the gondolas from my friend and competitor.

STEREOVIEW - Chicago 1893

I love stereoviews

I know what you're thinking.

You're thinking "what the heck is a stereoview?"

Well, if you're as old as I am (yes, I'm just getting to the point where I can say that), then you remember the Viewmaster.

If you weren't lucky enough to grow up with the Viewmaster, you really missed out; it was a type of stereoview. There were a series of images on a disk, and the disk slipped into a binocular-style viewer. Each eye saw a slightly different view of the same photo, giving the illusion of 3D.

Long before Viewmasters, there were stereoviews.

Stereoviews were bigger, usually black-and-white, and each view was on a separate card.

In many ways, stereoviews are like postcards: they give us a view into the past, and the really cool ones give us a glimpse into events that took place near the dawn of photography.

The stereoview I have for you today shows a gondola at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Also known as the World's Columbia Exposition as it took place on the 400th anniversary of the famous first voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas.

Like so many other expositions in the US, gondolas were brought in to give the event and international and exotic feel.

One of the unique things about this particular image is that just about everything in the frame...no longer exists.

It seems that the folks who built everything for the World's Fair used temporary building materials. According to chicagology.com, "only two of the Fair's 200 buildings survived", and the impressive Illinois Building in the background is not one of them. It's a safe assumption that both boats in the frame aren't around anymore either.

The bridge might be around but I'd be surprised if it is.

So what we are looking at here is something that no longer exists, but when it did, it was incredibly popular and affected millions. According to chicagology.com, over 27 million people visited the Chicago World's Fair during the six months that it was there.

Now let's take a look at that gondola.

She was brought over from Venice along with other gondolas and gondoliers.

Taking a closer look, you can see that the deck is not the smooth deck of a standard gondola, but more likely that of a wedding gondola as it appears to be carved.

There appears to be a forward forcola and I think I can see light spots on the portela, which leads me to believe that gold leaf was used to adorn this and many other parts of the vessel. If my assumptions are correct, this was an exceptional gondola.

The gondolier is wearing dark clothing. These days, you are more likely to see dark clothes during winter, but in the 1890's it would be typical for men to wear dark colors even in summer.

I have another image from the 1893 Fair which offers a rare view of the gondoliers there.

I hope to post it in the days to come.

In the mean time, enjoy the stereoview, and let me know if you have any additional thoughts or theories on it.

14 days til the 14th

photo by Rick Rosen

Well, my friends, February has officially arrived.

If you're in a "Northern Port" it might not mean anything to you, as your gondolas are probably tucked-in for winter.

But if you're in a place where you can operate during Valentine's Day, well, chances are that the Superbowl is not as important to you as getting your gondolas ready for the big rush. In fact, here at Gondola Adventures, Inc., we often refer to "V-Day" as "our Superbowl". We spend lots of time and energy preparing for the "Big Game".

This week I've spent countless hours with a paintbrush, shopvac, or buffer in my hand.

I've pulled out new silver champagne buckets and bundling blankets.

As we have every year, my staff and I are also preparing to launch two or three more gondolas before the rush ensues.

It's a lot of work, and the weather isn't always our friend, but we need to seize the opportunity and rise to the challenge.

So if you're a gondola operator and you are reading this from a "Northern Port", enjoy your V-Day, plan something special with your sweetheart, and think about the rest of us, down south, working tirelessly, all the while hoping it won't rain.

And if you're one of those gondola operators who is preparing for the big day (or week, for that matter), remember that you're not the only one with your hands full. There are many of us...and we're all praying for clear skies.