The Mixer...

You might not believe this, but this is how it goes!

So anyway, last Spring (2009), I got it into my head that I wanted to acquire a kayak so that I could explore the local waterways with my lover, Staci.  Acquire, I did...with the help of Rothrock Outfitters, the local outdoor shop.  On one of our first trips of the season, we floated on by some dangerous looking piece of rusty metal poking out of the water.  As I steered away to avoid knocking into the metal, I couldn't help but notice what looked like mixer paddles down through the water.  I turned about and paddled back upstream to check it out... and no shit, the fantasy of little kent owning a mixer started right then and there.

I went back the next day and, no surprise, that old piece of steel was still lodged, half full of river sediment, right where it had been for god knows how long.  I waded out and inspected it further.  It looked pretty good and as I was already wet, I thought that I would get to work. 

I wasn't sure how I was going to move it, but after I had cleared the sediment, I realized that it was the river itself that was going to help me move this hulk home.  I levered the barrel more directly into the current and with all of that water pushing on its side, it couldn't help but give way.  Swamped completely, the barrel tumbled in the stream.  It rolled and rolled... and surely, I wouldn't have been able to stop it, had I wanted to.  My role was merely to direct it towards the adjacent shore and let nature do the shoving.  Eventually, we made it to the water's edge and there, the real work began.

Moving the mixer out across dry land was much more difficult than moving it in the water.  The steep berm that flanked the river didn't help either...but I had planned for this.  I whipped out some boards and my come along, and although it was slow going...it was, in fact, GOING! 

I had a chance there on the river's edge to think about what I was doing.  Part of me felt excited to start down the path of restoring this barrel to working condition.  Another part felt perplexed at what I had started into, because dammit, I didn't want another unfinished project in my life.  These thoughts bounced around in my head in opposition but as I wrestled with them, I felt resolved that at the very least, I was making this waterway a little cleaner. 

To make a long story short, after a pile of assessment, I applied my skills and busted out a frame, motor assembly, and all of the things needed to make something like this live again.  It was a very enjoyable evolution, taking place over a couple of months as I could find the time.  I am still finishing up this and that on it to really make it bling, but for the most part, it is done.  I am on to other fantasies and ready to mix through a gift from above.

mixer in winter. 2010