As we mosey down the Inter Coastal Waterway passing through Jupiter, FL the
water suddenly became a beautiful aquamarine. I felt as if I had arrived. There is nothing like clear aquamarine waters to make you think tropical. Today, we’ve seen statues of gorillas, alligators and
sailfish along the way, but when Ed pointed out the 10-foot snowman, I laughed out loud. I rubberneck to get a better glimpse of a giant plastic snowman sitting in front of a palm tree on the front lawn of a home. The water was blue.
The sun was shining. It was 80
degrees and we were looking at a snowman.
The blue wate didn't last and turned grey again as
we passed the Jupiter inlet and continued our passage south. We celebrated Thanksgiving
before we left. We decided early
on to boycott the commercial aspect of Christmas this year. I have a picture of a Christmas tree
from my former co-workers. I’ll be
hanging it in the boat to remind me of the reason for the season. I’m not buying gifts, nor am I
accepting gifts this year.
However, I do havethe perfect inexpensive gift for every guy and girl as well. Shortly before
leaving port my husband, I’ll call him Mr. Headlight for this story, bought a
headlamp on an adjustable elastic cord that he wears around his head. While he bought his headlamp at a
nearby home improvement store, the neat little tool can be purchased for
under $15 almost anywhere.
The clever little device
takes up little space. It offers a
red light for night vision and three levels of LED light for reading or working
in dark places like under a sink.
The headlamp also offers a tilt action that allows Mr. Headlight to
adjust the light for looking up or down.
He likes this gizmo so much that he has become a walking
advertisement. He doesn’t know how
he ever managed without one.
There is an answer for that and her name is Sharron. I used to stand for hours, or so it seemed, holding a flashlight
while he worked on one project or another. Ladies, buy your man a
headlamp. You won’t have to hold
the flashlight again while he tinkers in the dark, under the sink or in the
basement. In my case, it was
usually the engine compartment of the boat. And, if you are not holding the flashlight, you won’t have
to fetch the wrench, or the screws, or the tape measure that he forgot when he
started the project. As soon
as Mr. Headlight straps on the unit, I know it’s time to disappear. On a boat that’s kind of hard. I
do my best.
Mr. Headlight wears his new
toy, I mean tool, so often that he sometimes forgets he has it on. He has been asked if he had been
mining lately as he sat outside one marina with the unit strapped on. We were getting ready for bed the
other night and yes… Mr. Headlight was in full regalia. I finally put my foot down and told him
that he wasn’t going to wear it to bed.
He replied, “Well what if I get lost in the dark?” I shook my head.
I have to admit that the
headlamp has been a very useful addition to the limited inventory of items we
can store on the boat. I tease Mr. Headlight about his new headgear, but to be
honest, I’ve been known to borrow it a time or two.A headlamp is a great gift
idea for the person who has everything, or for anyone at all. It makes a great reading lamp for
nighttime reading. It’s a great
beacon if you jog or take walks in the dark. For a little extra light, working in tight dimly lit
spaces… or even getting lost in the dark, the headlamp fills the bill.
And for those who might already own this useful device, you can also make a donation in someone's honor this Christmas season. My favorite charity happens to be Meals
on Wheels. A gift of a meal for
Christmas doesn’t get more personal.
There are over 4,500 such programs in the United States.
