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Times are so tough and folks are hurting everywhere. As I was working on the current Glen-L Newsletter, I really wanted to bring some bit of joy to you, but I couldn’t think of anything. So, I said a brief prayer asking God to bring something up if that’s what I’m supposed to do.

Then Brian called with questions about our Albert E design. Shortly before he called, I had opened up a a folder on my desk and saw a note from my dad. You see, we re-use everything because we want to be good stewards of what we have. This note made me cry because I miss my dad.

So, back to the Albert E. I told Brian that my dad had named this boat after his father whose name was Albert Ernest Witt. And, he also dedicated the book, Boatbuilding with Plywood, to him and it reads:

My grandfather lived with us for several years when I was growing up and I can attest to the fact that he was all of those things stated above. As was my father. My dad wasn’t an emotive man (unless he’d had a Manhattan cocktail or two), so the book dedication was really something for him to do.

My dad’s parents divorced at some point and then his mom passed away when he was 12 from consumption–also known as TB. His dad then moved back into the house to take care of he and his brother. His mom had a housekeeper named Rose Marie who was divorced and had a young son. Eventually, Grandpa figured he should probably marry her which he did. Interestingly enough, I recently got an email from Rose Marie’s grandson looking for information about the father he never knew…

And so I ramble on. Anyway, my grandpa was one of the kindest men I’ve known. When I was in High School, I walked into his room and he said, “you know, you can wear anything and make it look like a million bucks.” If you know teenage girls, you can appreciate the confidence a comment like that provides.

So, what I’m getting at is that our family and history is intertwined in Glen-L Marine. Here’s a bit of inside info on other boat names:

Albert E – I already mentioned this, but my dad probably named this after grandpa because he liked to fish and they had a cabin cruiser that they took to the lake frequently.

Audeen – Named after my dad’s girlfriend (long before he married my mom), Audrey Green, who was much younger than him and he dated her for a couple of years but wasn’t really serious. He always regretted that he probably took advantage of her. After they broke up, she married someone else a couple of months later.

Bingo – My mom, Vera Irene Witt, was a Bingo fanatic! When I was young, she played for prizes like the pretty little lamps that sat on my dresser growing up. Later, it was cash. She spent a lot of time at the local Catholic churches, that’s for sure.

Ke-Pau – Named after Dad’s great-grandchildren Kelly and Paul which he designed in 2004. The entire line of kid boats he started in August of 1994. My son Ryan passed away in September of that year. It took a while to get that line started back up…

Mai Tai – I can’t say for sure on this one, but there were some cocktail parties at our home when I was growing up and though my mom wasn’t much of a drinker, I do believe she liked a good Mai Tai.

Sherwood Queen – After designing and building the house and then the office, the next was our Cabin in Lake Sherwood. Thus, this name.

Sissy Do – Many of you know this story. My sister was 10 years older than me, so when I was a few years old, I would often say “Sissy do” to get help from her. When my dad was building this boat he asked me what I wanted to name her and you know the rest!

Vera Cruise – This was named after my mom, Vera. I miss her too…

I hope this was a pleasant break and want to share one more thing with you, a reminder I recently had for myself and hopefully it will help you from Philipians 4:8-9:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.