Meg Evans

At the end of the fall rowing season, my husband and I ordered new single sculls from Fluidesign, to be built over the winter. We had hoped they’d be ready by February, but the delivery (and trade-in of our old boats) was today. Our river was frozen solid in February anyway, and the Sarasota course was windy enough that there weren’t many good days for rowing singles, so we didn’t miss much.

This morning, my husband drove north to pick up the boats somewhere around Toledo or Detroit. Because I stayed at home doing my usual work and then went to do the grocery shopping, I’m not sure where the exact meeting place was. He likes pop-culture references, and just before noon, he sent me a text message that said, “The package is being delivered.”

We’re hoping for good weather to row the singles next week. For now, they are still in their bags, on the back wall of the garage where we keep boats during the winter.

The rack above them is where the double goes, but we usually take the double back to the boathouse before we start rowing singles. We haven’t gone out in the double yet, though. If the weather is warm enough and not too windy next week, we’ll likely row the singles first instead because they are the new toys.

Earlier this week, there was plenty of snow on the ground after weeks of below-freezing temperatures. I was still putting winter images on my art display because that was what matched the real-life scenery.

By Tuesday afternoon, warmer air had blown in, just in time to for the scheduled loading of the Greater Columbus boat trailer with boats from Dayton and Hamilton for our combined trip to this year’s Sarasota rowing regatta. Stepping outside, it felt like a new and strange thing. “Warm air, what’s that?”

Loading the trailer went quickly and easily in the springlike temperatures, and although we had to wear boots and wade through lots of melting slush, nobody minded. Spring was definitely in the air. Today wasn’t quite as warm, but it was mostly sunny, and more of the snow has melted.

My husband occasionally uses military terms in conversation because he once worked for a defense contractor. Today, I was thinking of the phrase, “lead time away,” which refers to the time remaining before an item ordered in the procurement process is delivered. Although we can’t place an order for warm and sunny weather (I wish!), spring break fun in the South is lead time away.

I’m back home for the winter now, after having a great time at the Head of the South regatta. The weather in Augusta was perfect—warm and summery with little wind. My husband and I were rowing one of the club’s boats because we had sent our double back to the factory in Canada to have all its scratches and dings cleaned up over the winter. Still, we rowed well and took third place after racing our singles earlier, so we were happy with the result. Afterward, we had dinner with my mom and stepfather, who live in Spartanburg.

We left the summer behind on Sunday as we drove back to Ohio, arriving on a chilly evening with a few flurries. We put our singles away on their racks along the back wall of the garage. By morning, snow covered the ground, and I took a photo out the kitchen window. It hadn’t yet stopped snowing when we took the club’s double back to the boathouse, along with another boat we were transporting.

Although today wasn’t as cold, and the snow has melted already, the rowing season is definitely over. I’m glad to have a comfortable workout room in the basement for rowing machine exercises on dark winter days, but I’ll miss the outdoors for the next few months.

Yesterday morning, I woke up with my hair sticking out weirdly on the left side, and brushing didn’t quite get it back to normal. When I went rowing in the afternoon, my bad hair wasn’t an issue because I wore a hat for sun protection, as usual. And it was also a good hair day, of sorts, because the problem I had last fall with sweaty hands making it hard to hold my oars has now been fixed—very simply, with hair bands.

At the RowFest regatta two weeks ago, I mentioned it to Rhonda, my women’s double partner, and she told me that she knew a woman who’d had the same problem and solved it by wrapping hair bands around the oar handles. They improve grip and are thinner than sweat bands, so they don’t get in the way. I took that advice and have been feeling much more confident about rowing my single. I rowed it both yesterday and Tuesday, without any worries about keeping a good grip on the oars. Yay for simple solutions!

…flooding at the boathouse. After several days of heavy rain, the parking lot, the road, and the surrounding parkland were all underwater on Sunday afternoon, when the river crested. The water did not quite reach the boathouse doors, fortunately, and everything inside stayed dry. Although the river is on its way back down, we certainly won’t be rowing in the next few days.

My husband took a break from his work this afternoon and slogged through the mud to look at the river. He is hopeful that we may be able to get out and row this weekend. I suspect Monday is more likely; but we are both looking forward to enjoying pleasant spring days on the river, whenever we get them.