Like going home.

I woke up early today. Not only because it was trash day and i needed to haul out the trash and recycling (forgot last week) but because today we were heading to see something truly unique. Up and out in time to catch the eight am ferry to Coupeville.

Yeah at this point i'm just going to show the pictures. I will try and make little quips through it but my mind is still trying to come to grips with what i saw today. Imagine the year is about 1000 ad, sprinkle in some modern tools (after all its really 2013) and take a magic step into the world Jay Smith is creating.

Before you get to the door, before you realize what is going on in the background your greeted with a beautiful collection of Oak knees. Just sitting peacefully in the forest near the shop.

I continued along with the rest of the group thinking about how hard knees are to find (just try) when the door greeted me.

 Where the hell am i? What rabbet hole did i stumble into? It really only gets better.

First off this shop is all about Norse boat construction, you know the Vikings. These people were not only conquers and explorers (there are runes in Constantinople) but they were boat builders on an epic scale. Without there boats, well the world as we know it would be extremely different.

 Did i say modern technology? Its sparing here at Jay's shop creating a beautiful blend of old and new, and by new i mean 1900ish.

Inside this brilliant place are the makings of a small but traditional Norwegian boat. This keel assembly will look a little odd but its shape will enable the hand carved garboards to be riveted on. This was traditionally done with hand forged iron rivets (pictured). 

 Here Jay is explaining the process.

While all this is going on the view out the shop window into the "pavilion" looms quietly larger than life.

This is when my day got weird. I would have been fascinated by this shop regardless of my amazement at the boats in the Viking Ship Museum but outside there seems to be something going on that requires some attention.

Here outside Anacortis WA is a Viking ship modeled after the Gokstad, a boat dug out of a farm in  Sandefjord. You can call bullshit, turn you back and walk away. But i got to see a place where history is now, dreams define reality, and reality is just a dream. 

Then it was time to leave, out the door and back to reality, damn.