Pierre, Paddle Boards, and The Neighbor's Pot Crop

Pierre knows how to get my attention. It’s a very clear and effective form of communication. One of the things he’ll do is walk along the narrow ledge on the roof deck of our houseboat. It’s three stories down to water if he slips. But apparently only one of us is nervous. Across the channel is what we call the Hacker’s boat. When I mentioned this to our new, younger neighbor three boats down he wondered how we knew about the hacking . . . then it occurred to us that our new neighbor was thinking computer, while we were thinking - - smoker! Generational differences. Hacker smokes and coughs with frequency and his houseboat is covered in tyvek and tarps in what I’d like to say is an unfinished state . . . but I’d say the hacker is pretty much finished. Last year the crop seen on the far left - was growing on the top of the piling - maybe an offering to soaring pothead seagulls?? This year the plants are in buckets that say sliced pickles, growing on his deck. Apparently seagulls do not like pickles. They seem to be keeping their distance.