Jack of All Trades

If you operate gondolas long enough, you realize that it only makes sense to handle boat maintenance in-house.  Most gondola operators start out doing their own boat work.

Working on a gondola requires almost a dozen different areas of focus:

There's wood (all eight different types if she was built in Venice),

paint (which needs to stay nice and shiny),

upholstery - sure, you can farm that out for production,

but you'll still have to care for it,

Metal, which may include brass, aluminum, and stainless steel.

You're likely to have some kind of carpet in the mix,

Some surfaces are covered in a non-skid material,

Ropes, oars, forcole.

Then there's the rowing, and the training of the rowing.

All those unsavory things involving online reviews and fussing over every facet of advertising are your responsibility too.

And then there's beverage handling, probably some kind of food service.

Sheesh! That's more than a dozen, and I haven't even gone into the long list of things you've got to do if you're any kind of business owner.

 

The focus of our post today:

 

Ice!

 

Yeah, if you're gonna serve champagne, or just provide the bucket so they can bring their own, you're gonna need some of that cubed frozen water.

 

Today I added "Ice machine installer" to the list of things I can do.

 

My new machine with the first load of ice.

It would have been a lot easier if the unit had come with all the hoses and connections needed, but then I wouldn't have the profound appreciation for a job well-done, when the thing was finally installed and running.

 

I actually let out an extremely loud "YAHOO!!!" when the first load of ice went kachunk! in the holding bin (just ask my wife - she was on the phone with me when it happened - not sure if she can hear anymore in that ear).

 

There are many more disciplines for a gondola operator to fuss over,

but for now, I'm just gonna take a moment and revel in my new title,

as "Ice machine installer".

Maybe I'll enjoy a cocktail using some of the ice made by my new machine.