That is Priceless by Steve Melcher for October 04, 2023

This is not what Pierre and Luc were expecting when they signed up to become sailors.

/// While Rémi and André tote that barge,

they debate what’s the right rate to charge.

They can’t bill by the hour;

using just muscle power,

they’re so slow that their fee’d be too large.

Why did the gosh darned mule have to die today? Joey had tickets to the Eagles farewell tour

Hey, Bernard, you made sure that it was $20 per hour, not per trip?

“I told you Clyde to check your pockets for the keys to the boat.”

“I never realized what beautiful buttocks you have, Herb. So lush and ripe..”

“When you’re not the lead dog, the view never changes “

I don’t think this is what they meant when they mentioned a tug boat

I TOLD YOU! DO NOT EAT THE HORSES. GO FOR THE FISH.

Ancient triathlon:Event 1: barge totingEvent 2: bale liftingEvent 3: gittin’ a little drunk

Next time when the gauge is on E, will you please stop for gas?

Hey Pierre…..The next time you make a bet that we can do the work of two oxen….“Shut the hell up!”

It seems as if every labor union is on strike these days. Why, the only Volga Boat Men on the job are the non-unionized ones and the unlucky managers who have to fill in. In France, even that division of the VBMU have gone out-Seine.

Willie was beginning to have second thoughts about smash and grab boat theft

we get to ride going downstream

Being right in the line of fire John regretted giving Jack his leftover beans

“Tow, tow, tow your boat gently up the stream.”

“This is another fine mess you’ve gotten ourselves into, Ollie!”

Don’t you hate it when you break down by the side of the road and nobody stops to help you as you pull your vehicle to the service station?

“Hey Joe? Isn’t the ocean in the other direction?”

“I swear to God, Jacques, if you sing ’I’m Gonna Be’ by The Proclaimers one more time, you’ll be spending the rest of this trip under the boat.”

“We could rent a boat when we get there…” WHY WOULD THEY RENT A BOAT WHEN THEY ARE ALREADY THERE??!!!

This is definitely not the cruise I signed up for.

“I’ll bring the motor, you said.” “Don’t forget, I said.” “OK, OK, you said.”

“‘Join the Navy and see the world’, you said.”

It turns out there is a fare cheaper than Coach.

Mariners or The Haulers: 

Paste (including the quote marks) 

"Category:1906 oil on canvas paintings" Wikimedia 

(syntax supported by the Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, and Yandex search engines) in the browser address bar (or search for it using one of those search engines) and choose the first Category: found and once there find the text string Monvel, and click its link for info and links that point to more info about this painting.

Again, a larger strip image is shown by (Ctrl- or right-) clicking the image in Mr. Melcher’s MASTERPIECE #3198 (October 4, 2023) blog entry, accessible by the Check out the blog! box after the last comment, and using the dropdown menu (even larger, if you trim what’s after .png from the URL). I have added a comment there (awaiting Mr. Melcher’s approval) pointing to info about this artist I used to point to here. Only work by him used here so far.

They’re a couple of gamy galoots/

Renowned for their glorious glutes/

Their behavior is mutinous/

Their diets are glutinous/

Hence they’re trailing a cluster of “toots”///

Though each otherwise acts like his brother/

Neither one cares to trail the other/

For the air to the rear/

Is one dense atmosphere;/

To come second is almost to smother.

GOD! i can’t wait till they invent out board moters.

before the song “row, row, row your boat” became popular …

Unfortunately, this scene was written (painted) during the writer’s strike; or they would be IN the boat.

/// Just across the canal, looming near,

the two haulers ignore something queer.

Swirling colors and light

later lit up the night.

It’s the prototype Las Vegas Sphere.