Have you started planning for your retirement? I don't just mean starting savings bonds and RRSPs, but thinking about what you're gonna DO with yourself after you don't work anymore. Well here are some ideas: What's more exciting than a world tour of all those places you've only dreamed of but were too poor to back-pack in your youth? What could be more cozy than investing in a cottage, tucked away under Canadian lake-side foliage? And what could be more natural than turning your handy-man side to builidng a scale replica of Noah's Ark?
That's right - I said Noah's Ark. But don't think I am brilliant or original, because it's been done.
Meet Johan Huibers, a Dutch contractor who, wanting to exemplify his faith in the Bible's literal truth, built a model of the ark, to scale. Now whether his faith was coupled by slow buisness or bored retirement, I don't know, but if it was I'm kinda glad, because this thing is AMAZING. If you look at the picture, this thing is HUGE, and yet it isn't even the full size given in the Bible. And what gets me most of all is, it's stationed in a port. Yeah, that does mean it floats. He built a freakin ark and it floats.
Construction began in 2005, Johan using modern tools, and working on it largely solo, with the help of his son. Apparently his wife helped with the drawings as well. I believe it is completely finished now. It is enormous inside, with life-sized models of giraffes, elephants and bison inside, as well as containing as small petting zoo (which I think is a great and hilarious touch), and a small theatre that plays a film on Noah's life. Oh - and it floats.
So three cheers for Johan, and I think his family also deserves a pat on the back. Now you all have a challenge for your own retirements - don't just do something; do something cool!
For more pictures of the ark, check out this link to the photo gallery:
http://www.pbase.com/paulthedane/noahs_ark
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