Coming of Age on the Hudson Volume II (Second Edition): In Which I Make Several Attempts To Float From Albany To Manhattan Between 2006 And 2010, And In The Process Become A Citizen And A Man

by Dallas K. Trombley

In Volume II of Coming of Age on the Hudson, Dallas Trombley has begun a career at the New York State Assembly, lives in a large apartment in the best neighborhood of Albany, and has basically accrued the signifiers of success. Yet his old goal of rafting to Manhattan on a homemade boat remains unfulfilled. Volume II argues that meaningful employment is necessary, but not sufficient, for self-actualization. A person must continue to have goals, to self-educate, and to be active, in order to foster an identity. This volume picks up after Trombley's third raft, The Manhattan Project, has been destroyed by vandals just south of Albany. It follows his construction and piloting of Excelsior, a stitch and glue trimaran; Assiduity, a 24-foot long, 12-foot wide, 16-foot tall, biodiesel-powered barge; and Assembly Required, a windmill-powered catamaran, down the Hudson. Along the way Trombley finds himself the subject of stories on the local radio, in the New York Times and Outside Magazine. A theme in the post-modern world, the can-do spirit is the best remedy for existential ennui.

386 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2017