journeys of a restless mind

sailing class, day two

We got out on the water yesterday, unlike our first day of class.  My knees and shins are bruised today, but I am getting more comfortable climbing around on the boat.  We - the students - had to rig the jib ourselves in preparation for sailing (sailing is about 35% getting the boat ready before you sail and putting it all away again when you return to the dock).  We didn't embarrass ourselves too badly.  I did that later, however, when I managed to toss the winch handle overboard.   It sank really fast. 

I love being out on the water.  I've spent all these months looking out at the bay, so it was enormously satisfying to be sailing on it, to look back at the town and marina and ferry dock.  Other than a bit of fumble-handedness, my main issue seems to be one of equipment.  I need a hat that won't fly off and some waterproof gear.  Gloves.  Sunglasses.  I wish I were stronger.  But all that is just quibbling.  It's nothing short of glorious.

Now if someone would just invent a floating winch handle.

not the beach

Updated to add:  there's another nice lavender foto that I took over at Diary of a Single Mom.

bonus beach foto

Yesterday morning was so gorgeous that after taking my standard "Year at the Beach" foto, I had to turn the camera a bit to capture the sky and mountains.

pirates!

I think we're being attacked by pirates!  Then again, maybe it's just the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftan sailing by as part of their summer tour.

berries of blue

The writer's conference is going on next week out at the fort.  Dorothy Allison will be there.  I should be there.  But instead I will be working in the office, doing mail merges and stuffing envelopes.  Crap. 

A wave of sadness has rolled up over me these last couple of days.  My inclination is to try and figure it out, to ask why.  But I think I just need to let it wash over me and not worry about it.

The conference will be here next year, and the year after that.

The tide rises and falls.

The heat saps the energy and patience right ot of me.

I envy the sailing instructors, the riggers, the guys in the boat shop.

We saw the wakes of three orcas yesterday, headed out towards the Strait.

As Phil would say, left foot, right foot.

I've got a little proyect

I've got new fluffy pillows, and pelicans, and the sun shining down.  Hijo's neck is growing brown above the edge of his t-shirt.  I've got the wind that gathers itself each evening and then lets go, blowing the boats around the bay.  Mostly, I've got the beach.  Sand, rocks, eelgrass, gulls, water, sky, mountains, wildflowers, driftwood, crows, shells, clouds.

I've got a new project.   It's called A Year At the Beach, and will be a supplement to this blog.  I'm going to take a foto everyday of the beach outside my office.  One of my greatest pleasures here has been watching that beach.  Now you can watch a little bit, too.

Here's the first foto.  From now on, there will be a link to the fotos on my sidebar.

announcement

I've been getting an inordinate amount of comment spam lately, so until Typepad gets the problem fixed, I'm going to moderate comments. 

berries

Check out these beauties.  Picked yesterday morning, and mostly consumed by yesterday evening.  (On shortcake with whipped cream, of course.)  Tell apple pie I'm leaving him, he no longer does it for me.  I have a new, juicier dessert.