Her Name is Rio

Remember how I said in my last post that sunscreen wasn't necessary that day because of the fog?

And then remember how it was sunny on the other side of the pass?

And how I turned on the music and poured drinks when we got to the other side?

Yeah, well, I should have remembered the sunscreen. Both me and the Captain are red and burned.

But at least I got to dance at the bow of a sailing boat with Duran Duran's Rio playing. I've always wanted to do that. The trip back was SO much fun. We stopped and drifted a while in Saratoga Passage, just soaking up the sun and listening to music with some wine.

...and getting some sun in places that haven't had sun in a while ;-)

Dead Reckoning

Ahhhh.... nothing like waking up to a nice, cool foggy Pacific Northwest morning. I've always dreamed of mornings like the one after our "ocean crossing". So quiet and peaceful, having a cup of coffee up on deck with the Captain, watching some kayakers paddling around the bay, and seeing their dogs run up to them on the water's edge as they head back to their beach house.



It was very nice.

But that fog out on the straits was thick.



That may look like simply a cloudy day in the picture, but it was pea soup thick fog outside the bay. Couldn't see anything past about 50 yards. Nice when you get to stay put, but when needing to sail through it?....Not so nice.

"It'll burn off," said the Captain. "We don't need to pull up the anchor till about 10am in order to make the slack tide at Deception Pass. It'll mostly be gone by then."

10:00 AM: It wasn't gone. It didn't burn off. And unless we wanted to sail back in the dark, we needed to head on back in order to time our sail through Deception Pass with the slack tide. There are enough whirlpools to deal with in that pass alone, without mixing tidal forces with it, so we needed to leave, fog or not. I may have slathered myself with SPF 50 the day before, but there was no need for sun screen that day. Nothing was cutting through that fog.

Ok, so now I'm thinking that if Rosario and Juan were rough the day before, how much more scary are they going to be when sailing blind in a fog?

"Not a problem," said the Captain. "We'll just use the maps and compass. It's called dead reckoning."

Then he started doing some kind of calculations with the compass that were way over my head. But I'll tell you what. I didn't like the sound of that "dead reckoning" thing at all. I like the GPS thingy best, but the Captain said one shouldn't rely on that alone.

And then we sailed out.

Good news was the waters weren't near as choppy. I think the fog may have kept some of the day trippers at home, and the waters were still smooth. Remembering the day before, I had given up pretty quickly and decided to hide out below, but the Captain said he wanted me to sit up top with him and enjoy the scenery. So I put on the life jacket and went back up. Couldn't see anything though. The closest land was invisible in the fog, but we did see some dolphins, a couple of seals, and a flock of seagulls floating in the water.

Mostly, I was looking to sight Deception Pass Bridge. The Captain kept checking his compass and calculations, and we kept on our course heading for it, but we couldn't see a thing much past the end of the boat.

Normally, in good weather, you can see the Deception Pass bridge from miles away.



But we kept on sailing and sailing, and it never appeared. I kept checking the GPS, which indicated we were right up on the bridge and should have seen it nearly half an hour before. But there was nothing but fog.

And then... finally.... we saw a small cruiser boat coming out of the fog, and then another, and then a structure started taking shape before us. The Captain had found it! We were at the pass! But now we had to deal with those rocks on the sides and those whirlpools. This is what it looked like going in.



And then, like a whole different day, this is what it looked like on the other side.



We did get swung in one shallow depth whirlpool, because some big cock-swinging day cruiser was hogging the whole pass right down the middle. But the Captain handled the wheel and managed to skirt out of it without running aground or being slammed into the rocks, and it was smooth sailing and sunny skies for the rest of the day. The fog was behind us.



Time to turn on the "Tropical and Fruity Drinks" playlist and pour some drinks!

When Rosario Crosses Juan

I'm not quite the easy going sailing girl I thought I was. I disappointed myself Friday. The Captain took us pretty far out in the Sound to Lopez Island. We were actually a little further north than Victoria, British Columbia, but still in American waters. After sailing through Deception Pass, which is nerve wracking, but we've done before, we kept on going further out, all the way across the spot where the Strait of Rosario meets the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Eeep! That Rosario and Juan get into some rough stuff!

They are two strong currents that serve as major thoroughfares for tankers, naval vessels, big ships, and the like, and when they meet up, you're getting both of them trying to push you along at the same time, only in two or three different directions.



Our boat was rocking and pitching side to side, up the swells and then plopping back down again. It was scary. I really got panicky and was holding on to the railings for dear life. I think I might have even prayed a bit. I couldn't even look up. I didn't get sea sick, but I was scared. The more I saw our boat pitching and swaying, the more scared I got. The Captain was cool and calm, though. He said it was nothing, and he sailed right through it like an old salty dog, never even flinching. He said our boat was made for much rougher stuff than that.

Maybe so, but I was having visions of the ill-fated Andrea Gale in the Perfect Storm.



It scared the daylights out of me. As soon as we got to our quiet, little, safe and secure spot in Aleck Bay for the night, I headed straight down to the galley and a glass of wine. It had been very hot back at the marina, but out in the open where we were, it was pretty windy and chilly. I took a nice warm shower, and when I got out, the Captain had us some hot crab soup and sushi for dinner. He even had a bottle of our favorite Duck Pond Pinot Noir opened and ready for me. He said he felt bad for not better preparing me on what to expect out there, but he more than made up for it with the romantic and cozy dinner.



However, in the back of my mind, as we lay down to sleep, all I could think about was how in the hell were we going to get home again.

Son of a..... !

I finally make it up here on this boating trip, all excited about nice breezy days on Puget Sound and getting away from the oppressive Mississippi heat, and wouldn't you know it?

Seattle and the Pacific Northwest having their hottest temperatures EVER.

I swear I am cursed or something.

Yesterday was miserably hot in Oak Harbor, and very few places here have air conditioning, but today we are finally sailing out, so it should be cooler out on the water. The "bilge pump" broke on the boat Tuesday, and the Captain had to spend all day fixing it yesterday. We can't sail without it.

But the Captain made up for it. The best part of the day was dinner at Tobys in Coupeville, which is also on Whidbey Island. It's a really old seaside tavern that's been there since the 1880s, very local, very authentic. We had a big bowl of steamed Penn Cove mussels, garlic bread, blue cheese salads, and wine. It's the same little town where they filmed the movie Practical Magic, if you've seen it, and it's one of my favorite movies. That made up for the boat being broken for a day or so. And we did get to have a nice sunset dinner on the boat deck the night before, so all has not been lost. Just being with my Captain is good in itself.

My second favorite part of the day was when we stopped in the nice and ultra air conditioned Albertson's for some groceries to stock the boat with. I almost wanted to just hang out there all day.

Back home, on the other hand, they're having temps in the 70s and lots of nice summer showers. I guess I took the weather with me.

Sail me there, Captain!

This is one of the places I want the Captain to sail us to, especially if we get that boat down in Florida that he likes, and we have to sail it through the Gulf and up the Tenn-Tom.

Anna Maria Island, Central West Coast of Florida





More pics here

The Summer is Back on Track!

      Yaaaaayyy! It's official! The big boat and moving trip is back on schedule!

Unless some kind of drastic act of God happens, I'm leaving on Monday, July 27th for Oak Harbor, WA, and we're going out on the boat for a while, and then going back to the Captain's house to pack him up and move his ass down here to Mississippi for good!

Yeeeeee! :)

I haven't totally disappeared

I have been in kind of a dark place for a few weeks. I guess the old broody, dark side of me is still there, hidden deep inside, but still there. It made a scary appearance this time. I'm not quite out of it yet.

I guess I just figured that coming here and posting about my family was rather lame, not to mention uninteresting, so I've just kept quiet. Everything else seemed so trivial and time wasting to write about, though, so I just didn't post at all.

Mom is ok. She's home and doing some out-patient treatments. The blood transfusions worked wonders. I knew they would. If the doctors would have just done it back in March, like I thought they should...

She has more energy now than she's had since early last fall, which is the last time they hooked her up. They are going to be doing bone marrow tests in two weeks, though.

Dad got sick while Mom was in the hospital, mostly stress and tiredness kind of sick. He's fine, though. They're both resting a lot these days.

The Captain will be here June 2nd, and I really need him. We have a friend's 60th birthday that we're going to attend, and he's meeting the rest of my old gang then too.

And then I'm going up to Washington and the boat trip on July 1st. Independence Day weekend is a good time to sail away, don't you think?

And that's about all there is to say. I guess I've been kind of depressed. I really have no reason to be. I should be happy now, right? But whatever. I'm probably just being a brat about not getting to do what I want, when I want. I was really looking forward to that boat outing the past few weeks. I'm trying to keep myself busy with house and home projects and helping my parents, but I'm having trouble focusing for very long.

God, this is pathetic. See? This is why I haven't been posting or coming here. I knew I would be horribly pathetic, and I hate that. I'm tempted to hit "delete" instead of "publish", but I guess I need to put something on here. No need to comment. I just wanted to respond to a few of you who inquired on previous posts.

I want to get on that boat and sail far away to where it's really quite and deserted. Just me and the Captain, with some books, music, wine, and sunshine. Maybe seeing some whales and dolphins and seals. Just drifting on the water for a long, long time. No time limits or phones ringing. I'd like to take my pets, though. I wouldn't want to truly run away without them. However, that wouldn't really work on a boat.

Damn, life is so impractical to fantasies.

By the way....I really dig the new American Idol. His performance of this song was so sigh-worthy.



UPDATE: - Damn Youtube. I hate that !*#!ing place. Here's a link to a site with the vid. I can't find the embed code, though, cause it's in Japanese or something.

Kris Allen - Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone

Wish I was there

Sunny and 63 degrees today in Oak Harbor, Washington.

More tests today for Mom, a possible bone marrow extraction. I don't know, but there's a part of me that wonders if the torture of such a thing is really the best thing for her. It's a part of me that I keep quiet and hidden, though.

She will be first in my thoughts while I'm sitting around that hospital waiting area, but in the back of my mind I can't help but dwell about scenes such as these.







I pretty much keep quiet about these thoughts too.

Just Joan Wilder

I can pack for a week long business trip with no problem.

I can efficiently pack for a two week long business trip.

I can even pack for a multiple week business trip to multiple cities, thanks to hotel valet services and working with a different set of people each week, who don't know I'm wearing an outfit for the second or third time.

But I'm having a problems with packing for three weeks, for several various climates across the country, from sailing, to summer road travel, to church and meeting the family outfits, and not always having access to a laundry, much less a valet. Not that I need a valet, but there will be approximately 12 days where we won't have access to a real laundry.

I'm a very good packer, though. I don't take a ton of make-up, perfumes, and jewelry. I don't even like perfume and don't wear very much make-up or jewelry at all. I might go overboard on the skincare products, because I have sensitive skin and need my things for it. But I know that I do have a problem narrowing down shoes. I NEED my shoes.

I think I'm going to have to send a box ahead of me to the Captain's house. I just can't show up at the Seattle airport with a 7 day trip sized rolling suitcase to lug aboard a sailboat. The Captain would have a conniption and toss it into Puget Sound.

Besides, I hate dragging a bunch of junk around like Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone. Ever since I saw that movie, I swore I'd never be annoying with girly things, like trying to hang on to my high heels and luggage when hiking through the Columbian jungle.

Ok, maybe I don't need to pack four pairs of flip-flops, even if they are the cutest Tommy Hilfiger plaid or pink and green flowers.




Anyone remember Eddie Money?







UPdated May 4th: That's Eddie GRANT, not Eddie Money. I always did get my Ed, Edd, and Eddie's confused.

Spring Fever

Still daydreaming of sailing with my Captain. I guess I have a touch of spring fever or something. It's so nice and green here now, blue skies, flowers blooming. It's raining up in Oak Harbor where the Captain is, though. But whatever. Daydreams aren't always realistic.

My brother says that he listens to Ride Like the Wind a lot when he bikes. He does triathlons. He mostly does them regionally now, but he's done the Iron Man in Hawaii several times. Hasn't won, but always finished in the early pack. He rides all the time. Sometimes I pass him on the road around the highways here, peddling his ass off, head down and flying. When he was single he used to make road trips on his bike to places like Savannah, Georgia and Phoenix, Arizona.

The song makes me think of sailing, though. Standing up at the bow of the boat, wind in my face, arms up in the air, moving, feeling the ocean. No, not a "king of the world" moment, more like "Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand."

Duran Duran - Rio
Uploaded by aquanote

May 13th can't get here soon enough.

Boat Dreams

I find myself daydreaming of sailing a lot today. It's breezy here, and I'm sure that's influencing me, but mostly it's because the Captain has been in Oak Harbor on the boat all week, doing some maintenance and upkeep. I'm downright envious.

I can't wait for May 13th. I'm flying up to Washington, and we're going out on the boat for several days, maybe even a whole week. The Captain is going to take me to a place where we can see dolphins, seals, and maybe even some whales if we're lucky. I'm going to take some books and just lie on the deck and read a lot, drink some wine, eat some crabs and mussels, get into long conversations with the Captain, and laugh at his silly jokes. Laughing on a boat is nice. I like the sound of it on the wind, especially the Captain's laugh. He has a nice laugh.

Hopefully we'll find some good places to go walking and sightseeing too. Oh, and the Captain is going to take me to the town where they filmed the movie Practical Magic. I've always thought the little seaside town in that movie was so pretty.

After the boat trip, we'll be heading back over to the Captain's house. We'll pack up his things, wrap things up, give the house keys to the Realtor, and provided nothing else gets in our way, we'll drive a U-haul back to Mississippi, and he'll mostly be here to stay.

I'm kind of afraid to really count on it, though. Fate always seems to have a way of throwing a wrench in things for the Captain and I. Knowing the way things have gone in the past, gasoline will shoot up to ten dollars a gallon, or Obama will outlaw state to state travel without joining his civil corps, or moving vans will be outlawed without special government approval, or something. I'm getting a little afraid to have faith in the future lately.

But then I talk to the Captain on the phone, and he laughs at some crazy thing I've said... that deep belly laugh he has. I love that laugh. It makes me smile and feel very secure. I'm not sure why, but that laugh always makes me feel better, like all is just fine with the world.

Omg, last night was so good!

The Captain got us a grill yesterday, put it together, and made the bestest hamburgers and grilled vegetables last night. I never get to have grilled outside food at home because I'm too scared of fire and haven't had a grill because it's just been me here alone, but the Captain is an excellent griller. The vegetables were kabobs, and they had red potatoes, purple onions, mushrooms, and zucchinis on them. And the hamburgers had some kind of Montreal seasoning that he used.

Fantastic, I'm telling you! We had a Cabernet to go with it and homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

Oh, and TWC...the Captain told me to tell you that he took your advice on the cylinder thing to start the fire with. Worked very well and he's sold on it.

As for boating, we are definitely planning on either bringing the boat down south or selling it in Washington and buying one down here if the transport is too expensive. The Captain really liked the marinas we looked at the other day. I told him he has to promise me that we'll sail down the Tenn-Tom all the way to the coast at least once a year. Should be about a 5-7 day trip each way. But we've got friends on a lake over in Alabama that we can sail to, and friends in Memphis that are boaters, so we'll be having some booze cruise weekends for sure. Did you know that you can sail anywhere in the world from Pickwick Lake? And there's a sailing/cruising route that goes around the whole eastern United States called the Great Loop that boat people sort of congregate around and pass each other along the way.

Today we're planting marigolds and splitting an English Ivy I have on the veranda. We're going to put it in two big urns on either side of the veranda doors. I can't do it by myself, though. Too heavy and too many crawly things in that ivy for me. But the Captain's not scared.

He's sleeping in this morning. I had some very disturbing nightmares last night about killing my former boss and her becoming a zombie. I woke up screaming and kept him awake a while. So I left him to sleep when I woke up again at 7am.

Yep, I'm feeling MUCH better now

He's here! The Captain got here late Wednesday night, and while I still can't believe I lost my job, I am definitely feeling a lot better. He's been completely spoiling me, making me breakfast, giving me back and shoulder rubs, and we even went shopping.

Friday was difficult. It was my last day at work, and people were calling me to tell me goodbye and express their disbelief at what had happened. I cried a lot that day.

But then after I dropped the last of my company assets off at Fed Ex for shipping back to corporate, we went shopping, and I got the cutest pair of plaid wedge heel sandals. They're ridiculously high heels, but I love them, and shoe shopping is the best thing for losing a job.

The Captain got himself some new Nike Airs too.

And he's been so busy around here. In addition to taking care of me, he cleaned the dead leaves out the azaleas so they could be fertilized for the spring, fixed the light on the terrace, put up a hummingbird feeder outside my kitchen window, and a bluebird house, and he even put up a new light-blocking roller shade in the bedroom, and a window blind in the office.

Oh! AND!...He made me Belgian waffles for breakfast. I have a man that can fix things AND cook. How cool is that! :-)

Today we're going over to Grand Harbor Marina on the Tennessee River to see if it might be a good place for a sailboat. We've started thinking we want something nearby, that we can go to every weekend if we want. Also, my best friend and her husband have a cabin over there, where we've done some great football parties in the past. Airfare has gone crazy expensive, and who knows what kind of inflation is coming down the road with this current government we've got, so we're not thinking that going back and forth to Washington for sailing is very realistic.

So yep, I'm feeling much better. Lots of fun things going on. I still can't believe I don't have a job though. It's weird that I can just take off on a Monday and scout for sailing locations without worrying about internet meetings, conference calls, and email. I don't think it's totally sunk in yet.