Maine trip

// July 7th, 2008 // No Comments » // Daily Life, Fun, Holiday, Travel

We had a blast this past couple weeks visiting my original home of record. Actually we didn’t visit my hometown, but did spend a week at the lake where I spent several weeks every summer growing up. All my siblings were there with nieces and nephews. We’d gathered for my cousins wedding, so I got to spend time with many cousins and other relatives too.

A couple of days we spent touring the historic places in Boston, including Cheers. Well, it’s kind of historic. My generation is probably more familiar with “Norm!, Normy!” than “the British are coming, the British are coming!” First stop was Lexington where the first shots of the Revolutionary War took place. The following monument shows the quote from Captain John Parker who commanded the Minuteman militia on the famous day of April 19, 1775 after which eight militia lay dead.

Next it was off to Boston and a ride on the “T” which is the primary means of transportation for all Boston citizens. When we lived here we hardly ever had to drive anywhere because you could get most places on the T. Took the girls for a ride out to Brookline, our temporary home while Mary was at Boston Conservatory.

We then met up with my sister to eat lunch at Cheers.

Of course, no trip would be complete without a trip on the swanboats, made famous by Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey.

Then, its off to Maine for lots of water fun.

Some beautiful sunsets.

Back through Boston stopped in at some Freedom Trail locations ending up at the USS Constitution, the oldest and still commissioned warship in the US Navy.

Then it was back home to reconnect with our dog Abby.

Point of Sail

// April 9th, 2008 // 3 Comments » // Daily Life, Nature

I love sailing. I haven’t sailed in years though. My dad taught me how to navigate Highland Lake in Bridgton, Maine when I was just a young lad. We had a little red Sunfish sailboat made of fiberglass. It was small, flat, and was decked out with a little cockpit in the center with a tiny plug in the floor to let out the water that sloshed around at our feet. The drain plug only worked when you were making some headway so you learned quickly when to open it and when to keep it tight. The daggerboard was raised and lowered by hand. Just a piece of 1×12 curved at the bottom. The boat as a whole was really quite simple to sail and it was fun.

When we were young, the art of the capsize was king. We would purposely turtle that little boat to see if we could right her again. We’d put all of our might into pulling on the dagger board by standing on the hull while the water held the sail beneath the surface. Finally, it would give way and the sail would come soaring out of the water shaking itself free and raining down on us as we jumped out of the way.

I learned a lot while sailing. One of the most important aspects to understand about skippering a sailboat was how the wind and the sail fought eachother for control. I remember asking why we would aim toward the wind, and then, as if by magic, the boat would move in that general direction. Amazing. In sailing this is referred to as tacking into the wind. The boat moves forward with the same motive force in play as that of an airplane wing lifts the plane at takeoff. Baffling really, but somehow possible. The idea is to go as close to head-on into the wind to the point at which the sail begins to take on wind on the opposite side and flutter. This requires constant adjustment of the rudder and the reach of the sail, which helps to maintain the position of the boat relative to the wind. Through it all, a keen sailor fixes his eye on a point across the shore and lets the “feel” of the boat be his mentor. It is an awesome experience to be at that point where you’ve found the “pocket” (a bass player term, sorry) and you begin to realize the power of the wind as it’s harnessed and you literally fly across the water.

I suppose navigating life requires some of these tactics. You fix your eye to the target. You become aware of your surroundings. You begin to understand the forces that exist in nature and learn who controls them. You hold just tight enough to not let go. You never look behind you, always looking ahead.

Careful… the minute you let go of the sail (the very device whose purpose is to harness your power source), you run the risk of losing your direction or getting banged in the head by an angry and out of control boom (that’s the bottom most horizontal beam). When this occurs you’ll usually end up going opposite of where you were heading or stuck “in irons” where you actually are being pushed backwards by the wind. A frustrating place to be. And a headache too.

So keep the mainsail full, position the rudder well, and keep your eye on the opposite shore. You’ll experience the most fun you can know.

I hope you enjoyed this Watercooler Wednesday treat.