wooden boat show sept 5-7 08

We spent each day at the 32nd annual wood boat show. PT really comes alive with a juried craft show, galleries, and plenty of street musicians. I went to a knot tying demonstration and made a monkey’s fist necklace and got totally confused trying to make a turk’s head and a mat. Sat in on lectures by Kaci Cronkhite (women in the wooden boat world), Nancy Erley (night sailing), Margo Woods (prep for offshore cruising), and Leif Terdal (escape from Nazi Norway) and we listened to sea chanteys. For women sailors there’s a good blog out there, http://www.womanofthewind.com/women-sailing-news/ and I got a list of accomplished women sailors I want to explore: Grace O’Malley, Lady Ch’hing, Dr. James Miranda Barry (yes she was a woman), Dora Birtles, Ann Gash, Meriel Watts, Jo Davies, Hapi (from Tonga), Sharie Farrell, Nancy Griffith, Tori Parrott, Dixie McCullough, Ernestine Bennett, Carlyn Stark, Carol Hasse, Diana Talley, Elizabeth Sudlow, Mary McQuillen, Martha Foley, Aletia Alvarez, Mary McCurdy.

Saturday evening we had dinner with friends at Silverwater Café http://silverwatercafe.com/about/index.html which is now one of my favorite restaurants. Their mission statement is about bringing community together through supporting, helping and sharing.

About the picture, no that's not Jim and me.

consignment shopping sept 4 08

Breakfast at Sea J’s always brings an unusual mix of conversations among the customers. I overheard discussions about alcoholism sprinkled with denial and dry drunk behavior, heart attacks and neighborly concern, how the upcoming wooden boat show will overcrowd the area. I contemplated what it must be like to live your whole life in a place like this where you know, see and interact with everyone—all the locals that is. Comparing it to the bay area where so many transient people allow one to easily disappear or become invisible.

The afternoon I spent wandering downtown while Jim met with the cabinet person and surveyor. I found a couple consignment shops (those who know me know this is my favorite way to shop) and made another trip to the bookstore. Browsing through one of the clothing stores I overheard the familiar female conversations between shopping buddies and for the first time felt homesick. I thought at Rockridge Rags and other places I’ve been with Dorit, Isabel, Cynthia and Rupama.

Jim met me at the food co-op. I struck the motherlode with all the organic and vegetarian foods. Split pea hummus, slather (pureed celery, garlic, sunflower seeds and who knows what else), brown rice and gently caught salmon cakes. There’s a certain smell from health food stores that I find comforting and I was delighted to have discovered them.

The pictures are from the food co-op garden. A sunny place to sit and hang out.

back on the hard sept 3 08

Back on the hard and back to busy-ness as we plan how we’ll get things done over the next week. It was exciting to be on the boat as it was hoisted out of the water. Now that the boat is up on blocks and we’ve moved into the motel I find myself missing the cozy lifestyle of being on the water. I don’t like coming down the ladder while the boat is on the hard. I look down at the pavement where it’s usually water and a I think how unforgiving it would be if I slipped. I’m getting better about using the ladder but that first step to descend backwards down the ladder still catches in my throat and chest.

foggy leaving at brigantine bay sept 2 08

We woke up to a white-out of fog. I could barely see beyond the boat. As you can see by the pictures, the fog lifted fairly quickly. As jim was raising the anchor the hose at the bow stopped working. Not good as we needed it to rinse the mud off the anchor before putting it into the locker, otherwise it makes a terrible smell. We spent an hour trying to use a bucket and finally I suggested I get into the bosin’s chair and he lower me over the bow. It worked perfectly as I could swish the anchor chain around in the water to clean it off. So we got a very late start heading back to pt. townsend.

So other pictures are of an island we saw for sale. Haven't called yet but it's tempting. Then motoring into pt from the other direction, not the docks where we were before.

I was still bummed about the camera and I called Peggy to ask her to order me a new one for overnight delivery to the boatyard. Thanks Peggy! Things were looking up and we got back into pt. townsend before sunset.

bight to brigantine bay sept. 1 08

From bight we motored across the sound to brigantine bay but the wind was coming from the wrong direction and we were too exposed so we motored further down to hunter bay. It was a quiet almost deserted anchorage. The landscape looked similar to what we’ve seen already so we decided to be lazy and nap and read the rest of the day. Sorry but I'm in mourning for the camera so no pictures today.

loss on a beautiful august 31 08 day

We left in the morning and motored around to Lopez Sound where lots of small islands and big rocks protrude. We anchored at Bight and immediately got into the kayaks to check out Small Island. Because it’s a wildlife refuge we had to stay 200 yards away which made it hard to really see anything. It was covered with seals until they saw us coming then they all disappeared into the water. What ensued was a game of spying on each other. I’d turn my head and see a shiny black head staring at me, then it would disappear only minutes later to pop up someplace else. They were as curious about us as we were about them but as soon as eye contact was made they were gone but continued to follow us and pop up occasionally.

Tragedy struck when I got out of the kayak and couldn’t find my camera, okay it's technically Jim's camera but I'm the one's who's been using it. I thought I was so methodical putting it back in my zip-up pocket but somehow it fell out. I was devastated and felt I’d lost an extension of myself. Fortunately I’m in the habit of downloading shots each day. But still, it was a sad end to a beautiful day.

As for the pictures, I couldn't believe how tiny the sailboat was. I don't see a motor, he's paddling, a purist at heart. The other is one of many shots I've taken of the water surface. I continue to be fascinated by that sort of thing.

outhouses and potato launchers august 30 08

Left early in the morning for spender spit. Since we arrived so early in the morning and the water was still glassy smooth we decided to kayak along frost island. We met ken who has a house on the island, one of 6 or so folks, and he invited us for drinks at 6. the rest of the day was fabulous with enough warm sun that I could nap and read on deck and restore some of my Kauai tan.

So, ken and his house. Wonderful intriguing house he and his wife hand built with attention to creative aesthetics. We sat in front of the big stone patio fireplace, with a roaring fire, enjoying good conversation and relaxing with his dogs. I had the opportunity to use his outhouse which was just as creative as his house. Since he’s the only one at this end of the island there was no reason to build a door so I had the best view ever, and I have to say it was the cleanest and loveliest outhouse I’d ever used.

He showed us his potato launcher but he'd just run out of potatoes from an afternoon firing it with local kids. The sunset was beautiful and we reluctantly left well after 9pm. Getting down the steep hill was no easy task in the dark as we’d forgotten to bring a flashlight. Fortunately we left the anchoring light on up on the mast so we could find our boat. Note to self, bring flashlight when using the dinghy at night.

fog and rain at odlin on august 29

Foggy and rainy. Read all morning and finished “don’t let’s go to the dogs tonight” which was a so-so read. Late afternoon we took the kayaks south toward a sandy beach where jim saw 4 otters, at least he thinks he saw 4 otters. I saw a herrmann’s gull and a turkey vulture but they’re too difficult to snap with my camera in the kayak. It was so pleasant here we decided to stay another night. The only thing about this mooring is the exposure to upright channel where the ferries and local boats pass by constantly. At one point I counted at least 10 boats of various types and sizes within view. the skinny orange sea star is called a blood star or henricia leviuscula and the purple ones are pisaster ochraceus. they form huge winter spawning aggregations, their version of speed dating.

warning, jellyfish overload on august 28

warning. i'm about to bore you to death with the pictures i took of the jellyfish at odlin park. i can't believe how huge they are. bigger than a basketball, bigger than jim's dinner plate, perhaps bigger than, well you get the idea. pink pink pink. very long tendrils. when they're fully opened they look like floating flowers. none of the pictures were altered and i apologize for the less than stella quality.

psychological side of blogging

my friend cary just sent me an interesting article about the therapeutic benefit of blogging. you might want to check it out in the June 30, 2008 issue of Newsweek. it's written by Jessica Bennett and she says, in part, " a blog is medicine. Psychiatrists are starting to tout the therapeutic power of blogging, and many have begun incorporating it into patient treatment. A forthcoming study in the journal CyberPsychology & Behavior even suggests that bloggers might be happier than nonbloggers."

i never heard of cyberpsychology & behavior. guess i'm out of the loop on this one. all i can say is i like it. however, the tech side, getting an online connection and keeping current with the blog is stressful. i'm trying to figure out a way to destress that part of it. so if you're interested you might want to check out the article.

the picture, by the way, was my blogging station in kauai.

august 28 in odlin park with sealife

leaving fisherman's bay we motored around the bend to odlin park to a mooring close to shore. the kayaks went into the water and we paddled along the rocky shoreline. i thought i saw a dead animal and jim went to investigate. turned out it was a baby seal sunbathing. lots of starfish, saw something among the rocks coming out of a tunnel that looked like otters. and then the jellyfish (more on that later). it felt like a complete day using the dinghy in fisherman's bay and then the kayaks. perfect kayaking conditions, glass smooth water, rocky alcoves and things to look at. the smeared shot of the boat was taken just after the jellyfish expose with water on the lense. lots of madrones which have that wonderful red peely bark. by the time we came back onboard it was cold and overcast and we were both chilled. time for hot buttered rum.

bald eagles and reef net boats august 28

tide was out and it was too shallow for us to leave until midday. it stopped raining and after fried egg sandwiches we took the dinghy over to the spit to get a little exercise. hiking in foulies is ackward, hot and sweaty and i don't recommend it. old abandoned reef net boats were a fun photo op and a reminder of a type of fishing once prevelant in the area. there are still some reef net boats out but not like former times. saw a bald eagle fly overhead and land in a pine tree. later the same eagle flew in front of us off in the distance to catch a fish. soon a turkey vulture landed to watch, then another and another. finally he was surrounded by 5 turkey vultures queuing up for leftovers.

we could see the tide rising and it was time to leave and head over to Odlin Park.