Musings from the land and waters
It can be hard to get a teenager out of the house at times, but when you do, the results can be quite good. Case in point: When the Columbia was roaring along during the spring freshet I convinced Merry to come mess about in the backwaters of Smith and Bybee Wetlands. Continue reading “Messing About with Merry”
When I see them, I’m supposed to freak out. Yell. Curse. Smash them. Spray insecticide.
Don’t tell my wife, but when I notice ants crawling across our counter, I admire them. Continue reading “Remain Calm”
I got the chance to take the helm of a 30 foot keelboat last weekend. It had soft cushions, a head, a bimini, and a nice big electronic chart above the wheel. Music drifted out of two speakers strategically placed in the back of the cockpit. When we got tired of fighting the current, we cranked on the diesel engine and motored back to the dock. There was good company on the boat, but I didn’t enjoy the sailing as much as I do on RowBird. To be fair to the keelboat, it could have been a Herreshoff, but because I’m in love with RowBird, it wouldn’t have mattered.
The party is almost over. Since late fall, there’s been a raucous gathering each night in downtown Portland… and man is it loud. Come daylight, the sidewalks are a mess, the revelers are starting to disperse, and for us early risers who experience the aftermath, it’s not a pretty scene. Continue reading “Party Time”
Bill is one of those friends always up for an adventure. After a fine dinner with him last night, I was reminded of a story from a few months ago… It’s 27 degrees outside, and although I yearn to go sailing, it doesn’t seem like the wisest idea. But maybe I should reconsider. After all, on at least one of the occasions Bill and I rounded Cape Horn together, the waterfalls were frozen; so it must have been pretty cold then, too. That day, like many others, we were driven by unknowable forces to leave the couch, break away from our electronics and experience the raw elements. Read the rest across the jump at Three Sheets NW.
I was a foolish young man in 1996. That’s when Tom Horton, published An Island Out of Time. A Memoir of Smith Island in the Chesapeake, a fascinating book that documents the time he and his family lived on a tiny island full of locals. Continue reading “Sea Reads: An Island Out of Time”
