A Month? How Time Flies
I haven't posted in a month, and it's been a busy time. A good time, but busy. So this is a life post, although another one of my summaries rather than in depth. No deep thoughts, I'm too mellow for that right now :)
Today is my Dad's 70th Birthday. I couldn't think of a thing to get him for the longest time, until an idea hit me. Sailing! My Dad has been sailing for years - he used to own a 16' boat that we sailed on the Potomac, and then later moved up to a clumsy wooden boat (officially the Dawn Treader, but we named it the Titanic II for its unfortunate tendency to sink when not closely watched). Running through a succession of boats, he day sailed for years on the Chesapeake Bay out of Crisfield. He is the true enthusiast, but the rest of the family would join him as able. Since he retired to Florida, he hasn't had many chances to sail. Since Dad was coming up for a swing through town, my brother, sister and I decided that we would pitch in and charter a boat for a day sail on the Bay on the 17th. Average high temperature for the date? 68 degrees. Forecast last weekend, when we finally committed to the charter? Partly cloudy, 60 degrees. A little chillier than it should be, but not too bad. A brisk way of re-introducing my Dad to what he calls "the Frozen North."
The weather yesterday? 44 degrees, winds 25 mph out of the NNE, gusting to 35; small craft advisory, and 3-4' swells on the Bay. Oh, and a lot of rain. Yeah, we sailed anyway. Dad wasn't going to be able extend through next weekend. And it would be an adventure, right?
Riiiiiigggghhhht.
And actually, it wasn't too bad at all. We chartered from South River Boat Rentals, and included a Captain to ensure that we didn't hit any icebergs, the bay bridge, or at least to give us plausible deniability if we capsized the boat. No such worries, though. The storm provided plenty of wind, so we were able to nearly make hull speed sailing on the jib only, which also meant that we could leave the bimini top over the cockpit providing at least the illusion of shelter. Until we got out into the main part of the South River and had to strike the bimini pronto or watch it blow all the way to Galesville. We sailed out to past Turkey Point and peaked out into the Bay proper - but that's as far as we went. It looked much wilder out there, and we weren't feeling THAT stupid. It was f'n cold, I admit, and we only stayed out about three soaked-to-the-skin hours. But honor was satisfied, Dad had a good time, and we all retired to the Condo that eilonwydreams had appropriately decorated for a festive occasion, and we celebrated the rather startling number of October birthdays in the family (apparently it gets cold in January). And eventually I was able to put aside my mylar blanket and stop shivering.
In other news, the Yankees are doing a magnificent job of extending the baseball season. Which is great, because it means that I don't have to watch the horrorshow that the Redskins' season is rapidly becoming. All season long the Yankees have provided a lot of fun with some amazing baseball: 51 come-from-behind wins this season, 36 at home, with 15 of those walk off victories. They kept it up in the first-round sweep of the Twins, and so far have managed to push the Angels until they've broken in the first two games. I don't assume that the Yankees will win the series; post-season baseball is a crap shoot. But I'm enjoying the way they are messing with my sleep schedule so far.
Today is my Dad's 70th Birthday. I couldn't think of a thing to get him for the longest time, until an idea hit me. Sailing! My Dad has been sailing for years - he used to own a 16' boat that we sailed on the Potomac, and then later moved up to a clumsy wooden boat (officially the Dawn Treader, but we named it the Titanic II for its unfortunate tendency to sink when not closely watched). Running through a succession of boats, he day sailed for years on the Chesapeake Bay out of Crisfield. He is the true enthusiast, but the rest of the family would join him as able. Since he retired to Florida, he hasn't had many chances to sail. Since Dad was coming up for a swing through town, my brother, sister and I decided that we would pitch in and charter a boat for a day sail on the Bay on the 17th. Average high temperature for the date? 68 degrees. Forecast last weekend, when we finally committed to the charter? Partly cloudy, 60 degrees. A little chillier than it should be, but not too bad. A brisk way of re-introducing my Dad to what he calls "the Frozen North."
The weather yesterday? 44 degrees, winds 25 mph out of the NNE, gusting to 35; small craft advisory, and 3-4' swells on the Bay. Oh, and a lot of rain. Yeah, we sailed anyway. Dad wasn't going to be able extend through next weekend. And it would be an adventure, right?
Riiiiiigggghhhht.
And actually, it wasn't too bad at all. We chartered from South River Boat Rentals, and included a Captain to ensure that we didn't hit any icebergs, the bay bridge, or at least to give us plausible deniability if we capsized the boat. No such worries, though. The storm provided plenty of wind, so we were able to nearly make hull speed sailing on the jib only, which also meant that we could leave the bimini top over the cockpit providing at least the illusion of shelter. Until we got out into the main part of the South River and had to strike the bimini pronto or watch it blow all the way to Galesville. We sailed out to past Turkey Point and peaked out into the Bay proper - but that's as far as we went. It looked much wilder out there, and we weren't feeling THAT stupid. It was f'n cold, I admit, and we only stayed out about three soaked-to-the-skin hours. But honor was satisfied, Dad had a good time, and we all retired to the Condo that eilonwydreams had appropriately decorated for a festive occasion, and we celebrated the rather startling number of October birthdays in the family (apparently it gets cold in January). And eventually I was able to put aside my mylar blanket and stop shivering.
In other news, the Yankees are doing a magnificent job of extending the baseball season. Which is great, because it means that I don't have to watch the horrorshow that the Redskins' season is rapidly becoming. All season long the Yankees have provided a lot of fun with some amazing baseball: 51 come-from-behind wins this season, 36 at home, with 15 of those walk off victories. They kept it up in the first-round sweep of the Twins, and so far have managed to push the Angels until they've broken in the first two games. I don't assume that the Yankees will win the series; post-season baseball is a crap shoot. But I'm enjoying the way they are messing with my sleep schedule so far.