The Anecdotal Life Part. 37

In my current boat classes words flare up in vivid pictures before my eyes like, collision, on fire, man overboard, six boats sank, gale force winds, and little things like squalls and hurricanes. While I listen transfixed and dripping in anxiety, I swear I will never be a pilot of my own boat or go out on the water again...Until I get there. Take Sunday for instance. All my mother's admonitions, my promises to my family were temporarily set aside and I headed straight into the next adventure.
My son and his partner, myself, and a hired Captain from an approved list given to me by CAPCA, all went out together. The guys knew less than nothing about crewing, but our Capt. gave them no time to debate the issue and proceeded to induct them into boating jargon, line handling, safety precautions, etc. I was to take the boat out by myself with the Captain standing over my shoulder spewing out orders lickety cut. Everything you learn in class blows out the isinglass windows and one can be lost in regard to the difference between markers and what to do about oncoming boats. I didn't really panic, but came close a time or two. The worst half-hour came when I was left alone at the helm to maneuver in a harbor among boats all struggling with the wind as I was. Sometimes doing nothing was the best answer. You fast learn that you'd better hurry up and figure it out by yourself or it could get "interesting".
The real shock is how many birdbrains one is surrounded with in other boats. One pilot spent an inordinate amount of time( while we spent an inordinate amount of gas) trying to decide whether he should go into the dock bow first or stern first and whether he should tie up port or starboard. When I told the Captain the name of the boat he couldn't believe it. It was called "Out of Control". However, I had more sympathy when it was our turn to dock. He had a less manageable single engine and we found out quickly the wind and current had not been exactly helpful.
Another boat came in stern first since they had lost all steering control at the helm. That was one pilot who had my respect. Yet another pilot took our breath away when he ran to the right of a red marker into the mud. He got out of it finally, but didn't deserve to. It was great to see my son and his partner get caught up with charts, become more adept with the lines and even take a turn at the helm. That was heartstopping for me since I knew what he didn't know.
BUT! We made it home all safe and exhausted. That's exhilarating hard work! I never fully understood why people want to scare themselves to death by going boating until Sunday. It gave me the same feeling as skiing downhill on a good slope. Back when I had a healthy spine to do it. The only way I can describe it is "What a rush!"
Now I have to go back and put everything up and away for the winter haul out. Jeepers. Just when we were getting started. Immediately, we began making plans for spring.
Copyright: October 25, 2006

The Anecdotal Life Part. 36

Well, I had my first test in my first boating class called Boat Smart. I graduated Summa Cum Lucky. There were around 70 questions and I missed 13. You can only miss 12. Apparently, they were desperate for new members in the Annapolis Power Squadron because they told the instructor to" take her over in the corner and go over the ones she missed and see if she really knows one of them". I did and they gave me the point. Only three of us passed; I came in dead last. I told my mentor from Goose Harbor my score and he said he and his ex- wife each got 98 and 100 respectively. His teaching "bedside manner" is notably faulty. He can be curt unto abrasive about what you don't know. However, he's "the man" in terms of good solid and extensive information. I told a young friend from India that I let him know my score. She has been listening closely to my " Gullible's" Travels stories concerning my apprenticeship in boating. She burst out laughing and said" You told him that?" In India we have a saying, "Come bull, come and hit me." Well, she was right.
I made another error in class too, but that was unavoidable. I had to answer. They wanted to know the most modern technique for purifying water. In my obtuse manner I ignored the word modern and said to use some clorox in the water. Wrong again blondie. They now have a reverse osmosis purifying process. I thought some of the more southern states might consider that illegal or at least immoral.
This week we are studying the weather. Think that's easy? Think again, but I found a solution that suits me. I am getting one for my boat. It's called a weather rug. In large letters printed on it, it says," 1. Mat wet -rainy. 2. mat hot and dry-sunny. 3. mat white-snow. 4. mat gone-tornado." It can be found in a magazine called "Favorites" that is based in Maine. Those folks are a pithy bunch. More anon.
Copyright: October 18, 2006.

The Anecdotal Life Part.35

I was just saying to a friend what a wonderful day yesterday was. It happened so easily. I had put down watercolor brushes, pencils and pen in February and had gone through a hand operation, subsequent casts, p.t., and the oh so, damn, slow process of recovering strength, dexterity and manual skills for all these long, long months. I kept experimenting with my second love, collage, to rebuild the hand. It worked. It worked so well I was shocked later in the day when I looked back at how easy it was. I had taken pictures of a mammoth tree in Santa Monica and my new daughter-in-law, Annette had helped me gather some more snapshots of this "Beethoven" of trees and when I moved I lost the whole packet til Sunday night. Funny how things like that happen. So on Tuesday I toddled off across the Chesapeake to the Oxford community center and sat down and simply started drawing, drawing as though I had been at it everyday and was in , what was for me, top form. There are so many miracles everyday. I am going to make a print and send it to my doctors and patient family. I have been going screwy not being able to work. Now I can. Now I am.

The Anecdotal Life Part.34

Some of life's little aggravations aren't so little....at least not to the aggravatee. However, after wrenching my back yesterday, the worst I have ever wrenched it, I am today ambulatory and feeling foolish for lifting a twenty pound box with one hand, and attempting a wild swing to the left while completely bent over....one of my dumber moves. No more baseball for me this season. Ice helped, shooting anti-immflamatories, and not moving for hours helped. I just kept reading boating books for my classes til I konked off.
So today I could move to the next aggravation which was tires. I got two Michelin tires for the front of my Honda knowing I have to wait for the second set until December.
Aggravations should only come in threes. But not this week it seems. I turned in a hearing aide for a quick fix and it was "Two weeks lady, two weeks." I still haven't gotten the man who put the front door in around the end July to come back and finish. I'd finish it myself but he's got the parts. Maybe if I had hold of some of his parts we'd get someplace.
However, there is a part of me that is positive and unshakable about being positive-- because I am managing it by myself.
The part that's tough on me is, I am still going to "boat school" and lucky not to have been thrown out yet for being embarrassingly ignorant. You can't manage acquiring the needed info and skills by yourself, and even though I know an eensy-innsy bit about piloting and more about what is required aboard, I have massive amounts to go. I like figuring things out for myself and I am, instead, having to depend on others fairly heavily at this point. A librarian friend of mine said to me as I was on my way out the library door with a book on docking, " Did you get all of it yet?"( what a smart alec!) I couldn't laugh. I just said, " Ask me that six years from now."What do you want to bet there is no end to this? I"d settle for understanding what's being said around me, an increase in confidence, and basic knowledge. Is that so hard?
Copyright: October 4, 2006.