A New Kedge

I've written before about kedging, which is a specifically nautical term that can also be used to mean having a goal to work towards. You set your intention, then use it to pull yourself forward.

My weakness is not progress but focus. It's easy for me to slip into the busy-ness of "to do" list mode, getting a lot of small, unimportant things done while the bigger things are pushed into the indefinite future. I might do a great job at organizing the kitchen cabinets, for example, but never get around to planning that vacation I'd always wanted to take.

Setting a kedge gives me a deadline. And around here, nothing gets done unless it has a due date!

Two years ago, serendipity led me to a wonderful paddle that also accomplished something I'd wanted to do for years: visit the Alligator Lighthouse. It's 4 miles off the coast of Islamorada in the Florida Keys, and it beckons the snorkeler and kayaker in me just as surely as it used to warn ships away from the reef.

Alligator Lighthouse, as just barely seen from the beach. 

My opportunity came when I learned that a timeshare vacation coincided with the annual open water swim that loops around the lighthouse. It's a crazy distance when you think about swimming it, but each swimmer needs a safety kayaker, and kayaking 8 miles under such gorgeous conditions is an irresistible proposition. It was one of the very best experiences of my life.

Alligator Lighthouse

Before you click on the video, check out the "thumbnail" -- for some unknown and assuredly random reason, that's me in the green kayak and white shirt (with a towel over my legs to avoid sunburn)!



Last year the swim was canceled because of Hurricane Irma; lots of swimmers donated their entry fees to help the Keys recover. This year I set my goal of doing that paddle again. I'll be teaming up with the same swimmer and some friends will be supporting his girlfriend, who's also entered in the race.

"My" swimmer, Mike

We saw the light!

Plus I'll be staying at the host resort, far more swanky than my usual accommodations. Two years ago the post-race dinner was also a bucket list item: on the beach, under the retro party lights. 

Post-race party

It's great to have something to look forward to and work forward to. The gym and the weekend kayaking are much more motivating, knowing I'm in training!

Goodnight Smokies

Last week we finally made it to Gatlinburg, making up for last year's cancellation. Ah, May in the mountains! The weather was perfect and the hiking was challenging for a flatlands girl like me.

Now I have lots of happy memories and lots and lots of pictures to process.

But not tonight.

Going/Not Going

I was supposed to be in Gatlinburg this week. Somehow Kayak Guy and I have made a habit of traveling in December. No doubt this habit is reinforced by busy-ness, procrastination, and frequent disregard for the deadline to use timeshare points before the end of the year.

Anyway, we had a few days of flip-flopping because of the terrible fires in Gatlinburg last week. It was hard to believe the magnitude: 14 dead, more than 100 injured, something like 14,000 displaced, and about 1,700 buildings destroyed. Then it was hard to accept that driving into the aftermath wasn't a good idea. We were thoroughly looking forward to some winter hiking and holiday festivities downtown (not to mention the aquarium!).

While we were trying to decide, it was particularly concerning that most of the touristy websites and the information we received from our resort said absolutely nothing about the fact a disaster was taking place. Even the lively person we spoke to assured us that the resort was open and the surrounding area wasn't affected by the fire, although they had experienced some wind damage from the 75+ m.p.h. winds that came through.

It was decidedly weird to receive cheery "we're looking forward to your visit" e-mails when the pictures we were seeing were of buildings consumed by flames and people having just enough time to jump into their cars and drive down a burning mountainside to safety. Or, sad to say, not having enough time to do that.

The view from the resort, via the Integrity Clubhouse Facebook page

In the end we decided that even if the resort was undamaged, it felt selfish and wrong to drive into the recovery effort in search of a good vacation. 

We'll go back early next year to support the area with our tourist dollars. Meanwhile, Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies asks for letters of support while they remain closed; I'm happy to let them know I'll see the sharks and penguins and poison dart frogs another time, and to make a donation to help the community recover. Being disappointed about a vacation is nothing compared with what they're going through. 

Home Again

Is there any pleasure sweeter than having a fun vacation and then returning home to the place and creatures you love?

I think not.

For fun vacation, see:

Parrotfish (including a blue one!)

Juvenile Damselfish

Scrawled Cowfish

Just one sunset

Manatee

Change of Scenery

Some of this.

Lots of this.

A Picture Explosion

I take photos and I like it.

It's fun to stop and observe, or to be suddenly overwhelmed with a particular view or a perfect angle, and then try and capture the shot.

I used to put lots of photos on Facebook, and many of my friends have remarked about enjoying my pictures. Then I would upload them to cloud storage, delete them from my computer and from the cameras, and consider that batch done.

Recently, however, I've fallen way, way, way behind at the electronic organizing and storing process.

Kayak Guy and I took a long vacation trip last August, a combination of visiting family and old friends and an extended honeymoon exploration of places we knew no one. We drove 6,000 miles in 32 days, camping and staying with friends (with a few B&B stays for variety). I'm proud to say that we stayed on schedule perfectly, standing up none of our friends and skipping none of our destinations.

(Yes, we had a fabulous time! Yes, it was also absolutely too ambitious an itinerary. We will do better next time. And by "better" I mean "less.")

But I still haven't gone through those photos yet! You can perhaps imagine what a month of photos looks like, all in a clump in my computer and cameras. Piled on top of those -- virtually -- are photos of various other adventures since then. Not to mention the photos that weren't organized before we left.

Perhaps you can imagine the psychic weight of all those unorganized photos, as well.

Any advice for me? I could sure use some!

The Urge to Steal

I've been yearning for a lawn ornament lately, and I think this one would be perfect.

It doesn't make a lot of sense for me, because I'm not particularly attached to trains. But there's something about this old signal that sits in front of the railroad museum in Palatka.

Maybe it's the clear indication of straightforward choices. Stop. Go.

At least now I have an idea what I'm looking for. Surely there are other ways to say, "Sit in the garden for a while. Okay now, back to work."

I've Been Busy

Here's what I was doing while taking my blog break. 

Paddle to the Sea

It's going to take some time to process the amazing journey we experienced, filled with the awe-inspiring beauty and power of the St. Johns River and the unbelievable kindness and generosity of the river community along the way. (You can get the flavor from our Facebook page.) 

Right now it's a little difficult to reenter so-called real life again.

Working on Someday

About a year and a half ago I wrote a post about someday breaking out of my old self in a big, life-changing way.

Now that change begins to come into being, in earnest.

Since that post, I have moved forward to a new haircut, a new car, and a new home. A new job is not in the offing, but I have added new, fun responsibilities to the old job, so that's still on target.

As for the larger aspects -- losing practicality, radical change, "She did what?" and "I always knew she was crazy" and "I wish I had the nerve" -- they are now in progress.

A friend and I are planning a major vacation adventure. It will involve logistical planning, scouting trips, sustained collaboration, practice sessions, physical training, recruiting help from various directions, and the advice and support of the man in my life. It will also involve a long trip on my favorite river.

I'm having a little trouble believing that I've committed myself to this adventure.  But there it is.

Someday comes sooner than we think.

  

Random Friday Things I Love

I love traveling. It's terrific to get a new perspective -- even when the new perspective is a huge fake waterfall spotlighted with purple lights, right outside the hotel room window. (This is the daytime view, however.)

I love having dinner with friends in a beautiful waterfront place. In this case, without any purple spotlights -- or any other human creations across the way.

I love keeping a journal. I just started journaling again, trying to write a bit every night before bed. It only took 2 nights for me to get hooked on a few minutes of creative reflection before sleep.

I love the kind of conversation where the talk never lags -- it just gets quiet once in a while and then starts up again in a natural rhythm.

I love driving through the pouring rain, where you can barely see out the windshield and the wipers are going like mad, and then suddenly driving right out of it and the pavement isn't even wet.

I love coming home and gliding back into my own comfort zone.

Local, Unique, Real

I've been doing a lot of traveling lately, and that's a good thing, even though I have discovered that laundry and dust bunnies multiply like crazy when I'm not around.

(photo credit)

All that moving around has helped me develop a greater appreciation for local hotels and inns. Recently I returned to the Sweetwater Branch Inn, where I have enjoyed the hospitality before. This time I had a little cottage all to myself, cozy enough that I wished I'd had more time to spend there. And oh my, someday I will devote a few thousand words to the pleasures of a real cast iron tub that you can fill up to your neck. Bath perfection.

(photo credit)

Then there's the Fox Den Country Inn, a much more locally flavored place that has become one of my favorite overnights. From the initial novelty of "everything you'd expect for $60 a night," I have learned to appreciate the subtle and not-so-subtle joys of a place that is incredibly clean and welcoming, even if the towels don't quite match.

I realized I'd become a fan of the Fox Den when I was trying to explain to a friend how the check-in process works, and caught myself saying enthusiastically, "I've never even seen the owners. It's like Beauty and the Beast. You come to the door all grimy and exhausted, and invisible servants take care of your every need." Definitely something mythic going on there, and towels have very little to do with it.

Later this month I will adventure to a new place that also promises to be uniquely enjoyable: The Sands of Treasure Island. Classic Midcentury Modern architecture and right on the beach! I am very much looking forward to a dose of Gulf-side sunshine.

(photo credit)

Perhaps followed by an evening on the patio with pigs-in-a-blanket and a pitcher of martinis, just to stay in the spirit of things.

Fest-ive

More scenes from the Amelia Island Book Festival, and a giveaway!

Fernandina Beach is a charming town that walks gracefully along the fine line between trying-too-hard touristy and devil-may-care authentic. The book festival was smack in the middle of the historic district, not far from the main street, which is filled with historic buildings, funky little shops, two independant bookstores (Books Plus and The Book Loft), and great restaurants.

I mean, really, how can you go wrong with a town that boasts both the state's oldest functioning bar (1903) and the state's oldest county courthouse (1891)?

(photo from ameliaislandliving.com)

Even the empty lot where I parked had a nice little view.

Walking to and from the car was picturesque, with flower-like pinwheels to mark the way. Inside, there were lots of authors eager to talk about their books. (Pinwheels were a theme, as my friend Bill discovered.)

For the fudge-lovers among you, a shot of the marble slab technique in progress. I could be wrong, but I think this young lady is using a joint knife to work on this fudge (yes, I had to look up that particular hardware store term). But yum, doesn't the finished product look just right?

One of the nice things about being around authors is talking with them about their books, supporting their efforts, and occasionally receiving a book as a gift. I was lucky in all respects. And so . . .

Leave me a comment about whether you'd rather read

Compelled, a book about an Iraq war veteran whose PTSD takes the form of a compulsion to do good that gets him into trouble,

OR

The Heat of the Island, the story of a woman determined to reinvent herself on an exotic tropical island after a divorce and a series of tragedies,

OR

Beyond the Western Sun, a novel about a young female Cherokee apprentice who journeys to the Land of the Dead to rescue a captive and thwart events that threaten the living world?

Leave me a comment before March 1, telling me why one or more of these books should be added to your TBR pile. (Talk about all 3 if you want to!) On March 1, I'll draw a winner at random from the commenters for each book.

Good luck!

Booked Up!

The Amelia Island Book Festival was great this weekend! Fernandina Beach is a fun town and the perfect setting, matching a lot of this

with a little bit of this

and this

and this.

Okay, so technically being the first person on the beach to watch the sunrise wasn't part of the Book Festival. But it was still an important part of the weekend!

Looking Ahead

Usually I try to savor the moment and enjoy where I am, but today, with the Amelia Island Book Festival on the horizon and the beach in my future, I have only one question:

Can the weekend please hurry up and get here?

(photo courtesy of FairbanksHouse.com)

Things to Cherish

Amid all the planning, shopping, baking, wrapping and partying, the holidays are a time to cherish the things that mean the most to us.

Some of these things are big picture things, such as meaningful work, a warm home, family and friends to share it with, and happy memories.

Some of these things are specifically task-related, such as creating the perfect cookie and dodging a curious, semi-skeptical child's tricky questions about Santa.

And some of these things involve dusting off our favorite possessions and displaying them for another year. It seems the older I get, the less I care about acquiring possessions (exception: books!) and the more I treasure the family things that remind me of someone or have a story associated with them.

Case in point: In the winter of 1979, I arrived in Moscow on the coldest night there since Napoleon's time, a shocking 49 degrees below. It was New Year's Eve and after putting on every piece of clothing we had brought with us, we young American students headed out to Red Square to ring in the new year by dancing big circles arm-in-arm with a crowd of Russians in front of Lenin's tomb.

Russia was still Communist then and we were a little nervous because Russia had just invaded Afghanistan a few days earlier, but that was the government, not the people--who were as friendly as one could hope for. So friendly, in fact, that our official trip motto became "We can sleep when we get home."

Besides amazing memories of the week I spent there, I brought back some lovely souvenirs, and the most treasured one is this delightful box of Christmas ornaments.

Here is "Father Frost" doing his New Year's duties by giving sweets and toys to the children. The words mean "Happy New Year!" (No St. Nicholas and no Christmas for the Communists, remember, but the traditions continued with great enthusiasm under other names. And check out the shape of that piece of evergreen Father's got stashed in his hat. The censors must have gone to lunch early that day. Or maybe they snuck out to do a little New Year's shopping.)

I fell in love with the label and would have bought the package regardless of the contents. But oh, inside . . .

Aren't these lovely? I hand carried them on the journey home, the box tied shut with twine, and carefully stashed them under the seat for each flight, making sure not to put my feet on them. They made it safely across all those time zones without a single one being broken. Now they are my favorite thing about Christmas decorating, not only for their beauty (a bit worn, now) but for the happy memories.

And so a small possession turns out to be a big picture thing, after all. Isn't that what we love about the holidays, anyway?

Quiz for Today

C.S. was in D.C. recently and toured some rather unusual sites that are not on the customary tourist trek.

1. Do you recognize these steps?


2. How about parking pier #32?

(scroll down for answers below)

Come on, take a guess. It's D.C., remember. (That might help with the second photo, anyway.)













1. Steps where the priest fell all the way down in The Exorcist.

2. Parking garage location where Watergate anonymous source Deep Throat (Mark Felt, Sr.) met Bob Woodward to urge him to "follow the money."