Indigo skies

In Hood River the call of the sea echoes gently up the Columbia. Occasionally a glint of the Great Rolling Heap shows itself in the craft that pass by, a whispering reminder of the great Pacific ocean lying just beyond the treacherous Columbia Bar.

Here I walk the docks and long once again for the gentle lurch of an anchored deck underfoot. The comfort of terra firma gradually has given way to the desire to live within an intentions width of the infinite, To once again be tethered to the land with only a few lines, so than with only a thought the tiny cocoon of a ship that is my home can be eased towards the distant horizon, perhaps to make landfall on the far side of the earth.

Until then, some three thousand miles distant, our sturdy ship lies waiting. Surely by now she again suffers the indignity of wasp infestation, a few rust streaks, and yet another year upon her keel. Much work awaits, but like all insurmountable obstacles the bits will fall away, eroding until the last task has vanished in time. Once again she will taste the salt, feel the urging of the wind in her tanbark sails, the whistling in her shrouds. Again her decks will be alive with the patter of busy feet, the laughter of children under the cautious guidance of her master. This is the only life she has ever known, and it is this that she patiently awaits.

~%~

This morning I took my first formal kite(boarding) lesson. Like most machines of the air, control of the kite came quite naturally to me - and I trust that a few sessions, with sleep betwixt, will start me on the road to mastery. The power of even a small kite is quite impressive, and rigging schemes for automatic kite controls already invade my dreams.

I Talked to Raoul today, his thoughts also wandering towards his little ship and the upcoming voyage. Perhaps we will meet in December and accomplish some work towards his sea change. At least I'd like to pull Feng Shui's rudder and overhaul it while I'm there. I hope that his stint of work helps him to put aside a good cruising kitty, I'd really like to see him achieve his Eastern Seaboard cruising dreams next spring.