I've given it a lot of thought, lost sleep over thinking about it. I decided to stay. A coworker and I don't want to stay in our homes, because they will probably be flooded. And I'm not sure if my home will hold up through this storm. So, we made reservations at the La Concha Hotel in downtown Key West. I believe it to be a strong building, and it is about the highest spot on the island. I made this decision for many reasons. And yes, it could be a while before our utilities are working again. I look at it like this... how would I prepare for a week long trip in my boat on the Texas coast? Okay, that puts into perspective. Now I know how to prepare for the aftermath. That my sound silly and confusing to a lot of you, but my Texas 200 friends know what I'm talking about.
Now that I have a plan, maybe I can get some sleep tonight.
It's Monday, the experts are still not sure where hurricane Irma will land. But it's looking like the Keys will get hit. If not the full force, a really bad storm.
I work in a hardware store in Key West, FL. We were out of generators by 11 am. By the late afternoon, we were out of 5 gallon gas cans, sandbags, wing nut drivers, and many more items. It was almost 9 years to the day when hurricane Ike hit the Houston area. I lived in Northwest Houston at the time. Ike was 1 mph shy of a Cat 3. This is the only reference I have for hurricanes. Irma will probably be worse.
Okay, the question is... do I go, or do I stay? I will continue to watch the path she is taking. Until then, I am gathering things I don't want to sit in standing water, moving them to my high shelf. My boat is going under the house. Furniture is going upstairs and outside stuff is going in my downstairs room. At least my boat is on a trailer and not in the water. I'm tired just thinking about it. I think I will put a movie on to get my mind off of all this for a while. After all, tomorrow is another day!
Milk, electronics and relationships all have an expiration date. A few days ago, I picked up my iPod Nano and the screen has a brown "burn" area now. Yesterday, the touch screen on my monogram sewing machine quit working. Okay, yes, they are both a little long in the tooth. Financially, this has not been a good month for repairs. Yoshi, my outboard, went to the shop a couple weeks ago. When I was told what was wrong and what it would take to fix it, I just saw dollar sign after dollar sign. I have to fix it, otherwise, it would just be an expensive doorstop. I heard that little voice in my head say, "What did you expect. It has "marine" written on the parts, and labor." My eight year old grandson has come to realize that everything costs money. I came back with, "Except air, that's free." That reminded me of the day my teenage son and I stopped at a gas station to air up my low tire. The free air had been replaced with a coin operated air hose. It had obviously been a stressful day. I threw a fit and shouted that I would NOT pay for AIR. My son thought it was funny. So, I guess not all air is free!
Basking in the moonlight, warm water caressing my skin, and relaxing music from across the way... I think how blessed I am. Just two months ago, I lived in what is now a crisis area. Was it good timing, or was there Devine intervention? Either way, I'm glad I am not knee deep in dirty flood water. God has always seemed to have a protective hand on me. Sometimes protecting me from myself. To all my Houston area friends, my prayers are with you.
I know... I said I would never build another boat. Unfortunately, one boat will not fill all your boating needs. A kayak is great for navigating small water with physical effort. The 16 foot sailboat is good for bigger open water. But what about the in-between?
I want a boat that is quick to get on the water, and small enough to go down the small canal with bridges. But I want the option of a small sail for when I reach a small bay. Here is a list of requirements:
Must be small and light enough to pull on dolly behind bicycle.
Must have mast that will fold down.
Sail must furl for quick adjustments and neat storage when folded down
I don't even pretend to be a boat designer. Everything I have made, I bought the plans. Here are some questions I have:
How narrow can you go and still be fairly stable with a sail, and without out-riggers?
Could I use a little balast with a more narrow boat to make more stable?
Is there a formula for length, width, sail area?
Duckworks was the first place I went to look at plans. What about the Rodent? Or the OZracer?
If anyone has experience with these specs, or can point me in a direction for research, I welcome all suggestions. Like my friend always told me... you can never have too many boats.
We never know how we are going to touch people’s lives, and what memories we will leave them with. Every one of my possessions has a memory attached to it that includes a person. I have a small shell that puts a smile on my face, remembering my first open water dive. My driftwood shelves remind me of scouring the Texas beach with my pirate friend.
I once knew someone that taught me about triggers. A trigger is something that sets off a memory tape or flashback transporting the person back to the event of her/his original trauma. For 10 years, I was condemned to a life of regret and sadness. I felt like I was walking on eggshells, trying to avoid triggering memories of an unfortunate event that haunted this other person.
Lately, I have been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo. I shared this with a friend, and it was suggested that I get a tattoo of a jellyfish or octopus, with hearts on the tentacles… the kind with cracks. Was not sure how to take that, but it did get me thinking. With all my failed relationships, I concluded that “I” am the common denominator, so I must be the problem, hurting them. I’m tired. Tired of hurting others and tired of being hurt. My heart can’t take it anymore. So I’ve gently packed it away in my set of luggage located in back of my closet.
Now I live a life of singledom and I’m okay with that. I do what I want, when I want. I can turn on the TV and watch what ever I want. I can wear sandals in cold weather and nobody will hassle me about it. This life does have draw backs, but it’s a peaceful life. And peace is what I need now.
How are you impacting the lives of others? Are you a positive influence, or a negative influence? Are you leaving others with a good memory or heartache?
Today, there was not enough wind to take the sailboat out. Instead, I borrowed my daughter's kayak to go exploring. I live only two blocks from a canal that runs through the middle of Key West. I wanted to see what I could see, so off I went.
I headed north and in the distance I saw this wooden boat anchored. I've not seen this boat before, so I paddled over to get a closer look.
I circled the boat and headed over by the mangroves where the water was like glass. Little fish darting in and out of the sea grass entertained me while I ate my packed lunch. I then headed back to the canal. Not ready to pull out and go home, I passed my street and kept heading south. I wasn't sure exactly where it would take me, but I did know that there were at least two bridges I would come to. The first one is a foot bridge that was not a problem. The second, was a four lane road. In fact, when you are driving over this bridge, there is no incline, and you can't see the water from the road, so it's not obvious that it is a bridge. And that means there is not a big clearance on the water. I stopped and thought it through before continuing on. It was so low, I could not use my kayak paddle, so I pulled myself through.
The canal got smaller and smaller, and seemingly secluded. A few minutes later, the thunder and lightning started, so I thought it was a good time to head back. As I reached my street, the rain started. It's a tough life, but somebody has to live it!
