Let's have a party...

We have been blessed with a visit from out daughters and grandkids this week. Not sure how this whole tea party on the boat started, but Abby, my almost three year old granddaughter kept asking me each night (when I got home from work) "Cappy, can we go to the boat tomorrow?" Saturday is a difficult concept for a youngster when it is days away! Well, we made it super special. It was a beautiful afternoon so we headed to Port Annapolis for our tea party...just the two of us. I had the heat cranked up so it was warmer on the boat then at home! I made hot cocoa and we had fancy tea cookies. We listened to Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup" (the clean version) and sang let's have a party!

Abby chose the snail cookie and I got the butterfly cookie!

Abby being silly with the Captain's hat! After hot cocoa and cookies, we went for a walk to the end of B-dock to check out the other boats.

Thanks for the date Abby!

An amazing quote...

"I've always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of "security." And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone.

What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade.

The years thunder by.
The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience.
Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.

Where, then, lies the answer?
In choice.
Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?

- Sterling Hayden (Wanderer, 1973)

I am pondering in amazement, and questioning...
What are your thoughts?

When you travel...

Eileen wrote this poem down and placed it in my briefcase. Two years later, it is still in my briefcase. I read this before I travel...Every. Single. Time. Not sure if you realize it, but I have the best wife in the world.

When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life,
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.


May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.


May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.


~ John O'Donohue ~

Be the Centre

I had the privilege of attending Bangsar Lutheran Church this morning, to worship with fellow Christians half way around the world from where I call home. This is the church that we attended during my 7-month expat assignment last year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was really a blessing to see familiar faces, and to sing, worship and pray together.

This song really evoked some emotion in me today and it was good to be in the house of the Lord.

Jesus, be the centre
Be my source,
be my light
Jesus

Jesus, be the centre
Be my hope,
be my song
Jesus

(Chorus)
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, be my vision
Be my path,
be my guide
Jesus

Be the fire
Yes, Be the fire

I often forget, but I am so reminded by this song how much I am loved. Happy Sunday!

A Grandson is Born! 9.21.2011

Meet Matthias Benjamin Nickoloff! Our fifth grandchild!

View from above 9.11.11

When we got back to port after our short trip to the Magothy, our friends Dan and Jaye hoisted me up to the top of the mast to fix my wind indicator. I took the opportunity to check all of the rigging and all looks good! Thanks Dan and Jaye! Great views from 42' above sea level!

Magothy River Raft Up 9.10.11 - 9.11.11

Eileen and I met up with three other boats in the Magothy River on Saturday and spent the night rafted up! We absolutely had a blast! We met up with Sailnet friends, shared food, drinks, and stories! Unfortunately, the winds were very light so we motored both ways. The story of the passages can be summed up in one word..."DEBRIS!" Tropical storm Lee moved through the Mid Atlantic and Northeast this week. This storm dumped over a foot of rain and overflowed river banks etc. The Conowingo Dam operators opened 48 of the 50 flood gates and it sent a s**t load of debris our way. Here are some pics of what I'm talking about!

We were the third of four boats to arrive

All tied up!

We all had appetizers for dinner. The food was plentiful.

Just caught the sun going down. The scenery was magnificent.

and...we woke up in pea soup! Still, a great overnight trip!
Before we parted ways on Sunday morning, we had some quiet time together. In remembrance of our fallen brothers and sisters 10 years ago, we played Alan Jackson's "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning." It was really an emotional time as we all just sat, listened and processed 9/11 in our own way.