Leslie's Page

Thoughts Just to Prove I'm Thinking

Back on the boat again!  Katie and I flew in to Miami on July 17th.  That really felt like cheating!  I mean, who takes one day on a plane to get somewhere when you could have taken five months on a boat to do it?  Only those that don't have the time or the guts, I think, and my problem was the former since I have a lot of the latter.  However, right off the bat my courage was put to the test.  We had to stay in an ocean-front mansion, and each day we had to decide, should we borrow the big Lexus or the small Lexus?  These are things I didn't have to deal with in Central America.   

My cousin Nancy told us that the Atlantic Ocean is different than the Pacific Ocean, like they tell you in your geography classes but who listens.  It is especially different from the deck of a sailboat.  "Our" ocean is navy blue most of the time, is cold all of the time, and very deep all over the place.  The ocean I am looking at today is turquoise, warm, and you can see the bottom in most places because of the coral reefs.  Most people in sailboats are not thrilled when they see the bottom.  Steve says this water is warm because it comes up from the south, and ours is cold because it comes down from the north.  Never in a million years would I have figured that out.  I am noticing another difference also...the pacific dolphins we saw were pretty fast moving, even when they were just playing with our wake.  We see dolphins every day here, and they are moving so slow you could probably swim right past them.  They must be living on Key West time.

We are spending time sailing on the ocean side of the east coast and also inside the land boundary on a water system called the Intracoastal Waterway which runs from Florida to Miami.  We can come in to the ICW when the weather or seas are rough, so that takes some of the fear out of this trip.  Along a lot of the Intracoastal Waterway, there are expensive homes with expensive boats at their expensive docks.  Entire Nicaraguan villages could live for years on the provisions I am sure are in those homes.  I  enjoy the beauty around us but the opulence of it is a little uncomfortable.  I think I like the natural beauty of Central America more than the well-landscaped beauty around us here.  But don't get me wrong, it is really beautiful and I am glad we are here! 

A home along the ICW

We spent a whole day at the Kennedy Space Center.  Echoes of my childhood...I remember watching the moon landing, and I remember idolizing the astronauts.  I am sure that they were promoted as national heroes for reasons having to do with the public support of NASA funding, but it would still be nice to have heroes like that now.  Sorry, Shaq just doesn't do it for me.  Those guys were really willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for something they saw as meaningful.  The Apollo program ended in 1972, just after the anti-Vietnam war sentiment reached a high and people were threatening to dislike the president.  Just threatening, I think, not like the feelings that are out there today.  Threatening I guess would be a good word for the alligator we saw coming out of the canal at the space center.  I am not fond of those guys, they are right up there with bears on my get-me-out-of-here list.  I hope to never come as close to an alligator as I have to many bears.   When Nick and Katie go tube surfing behind the boat, I keep watch for those beedy little eyes coming out of the water. 

 Tube-surfing Nick being stalked by gators

As we get farther north it is feeling like we are really in the South.  I guess Florida has its own special Florida feeling, because it didn't seem very southern to me.  We are in Georgia now, almost to South Carolina, and things are slow and people are friendly.  Real friendly! Almost everyone I pass, whether I'm on foot or on a bicycle, says hi to me.  In a store on Amelia Island, a woman and her son offered to drive us back to the marina once she realized how far we had to walk with our grocery bags.  Nick has been noticing also that there are some class/racial differences that we aren't used to.  He's right, there are different rules here, but I can't quite figure out what they are.  We'll just keep on being those friendly Californians on the boat with the funny name until I get it all figured out.  Today someone told me I must be an old hippie to have a boat named Wabi Sabi.  .I didn't tell him that the boat name came from Nick, who is not an old hippie but does think that I am. Oh, I am not so much of an old hippie that I would turn down the marina loaner car, which of course and coincidence happens to be a Lexus.  We only borrow the best.

VTR Greetings

This is a special section for the guys and the staff on the ranch.  Hey, y'all, I'm not there!  Some of you probably haven't noticed that yet so I thought I would tell you.  I am sailing right now from the Florida Keys up to Miami.  I am eating pop tarts.  They are vegetarian pop tarts.  I don't think they make eggplant poptarts.  Yesterday I got to hold a baby alligator.  That was pretty cool.  He had black tape around his mouth so he wouldn't bite me, but I was ready to take him on anyway.

Angel and Brian W...see, I told you you'd be first!  I hope you guys keep on being patient.  You are both mature and know what to do...well, you know good and you know bad, but I know you're going to choose the good.  Right?

 Sergio...how are you doing lemon head?  Are you using your heart?  You have to use it a lot, like a muscle, in order to make it strong.  I know you want to and Dr. K. and I are both very proud of you when you do.  Don't let anyone else interfere with your program.

Johnathon...Be strong, and be brave!  And when the day is done, we will all sing along, be strong, and be brave!  (That is a little song for you to play on your guitar.)   I'm hoping you are keeping your energy positive so that we can meet with your mom when I get back.

Tim...maybe there is a reason why things did not happen in the time you wanted them to happen, like a lesson you needed to learn or a wisdom you can put in your heart to help you at some time in the future.  I think there is a bright side, it is just hard to see from where you are.

See Bass...Hey, whatever happened with your garden?  On the day before I left, I gave up on mine.  The squirrels won.  However, when I come back, I am going to be ready for those varmits.   Don't ever let life get you down, it's all a lesson you can use tomorrow.

Daniel, my homie...just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your hospitality and your friendliness when I come to House 2.  It is always a pleasure to see you there, and you welcome people so nicely.  Now you just need to learn how to cook eggplant.

Bryan Gregory...my other homie who doesn't claim me....have you forgiven me yet?  I miss talking with you.

Miss Hart...do not leave.  Change your mind.  Now.  Good, I thought that would work. 

Mike...I'm still proud of you.  Don't let me forget to call about your tattoos when I return!

Hauser and Garcia...I promise to include you in my will if I ever do become rich.  Wait, since I seem to be spending it all now, that's probably not going to happen!  Sorry guys.

Joeeeey...Hey from the Nick, and I hope you're still talking with Mr. Kelly.  I hope for your sake that there is some chaos today at House Three.  Just a little.

Smiley...Wish I had a picture of you and Mr. Smith dancing.  That was pretty cool, makes me want to hurry home!  (Well, not hurry, but I do look forward to returning.)

Ryan P...Are you still there?  Keep my email address and keep me posted.  There are a few of us who would probably come all the way down for a football game if we knew you were playing!

Ryan who thinks he is Anthony...I hope we can start up right where we left off.  You are awesome to work with.

David...I know you are trying hard and you should be proud of yourself.  I know summer is easier (because there is no school) but school is a reality, so let's make sure that you get all the help you need and do well this next semester.

*Cody F... Here is something I hope you can put in your heart, from a cool volleyball coach at Fresno Pacific:  Dream dreams big enough to fail.  When he said that it reminded me of your goal of getting a quick Alpha level.  Remember that forward progress is great, but winners learn from failure too!

Travis...Good grief, you certainly deserve more of my time.  That is my bad and I apologize.  Or I guess I could put that another way around:  I would sure like to see more of you!

Eric...Hope you are still doing a good job of taking a chill pill even when you don't feel that way.  And I really hope that soon you won't have to cope with such big feelings, that you will be done with your need for them and will have room for some positive stuff inside

Raymond...Are you wiggling as you read this?  What a surprise!  Hope you have a poem ready for me when I return.  Here is the title: "More Than You Know."   A suggestion from the peanut gallery here is "Cleaning Out My Closet." 

Martin...Are you still struggling with a certain staff person?  Maybe this would be a good day to make a list of the things that the two of you have in common, since we are almost always most bugged by people who are like the parts of us we don't particularly like.

Cristobal...You have been a real blessing to me.  I appreciate all of the help you give me and the good attitude you have when you are helping me.  That is a really positive trait to have.

Tyler:  Yesterday I saw a construction company with your R last name, and right after that I passed a street named Tyler.  Cool!

Manuel:  Keep on hitting those home runs!  I wish I didn't have to miss your games because I really like cheering for you as you come around to home plate.

Deon...Hope you remembered to make an appointment on my calendar for the week of the 16th!  That will be a priority for me.

Shawn...I look forward to getting to know you better, and your Grandma too since it sounds like there are a lot of things we need to talk about!

John...I hope you are doing as well as you were when I left, and I also am looking forward to getting to know you better. 

Chris F...I appreciate your honesty and I will continue to stick to my promises!

Cody F again...Jennifer says you are doing a great job.  Keep talking and writing! 

More later! 

2003 versus 2004

When people ask me whether I liked the Pacific part of our journeys or the Atlantic part, I think I will have to vote for the Pacific.  I am really enjoying all of the beauty along the Intracoastal Waterway and checking out all of the historical sites we have been visiting.  However, there is little change of scenery along the way.  It is all pretty, but it is all very similar.  On our last outing, even if we spent several days at sea, at least the wind/waves/marine life kept changing.  We also had a sense of being adventurers out all alone, and we absolutely never have that here.  (Unless of course you count the part where we went past Camp LeJeune  (Hi Josh) with no one else around and hearing the explosions everywhere.  What are those guys exploding?)  Aside from hitting the bottom every once in a while, it is like looking at the same pretty postcard over and over again, which is what some awesome vacations are made of, but not quite the edge of the safety and security envelope that we pushed on the last trip.

The history stuff is really cool, but in Central America it was the here and now that was intriguing...sort of like seeing the development of a country while it is developing, instead of touring homes that once belonged to people who were there when this or that was happening.  Katie makes an effort to be interested in it and she really does pretty well.  Nick, on the other hand, is not at all interested and reminds me of myself at that age.  My parents took us all over the place, and honestly I was certainly not very appreciative.  Sorry, Dad!  (Sorry to you too, Mom.)  It did all lodge in my brain somewhere even though I didn't see the point at the time. 

On the other hand, we haven't really ventured all that far!  Think of all the places we could still see - Greece, the Azores, Fiji, Alaska, Hawaii, and various uninhabited isles, just to think of a few trips that real sailors would take.  So I am not done!  In the interest of time, I think I will chose the more "risky" places first and save the safe ones for when I am less able-bodied.  Would love to go to Cuba, a statement that I am sure just alerted homeland security to this website, as all the cruisers who've been there have positive things to say about it.  How 'bout it, Mr. Bush, can't we all be friends? 

One of our traveling companions                                    Kate and Steve in the dink on the way to Oriental

There is one other difference too...the weather!  I never knew what a real thunderstorm was before we came here.  We came through rain so thick we could not see at all (but Captain Steve kept on sailing) and then we found out that weather was on its way to becoming Hurricane Alex.  Good that I did not know that at the time!  Today (August 11) we had to move the boat after watching the clouds move in and the seas build.  The boat went to a safe spot so if bad weather does hit the boat will still be safe.  Since we now have a rental car to finish our east coast tour, this will probably be my last on boat webpage update.  What a long, strange trip its been!