naked without my book

I confess I must always have a book with me or I feel naked. Anytime I leave the house I have a book or 2 books if I am getting close to the end. I want to ensure I always have reading material with me at all times just in case I have a few extra minutes.

Even when I get ready in the morning I read a magazine while I am blow drying my hair and brushing my teeth. Yes it might be just a tad overkill for most but it turns a routine task into something interesting. Maybe that is my own version of obsessive compulsive behaviour though I don't think it is dangerous as I no longer read at red lights (I am not counting emails here).

I will read about anything except for science fiction and will finish most books even if they aren't particularly interesting. There are very few books I just can't make it through but Lord of the Rings is one of them, I have tried several times and just can't get further than the first 100 pages or so. Not sure what it is but for some reason when I try it seems like work and since I don't have to read for classes anymore I give up.

When I go on vacation I pack at least 2 books per day or 3 if it is a beach vacation with even more reading hours in the day spent on a lounge in front of a body of water. My love of reading goes back to being a child. Everyone in our house was an avid reader though I am probably the biggest devourer of books. Thank goodness for 1/2 price books and their $1 racks. This way I can pick up 50-60 books at a time and then give them to others or leave them behind when I need more room in my suitcase. I do get quite a few strange looks and comments as I bring my books up to the register with people wondering if I am starting my own book store.

I can't even begin to name all the things I have learned from reading. For example I am very grateful I was born when I was and not 100 years ago, I would have never made it over the Oregon trail, I am not cut out for military duty, I have no desire to sail around the world, I wouldn't cut it as a police officer, and I am grateful I don't have to date anymore though it makes for very entertaining reading. The list goes on - I can live vicariously through books without ever having to get dirty, give up my comfy chair or beach chair, or suffer hardships.

Going to the bookstore is like being a kid in a candy store with money in your pocket (otherwise why bother). All the books on every subject imaginable just waiting to be read. I could easily spend all day just browsing and looking at all the possibilities. Being able to just lose myself in my book for hours is one of my favorite ways to pass my time. Even as a kid there are pictures of me falling asleep with my book something I still continue to do as an adult.

If you ever catch me without a book something has gone seriously wrong and I will be frantically trying to find one so I can once again feel secure and know all is right with my world.

still looking pale

The weather in Seattle has been great in July. Plenty of sun and weekends spent on the boat. Problem is if you look at me one would think it is still May and I hadn't seen the sun since last September. See I am pale, very pale. Okay very pale without my fake tan. I have plenty of freckles but so far they haven't run together and created a tan. In reality on my hands they probably look more like age spots but I am sticking with freckles.

Growing up my friends would count the number of people whiter than me on the beach - for those keeping track the number never reached above 2. Living in Seattle helps since most everyone is pretty pale for about 9 months out of the year but come July most start to get a bit of a tan. I have spent more money than I care to remember on unlimited tanning sessions only to eventually realize even after 20 sessions I still couldn't see the outline of the sticker they give you to wear in the booth to reapply it in the same spot.

By now you would think I had finally come to terms with this and I have somewhat. I no longer use tanning booths instead I fake it. Fortunately the fake tanning products have improved significantly since the lovely orange color but they are still only as good as the person applying them. Applying fake tan when in a morning rush to head out the door doesn't result in the most attractive application. I have had plenty of less than stellar results - think streaked hands and orange tinted skin but I keep trying. The Mystic Tan booths are great but not always a realistic or timely option.

This is 1 area where I refuse to admit defeat or to give up. I partially blame Sam for the comment he first made the first time I actually appeared to be tan in Hawaii after using self tanner. He told I looked great so tan and then he said the magic words - I looked thinner. Having spent over an hour carefully applying and knowing I didn't have this much time every 3 days I wasn't thrilled about the process but hearing how good it looked definitely made me want to continue.

So if you notice a bit of streaking or that my "tan" fades in and out just ignore it and realize I am just trying to give a bit of color to myself so I too can look like I have ventured outside this summer.

fish pedicures

Sam and I were actually ahead of the curve on this one. When we were in Singapore last October both of us got a fish pedicure. Yep you read that correctly - a fish pedicure. We went to an aquarium in Singapore and on our way out we received a flyer advertising a pedicure that involved small fish commonly called doctor fish. I was intrigued and convinced Sam we needed to give it a try.

We were given the option of putting our feet in a pool with smaller fish or more aggressive ones so for our first time we chose the smaller fish. Sitting on the edge I suddenly lost my nerve and refused to put my feet in the water. Sam already had his feet in the water and his squeaks and squeals as the fish swarmed his feet made me much less inclined to go through with it. Finally after 5 minutes (Sam says much longer) I succumbed to his threats of bodily harm if I didn't join in and gingerly put one foot in. Somehow he felt since this was my idea originally I had better go through with it and I was missing out on a real opportunity. In reality he didn't want all the fish nibbling on his feet and wanted me to take some away from him.

What a crazy feeling. Just imagine your feet covered in small fish all nibbling away at you. Very bizarre but after a few minutes I got used to it though it still tickled. I was very grateful we chose the small fish after getting a look at the larger fish in the other pool. You could definitely feel the difference when the larger fish were nibbling on you.

I do have to say after we removed our feet that it was the softest my feet had felt in a long time. After playing tourist for a week and walking for miles all the dry skin and callouses were gone. I am not sure even if we get one in Seattle if I would go on a regular basis but I would definitely do it again every once in a while. Now it has made it to the U.S. if you want to go to Virginia. Here is the article that brought back such fond vacation memories.

i just can't choose 1

I was recently asked where my favorite place was to go for a weekend on our boat. For the life of me I couldn't come up with a definitive answer. Shocking for those who know me since I have an opinion about most everything and am usually more than willing to share it though I do try and avoid the hot ones - politics and religion. I couldn't come up with a definitive answer.

I almost said Poulsbo - since for a quick weekend getaway it has to be a favorite. After all it is a quick jaunt across and then beautiful scenery until the marina. It also has one of my favorite restaurants and quick access to a yummy bakery and some great shopping - what more could one want other than clean restrooms and they have that covered as well.

The next place that came to mind was Succia. A remote getaway on an island only reachable by boat. The harbor is huge with plenty of room for everyone. If you want to get away from it all -other than your fellow boaters this is it. Great trails, plenty of places to use the kayaks or dinghy to explore, and another opportunity to possibly have crab for dinner.

Then I thought of Roche Harbor with the people watching, huge yachts - truly feels like the rich and famous, and those fabulous donuts. Even better it is close to my parents house so there is an opportunity for a home cooked meal or two. Great crabbing is nearby though I am not sure I am willing to share the exact location.

Spencer Spit was my next thought. We had a great day there last year - the one my nephew Levi says was the best day of his entire life, so that must be near the top. Here is a place with mooring buoys - no sleepless nights while hoping your anchor holds, great beaches on both sides, and incredible scenery.

Then I thought of Poets Cove in the Gulf Islands. It always feels like you have really traveled whenever you have to check into customs, even though in reality it is even closer than Succia. The resort is beautiful and the swimming pool is always a bonus. The island has great beaches and plenty of opportunities for hiking down to a remote and secluded beach.

I could go on and on. How can I choose a favorite destination when there are so many beautiful and unique places right in my own backyard. What a great place to live. Must be summer in Seattle right now since I am feeling the love and truly appreciating living in the best place in the world. Hard to remember those gray rainy days just a few weeks ago. I am sure I will discover new favorites this summer and it will be even tougher to just think of one favorite.

the campfire is permanently out

Last year Sam and I met my sister, her husband, and their 2 children for a camping trip at Lake Chelan. As children we spent many weekends camping and I loved it as long as I never went more than 1 day without a shower. In my teens my other request was also for electricity since I needed to use a curling iron for my 80's hair.

Mom & Dad had a camper but I enjoyed sleeping in the tent by myself. When they sent out my sister to sleep with me I convinced her bears were sniffing around so she would frantically go back to the camper and I could have the tent all to myself, though that only worked for a few years before she figured it out.

We hadn't gone tent camping for a few years but I was still excited and thought it would be a great adventure. I had somehow deleted our past camping experience from my brain out of self preservation.

A few years ago we went to Sun Lakes to go camping over Labor Day weekend. We had a great time on the boats during the day tubing and playing. Our first indication of any problems should have been the bees and the increasing winds at the campsite but we ignored the signs. Around midnight the wind started howling and the only thing keeping our tent on the ground was our body weight. Fine sand was coming into the tent and giving us an unrequested exfoliation. I was wondering how much Tanya would sell her camper for, even if I just used it for one night it would have been worth the cost. Little did I know that the camper was shaking wildly on the truck bed and Tanya was wishing she was on the ground in a tent.

Around 2 in the morning Sam realized he better check on the boats since they were tied up on the shore. Unfortunately he can't see much without his contacts so I am not sure how he even got down to the lake or what he thought he would do if the boats were suddenly loose. I wasn't in any mood to volunteer my services. Morning didn't come soon enough. Needless to stay we skipped out on our reservation for the next 2 nights and headed for the comforts of home.

Lake Chelan wasn't anywhere the disaster Sun Lakes was but it did put an end to my camping. Waking up the next morning I could barely get out of bed - wow did I feel stiff. Turns out sleeping on a 1" mattress isn't quite the same as my pillow top mattress at home. Showering in the restrooms became more of a circus act while I tried to clean up without touching anything. Then the rain started. 2 kids in a camper with mud and rain equal a huge mess so we opted to try and find a big enough tree to sit under so we could remain partially dry. Towards the end of day two I wondered why I was paying for this experience when we could have just brought up the boat for the day and then driven back to Wenatchee for a night in a house with clean restrooms, a comfy bed, and no bugs.

My days of camping were over. Time to admit I prefer my creature comforts and just venture out to the parks and forests for the day before I head home or find a hotel with room service.

i think the head is full

I get anxious about all sorts of things on the boat - sudden wind gusts, heeling over too far, if we are suddenly going to go aground while Sam just tells me to relax. Even Sam suddenly becomes concerned when someone says those fateful words "I think the head is full". This never seems to come at a convenient time. If only we could time these occurrences to coincide with a convenient pump out station but no such luck. Usually during the summer we have someone come each week to pump us out - hey $20 is a bargain after having done it ourselves, okay Sam, way too many times (maybe 5 times but that is way too many). This would have to be near the top of my list for underpaid professions.

In these situations getting it taken care of becomes somewhat of an emergency especially when you have female passengers for whom the back of the boat is not an emergency option. This past week it happened at the dock in Poulsbo but when you realize it just before bed and have to go to work the next morning leaving before the pump out opens the timing isn't especially good. We called someone to pump us out and sure enough he was a no show. Now I am used to no shows after our home remodeling projects, but the pump out guy pulling one is about the last person you want to no show. Usually Sam is bummed if I work remotely and he has to go into the office but on this morning I swear I saw a smile on his face when he told me to enjoy working from the boat.

I realized later in the day there was another reason Sam was so happy early in the morning on his way to work. I decided to empty out our coolers and the bait he had bought on Sunday was still there after 4 long hot days without any refrigeration. Lets just say even the crabs didn't want any part of that bait. So now I had funky smells above deck and below. The office never looked so good.

The pumpout guy showed up the following day - finally. Turns out he was getting interviewed for a newspaper article. All I could say was "really"? I mean is this something people want to read about over their morning lattes - guess they were a bit hard up for some news. I actually thought it might be an expose on dirty jobs or why a college degree is very important but he told me they were interested in how it all worked. I don't want to know how it works I just want it done so I can hand over the cash and you can motor away, in fact I would really like to pretend we never even had this transaction.

The good news is that once he was done the smell was gone or at least it was after I poured some pretty blue chemicals into the head. The joys of boat ownership. I always wanted a nice sized head on my boat but I never really gave much thought to what happened after we had used it a few times. I have to say though I usually need to remind Sam about many things but our weekly pump out never seems to be one of them, must be all about priorities.

spinnaker paranoia

a rarely seen picture of our spinnaker - i wasn't on the boat

I have spinnaker paranoia. For those not familiar with a spinnaker it is the brightly colored sail you occasionally see on a sailboat, or in the case of our boat very rarely.

Or as wikipedia says "A spinnaker is a special type of sail that is designed specifically

for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90°–180°

off the bow. The spinnaker fills with wind and balloons out in front of the boat when it is

deployed, called flying. It is constructed of very lightweight, usually nylon, fabric, and is

often brightly colored."

Most sails are white or gray but a spinnaker is the one sail that reflects the personality of the owner or in our case the first mate since ours for the Hanse is in cougar colors. Sam figured it was a good concession to make -he got the sailboat I got to pick the spinnaker colors. Problem is I hate flying the spinnaker - I think he was hoping if I chose the colors I would suddenly have the urge to see it fly. Sam's grand plan backfired - so far I have let him fly it twice and both times were under duress.

I am able to pinpoint exactly where my fear comes from - racing our Harbor 20 during duck dodges on Lake Union. Putting up the spinnaker happens under sail and when racing it has to be done in a quick fashion hence making for more drama then I need on a sailboat. The process usually consists of getting the spinnaker set up, rounding the mark, pulling down the jib and the somehow trying to hoist the spinnaker at the same time without hitting other boats, losing boat speed, or dropping it in the water. This is more of a challenge than I am up for since my idea of sailing includes relaxation and a good book all hard to enjoy during this process. Then once the spinnaker is up you constantly have to hold then lines to keep it flying and make adjustments. Just when it is flying nicely you no longer need it and the process of taking it down needs to happen - see above in reverse. Personally I would rather just come in 2nd or 3rd or even 4th.

Sam tries to convince me our spinnaker for the Hanse is much easier to fly but so far I am not buying it. I watched the America's cup races and saw the best sailors in the world blow up 2 in 1 race in addition to having challenges even getting it up in the first place - Sam definitely regrets asking me to watch that race with him. So for right now the spinnaker is taking up space in our storage locker, space I could quickly fill with plenty of other boating necessities. Sam tries to sell me on the fact we could get more speed but isn't that what a motor is for? So right now the spinnaker sits in our boat giving Sam hope and tormenting me. I would rather catch a glimpse of a spinnaker on another boat from afar knowing I am sitting on our boat enjoying a leisurely sail with my book and no spinnaker drama.

the fountain of youth seems to be missing

My 20th high school reunion is this year which means I have started to move towards my late 30's. I don't think those begin until 38 so I still have a few months. The good news is that I already have a vacation planned so I don't even have to decide if I want to go. This aging thing really starts to creep up on you and before I knew it I have started to become a ma'am. Signs have been making themselves known but apparently I am pretty good at denial. I have received wedding invitations from people I swear would still need their parent's approval even in states like Alabama. Unfortunately when I asked my mom she told me they were definitely old enough, in fact they were in their 20's. I have seen adults who when I was introduced to them I found out my last memory of them was as small children - luckily I refrained from saying "I remember when you were just a baby" as I remember how much I hated it when someone told me that. As my sister ever so kindly pointed out I even have wrinkles by my ears - guess that is why during face lifts they pull back the skin by the ears so they can get rid of those as well.

A friend of ours realized she was getting older when she stood on the bow of a boat with lines ready and none of the guys at the dock made a run to help her whereas once upon a time she would have had plenty lining up. Someone else told us he realized he was getting older when he drove by the high school and wondered if the parents knew what their daughters were wearing instead of checking them out. Sam has even become the adult parents will let their teenage daughters take the dinghy out with when they want them to have some supervision. He prefers to remember when they kept their teenage daughters away from him.

I think no matter what age you are you never consider yourself old. Old is a minimum of 10 years older than your current age. As the birthdays continue to add up I think I will always be shocked to realize how old I am - maybe the forgetfulness you start to experience is really a good thing after all. Actually I have loved my 30's even more than my 20's and my 20's more than my teens so if the trend continues watch out for the 40's.