Days to remember.

Seems the wind either blows hard or not at all lately and not much in between. Rumor has it this may last up to six more weeks.
This morning the overhead (that’s nautical talk for the ceiling) was a beautiful dancing canvas as the sun reflected off the calm and thru the portholes. I grew up in a house on the water that does this too. The hypnosis it creates doesn’t grow old. But i’m planning to save the cost of moorage and shove off today and i have a few things to do before that. One of which is to post here to you. So i finally broke the spell and got up. This morning’s peace stands out and feels needed just now.
The mountainous backdrop to Puerto Escondido is amazing. Add to its drama the shift of the sun’s light and the clouds’ shadows and a photo or words don’t have a chance to do it justice. Yesterday i answered its call and scrambled up its nearest arroyo. It was one of the most beautiful hikes i’ve ever taken, literally felt like i had found a valley in Shangri-la. Plus it feels good to walk further than 44’ in any given direction. I tried to minimize my regret for forgetting the camera and imagined i might return someday. The beauty was multi-sensory: audio, visual, tactile. The exercise, the lush foliage, the stair-stepped waterfalls, some sort of magic and intimate feeling held in the closeness of the valley walls… Really a moment and space to savor.
I wrapped the day up by having a former sailing student and her partner over for dinner – pork chops, salad and they brought a delicious curried rice. I coached Rose years ago when she was a lessee at Elliott Bay Yachting Center, wrote a letter of reference for her to charter in the Caribbean… Back then this adventure was strong in her, and in 2000 she bought her 46’ sloop. She (a test pilot for Boeing) and Jani are retired, and it’s great to see them fulfilling their dream. Coincidence has it that we are cruising these waters at the same time and thus have the fun of “seeing familiar faces in new places.” There’s some kind of camaraderie in it.
It was another day to remember gratefully, poignant on some levels. If i open to it, where does the beauty take me? “How could we not have known that life and love must make heroes of us all? We’ve known all along that at the end dying has to be done. I don’t mean to push it into the foreground, but i think we would be better served if we stopped trying to lay this knowing to sleep, as Hollywood and religion would have us do. That denies the wisdom, harmony and heroism with which we could better live. With which we would count each day, each kiss, each hug more dearly. More intensely. More honestly. We would be proud of our heroism, but the pain and losses leave no room for pride. May we learn to live, fully live, both despite and because of what has come and gone and is coming.” Beauty seems a key.
Okay, i’m headin’ out for a bit. You’ll know when i get back within reach of the internet, in a week or so, maybe less or more. Until then, i wish you days to remember.