The madness of the world continues. The Y2K thing was a joke but everyone was still worried; a few years from now, who knows, a bombing, a depression? People were hording food. They always hord food first, then shoot your neighbor because he didn’t prepare. Of course, they break into your house to get some rice or maybe rice cakes. The millennium for me was a mellow evening. I walked the dog on the strand and watched everyone go nuts. I’ve never seen so many cops on Pier Avenue. Blue got spooked by the fire works so we went home.

I watched a plane dive into the ocean tonight. I was out on the boat on a rather clear night. The winds were light out of the south and it was a perfect 65 degrees outside. It shot down in a flash and at first, I thought it was a meteor. My radio confirmed my sighting, and it seems to have gone down near Ventura. I’m sure all are dead, or most. I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Of course, this brings me into my story, always a story. I haven’t had a drink in four years now and found myself becoming angrier and angrier with god. Fred was right when he wrote, “god is dead.” Without a doubt, the most misunderstood quote, quite possibly ever. But what of my idea of god? What is it that I really believe? If god was indeed perfection, how can perfection conceive of imperfection? Everything dies, nothing is eternal. Ah yass the spirit, but what of the rest; is it even real? Perhaps the Buddhist illusion and doctrine of compassion is missing an ingredient. Could it be that Yeshua’s dogma of forgiveness is that missing piece? Could it be that the illusion itself is what must be forgiven? I become lost with the possibilities. Whatever it is, I found myself slowly filling with an unspeakable rage. I took the boat out and Blue found her spot down below. I threw out my anchor a mile out and began fuming at the world and all the misperceptions I have about it.

I blamed god for everything from a prolapsed rectum to starvation of the masses. I began screaming out loud to a god who I seriously doubted, had anything to do with this dualistic hell. I screamed; guttural, primal, anguished screams. I demanded an answer, pleading for a sign of divine intervention; none came. I turned into a blazing ball of angst and rage, pulsating and gyrating toward an invisible source that I couldn’t reach or understand. But I wanted a symbol of the fool god regardless. I heaved and shouted for hours, a madman on the verge of complete breakdown.

I’m not sure when I passed out, but the next morning found a warm morning sun and Blue licking my face. I opened my eyes to her snout in my eye, waiting for an answer. I sat up, scratched her behind the ears and looked around. The coast of South Bay looked peaceful and I suddenly felt hungry. I made some coffee, lit a smoke, pulled up anchor and headed back in.

I can’t tell you exactly what happened, but I’ve felt quite at peace for several days. I wander around the beach with blue, paddle out, catch waves, eat at The Spot and sit around with a stupid peaceful look. It’s that same stupid peaceful look that I make fun of when I pass someone with that constant back lit look; devotes of Deep Packed What His Face. In truth, I hope it doesn’t last too long, I haven’t written a thing. I’m just too fucking happy and peaceful. If it keeps up, I’ll be writing about “The Lord” or even worse, rhymed couplets.

Bindo

I also found this old beauty anchored up. I use the word "beauty" deliberately. Even if she has seen better days and has been changed a number of times through the years she is still a beauty. A yellow sign posted on a tree nearby warned people for thin ice and yes, I find the warning justified at this time of the year.

I found these boats waiting for the spring to come a five minute walk from the old beauty. They are safe from the ice ashore. Seven months from now, most of them will carry their happy owners to new adventures in the archipelago.

This one seems to hide from reality where it lies. At least it's still afloat.

There are, of course, other ways to keep a boat safe during the winter. One can store it in a boat shed for instance. I just wonder what would be the safest way - in this shed or under a tarpaulin? Something tells me that a tarpaulin is probably safer.

By the early 1900's, steam ships had largely displaced the traditional sail boats. Many of these boats were British made, which created a little bit of a stir in 1903. One of the reasons that this created a stir was because purchasing British built boats was actually prohibited at the time by the passage of the Payne Bill. Most people disregarded this bill though and many of the yachts owned by members of the New York Yacht Club were built by the British.

One such yacht was the Delaware, which was formerly known as the Maria. The Deleware was bought by Commodore Bourne, who sailed to British waters to make the purchase. After buying it, he took it to a ship yard to have it overhauled and modernized. He added electrical lighting and a refrigeration system. He also outfitted it with new electrical dumbwaiters.

The dumbwaiter is a very popular addition that is found in almost all large boats built today. They have been used for hundreds of years in all types of boats and are a great way to improve functionality, while using only a small amount of space.

One weekend in April, our friends M and K came up with their two children. We decided to take the kids to feed the ducks at Port Dalhousie. Meanwhile, I got to play with M and K's digital SLR. This is one I took with it. I am now dying for a chance to own one.

Progressive doesn't cover just cars.  Customers can also purchase coverage on their motorcycles, ATVs, boats, personal watercraft, motor homes, travel trailers, and snowmobiles.  Even though there may not be a lot of people who need snowmobile coverage in North Texas, we can find coverage for almost anything with an engine.

Contact Jerry Hejny Insurance Agency today for a custom auto quote.

(moon, stars or any interpretation of night) - Mrs Nascar's choice.

Now I think this is a fascinating theme and I'm hoping to see great things from the Photo Friday team. My problem is that my camera is just not good enough for sky at night type photographs. I took a few in preparation and the moon just looked like a pin hole on a black sheet of paper - so I deleted them. However, as Mrs Nascar said: "any interpretation of night" was OK -  I thought (thinking outside the box) I'd post some photographs I took at night, rather than the sky at night. Hope that's acceptable.

Saint Tropez at dusk

Nearby Marina as night falls

and the nearby marina again (South of France)

PHOTO FRIDAY ADVANCE DIARY 

17th October:CuriousCs choice - Bridges / Arches

24th October: Eiain’s choice - Paws for thought

31st October: Author’s choice - Halloween!

7th November: Tina’s choice - Action Shots

14th November: Author’s choice - Windows (unusual or favourite windows, in your own home, or other homes, or churches, buildings etc - you may even include the view through a window. This can be a selection of photos or just one favourite pic) 

I've got them from 1976 through 2000. I think my parents still get them, but mom forgot to give me the one in 2001 and that sort of ended the run.

I used to use these calendars to keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, ballgames and other important dates.

They span quite a bit of my young adulthood. Heck, that's 25 years right there, from the second half of my seventh-grade year up until the time I was 37 and had four kids -- three biologically. That approximately 3-inch stack of papers elicits many memories ... mostly good.

I used to cross out each day as it passed. All the boxes in January 1976 were X'd out with a brown felt-tip pen that I thought was so cool. I mean who ever had colors other than blue, black and red back then?

Much to my chagrin, I lost that pen on Feb. 6, 1976. Must have; Feb. 7 is marked out in light blue starting my downward spiral into the dark pit of ... whatever.

I started writing down events of importance in March of that year ... a Boy Scout Court of Honor ceremony (I quit a few merit badges and a massive project short of Eagle Scout) and the Milwaukee Sentinel Sports Show that used to feature some guy throwing axes across a stage (at least that's about the only thing I remember; that and lines and lines of boats).

April's Boy Scout activities included a trading night, where my buddy, Chip, and I traded baseball cards. I'm not sure if anyone else traded anything. I think that night was made for Chip and me. That's where my allowance went as a kid. You could get cards for 10 cents a pack back when I started collecting seriously in 1973.

Of course, 1976 was the bicentennial year. So there was much excitement leading up to July 4. We always had a parade in town on Independence Day and if you hung out with the Parks Department folks, you could dress up your bikes in red, white and blue stuff. I think I did that once.

Wonder why I crossed out August 3, my 13th birthday, that year. August 1976 must have been a wacky month. After a few months of simple X's crossing out the squares, I chose to go nutty keeping track of the days in August. Curly-cues, stars, lines, shading ... all was used that month. I blame it on puberty. What else could it have been?

September was no better, and I even marked the first day of my eighth-grade year in junior high with a "School Starts Boo!" entry on Sept. 7.

For some unknown reason, I have six dates in October marked with a big blue "G" in a blue box. What is this G? What could it have stood for? I am puzzled. I assume the G is the first letter of somethign that was to happen on those days. But what? Golf? I was not on a golf team. Girls? I was too afraid of them. This may remain a mystery for ever.

One thing I wrote down that I do recall the details of was on Oct. 20, when I sent the Oakland Raiders a letter requesting they send a media guide. I even started the letter, "Just because I live in Wisconsin doesn't mean I can't like the Raiders," hoping that would show them that I really liked the team. Of course, the Green Bay Packers come first. But back then, I really liked the Radiers, too.

Oh wow! I just figured out what the G's stood for! This is so wacky cause I remembered while I was IM'ing my current and most wonderfully bodacious girlfriend. G stands for Ginny, a girl I had a crush on that year. Those were the six times I called her. That is quite a story, too. A story of me passing an ill-fated note of a desirous nature to her during math class that got passed on to others and elicited much taunting upon my person. Man, for a while I didn't even want to go to school anymore. But, my dad was my Russian teacher, so he'd have noticed if I didn't show up.

There really isn't much of anything else on those pages from 1976. Just a mention of getting guy's gifts from hiding spot on Dec. 24. I'm not sure what guys I'm talking about. It may have been my three brothers. We used to do a Christmas morning celebration thing. But when we got older, it turned into a Christmas Eve thing. It's been Christmas Eve for a long time now, even as two of us have kids.

The lack of postings lately has been because my wife and I flew over the Atlantic to spend three weeks in Denmark, for pleasure, visiting family, and so she can do research.  Today being the first day we have gotten internet to work on the laptop means I can finally post some pictures again.  Since I'm not at my computer these days I will have much less resources for processing, so most pictures will be coming straight out of camera onto my blog, which in my opinion is a good challenge for my photography.

This photo was taken while on a boat tour of downtown Copenhagen (Kobenhavn).  They have a series of canals running through the streets, this being one of them, Christianshavns Kanal.  This is probably one of the most photographed streets in Copenhagen, so I figured I have better give it a go.

Photograph copyright of BMBouwsema 2008

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Don't get all coy on me.  I don't know how conversations about sex goes down between dudes, if at all.  Pause. But I can assure you that this question almost always comes up between women in one form or another.  There is some almost automatic curiosity that surfaces when one finds out that her homegirl has got down with the get down with a new man.  Or even with established relationships, we just "need" to know how ol' dude is betwixt the sheets.  This then leads to questions about whether a good lay is determined more so by the actions and/or size of the boat, or does it have more to do with a woman's connection to the captain of the ship.

In this age of the "progressive" woman, it would not be surprising to come across a woman that holds firm to the idea that sex is purely physical for her.  Somehow she has found the formula that women have been looking for years, that allows her to keep pumps from getting all mixed up in emotions.

While I believe that this can be done, I wonder how long this can last.  For example, a woman and man have developed a working "thronxing" relationship.  They call each other up when there's an itch to be scratched, handle business, and chuck the deuces.  For the man in this situation, it is expected that he can keep it at sex.  For the woman though, can she maintain this detachment for the duration of the sexual relationship?  Or does she develop feelings for him at some point?  Or if not him, does she search for an emotional connection else where?

When talking about this with my homies, it is the general consensus that woman enjoy sex more when they are emotionally bonded the to man.  This is not to say that pumps sans love and all that can't be head board breaking fulfilling.  But can it be totally fulfilling?  Do women, in the backs of their minds, say "Damn, that was good, but something was missing?"

Of course this is a very individual thing, but there is a lot of good anecdotal evidence to support the idea that women, while they can talk the talk, can't walk that same sex-is-just-as-good-without-emotions-walk as men.

Or do men walk this walk all the time?  Is it just that you can get your rocks off nice and good when you don't really care about a broad woman, but enjoy sex even more with your boo-boo?  Let's hear it.

tons of fiddler crabs this time of year too, and big blue crabs, hanging out just under the water or along the base of the spartina when the tide is out - and eensy yellow-bellied flickers, and one chittering kingfisher, the occasional terrapin, and a million jumping midget fish.

all the virginia creeper has gone flaming red, and the poison ivy too - most of the trees are a little dull this year so far (maybe because it was such a dry spring), but the groundsel bush along the shore is in full white bloom. the crabapple trees and black walnuts are weighed down with so many fruit it looks like their limbs are going to crack. I went collecting walnuts at conference house the other day, and it took less then an hour for us to have a full huge black garbage bag's worth. should be looking for acorns now too...

its the time of year now when its still dark and cold when I wake up, and it makes it hard to get out of bed and keep my eyes open - but it also makes the first sip of coffee taste really good, and the first step outside feels sharp and alive. rugby keeps going for a couple of weeks, keeping me out late, and aware of the sunset - I love that rugby happens when the weather is changing, everything about being out in the weather this time of year feels good - and halloween is soon!

halloween always makes me expect snow, because it always snowed on halloween when I was a kid - that might be one of the reasons I love the holiday so much - and I haven't quite gotten used to east coast weather, though I've been here long enough...

it will come eventually. first - planting! 1000 trees a week from now til mid-november! cross fingers and wish me luck and maybe I'll put up pictures when its over...

ps - in the meantime:

 Teddy

mc

Unlike the North Carolina city, it's pronounced Shar-LOT and it's one of the most beautiful and isolated NYC escapes accessible by car. Multi-million dollar lakefront homes can be had for $100-300 per night and are perfect for decompressing, cruising Lake Champlain, or venturing 10 miles into Burlington, Vermont's largest city. Although it's for sale and may not be rentable for much longer, our favorite cabin can be reserved through the owner, Laurie Stavrand, by emailing madderlake@gmail.com.

If you choose a Halong Bay cruise, though, you won’t be the only one heading for those clear waters. Because, as evidenced by what happened in March, you’ll see that travel to Halong Bay is more popular than ever.

On March 10, one cruise ship with more than 1,100 tourists showed up at Halong Bay, while on the same day another Halong Bay cruise brought in more than 1,200 people on vacation.

A cruise liner from the United Kingdom came into Halong Bay on March 11, with more than 800 tourists enjoying the luxury cruise of Halong Bay. After their visit to the bay, they also visited Ho Chi Minh City and the other provinces of the country.

But that wasn’t all, there were more Halong Bay boats that weekend, including a cruise ship with more than 900 tourists on board from Germany and Austria. They, in turn, went from Ha Long Bay to Da Nang and then on to Ho Chi Minh City. Finally, more than 800 more than 800 more tourists came a week later.

While it may seem like there are a lot of luxury junks on Halong Bay or boats in Halong Bay, don’t think that there isn’t room for you, too. In fact, the busyness of the site adds to the experience you will get as a visitor on a Halong Bay boat. You will be experiencing all that Vietnam has to offer, but you will also be interacting with other people from all over the world.

Tour companies that book visitors to Halong Bay draw from not just Asian places like China and Korea, but are also brining in eager tourists from the United Kingdoms, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and Austria. They will take in all that Halong Bay has to offer, but also cruise down the rest of the country

What these tourists have discovered is that their Euros (or dollars) go a long way in Vietnam. They are able to experience one of the most wonderful scenic places in the world, while the same time getting a lot out of the money that they are spending from great Vietnamese cuisine to souvenirs that they can take home. There is also scuba lessons, tours of the area around the bay and other activities that can enrich the trip.

If you are interested in getting out of the place you are in and heading over to Halong Bay, then you need to check the web for tourist companies and talk to friends who have visited there and might be able to make some recommendations. One thing is for sure, by the traffic going into the bay, a cruise is one of the top choices for tourists.

Let me explain!

I've spent most of my adult working life on or under the sea and the last thing I want to do is spend my precious spare time on old Clyde ferries watching old cruise ships sail in or out of dock but that's exactly what I've been doing this weekend! Last year I won 2 tickets to go and see the then exactly 40 year old QE2 sail down the Clyde after her 40th anniversary sail past the yard that built her. I went down half heartedly with my then 8 year old boy and we had a whale of a time so this year when the chance came to to do the same thing on the MV Saturn but this time escorting QE2 up the Clyde I leapt at it and even managed to acquire 2 extra tickets ( thanks Angus ) for 2 of my boys pals. So we left wife and mother in charge of the pigs and headed south in her car first thing on Saturday morning, my 22 year old Land Rover not being the ideal vehicle for a 500 mile weekend dash. When I say the rain was torrential on the way south that would be an understatement it literally bucketed it down all the way from Arnish to Fort William, we passed several water falls who's power and glory had to be seen to be believed but there was no way I was even going to wind a window down let alone stop and get out to take a picture so we just kept driving. After a wee stop in Fort William for socks and lunch we continued onto Glasgow and the http://www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/museums/by_name/c/clydebuilt_scottish_maritime_museum_at_braehead.asp

This relatively new museum situated on the Clyde at Braehead is well worth a visit and quite by chance had a whole room dedicated to the QE2, we had a great couple of hours there.

Even found an anchor made by 'WL Byers of Sunderland' which is just like the one on Raasay! http://lifeattheendoftheroad.wordpress.com/category/16-years-ago/

and sits just outside the museum. After our cultural afternoon we headed to our berth for the night and a bite to eat and no sooner had we finished than I took the boys to see 'The Dark Knight' which they all enjoyed thorughly despite it being almost 3 hours long! I even enjoyed it myself though I was left reeling when I was asked to part with $13.50 (and that should read pounds and not USD) for 3 popcorns and one medium sized pepsi having just paid $18.00 to get in it struck me that either I'm mean old and miserable or things are very expensive these days. When we came out my boy had a raging thirst having single handedly munched his way through a bag of savory popcorn so I went to get him a small bottle of water but baulked at $2.30 for 500mil of stuff that falls from the sky. It takes 8 million years to make oil, extract it carry it half way around the world, refine it, then get it to a petrol pump and its still cheaper than a bottle of water at the Paisley Phoenix cinema! So my boy went thirsty until we arrived back at our lodgings for the night though by this time it was after 11.00pm and we had to be up early for the big day tomorrow.

The last great 'Clyde built' liner

The cruise to view the QE2 from MV Saturn http://www.calmac.co.uk/qe2-cruise-on-mv-saturn.html left Gourock at 10:00am but I had a cunning plan to avoid the traffic and parking restrictions along the entire waterfront and that was to catch MV Jupiter the Calmac ferry to Dunoon at 9:00am and board Saturn there at 10:30. This would also mean we'd get to travel on an extra ferry much to the boys delight and we'd be a few miles nearer to home at the end of the cruise. Even at 8:30 when we arrived at the Gourock ferry terminal there was a buzz in the air with traffic cones everywhere and people in hi viz jackets standing around diversion signs. The aircraft carrier Ark Royal and the French Assault landing ship FS Tonnerre where moored just off shore probably in preparation for next weeks big 'Joint Warrior' NATO exercise

Here's the rather graceful Ark Royal

And here's the decidedly boxy looking Tonnerre

Anyway we were soon on board MV Jupiter and whisked over to a very sunny and pleasant Dunoon where wandered about the park until it was time to go and meet the Saturn

We boarded Saturn and joined the other 500 odd people who'd come to see the last great 'Clydebuilt' ship. Now me and my boy had already been through a similar experience last year but that didn't make it any less exciting we headed south down the Clyde along with hundreds of other vessels of all shapes and sizes to meet the 'Queen' and we were not disappointed as she came into view escorted by HMS Manchester and a host of other craft.

In no time at all she was abreast of us and more and more boats of all shapes and sizes joined the procession

And I know the photo's are poor but I've no broadband so can't take then at any decent kind of resolution but she is VERY impressive and as the flotilla grew in size as we neared 'Ocean Terminal' her tugs waited patiently with one of them firing off her fire hoses a hundred feet in the air.

And just as the Queen approached the sun came out and the tug disappeared in a rainbow!

As well as the host of boats there were helicopters and even a light aircraft

This particular Royal Navy rescue helicopter the 'Ace of clubs' did some spectacular fly pasts but all too soon the QE2 was arrived at Greenock and we headed first back to Gourock to discharge around 500 people and then onto Dunoon where us 4 and about 20 other people got off and after filling up with fuel we headed for Mallaig and yet another ferry. This time it was the MV Courisk and it would take us to Skye but now it's 10:30 on Tuesday evening, I'm back at work tomorrow so I'm off to bed. It's been a very busy few days and I've not even mentioned the mad Frenchman, 3 guinea fowl, wild mushrooms, and several boxes of red wine.

No, hold, this is no intentional political post on the "Armenian genocide"!  I recently returned from a fabulous "gay honeymoon"-replacing vacation in Bodrum, Turkey and I'm in the process of posting a small part of my +1,000 vacation pictures. I just love Turkey, admiring the way the country succeeded in separating religion/state, making it a liberal, though predominantly Muslim country.  When I watched topless women at my Bodrum hotel pool, it was overtly clear that founding father Ataturk succeeded in separating religion and state.

Unfortunately, the Turkish government still felt that it was "appropriate" and "necessary" to post (yet again, in 2008..) a huge rebuttal regarding the killing of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I, in the very distasteful form of a huge billboard right along the upscale Bodrum marina, in front of the entrance to the stunningly beautiful Bodrum castle. Hey, I was on vacation, thoroughly enjoying a walk around Bodrum Marina, home of the rich and famous, watching huge cruise-liners boarding, along with a stroll past the 5,000 head open-air Halicarnassus sea-side disco - and then I bumped into this..  You can imagine how this huge, Turkish government issued, quay-side "no genocide" right-in-your-face billboard-with-sculls totally baffled me.   How would you feel?

One month anniversary yesterday, of my return to my old life but as a new person. Being amid the oh so very familiar after such a long time has brought up unexpected memories, both mental images and physically felt memories, long banished to the murky depths of my neural network. Quite peculiar (yet fun) to have so many 'firsts' in my own hometown. "Oh wow - I'm in PORT MELBOURNE!" for example.

It's impossible not to enjoy the sense of space, the abundant nature, clean fresh air, the smell of the sea, and to be relieved to back here for good. It does feel awfully quiet though after London's packed streets. I keep thinking surely there should be more people around than this? Perhaps it's just due to school holidays.

One of my favourite places is the Mornington jetty, whatever the weather. Usually there are lots of yachts moored but with two major storms causing devastation last year they take them out for the winter now. It was a stunning day and I had my camera.

#1035, CATBOAT SAILING BASS RIVER, BY CAPE COD ARTIST ANN SULLIVAN

OIL

16 X 20 $2000.00

#1034, SEPTEMBER SAIL, BASS RIVER, BY CAPE COD ARTIST ANN SULLIVAN

OIL

18 X 24 $2200.00