Here we are again, in the midst of another tropical wave, bringing us an abudance of rain, squalls and gloomy skies.

I am reading a fascinating book called The Dovekeepers (I highly recommend it) about the Jews who held out against the Romans on Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert nearly 2,000 years ago. It is a fascinating, fictionalized account of how they lived, loved, fought, survived and ultimately were slaughtered. It would be wrong to say Ed and I live in a similarily primitive way as these people did, yet as I read of their lives, I am struck by how the elements control us in a way it did them, how they heeded the whims of nature as diligently as we do. They were completely dependent on whatever nature gave, floods, droughts, fires, storms, wild and ferocious animals. We are truly civilized in this life, yet every day we watch the skies, read our weather information, guess at what might come along. We watch the ground for slithering snakes who cross inches from our toes (like this morning). We read the faces of the locals to see who we might trust and hope the fish take our bait so we can eat without spending any more of our dwindling money on monthly provisions. We study the local produce vendors to see what we might use, study the surrounding water to determine its ability to replenish our supplies. I am constantly reminded of how different our life as cruisers is from when we had all creature comforts at our fingertips. Life is more simple in many regards, yet far more complex in others. Awakening to a beautiful sunrise or the sound of water lapping at your hull, that is simple. Pure. Nature at its most kindest. Moving to new locations when we're ready and the conditions are right, that is pretty darned simple. Getting the dinghy unsecured and Luna brought to shore in the midst of a sudden squall, being yelled at by locals who warn us not to deposit our garbage in the public bins, waiting in the rain for a government vet to examine our dog and permit her ashore without real or imagined threat to her life by the authorities, finding groceries (when the fish don't bite), ice, garbage disposal, laundry services, a place to land our dinghy---these are the complexities of life now. Trying to set the anchor only to have it drag when we are tired, hungry and damp from the saltwater waves during a passage, those are times we feel nature's authority. Having the neighboring sailboat's anchor drag in the midst of a mighty squall when sleep whispers its seductive call to us, or running out of fresh vegetables when we crave a large salad, these are some of our daily challenges. What we don't have to contend with are enemies like the Romans to the Jews, intent on destroying every last one of us. We don't live with that fear day in and day out, although as I read this book, I can't help but think how cruel mankind still is, dating as far back as anyone can record and how many people in the world live with that kind of threat and daily terror. Some things, like nature, remain the same. Perhaps the nature of mankind with its continuing desire to rule, control and dominate has remained unchanged since the beginning of time. I need to remind myself often that in all life, what contains bad also contains good. It is the same for goodness; it, too has another hand to play. My next book is going to be a hysterically raucous comedy.