Keith
02/29/2008, Cloud Rd.

Driving to the wash early in the morning to take the dogs and myself for a walk. This is the neighborhood I was raised in. It is getting to be that time of year when the sun rises just in time to fit perfectly into my work routine. Sunsets are also happening right around the time I arrive home from work. I like those times of day. Peaceful.

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02/25/2008, Keith's garage

My parents wouldn't let me get any type of motorcycle when I was a kid except for this three wheel thing with a 3 hp motor that hardly ever worked. My brother Kevin and I pulled on that damn starter cord until we were exhausted. I can remember about two times when it worked. The first time my father let everyone on the street ride it and my brother and I only got like one turn. We hated him for that. The second time it worked I took my childhood best friend Brett on a ride around the frontiers of my neighborhood. That was awesome. Then it broke again. I probably broke it. My brother and I went in on an old lambretta scooter when we were in high school, but it broke too. Much fun when it did work. Fast little thing. My first bike was a Yamaha Riva 180 scooter. Bought it my first year of college and used it to explore Los Angeles and the Valley. Many good times and fond memories on that bike. Gave me some problems, but it was worth it. Brought it back to Tucson in the bed of my high school friend's truck and drove it for a while at the U of A until I sold it to another student, who quickly trashed it. Inexplicably, I didn't own another bike until after law school, though I rented them when I traveled. I moved to St. Louis for a year after school and bought a used Blue BMW R-65 from the dealer. That was really my first introduction to motorcycling and it firmly established a love affair with BMW motorcycles that continues to this day. I eventually drove the little bike across the country back to Los Angeles to live and work with my brother in property management for the greater part of a year. I used to go on Sunday motorcycle drives up into Malibu and the wilderness areas. When I came back to Tucson to start law practice, I drove that little R-65 with an Israeli friend on back. He kept trying to fall asleep. I eventually sold that bike to a guy who I still see riding it from time to time years later. Not long thereafter, I picked up a vintage Honda crotch rocket that gave me trouble and had a problem with the id numbers such that I couldn't register it. Traded that in with some extra cash for an old but very low miles Honda Rebel 450. Enjoyed that bike for several years and just sold it recently because it was starting to give me problems from lack of use. During the time I had the Rebel I went on a kind of motorcycle/materialism kick and owed four at one time: The aforementioned Rebel, a BMW F-650 Funduro (I still have that one), a Yamaha Zuma 50 Scooter (still have that one too), and the bike in the blog photo before you, my biggest and coolest bike yet, a Honda VTX 1300. Silver. With windshield and extra light bar. Sweet bike. But I couldn't keep that many mistresses contented and with the upcoming sailing adventure, I need to unload a lot of unnecessary trappings of shore life.

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Keith
02/22/2008, My Backyard

I'm sitting in my kitchen listening to the classical music channel on my short wave radio receiver, amplified by the powered speakers I usually attach to this computer. It isn't a short wave channel, it's the local one. These types of radios get incredibly precise and clear reception of FM and I prefer it to the fancy house system. It is still dark out at 6:21 am. As soon as it begins to get light outside I'll make coffee, throw the dogs in the truck and drive them to their walk by the wash. It's about a 7 minute drive that we do pretty much every day, except those days we hike up at Lemmon or are traveling. I've been reading a number of blogs of late from folks who were just about ready to head off cruising but something went wrong or they chickened-out or couldn't sell their house or a million other reasons. I hope that doesn't happen to me. I'm planning to be on the water by mid-May and sail south well into June or later, depending on the weather. More about all that later, I am beginning to see the first signs of light.

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Keith
02/16/2008, Mt. Lemmon, Tucson, Arizona

This is a photo of Jake and Anne in the back of my truck up at Mt. Lemmon after a hike up the Molino Basin trail. I take this hike every week or two, often with my cousin Jodi and her dogs. Mt. Lemmon is a huge national recreation area on the north side of Tucson, Arizona where I was born and raised and where I currently reside. The name has nothing to do with the name of the blog, though it is a nice coincidence. Sometimes I take the Bounder up for weekend trips here, but not lately because I've been working too much. But not for too much longer. I know my last several blogs have little to do with sailing, but I'm blogging even so.

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02/09/2008, Sea of Cortez (the picture), Tucson (presently)

Still working my way towards my next adventure.

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Keith - early 21st Century
01/28/2008, Poland

This is a random picture of me with random friends made on a backpacking trip through Europe a few years ago. Since then, I seem to have gotten old. I would like to do another such trip before too long, but I don't think hostels take dogs...

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Keith, mid-January, 2008
01/15/2008, Tucson, Arizona

This is the view from my backyard at sunset. The digital photo doesn't really capture it. Winter brings incredible sunsets to Tucson. Maybe that's where I learned it. I need to start advertising the rental of my home so I don't have to pay the mortgage while I'm gone, but I just can't bring myself to want to rent it. We'll see. Maybe just to low-impact winter visitors.

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Keith, mid January, 2008
01/11/2008, Tucson

What more can I say except that I'll write again when I go back on the sailing adventure.

...Except this. In the meantime, I'm back to the litigation adventure. Finishing the existing cases and starting to shut er down. I have been taking on a few short term things, but I'm going to stop doing that too. It's hard to leave in certain ways.

The picture is from my first trip on Tropical Dreamer in October of 2007. The intercoastal waterway from Annapolis to Oriental, NC. I was on the water early that morning as the sun came up. I seem to be having fun according to the look on my face.

This morning I am in my kitchen along the foothills of northern, Tucson, Arizona. I am similarly awaiting the sunrise. Then going to pick up the Bounder from the shop later this morning (I'm getting it ready for the long trip this summer) and then I'll head into work.

I have a nice view from this stool of the city lights below and the growing light above. The city has been covered by fog some recent mornings, which is unusual for the desert in my experience. And we have had quite a lot of rain fall this winter, I think. The wash has been running for weeks. Jake loves that. He is a major water dog.

It is 6:48 a.m. The sun doesn't fully come up for another hour or so. It is beginning to get a very beautiful blue in the east as the sun rises behind the mountains surrounding this valley. I like to be outside walking the dogs then. Jake is nudging my arm to say they want to experience the morning too. Anne growls lightly in affirmation. I've just made coffee and set out the medications and vitamin, so we're cleared for take off.

I presently walk them every day. This will be a challenge on the water, of course. I try and take them on a walk where they can run free if possible. Golden Retrievers are positive, good natured sporting dogs. They love to run and explore and be active. They also love to sleep a lot. I want to be more like that.

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Keith, late December, 207
12/27/2007, Marina Seca

As I made arrangements for the tractor to pull Singmeaway back to the hard, this huge sailboat was on its way in. Once again I'm heading home just as the sailing community is heading off to adventure. The word going round was that any very large deep draft boats had to get into the water that day or wait until April due to seasonal low water conditions at the San Carlos Marina. The only alternative would be to to drop the mast, truck over to Marina Real (which evidently has a deeper ramp), raise the mast, and then launch. Much more expensive and difficult. I don't know if he made it in as I was on the road home by around noon. And here I am, unpacking and slowly getting back into the swing of things here in Tucson. Until next time.

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Keith, late December, 2007
12/27/2007, San Carlos, Marina

This is where the boat sat the entire time it was in the water except for the short sail I accomplished with Jake and Anne. Having it there gave me a measure of legitimacy at least in my mind. You could see it at the end of the ramp dock during the yacht club Christmas dinner (commencing with drinks at 1:00 p.m.).

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