home again
29 December 2014 | prickly bay grenada
warm, sunny, gusty winds, and some passing showers
A shot of the fog last week on the Potomac near DC (h/t Capital Weather Gang). Here it's sunny, warm, and the primary color is blue (skies, water, eyes, ...).
Good flights. My luggage showed up (17 bags didn't). Customs and Immigration went smoothly. The taxi ride was short, and around 2300 (in the dark) I found the dinghy Lesley and Danny had left for me on the dinghy dock at Timbers Restaurant (formerly The Big Fish). After a few issues with the outboard (drifting in the dark) found Evening Ebb right where I thought she would be. Crawled aboard, got the bags into the cabin, and marveled at being back on my boat.
The frig is unhappy again. This has happened every time I've left the boat for an extended period of time. Basil, the tech, was out on Wednesday and the box cooled to 58 degrees but no more. We'll try again this morning. My small outboard wasn't happy either. Picked up some new fuel but have yet to pull apart the carb and clean it. Danny's dinghy is running well and I can use it until next week.
Hard to believe I've been back here almost a week.
As I think back on the past year, I seem to have two simultaneous thoughts:
1. Did I really do that?
2. Wow, I really did that!
I've written about the fleeting nature of experiences and the insubstantial feel of memories. When I snorkeled with the humpback whales there was a sense immediately after getting back in the boat that while the experience had been incredible, at the same time, it hadn't been real, that I'd been an observer and not a participant. Now that feeling seems to encompass the past year and more. So much of our lives are spent consuming experiences through TV, movies, and books that you almost have to re-train yourself to live and actually experience life in the moment; experiencing life without the mediation of a lens or the distance and safety of a screen. Accept the moment and cherish the memories.