good

I remember waking up this one morning to go surfing. The waves were real good and I had class in a few hours. I was up 5:ish am gettin ready. Its always hard to find friends willing to come along that early but its okay, I've never really minded surfing alone.

It was still dark out as I was walking to my car. I had parallel parked pretty far from the dorms on one of those ominous little roads where the trees form a dark cocoon over it all. They block the moon light from their short strip of dominion. I was carrying my board with a towel and wetsuit draped over it. The only sounds came from my leafy steps and the ghosts escaping my mouth in the 30 degree night. I noticed the shadow of a man and his dog under one of the trees, ok there's my car.

I think there is something rather romantic about driving to the beach early before the sun is up. The streets are empty, everybody is asleep, Im awkwardly sitting at a street light waiting for invisible traffic so I can go. Those that are awake are are leaving their hotel shift, hunched at the drawbridge, or chugging coffee making the commute. Im just going surfing.

The sun still hasn't stirred yet, I pull up to the coast line. I can make out the large bold silhouettes of the swell coming in. The moonlight spins off their faces and the offshore breeze forces them to spit water from their backs. Not a single human in the water. Its good.

My wetsuit is still wet from the other day, it feels like ice all over my body at least until I can get into the ocean. Getting down the rocks is easy, not too many barnacles, theres a couple of fisherman out at the end of the pier. I think dipping my feet in the water is perhaps one of the best parts of surfing, at least during dawn patrols. I stood there about knee deep and prayed a bit before paddling out. Thank you God.

At the line up I didn't take the first wave that came to me, not even the second or third. I stayed still, observing every sound, shimmer, and ripple around me. I looked up in the night and saw one of the fisherman hanging over the pier railing staring at me. He looked kinda like the shadow of an old pelican. "Good morning, " I shouted. "Good morning, " he chuckled. It was good.

soaked..

I sat down to try and write a song but instead found myself writing this post. It seems kinda ridiculous how quickly things can change altering one's mood and ultimately one's perspective. I have been listening to a bit of A.A. Bondy lately. One of his songs, "Black Rain" has a part he sings:

Black rain, black rain
Don't fall on me
Can't you see I'm doin' my best
Black rain, black rain
Don't fall on me
When I lay to take my rest

Well I wish that black rain would quit. I'm so soaked from it, I feel the constant weight of it, like I jumped in the ocean wearing full clothing. Funny how when bad things happen, they generally occur in threes. Im not gonna touch any details, Im just sayin, I'm beginin to see a trend. Everyone keeps saying that when you feel broken, that is when God speaks to you the most. I guess I believe it, I just wish I didn't have to wait so long... I do find myself wondering what to do with myself pretty often lately. Pray I presume. In hope to get away for a bit, I posted another ad to be a crew for a sailboat during winter break. I think that if I spend sometime thinking about what to think about and then think about it, well maybe I can overcome my thoughts that seem to be hurting my thinking.

note

There it is all around me,

The sound of the ceiling fan wheezing up above,

The hollow groan of a classical guitar short its bottom string,

The gritted nipples of wax combed on my surfboard,

The lingering scent of sweaty roses from an old bottle of Fe-breeze,

The chatter of my keyboard as I type this note,

The staring bottle of rum that beckons me,

The echoing reflection of myself in the unplugged television,

The soft orchestra of crickets humming just outside,

The emptiness that sits just in front of me, deep within a box of animal crackers,

The calling of my warm bed barely in the other room,

And the security of God's hands holding me, His breath all around me.

unexpected

It is funny how one decision can effect or affect your entire expectation of a period of time. I attempted to find another boat but and the internet and marinas have proved rather useless in finding that. 

In the mean time I have been back and forth between home and Annapolis, Maryland where I am now again. But it is funny. I spent about a month planning my summer with adventures and wild escapades in hope to get myself completely utterly lost and away from society. Instead I have found myself planted quite useless in busy upside-down towns with cars, potato chips, a cell phone, and my only income coming from the mowing of my girlfriend's grandparents yard.

However, I can say that even though my plans have completely changed, I have definitley enjoyed myself. It has been pretty "different," yea I guess thats the word that I think best fits how I feel. Anyway, its just that spending over a month living at my girlfriend's house with all her family has been kinda new to me. Oh and when I say all her family, I mean mom, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, grandparents, and don't forget the step family bits all mixed in living a short drive from one another. There is always someone around to meet. Its a unique set up they have and very fun one to be with at that. Just very different. Its a different flavor of adventure.

I did get to do some sailing this summer too. A bit on my Dad's boat Falcon, here in the Chesapeake and  some more on a peculiar boat called Phat. The second sailboat is short and obese like its name and has an unstaid mast, which while I was aboard had me wondering how on earth it didn't fall over. I also did a little more sailing on a small two-sail laser with Kelsey.

I think that God has really been at working in giving some sort of lesson with all of this. I believe that because I was trying so desperately to go along with my own agenda that I was in fact avoiding His. See, I realize that God has a plan for all us and I'm sure everyone has heard that. The whole "there's no such thing as coincidence" and "everything happens for a reason" sayings I know aren't unfamiliar to anyone. But, how often do you really think about that? Like, when I began this summer I didn't ask, "I wonder what God has planned for me?" It was more like "So what do I want to do this summer?" 

I notice that I make a lot of bad choices in a lot of things I do. I am smart, but I'll admit there are times where I can lack some serious common sense. Not too long ago I was spear fishing a wreck with a friend  and we spotted some lobster. With very little consideration of the law or the years in jail we could face, we shot and ate several of them for dinner. Incase you're not aware of Florida's lobster penalties, shooting one with a spear out of season is about the equivalent of selling a pound of heroin to children and then buying guns for them.  

It was delicious, but it didn't sit well with me.

If I am going anywhere with this, what I think I am attempting to say is that maybe when I do what I want, what I want is not always what is best for me. My choices can tend to be selfish and careless. I did not even stop to consider that a God who is willing to die a terrible undeserving death for me is certainly going to have my best interests in mind. I mean he created me, he knows me better than I ever will. He delights in me using the gifts and traits He created me with. Is it so bad to give yourself over to him? 

didn't happen....

so yea the trip got delayed again... .......i am leaving and jumping ship elsewhere

setting sail??? Were off!!!

Okay so it has been a long two weeks gettin the Sly Dog ready for sail, but alas it is done. A South African friend on the anchorage, Yaku, and I celebrated by finding several lobster and spearing a few snapper for dinner. There was no argument that this was one of our better meals out here.

I am so stoked to get out of Miami!! I very much dislike this town especially since having to walk miles everywhere to do anything. A bike would have perhaps made things a bit nicer... I think it could just be the traffic, I feel like hitting pedestrians here is a sport or somethin. Anyway I'm very much looking forward to setting sail.

Sunday night we plan to leave for the Bahamas in order to arrive durring the day to avoid any inconvenience with the reefs. The crew and myself are all out doing their personel stuff before we hand ourselves over to the sea. From the Bahamas we'll be headed to Bermuda, over to the Azores, and then up to England. I think its a good plan.....

If you are following....please please pray for us

Could be outta here soon, fingers crossed

Been gettin plenty of work done lately. Roller furler is all in place. The boat is all cleaned up and its lookin like we might actually be going sailing. (wierd.. I know). Today we got to hoist Grant up the mast which was pretty exciting and funny to watch him climb like a monkey/lizard to the top then yelling about wanting to come down or somethin.

The whole crew has been here for a few days now and we all seem to be gettin along great. The two new guys, Alex and Tofer just showed up graduating from Villanova with their enginerring degrees. So there is the captain, Grant, two engineers, are professional but not designated cook, Demitri, and myself of course. I feel pretty good about our group.
I went and snorkaled about some wrecks by the islands today as well hopin to spear some lunch, but I didn't see much other than a few small jacks and barricuda. Despite this, it pretty sweet to swim around for a few hours .

O yea we also got a guitar to go with our harmonica now. Its spectacular to here music again. Well all is good and hopefully we can set sail soon, I am very much looking forward to leaving the land of the "mossies", Miami.

still doing some boat preparation...

Theres a pic of the Sly Dog herself and another of Demetri stacking cards in the boat, kinda phenominal really. The boat was rocking the whole time. Anyway, we got the chain plates all back togethor now, were making slow but good progress. Hopefully we'll be outta here soon, last night we got attacked by the "mozzies" (mosquitos) and we were foced to sleep on the deck to avoid them. I actually really enjoyed this, I think I might continue to sleep on the deck, its much cooler and nicer as long as it doesn't rain.

Arrived at Boat

Met up with Captain Grant and one of the crew yesterday here in Miami. Demetri, the other crew is a nice French dude. He has no experience sailing but hopes to make it back to France(home) after almost a year of traveling. Grant the Australian, seems like really good guy. He is determined to have us shipped off in about a week or less. Two other guys will be meeting up with us on Tuesday to join the crew, so altogethor there will be five of us.
There is plenty of little jobs that need to be done before we leave. A lot of it seems to be filing down bits of mettle to make parts fit better. Rather borring but whatever its got to be done!
Last night we kicked back and drank a couple beers on the boat as we got to know one another. I am pretty excited about everything. I think its going to be agood trip.

Pictures of the boat will be coming soon.

sailing soon

In about a week I leave for sailing. The boat I'll be on is a 36ft catalina. The crew includes the captain Grant Sooby, two or three other guys, and myself. We ship off from Miami to the UK via the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Azores. I have not met any of the crew yet, only spoke with the captain by phone and email. Anyway I am pretty excited. I think this adventure will be a good chance to get away, to grow in my faith,  to learn about myself, and to be absolutely ridiculous. I have sailed a lot with much smaller racing boats growing up, but I've never done any real "blue water" sailing before and its soon about to be hurricane season... I think I'll bring a couple good books.

so it begins...

I am thinking good thoughts and enjoying them