Boats and Other Good Things

These boats out of water caught my eye

as I was driving to Bethel Beach a while back.

This one in particular seems slightly out of place.

In other news, this past week has really been a whirlwind of good things, not the least of which is reconnecting with someone I haven't seen in 35 years. There will be plenty more to tell about that in the weeks to come, as usual I have enough swirling in my head to write a book. And when my daughter goes away to college, I'm going to do just that.

Speaking of my daughter, she traveled to Tappahannock yesterday to interview for a scholarship that would pay $6,000 per year if she wins it. Even if she doesn't win it, I'm very proud of her for taking the time and effort to drive the hour for the interview on her precious day off from school.

Friday I reconnected with one of my very scarce first cousins, Mary, whose son was undergoing a risky surgery in Georgetown to help correct a situation caused by a very rare genetic disorder. He came through the surgery just fine, and we had a marvelous time catching up with each other. That night I visited my friend Iris, who lives in McLean. Our 30-year college reunion is in June.

I cannot believe I just typed that number. I've been out of college 30 years?

Another nice surprise was receiving an email from two readers in Vermont.

Who knew I had two readers anywhere, much less in Vermont?

I always enjoy hearing from anyone out there, it makes me feel there is a purpose for continuing on with this silly website. I do it mostly for my own entertainment, but if it brings a smile to someone else, all the better Anyway, that was a nice surprise.

So, for now, I'm venturing to say that in spite of the awful year that was 2015, which included major upheaval and a near-death experience, 2016 is going to be my year.

So far, we're getting along famously.

Edwards Creek

This is the final batch of pictures from last Sunday's

excursion to Redart and Gwynn's Island.

They say it's going to warm up here quite a bit this weekend.

I hope so.

I also hope your weekend is a great one.

Happy Friday.

Reflections

Yesterday, even though the Christmas tree is still up and decorated and there were a million other things needing my attention, I forced myself out of the house to take a few pictures.  With no place in particular in mind but lacking the energy to go very far, I decided on a quick trip down Redart.

The unusual lack of breeze or wind of any sort created a perfect canvas for reflections.

After the whirlwind of Christmas and our trip to New York in December, January finds me--as usual--in a sort of sluggish depressed could someone please explain to me why we can't just hibernate until spring?  melancholy, reflective mood that I always snap out of as soon as warmer weather returns.

But warmer weather is a ways off.

 Some of the things I've been pondering the past few days include:

• Next year around this time I will be 50 years old. Fifty. FIFTY.
• (Good grief. This is my last year to say I am in my forties.)
• My son graduates high school this year and leaves for college (assuming all goes as planned) in the fall.
• (Good grief. In eight months or so, he leaves the nest and ventures out on his own.)
• It's probably not the end of the world if my Christmas tree stays up and decorated another week or so.
• (Good grief. Can I just leave the thing up all year? After I blink three or four times I'm going to be fifty!  it's going to be Christmas again anyway, so why not?)

I could keep adding to the list above until the cows come home, but what it all amounts to is this year will be a year of change, and I need to focus on something positive and good to help me get through.

So, in spite of my arthritic back forcing me to physical therapy, in spite of all the gray hairs that cannot be tamed, and in spite of absolutely zero motivation to do anything other than hibernate, I am declaring that 2014 will be the year that I attempt to complete a full marathon of 26.2 miles. In November.  In the Outer Banks.

Baby Sis and I are going to try this one. She's agreed to do it with me.  

Hey, it may be crazy but it gives me a reason to move, to get up and go outside when I only want to sleep and thumb my nose at winter. And 2014.

This was an exceedingly long-winded way of saying my 2014 goal is to complete* a full marathon.

The End.

~~~~~~~~

* I said complete.  I didn't say run the whole way, and I didn't say that gurneys and wheelchairs might not be involved.  I just want to cross the finish line. Somehow. Before I turn 50.

Boats II

Here are more shots from the boat graveyard at J&M Marina in Deltaville.

I could wander around this place for hours and be easily amused; this is just a small sampling of all the characters hanging out there.

Right now, though, what's hanging out is my tongue--as in I am dog tired.  I awoke at 5:30 Monday morning, left the house at 6:15, and didn't return until almost 11:00 p.m. after driving 180 miles, crossing three rivers twice and cheering on two games of basketball.

(I've grossly exceeded my monthly allotment of references to numbers in one sentence alone. My brain is waving a surrender flag.)

(Also, Mathews JV girls won against Northumberland.  Daughter is now on the varsity team; they lost.  Still, they played a good game, and the season looks promising.)

There are more shots of J&M boats, including some from the "living" part of the marina, that I'll share later in the week.

Boat

This old lady sits quietly in what might be called the boat graveyard of J&M Marina in Deltaville.

There are plenty of fully functioning, floating boats at this marina, 

but I happen to love this section the best.

And this boat in particular.

This bird was watching my every move.  She evidently likes the boat as much as I do.

The flurry of Thanksgiving is over, and now we're plunged head first into the frenzy of Christmas.  All this comes at the time of year when my energy is zapped, and my desire to do anything or go anywhere sinks to an all-time low.

Never mind.

Basketball officially starts this week with an away game tonight at Northumberland.  I will drive the hour to work in the dark, put in my day there, and race the I Don't Know How Many Miles after work to see the game, then drive the hour or so back home in the dark.  There is another away game on Wednesday and a home game Friday night.  Somewhere in between, I have to take Daughter to town (an hour away) to shop for a dress for the upcoming Holly Ball.  Son is frantically applying to colleges, and I must try to figure out when I am setting up the Monster Tree that, along with all the decorations, must be hauled from the depths of the cold, dark basement.

Anyway, it's going to be a very hectic month. I just want to sleep.

Hope your December is off to a better start.

Locklies Creek

These were taken on Saturday from Merroir, where I went earlier in the day to pretend like there wasn't going to be a group of teenagers descending on my house that night.

It worked temporarily, the pretending.

But descend they ultimately did.

The teens had fun, I got no sleep, but thankfully it's all behind me. We all survived.

Now we enter my least favorite time of year--the days of waking up in darkness, dragging into the kitchen to make coffee in the darkness, driving to work in darkness, leaving work in darkness, driving home in darkness. Dark, dark, dark. It's not my thing.

Anyway, the week ahead is filled with excitement, including the gubernatorial election, the regional cross country meet and my half marathon--which should be very interesting since I've done next to nothing to prepare for it.

Hope all is well in your world.

Boats

These were taken on Saturday evening, towards the end of what started as a very hectic day.

Daughter had to travel several hours to an invitational cross country meet, which meant that she had to be alert quasi-awake, fed and delivered to the high school by (gulp) 5:00 a.m. (Translation:  I woke up at 4 to fix her breakfast.)

Son had to take the SATs, for which he's taken prep classes, practice tests and done just about everything except consult personally with the test developers to improve his score.  He had to be quasi-awake alert, fed, moderately caffeinated (half a cup of black coffee) and out the door by 7:00 a.m.

In other words, Saturday started off worse than a normal school day.

There was nothing normal about any of it.

Things vastly improved, however, for everyone.  Daughter's race went OK in spite of oppressive heat. Son said his test was brutal (his exact word), but now it's over and done with.  I was able to enjoy a relaxing afternoon and evening over on the Northern Neck with someone I wouldn't know if not for this blog.

I'm still not working the paying job due to the government shutdown, however that doesn't mean I'm not working busy.  Somehow things feel more hectic than usual.  I'm not sure how that's possible, but there you have it.

What's happening in your neck of the woods?