Tag Archives: cruising

5/23/2025 Running in Circles

Sometimes life feels like a traffic circle: a roundabout where you’re stuck on the inside lane. I’m not sure that analogy holds up with Oriental’s tiny yellow traffic circle, but you get the idea. It has been that kind of twenty-four hours. I think Pete and Katie felt it, too. It began with yesterday’s highContinue reading “5/23/2025 Running in Circles”

5/22/2025 Oriental

“There’s four thousand sailboats in this town and eight hundred people,” the woman tugging on a fishing rod told me. She was wrestling a cownose ray she’d hooked along South Avenue near Lou-Mac Park. The ray finally worked himself free. She retrieved her line and chatted with Pete and me while Katie played with herContinue reading “5/22/2025 Oriental”

5/19/2025 Wrong Turn

The day started at 0520. Katie needed to go ashore. Pete and I wanted to reach the Onslow Bridge before the 0700 opening. The anchorage was quiet when we dinghied to the Mile Hammock boat ramp, where we found friends on the same mission. Katie ran around for a few minutes. We all caught up.Continue reading “5/19/2025 Wrong Turn”

5/18/2025 The Most Important Thing

12/24/2003 ”Give him the line!” Pete had yelled this to me at least five times. I stood on deck holding the ever-important forward spring line, confused because the dockmaster I was eye to eye with was a clearly a her, not a him. ”Who!?” I shouted back for the fifth time. ”HIM!” He pointed toContinue reading “5/18/2025 The Most Important Thing”

5/15/2025 Flags

I’m not excited about walking Katie. It’s hot. I don’t do well in heat. I think about black flag days, terminology the military uses to indicate people are at risk for heat exhaustion. Someone told Pete it’s ten degrees hotter than it should be this time of year. Fortunately, there’s a stiff, cooling, southwestern breeze.Continue reading “5/15/2025 Flags”