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Brenda Lofton posted this pic of me on facebook. She found it going through some old files. Was I born a sailor? Who knows, but I love the sea, whether in it, by it or on it.

I was blessed to go fishing yesterday morning with Peter and Jake…So much fun… Struck out at 7 am on a very windy, cloudy day. It was a rough ride out (love it). One of the few places in the world you can see your pad from the major drop off to deep water, where the big fishies live :). One minute it is 15 feet deep, the next 150 plus.
It was an amazing site to see those dolphin heading for the lines, jumping out of the water, then zing … what a beautiful sound. The fight began… and we won! I’m hooked! No pun intended.

Is is possible to be overwhelmed by good things? Sitting here, supposedly working, I will give a taste to you… The morning sunrise had a rainbow of colors and the temperature is perfect. I was able to sit on the deck of Pete’s Pub at 6:30 am to watch God’s unveiling. It’s amazing how fast it happens, “A Brand New Day” is born and given as a gift. A walk and coffee with good company followed. Now in my office, on the deck of Pete’s Pub, listening to some great music, the wind is kicking, the sun is shining, there are boats in the harbour, and more to come. And it’s just 11:00 am …
Walking here alone and paying attention to the beauty is better than getting a good massage, it totally improves your emotional, physical, and spiritual well being. The treasures here are too many to name. The sea glass, shells, the waves crashing, the sky, the clouds, the beautiful foliage, Charlie coming in an handing you a big Lobster (crawfish here), Making conch salad right on the deck of his beat up boat, you can watch boats passing by, will they stop at Pete’s or will they go and miss this little window to the big world here in Little Harbour, and the people – wow! I have met some amazing people already and the season is just getting started.
I am overwhelmed and extremely thankful for my “Yes” moments – I have them here, just about everyday! They are never taken for granted… even for a minute. Yep, It’s my Heaven!

Sunrise

What makes a good relationship?

I have come to wonder if I am even capable of answering that question, much less being in one. Is it because I have become selfish and the effort is to great. It takes effort you know from the beginning to eternity, if it is going to last. I am guessing there comes a point between two people where the criticism or praise, that was necessary at the beginning becomes nice and helpful, but no longer relevant.

I do feel there are two things that are absolutes and a lasting relationship must have … One is laughter and the other is the concern for the other persons well being, on their own terms.

Laughter because there is no perfect individual. Laughter keeps you alive and healthy. There are some many things that happen in life that need to be laughed at rather than stressed over. Being able to laugh at yourself is imperative. We all make mistakes. Since there is no perfect individual you need to forgive what you think is “missing” and love the rest. We all have those “missing” pieces.

To wish someone well on their own terms isn’t easy. It requires respect, trust and clarity. It allows a person to be their self. Risking of course, along the way, a chance of them walking away. However, if it does, it wasn’t supposed to be. Hopefully, there was good laughter and love to carry forever.

Relationships sometime imply specific ways or guidelines in which two people deal with each other. Agreements, more or less, unspoken or spoken. The more defined the rules the less the union has a chance to grow and change. People change, so relationships will change. The less defined, however, the scarier it is, the stronger is the bond that can develop.

Relationships ebb and flow as the tide. Platonic at times and at others times filled with romance. There will be times even when you seem to be going in different directions or the other is driving you mad. All of which should be an expected and humbling experience. A relationship based on things that are certain and unchanging is not a relationship of love.

Phew, Sometimes I think too much…

Last year, at the Love Shack I had the most breathtaking view of the harbour and the Ocean side. I was on the top of the Island and it was absolutely amazing. There was a bit more privacy up there as well. In order for someone to visit me or for me to visit anyone (beside my wonderful next door neighbors) you had to make an effort. It was a little walk. Not far, mind you! It was easier to get things done, if that is what I wanted to do. The internet worked 99% of the time, so I could blog, work, facebook, skype, talk on magic jack… connected to the world. I think it was easier to spend more time reading, writing and playing my guitar too! No distractions.

This year, thankfully … I have a new and different venue. Kajooks is in a prime location. The view is amazing… I have seen 2 wonderful rainbows already, while sitting on the deck. I get to watch each boat arrive, anchor, pick up a mooring, head to the dock or even run aground. Then watch as they exit the harbour, heading to the next anchorage and experience. It is hard to miss anything, everyone that goes to Pub.. must get by me first! Internet is an effort… maybe this is all a sign! Disconnect a bit, what could it hurt? I have met more people coming in off boats this first few weeks than I did the whole time I was here last year.

Danielle and Rob are on their yacht in the harbour and we have become fast friends. Danielle and I laughing together on our road trips. I have been aboard 2 sailboats for cocktails in the last few nights, having met some very nice people at Pete’s.

Now, there’s a location – On the water… I want to experience that view for a while sometime. That is truly on my bucket list!

Location, Location, Location… There isn’t a bad one here!

Another Day…Another Experience! Friday night at the Pub was quite busy. There was a huge group from Birmingham AL having quite a good time. They were playing this game at the pub and the hoots and hollers definitely got everybody interest. It is basically a box with several other boxes inside, with dowels set up in it. Object was to knock them over with a spinning top. There were points for each dowel, even negative points for a couple of them (See Photo) Needless to say it became more an more fun as the night went along for these guys!

I met Don and Susan from Canada. They are on a sailboat in the harbour. I also met their friend John, a solo sailor. John lives on his boat now, originally from Boston. They apparently have been following each other port to port and having fun. They invited me to join them for lunch the following morning, so I did just that.

Yesterday, after my couple hours of work, I decided it was time to get the Kayak in the water. Plus I needed some sun. It was a beautiful flat day in the harbor. I paddled around a bit, went over to a little beach and walked around then headed to Pete’s to meet my new friends for lunch. I was close to the dock when “bam” … I flying fish hit me in the head, seriously! I ducked when the second one flew by. I watched them both hit the water and bounce like when I used to skip rocks as a kid. Lunch was great, heard some great stories from Don, Susan and John’s sailing adventures. I ordered the cheeseburger and John ordered the Tuna Sandwich, we shared half of each. Really good idea. Both are to die for. However, every time I told my flying fish adventure… I would hear, “What have you been drinking?”…. LOL Well, I wasn’t drinking and it really happened. So there! My new friends were making plans for Sunday… what to do? They thought they might walk to Cherokee. Whatever! We decided to meet back up at Pete’s for happy hour. They had planned on playing the spin the top game again. Teams this time and John and I would be honorary Canadians for the night! OK, I’m in! They did ask me if I could lose the accent for the night and add an “a” to the end of a couple sentences… “Pretty good fish, a?” Yep… I’m in!

I met Danielle and Rob at Pete’s around 5:30, Heather was there. We made a great plan for a girls trip on Monday, instead of Sunday because Heather was off and she could go with us. John was the first one in, then came Susan and Don. Here come the Alabama group… They hit the game immediately, and the drinking. HA HA! I got distracted somehow for about 15 minutes and I came back …Don, Susan and John joined the game, sorta. After I told Danielle and Rob goodnight, I also joined them. It really wasn’t as rowdy as the night before. We never ever had our team challenge to test my Canadianism… I didn’t even play, I just watched. The game died early so we just sat and talked and made plans. No one even ordered dinner. I love how quickly plans can change around here and no one cares… you just roll with it. So for about 30 minutes, after some fish tales, we planned a day sailing trip for Sunday. The guys knew when we should leave, where we should go, where we should fish and snorkel, Susan and I were planning lunch… I was getting excited! Then… John said, “I’m not sure what the wind looks like, we will have to play it by ear”. Susan saw my iPhone and said, “Will you look up www.sailflow.com” Well, of course I would. I get the site up and hand it to John and he says, “Oops, we are off to plan C, there is no wind tomorrow”. Wow, that was close. I almost got to go sailing. Maybe another day.

I walked home around 9. Even after, yawning all night at the Pub….I could not sleep last night at all. My back was hurting, numbness in left leg… UGH! My disc once again. I took something for the pain, “Will cause drowsiness” – NOT! So I finished season 2 of “The New Adventures of Old Christine” I laughed so hard… she is so freaking funny. I fell asleep around 3:30 am and I woke up to a thunder storm around 6:30… lots of rain. It was beautiful to hear, actually. Great for the cisterns, not so great for the solar panels, if it stays this dark all day! It’s gonna be a long day. It’s almost 8 am and it’s still dark. John was right, no wind.

I am about a third of the way through “The Poisonwood Bible” – may get a little deeper in today!

Oh and by the way, Hermit crabs also like cheese, moldy or not!