Not sure how much she’s learning; she may be waiting until we get to Spain since Spanish is her native language, but she definitely helps keep me on track.
For example, she just reminded me to set the timer on my iPhone so I don’t forget to stop and go for a bike ride.
Merci beaucoup, Pedrata!
Will do!
Sj et P out.
Bonjour Everyone!
I hope that all is well in your world.
The other evening while dining in Paris, I made a few observations.
First of all, as I sat there at the window alone, I happily watched the world go by. There was a man on the telephone on the other side of the street; he wore very large black headphones, and talked and talked and talked. But at another glance, I noticed that he listened, listened, and listened.
I saw a woman dressed very elegantly being pulled down the road by two little dogs. Little French dogs. Classically so. A matching pair of fur on tiny little dog bodies.
I saw a strikingly beautiful woman with midnight dark skin carrying bags of groceries.
I saw . . . I saw . . . I saw . . . ***
And then the cute, tiny waitress with black hair carefully clinging to her head as if it was afraid to stray came to my table with a stack of magazines.
? Quoi? J’ai pensé? Why is she bringing these magazines to me?
But of course . . . it makes others uncomfortable to see others alone.
Of course not EVERYone, but those who prefer not to be alone themselves.
That’s how we humans are. If we hate something, we think others do too. If we love something, we think others do too.
But is that true?
Of course not. Each one of us lives in our own little world privé. And in this private little world of ours, we see things, experience things, interpret things based on our conditioning, experience, etcetera.
And on this particular evening, when this cute, adorable, kind, and considerate person brought these magazines, I was grateful.
Porqué?
Because it gave me such a clear view of the world from others’ eyes. For I realize that as my world view has changed, as I’ve gone INside and been alone with MYself so very often in the past view years, I’ve changed. I’ve dropped so many things that used to weigh me down. Things that were important to me then, but aren’t now. Things that I carried on my back like a very heavy a sack. A backback of obligations. Things that I gladly carried then because i wanted to be a good girl, someone who was an active participant in this life as I knew it then.
But after she set those magazines down and quietly walked away, I smiled. Content. At peace. Recognizing the change and appreciating the change. And then . . . my eyes returned to the window on my left. The window view that I chose at a table for two. And but of course . . . said with a French accent, it was a table for two. For Pedrata was there with me. ;-)))
And . . . before I close and return to class, I think of a friend who’s a wonderful writer. And I imagine that she MAY be bothered by my use of incomplete sentences. Things like: content. Not, I was content, but just content, at peace.
But pour moi . . . it’s somehow more fun to write like that. To write as I think. As I speak. (that was one! ;-) And so I shall. For as I let those things drop to the ground, (or even rise to the sky), they simply disappear. Evaporate. Become no more. And I feel a peace that was previously unimaginable. But now there’s no need to imagine it. For it’s here to stay. A peace that’s absolutely unshakeable. And for that, I give thanks. Thanks with ALL of my heart and soul.
Alors, la clase va commencer . . .
A bientot et bisous xoxoxoxox
***
. . . a young girl running and laughing as she moved quickly down the sidewalk while winking at a man who strode confidently down the middle of the street . . . a man who I presumed to be her papa . . .
a man carrying two heavy packages of water, so heavy that his arms were extended by at least a foot for there was barely a centimeter between the bottom of the bottles and the cobbled sidewalk . . .
a black taxi which stopped right in front of the restaurant, just to the side of me . . . a foot that slipped out from behind the door finding the ground slowly and hesitantly . . . a sandeled foot on a woman who wore a trench coat tightly closed . . . the very same woman who removed the coat once in the restaurant exposing an elegant black dress with a V at the front that revealed even more . . . and a husband (presumably) with a paunch that extended well over his belt and a smile which stretched from ear to ear . . . ahh . . . I think he was also content, at peace.
Et vous? Qu’est-ce que vous pensez? What do you think?
Sj out
Sj et Pedrata out . . . for now. ;-)
Mon ami, Pedrata, and I are travelling to Europe for the summer.
Yup, sure nuff we are!
Why?
Because we can. Yahoo!!!
And as long as this gal takes on teaching jobs, June and July is when we can get away for the longest time. I italicize the get away because leaving Kaua‘i isn’t about getting away. But that’s one of those expressions we use, and once we stop and think about what we’re really saying, we see it’s not really accurate.
So . . . rewind.
June and July is when I have a break from a real paying job.
Again, why italics?
Because we humans have some weird idea that a job is only real if we get a paycheck.
So again . . . rewind.
June and July is when I have a break. Period.
This gal’s life is about BE-ing, not doing or getting paid, or making money, or whatevahs.
It’s about Being me.
Who else could I be?
So I’m going to do it as passionately and with present moment awareness as possible.
Okay, I hear you all saying, “Get to the point, Sj!”
And so I shall.
WHO: Sj and her pal, Pedrata
WHAT: Traveling to Europe for a couple of months
WHERE: Paris for 2 nights then on to Lyon for 3 weeks of studying French at ESL (more on that later, this is where I studied in January 2009 btw).
THEN a week break when I’ll probably visit a family friend in Geneva (think CERN, Physics Professor, re-visit from shots from 2012), and THEN 4 weeks in San Sebastian, Spain to study Spanish. Yes, I know they speak Basque in that region. But I figured I was already going to *&%k with my mind, so why not go all the way.
And . . . here’s to hoping this Spanish teaching school does what it says. Teach Spanish. : )
Then on home by way of a Megabus ride! Yep! This gal and her pal rat are going to do an overnight trip on a Megabus. Yahoo! Here we come NYC and Pittsburgh.
WHEN: Right now! At the Philly airport ready to board. ;-)
WHY: Because I love learning languages, meeting people and being able to listen to Harry Potter in a couple of different languages. I’ve been itching to dive into Spanish, and before I do that, I want to make sure my French is up to speed. Locked in and pretty much “in the groove.”
HOW: Miles, miles, miles! Thank you airlines for the miles. Thank you, Sj, for the gumption. Thank you, Pedrata, for the companionship.
And now . . . it’s time to roll!
Roger over and out from Sj and little ‘ole Pedrata.
1. How far did you travel?
3,200 nautical miles (or there abouts : )
2. What if I was driving a car? How many miles would that same distance be?
3,682.49 miles
3. Why the difference? Why not have one measurement?
To mess with you. Here’s what I found online, so it must be true. ;-)
“A nautical mile is based on the circumference of the planet Earth. If you were to cut the Earth in half at the equator, you could pick up one of the halves and look at the equator as a circle. You could divide that circle into 360 degrees. You could then divide a degree into 60 minutes.”
4. How long did the voyage take?
15 days from when we shoved off from Cabo San Lucas and tied up at Hilo, Hawaii.
5. Why Hilo?
Because we had to go through U.S. Immigration since we were coming from Mexico. The two choices in Hawaii are either Hilo on the Big Island or Honolulu on Oahu.
6. Even though you arrived in Hawaii on a boat rather than a plane?
Yes.
7. Is a 15 day crossing fast?
Darn tooting! I’m told by friends with monohulls that it normally takes about 34 days.
8. What boat did you sail on?
Kālewa. A fifty foot custom catamaran designed and built by Kevin Millett.
9. How did you get so lucky?
Not sure. Our friends invited us along for the ride, literally.
10. What was the boat doing in Mexico?
They’d left it there last year and wanted to bring her back to Kauai.
11. What did you do on board?
The usual things. Eat. Sleep. Drink. Poop.
Also read, danced, looked at the stars, listened to the guys play music, watched Marisela cook. Played “little sister” and chopped and diced veggies now and then.
12. Where you really fit when you returned?
Not really.
13. Why not?
Because all one could really do for exercise was dance around. And that can only go so far.
One needed to be aware of anyone down below sleeping. : ) Courtesy, you know?
14. But what about all that raising of sails, pulling in sheets?
Once the sails were set, they were pretty much set. And it was mostly the captain Kevin who did that.
15. You never once pulled on a sheet, Sj?
Yes, I did. A few times. If the guys were on deck, it was their thing. If Marisela was on deck, it was her thing. There were a few times when I was on deck with only Kevin. Then I got to crank the winch.
16. What’s a sheet?
The thing you cover yourself with when sleeping.
17. And?
The thing you pull in when you’re tightening a sail. Landlubbers would call it a “rope.” A real no-no on a sailboat.
18. Why?
‘Cause.
Here’s some information I found to further confuse you:
Origin of Navy Terminology
cover text:
There aren’t many “old salts” in today’s Navy who haven’t been required sometime in their career to heave around on a length of hawser in order to tie up a ship. Hawser used in this backbreaking task is called mooring line and gets its name from a combination of two terms used in the early days of sail. The Middle Dutch word “maren” meant “to tie,” and the Middle English words “moren rap” meant “ship’s rope.” Through the years the terms merged and were Americanized, hence any line used to tie a ship to the pier is called “mooring line.”
19. What about steering?
Kālewa has two large and beautiful wheels; one on either side of the boat. I did get to steer a few times. It was not pretty. She doesn’t react anything like a monohull. She travels so fast that she creates her own wind. I couldn’t tell where the wind was coming from.
20. So what happened instead?
You pushed a button. One degree this way. One degree that. Or a big jump of ten degrees this way; ten degrees that.
21. Really?
Yes, really.
22. Is that typical on a sailboat?
Not on one I’ve been on before. On our boat, Mapuana, you steer using a tiller. It’s a workout and shifts are usually only for two hours at a time.
23. Explain shift.
Besides being a thing a woman might where, it’s the time you’re on deck responsible for watching out.
24. What are you watching out for?
Other boats. Objects. Large objects. Thing you don’t want to hit.
25. Did you ever hit anything?
Yes. On my watch. Read 7/2/14 for the low-down. I didn’t see it coming. Though I was literally looking straight ahead on the starboard side (where it hit), I didn’t see it. It was a pitch black night. Dark. No moon.
26. What’s starboard?
The right side of the boat.
27. For Republicans?
No, I think it was mostly Libertarians, Democrats, and Rotarians on board. And Pedrata’s not talking.
28. Who’s Pedrata?
An adorable stuffed rat that Marisela’s cousin, Flavio, gave me. She stowed away out in the open.
29. Why?
Why not? Just because she’s a stuffed rat doesn’t mean she doesn’t like to travel. She’s excited about her next trip.
30. To where?
You’ll have to wait and see.
31. What did you eat?
Delicious food prepared mostly by Marisela. This day-by-day log lists the menus.
32. You mean you didn’t cook at all?
Not much. Marisela’s a wizard with food, and she’s got a distinctive style and idea of what she likes to make. Besides, you gotta consider provisions.
33. Can’t you stop to get things?
Nope. Once you leave land, you leave land.
34. No 7-11s?
Nope.
35. No Micky Dees?
Nope.
36. Costcos?
Double nope!
37. So what’d you do for food?
We bought fresh and canned things while in Mexico. Marisela has a very highly developed food construction database in her head. She sees connections from a can of this to a slice of that. Out pops a magic meal that I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams. And I do mean wildest.
38. Such as?
Tortilla soup. Clam chowder. Mexican tuna salad.
39. You’ve never made those before, Sj?
Nope.
40. Have you since?
Nope. Tony and I are rarely home together at night to prepare ANY kind of meal. Our lives are pretty full with lots of stuff going on.
41. Such as?
This and that.
Check ifok.co. My YouTube channel. InsPirates.
42. And what did you drink aboard Kālewa?
You name it. Water. Agua Fresca. Beer. Wine. Juice. Cuban rum. Tequila.
43. Were you ever sober?
Yes, 99% of the time.
44. What’s Agua Fresca?
These most delectable drinks that Marisela created out of fruit just about to go bad. She’d press it, squeeze it, talk nicely to it, and the next thing we knew, we were sipping a cool fruity beverage made with all natural fruit. Watermelon Agua Fresca. Cantelope Agua Fresca. Papaya Agua Fresca. Usually with a sprinkle of something green on top.
45. Green?
Yes, like mint. Or cilantro.
46. You had fresh herbs in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?
Yes. Not gobs. We had to cherish them. Use them wisely. Conserve and maximize. Marisela’s a master of that.
47. Is she available for hire? To cook fabulous meals for my friends and family?
Possibly. Call HoloHolo Charters in Eleele and ask her. I’m not her manager.
48. How is being on a catamaran different from being on a monohull?
Can you say no heeling over?
49. I suppose. What’s that mean?
When on Mapuana (a 36 foot long, 7 foot wide sailboat designed and built by Gene Wells) we’re usually practically standing because the boat is heeling so much (i.e. L E A N ing over).
50. Is that normal?
No. Mapuana’s not a “normal” boat.
51. But do other monohulls heel?
Yes. Just not as much as is normal for Mapuana.
52. What’s Mapuana mean?
Fragrance coming in on an ocean breeze . . . more or less. Consult a Hawaiian dictionary if you want the “correct-correct” meaning.
53. What’s a monohull?
One hull.
54. What’s a hull.
The place where you go when you go “down below” be out of the elements.
55. Why would one want to do that?
Because you have to sleep some time! And eat. And take a break from nature.
56. Why?
The sun can be unrelenting. The wind can be cold. The rain can drive hard.
57. It rains in the open ocean?
Can.
58. What’s is like out there?
Like it is on any body of water. Sometimes the seas are flat. Sometimes there are waves. Sometimes it’s dark. Sometimes it’s light.
59. When’s it dark?
When it’s night and there’s no moon.
60. What do you see out there?
Depends.
61. On what?
On what’s out there.
62. For example?
Here’s a list of some things we saw:
Turtles copulating.
63. Really?
Yes. Hundreds of miles from land, and there they were trying to get away from their mother-in-law.
64. Were there several?
No, just one couple.
65. What else?
One lone turtle floating (poor fella didn’t look like he was able to dive down underwater)
One sail fish (hung with us for at least 45 minutes one sunny afternoon)
Dolphins, lots of dolphins (two different times)
Birds
66. What kind of birds?
I’m not an ornithologist. They were “sea” birds as far as I was concerned.
67. And?
A jar of peanut butter.
68. Really?
Yes, really. It was sitting straight up like it was waiting for a piece of chocolate.
69. Did you fish it out of the ocean?
No. I let it go. We already had a jar of peanut butter.
70. Did you fish?
Yes.
71. Did you catch anything?
Only once. We were moving too fast for the fish.
72. How fast did Kālewa travel?
On average I’d guess between 8 and 15 knots.
73. Is that fast?
For a sailboat, yes.
74. How fast does Mapuana sail?
Usually around 5 to 7 knots max. Though we broke the sound barrier a few times when we caught a wave and went well over 10 knots.
75. What’s a knot.
Per my computer’s dictionary, a knot is “a unit of speed equivalent to one nautical mile per hour, used esp. of ships, aircraft, and winds. Chiefly historical it’s a length marked by knots on a log line, as a measure of speed : some days the vessel logged 12 knots.”
A more accurate statement would be: some days the vessel logged 21 knots. That’s how unusual Kālewa is, that the dictionary inverted the numbers based on more “standard” vessels.
76. Did you make any of those other kind of knots?
Yes, now and then. Mostly it was the Captain and 2nd mate who did that sort of stuff.
77. Did you learn any new knots?
Yes. A groovy one called a longshoreman bowline.
78. How’s it different from a regular bowline?
You do a rodeo move that’s super fast and super impressive.
79. Can you still do it?
Yes.
80. What’s a bowline knot?
Only the MOST important knot of all time, in my opinion.
81. Why?
Because one can 99.99% of the time undo the know without the use of a tool (i.e. by hand).
You can read about it here.
82. What’s the difference between a bowline and a bow line?
One is a useful knot mentioned above, the other are lines tying a boat to the dock at the bow.
83. What’s a bow?
Besides in the theatre?
Yes.
The front of a boat.
84. What kind of clothes did you wear, Sj?
The type that were cool in hot weather.
85. Such as?
Sun shirts. The groovy white cotton togs I bought in Puerta Vallarta. Long pants at night.
86. Why?
It gets cold when the sun goes down.
87. Even in the “tropics”?
Yes.
88. What else did you wear?
A wool sweater at night. Sometimes fleece. Sometimes my foulies.
89. Your what?
Foul weather gear.
90. What’s that for?
Well, it’s not for a pleasant sunny day. Here are some different types of foulies.
91. Did you wear a hat?
Darn tooting.
92. At night too?
Yes! Thanks to Tanya of Kauai.com for that tip!
At night I found a beanie or toboggan (as I used to call them when I was a kid in Tennessee) was just what the right thing for keeping my head, ears, and even forehead warm!
I think this is a Southern use of the word btw. Feedback anyone???
93. What else did you wear?
T-shirts. Shorts.
94. Did you wear the same things that you would have on Mapuana?
Some yes. Mostly no.
95. Why’s that?
Because on Mapuana we usually get wet. And in that situation, you want to be either wearing foulies or something that will dry quickly (provided it’s warm, otherwise, you really want to stay dry!)
96. Why do you want to stay dry?
Because you can get really cold really quickly. AND that salty ocean water turns into a slimy feeling against your skin when you’re about two feet away from the mooring. No, I change my mind. Make that one foot.
97. What are you talking about?
Unless you’ve been out at sea, you’ve probably never experienced that slimy, yucky feeling that comes from the salt spray which rises up and lands on you at the most inappropriate times.
98. How can you avoid that slimy feeling?
On Kālewa it’s pretty easy. Stay behind the captain’s groovy dodger guard.
99. What’s a dodger?
Are you asking what or who?
100. Please explain.
Because if the question is a WHO? It’s a gal named Katerina who’s especially good at dodging balls. If it’s a WHAT?, its Nautical meaning is “a canvas screen on a ship giving protection from spray.”
101. Is Kālewa’s dodger canvas?
No. It’s made out of some super duper material shipped in from at least 12 light years away. Kālewa’s design and form is literally “out of this world.”
102. How is Kālewa different from other catamarans?
Its style. Its class. Its designer.
103. Really? Or are you just wanting to be invited back for another sail?
That would be lovely. But for real. It’s just so very, very beautiful. She moves so fluidly in the water. She’s fast. She’s graceful. “And she’s noisy!” I just heard Marisela say in my head.
104. Is she loud?
Well, at times, yes. There are all kinds of sounds happening on a boat.
105. Such as?
Water slaps. Literally water will just rise up and slap the hull. The dodger. The whatever numbered shipmate who is sitting in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
106. Did that happen often?
In my opinion, no. Not nearly as often as on Mapuana which is about every 5 seconds or so.
Okay, maybe I exaggerate. A little. But not much. Someone’s soaked by water on Mapuana about every 15 seconds.
107. Where did you like to hang out the most?
Below deck in the dining area.
108. Why?
Because there’s the most amazing view towards the bow past the curves of the galley and the curves of the entry way.
109. Curves?
A boat is a she after all. And this boat has nice lines.
110. What else is nice about Kalewa?
Her fridge. And freezer.
111. There’s a freezer on board?
Yes. Like I said, this boat is literally from out of this world.
112. What was it like sleeping on Kalewa?
At first it was a bit tricky.
113. Why tricky?
Because it was a new experience for me to sleep on a constantly moving object.
A bed with a mind of its own.
114. Constantly?
Yes. As long as we were on the open ocean.
115. In comparison to?
Being tied up at dock. Then she just rocks and sways with the conditions of the harbor.
116. Did you sleep well during the crossing?
When one’s tired. One sleeps. Eventually.
And then, when I relaxed into the idea, the image really of myself lying on a trampoline and bouncing non-stop, I got into it. I enjoyed it. In fact, it became fun.
117. Fun?
Yes, how cool is that to get to play on a trampoline day in and day out!
118. Did you ever get sick?
No.
119. Seasick?
No.
120. Do you get seasick on Mapuana?
Sometimes. It’s miserable.
121. What was different?
Maybe that it was a catamaran. Maybe that I was lucky. Who knows? I don’t want to think too hard about it.
122. What would you guys have done if someone got sick, really sick?
We had a book called When There Is No Doctor. We’d have used that. For guidance. And we would have prayed. A lot.
123. I thought I heard that Marisela had a physical ailment of some kind?
She did. The book helped her. She told me that I’m free to talk about it, but I don’t want to. Not here. That’s her story.
124. What was the bathroom situation like?
Comfortable. At least for us. The poor captain had to deal with the tanks a couple of times; fortunately, that worked itself out without too much hullabaloo.
125. How many heads are there on Kālewa?
Two.
126. What’s a head?
The nautical term for a bathroom. Or toilet. Or washroom. WC. Loo.
127. Any showers?
Yes. Two.
128. How did that work?
You flipped a switch, got naked, and leaned against the pleasantly curved wall. Kevin thought of everything.
129. Was the water fresh?
Yes. There’s a water maker on board.
130. How much water does it make?
Enough. You’ll have to ask the captain for details. You can’t draw a tub’s worth every day (no, there wasn’t a bathtub on board, but IF there had been a tub on board, it wouldn’t have been used).
But there was enough water made to have drinking water, cooking water, dish washing water, and an occasional, quick shower, please-don’t-waste-it water.
131. Where’s the water come from that was used for making fresh water.
The ocean. : ))))
132. What happens to the salt?
It goes back into the ocean. Rumor has it there’s a new species of fish that follows water-making vessels.
133. Really?
What do YOU think?
134. Let’s change the subject . . . What do you think is absolutely necessary to bring on an ocean crossing?
Hmmm . . . ABSOLUTELY necessary?
135. Yes, what in your opinion is absolutely necessary?
Fresh water. Food. Warm clothing. Foulies. A hat. Sunscreen. A spray bottle to spray that salty stuff off one’s face. A book. Many books. A radio. GPS navigating stuffs. Charts. Binoculars. Flashlights. Spare Batteries. Pen & paper. A friend. Someone you like to be with. Could be just yourself if YOUR self is a good sailor. : )
136. Any other cool things to bring along?
Treats. Food treats that you like.
Entertainment treats that you like.
Your personal version of Pedrata.
And a wool sweater, long pants, and toboggan. It would have been miserable without those last three things.
137. Anything you wish that you had brought that you didn’t?
Yes.
138. What?
Long underwear. There were a couple of times when it was long underwear cold.
139. Even on a super comfortable boat like Kālewa?
Yep. It still gets cold out there. Colder than you think.
140. How cold?
Wool sweater, long pants, toboggan, foulies, and long underwear cold.
141. What was the best thing that happened?
The entire sail, the crossing.
142. Anything in particular?
I loved being on deck alone at night. Especially when the sky was clear, and I could hang out with the many stars and the Milky Way.
And Pedrata. I loved getting to know Pedrata.
143. The stuffed rat?
Yes. The stuffed rat. She has quite a personality.
144. Do you think the crew was worried about you? Worried that you were losing it?
They might have been. But I didn’t care. I knew that I wasn’t (losing it). I simply have an active imagination. I like to use my imagination; it’s a fun place to explore.
145. Were you ever scared?
No, not really. Captain Kevin is so competent, and he took all kinds of precautions, care of the gear, boat, etc., that I felt it’d all turn out well. And it did.
146. Did you see any other boats?
A few. We went 8 days, I believe, between boats and before we saw any off Hilo, Hawaii.
147. Did you guys all get along?
Yep. No major squabbles. Laughter was the main music besides the daily guitar jam/lesson/serenade. Though it did get fierce at times when the rubber chickens came out to play.
148. Rubber chickens?
Yep, the photos will come out sooner or later. Poor Pedrata got the main butt of them.
149. On her butt?
No, mostly all over her face. She does have a rather large nose.
150. Anything else?
Nope. Best of luck with Hurricane/Tropical Storm Iselle. She’s flying to the islands at this very moment. First saying hello to Hilo.
+Sj out
!!!!!!!!!!!
: )))))