wondering

"men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering." -- st. augustine

i've helped with the local high school auditorium project for the past year and now we're seeing the fruits of labor with erection of the precast walls upon the footings.  since august only the base work was being done and now they have crane in place and progress moving quickly.  we are hoping they will be finished by august 2013 before school starts.  i am working on a series of alumni productions for fundraisers and have come to appreciate the quality of talent that began at knoxville schools.  just floating through YouTube and the amazing performers out there gives promise to future recruitment of entertainment for the 700 seat facility.  there can be so much, close to home, that we never realize to be enhancement of quality of life.  taking care of a football player with a concussion last night reminded me how important music should be to everyone as they grow older. i'd give my college football career now to just play the piano...

a fall coat

"neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope." -- epictetus

the passing of seasons now sees this familiar beacon donning her yellow fall coat, to signal the transition of energy from one form to another, always everpresent and comforting.

a tired boat

"who well lives, long lives: for this age of ours should not be numbered by years, daies and hours." -- guillaume de salluste dubartas,  divine weekes and workes

it was great to take a leisurely two hour journey this morning to shake off the dust and return to "home".  carrying a "spare tire" for emergencies tends to slow one down.  i'm not nearly as tired as i might have expected after our race.  it is the "journey" and not the finish that is most important.

 
there was a "light" at the end of the elk rock tunnel this morning.  now if only i could do this every day...

joyous

"joyous we too launch out on trackless seas." -- walt whitman, passage to india

the start of the north carolina challenge, a 100 mile race around from cedar island ferry terminal to beaufort and back, found a beautiful sunrise highlighting the combination of kayaks and sailboats.

out of 55 boats and 66 racers we managed to finish in 19 hours cutting 10 hours off the existing record for the 100 miles.  we won our class and placed 4th overall.  with only a 20 minute break at the checkpoint in beaufort my rear end will probably never be the same.  the watertribe is a great group of people.

"stripbuilder" was all i could see from the back seat most of the time and my instructions were simple, "shut up and paddle!"

"stripbuilder" and "paddletothesea"

life with a porpoise can be sweet.

clear sailing

"i can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. the problem is that i can't find anybody who can tell me what they want." -- mark twain

life isn't always a bed of roses but today is special.  a PT just moved to town and is now an ATS employee to work part time. (i can get back on the road again!) also the winds for the NCC100 (i leave tomorrow) are forecast ESE 8 which should be as good as it gets!  now hopefully clear sailing (or paddling).

countdown

"enjoy the day, trusting very little to the morrow." -- horace, carmina

can you find the hummingbird feasting on the blooms in this chicago botanical center garden?  their high speed quest for nutrition before a long trip south was fascinating to watch.  the incans of peru carved pictures of hummingbirds into the nazca lines above lima.  now if only i could shift into high gear to finish our race without a long drawn out journey.  the countdown has begun... t minus 7 days and approaching quickly.  

golden moments

"the golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, and we are nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone. -- george eliot

 the japanese garden of the chicago botanical center showed that the pathway of two can become one.  the wonderful view of nature was stunning and the work of experienced hands brought it into clear focus.

 gerd and anja came all the way from deutschland to test our german language skills and spend a delightful two days with a side trip to the chicago botanical gardens. 

morning paddles on prairie creek reservoir during last week's ctp reminded me, as did a session with a grieving child, that we are not alone.  our departed loved ones follow us daily in our contribution to this troubled world, and can be found in the morning sunrise.