Lighthouse Keeper, ROSE ISLAND LIGHT, Dec. 2013

From the first time we were in Rhode Island, thru the subsequent times I've been there alone, Rose Island Lighthouse off the coast of Newport, had, for me, held a strong appeal. And so, having spend a week there the 2nd week of December, as the sole lighthouse keeper, was the realization of a goal long held. Having done it now begs the question, would I do it again? Yes and No. No: December was way to humid and cold. I was always very, very cold. Chilled to the bone, inside and out. I did not care for that aspect. Yes, I wanted an authentic North Atlantic Lighthouse Keeper winter experience, and I got it, but I did not enjoy constantly being so very cold. 2 nights in fact, I had no heat at all, either the pilot light went out or the apartment ran out of heating fuel. I awake to bitter cold. Yes: I enjoyed being on the island once again. And I enjoyed doing work, although menial to some, I felt my contributions were helpful in the restoration efforts of a French ally designed barracks building dating back to 1797. I really enjoyed being a part of that history, as well as finding and being in ammunition bunkers used during WWI and WWII. And, of course, it goes without saying, I really enjoyed being in Newport again. I like it there very much. Having said that, I now reflect back on these Atlantic experiences where I learned to sail the Mary Day in Maine, and raced a schooner in the Chesapeake of Rhode Island, as well as this Lighthouse Keeper experience in Rhode Island: all gave me new experiences that I would never have had if I had not risked and done them, had not spent money and done them. However, I found all of them to be, first and foremost, money-making propositions for the 3 businesses/foundation that sponsored these opportunities. Their intent was to glean money, not to insure that the optimal learning experience was had for the learner. In that regard, I would not do these things again I don't think. In all 3, I gave my very best, both physically and with a positive attitude, and so I have no regrets about my part. But I resent Captain King and his side kick Jane, on the Mary Day. They failed to give proper attention to landlubbers like me, and had, instead, a kind of Good Ol' Boys Club reunion with others that had sailing experience, those that lived near large bodies of water. That which I got the most from, i.e., sailor knots, sailing vocabulary, etc., is based upon my own efforts, not theirs. The Gilded Age of the 1900 era provided for the coal, banking, railroad Barons of New York City to build those fabulous summer "cottages" known as The Newport Mansions. I enjoyed being back inside of some of them, this time during the holiday season. It's good to learn history, to experience it. Hence, my time at seamanship related experiences of the past. Be Well. Do Good.

New Personal Best: St. George Marathon

4:30 a.m., Provo Canyon, early June. Limited campfires to stay warm before 6 a.m. race. But just as we started the announcer yelled, "You've Trained for This. No Go Do Your Best." Fact: I had NOT trained as well for that race as I could have. So I decided that for the Fall Marathon in St. George, I would be able to tell myself, "I trained hard for this race. I'm ready. Go do your best." 4:30 a.m., 26.2 miles north of St. George. 7,400+ runners. WINDY, COLD. Plenty of fires, yes, BUT, they didn't stay lit long, the winds exhausted the wood. Still, NO ONE does a race like St. George does: hot chocolate, disposible silver thermal blankets.... I was warm enough. What a fun race. I mean, at mile 18 I noticed my pace was slowing. "What's with people passing me all of the sudden?" Even my daughter Chelsi, back in Colorado, following my run via the internet, a new app for family of runners, called my wife and said, "I've lost Dad, and his pace has slowed down some the last I saw him." I didn't really hit the wall this time, but I did start out too fast. Still, I stuck with my goal of getting across that finish line in under 4 hours, and well.... I did it. 3:56. Yeah. Felt really great. I'm pleased with how things turned out. Recovery.... well, I've tighter calves then I've ever had after a race. I usually am back to my old run, maybe the pace is slower, but at least still able to get in 4 or 5 miles a day. This is taken me a bit longer this time. Age? More time needed to recover from a much harder ran race? Probably both. And we had snow yesterday, winter came early, so running in the cold doesn't do much for me. But run I will, I have a new race I've registered for, next May. More about it later. But here's a hint: it's far, far from here, and it involves a lot of stairs. :) We stayed in a great condo in St. George. Friends let us stay there. My running buddy Harman and his wife Diane joined me and Genia, and our daughter Brittany and their two girls Lexie and Riley came as well. It was very nice overall. I fell in love with St. George again. Usually when I go places I'm anxious and ready to come home, but this condo had me hooked: I wanted to stay. Be Well. Do Good.

Summer 2013 Comes to an End...

It's been a very busy summer, a good one, but man, we were busy. I retired from teaching after 30 years, my favorite friends, and family, gave me an outstanding retirement party, I so appreciated them doing this for me. Literally, the first day of my retirement we began refurbishing the interior of our home. "Spanish Lace" or "knock-down" wall texture is what we wanted to replace what he had. We hired a nice guy to help us, and we did as much of the prep work and finish work as we could on our own. It took a lot of time, 6 weeks. Then we re-floored our entire home. Again, that took more time than anticipated because we live in a somewhat landlocked valley. Early Summer fires in the mountains around us prevented traffic, hence trucks with our carpet, from getting here. There then was the schedule of the carpet layer to work around, etc. It's taken most of our summer. We refurbished the backyard patio as well as the playground for our grandkids and neighbor kids. We traveled to see all 3 of our children at their homes, and we had a "grand-dog" for one week. Enjoyable summer, but it passed all too quickly. Some of the photos in this section deal with my return trip to Annapolis & Washington DC in early spring. In Denmark, I loved the Votive Ships - model ships hanging from the nave of their Lutheran Churches. In the U.S. there are two that do the same: Danish Seaman's Church in Brooklyn, and the US Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis. I'd been below the Chapel before to the tomb of John Paul Jones, which I paid honor to yet again, but this time I was able to spend time in the Naval Chapel, a remarkable structure in its own right. Another first: I crewed on a schooner in the Chesapeake Bay in a race. Our team didn't win, but we had a great time. It had been a few years since I sailed the Mary Day into the whaling waters of the North Atlantic on a working vacation, so I enjoyed being on a sailing craft, this time much smaller and with an engine, again. We spend time at a large parade, where I "nested" the night before saving a place for the family. 3 a.m. sprinklers drenched me, my sleeping bag, and our chairs, but over~all, it was worth it. WATERWORLD WaterPark in Denver was a great spot to spend time with the other 2 kids and their families. I did some hiking alone in New Mexico and again, took in the Annual Taos Home and Garden Show, something I always enjoy. Every year I take in 2 new Botanical Gardens, this year it was a fabulous multi-acre roof-top garden above a theater that seats 21,000 people, and also a formal garden in an urban office buildings area. Both were amazing! So what's in store for the next chapter, now that I've retired from teaching? I'm taking correspondence courses on how to become a Piano Tuner. Yeah. For real. I think it's a lucrative self-business with very little over-head, yet allows me to be about as busy as I want to be. I'll soon have a new, albeit small, art studio here to work in as well. Work on that begins the end of this month. People ask me if I'm bored. Ha ha. Too busy to be bored. I just ran 23 miles yesterday as part of my training for my next Marathon in 6 weeks. I still take cello lessons, and want to begin doing some stained-glass work and wood-working as well. And I've taken an intense interest in PBS's MASTERPIECE THEATER and most all British Detective/Mysteries on Netflix. I read when I can catch a minute or two as well. I have some upcoming trips planned for fall and winter, so I'm working to complete those plans as well. Be well. Do Good.

Lookin' for Spring...

We've had a blistery winter, as in "frozen pipes" winter: not our, but the towns. But that was determined AFTER I had hired and paid the plumber. January here is horrid. But winter has lost it's grip, and I see some green grass blades and iris plants coming up. Oh, it will be late April before the grass is green, and the tulips will have blossomed but will freeze before full bloom. That's what living at 7,600 feet above elevation, with mountains towering at over 14,000 feet, all around you will do for "Spring". Basically, we go from Winter to Summer. Still, I do love this time of the year. Easter memories, new growth, what Easter means, return of life.... And yet, winter had it's own beauty. I'm just looking forward to "green" however. Be Well. Do Good.