Turning point

Last night, around 10:45pm, summer solstice happened.  Today is showing itself to be a few minutes shorter than yesterday.   The turning point of the year, summer begins to fade into fall and winter.

I missed it, completely slipped by me until I checked my emails this morning.  Not that I keep a religious thing on solstices and equinoxes, but I like to do a paddle day on the turns and humps.   Then again, I missed the winters solstice this past year too.  

Fact, I’ve been VERY lax with kayaking this year, and I don’t know why.  I still fly a boat and keep the gear in the truck, just,

dunno,,,

Boredom?   the “Been there done thats” and want new water under my keel?   Some, yes,,, but can’t be all of it because unlike earth, water isn’t static, its always changing so the area I paddled through on the way out may be a chaotic mess on the way back in.   Desire to be with Friends?   More that, me thinks.    Even with my lower paddle rates, I am still getting in more paddle time than most of my group is.    Dawgum?    Thats just an excuse.   He’s doing much better about staying put at home, getting along with the kats.   I would like to take him with, and until I get a sit on or canoe, that ain’t happening.   May not happen at all as he shows quite a bit of fear of water at this stage (which I need to address still.)

Not only the world at a turning point, but me as well.   Something is shifting in my little world and while the water still calls, the fresh water calls less and less.   I imagine smelling salt and brine.   Feeling stiff breezes unmarred by trees and hills.    May be imagination, but there is memory there as well.  Not memory of paddling on salt water, but living near it.   Had I found kayaks back then, this story would be told from a different point of view,,,,

An associate on FB is in Carlsbad CA this week, posted pics there.   Oh, the tug of heart strings when I saw the storm clouds over the pacific off shore; I could TASTE the salty breeze, the mingling of fresh rainwater with salty spray on my lips,,,,,   LONGING,,,,,

sigh   

I used to walk down to the beach during storms,,, Loved the sound of the waves and the wind in my face.   Saw a few waterspouts off shore that were just incredible to witness (even saw fish fall from the sky afterwards, which was a surprise the first time.)   And I wasn’t the only ‘storm watcher’ there.   There would be several of on the beach, soaking wet and grinning like fools, feeling all of that energy about us, grounded barefeet in wet sand, tempting the fates with lightning strikes.   Yes, dumb and crazy, but so invigorating,,,,,

Why did they have to screw up California so bad (don’t answer that, the land is unchanged, its only some of the people on it and the insanity that changed.)   My favorite part of California was the fact that I could go surfing in the morning, then drive a couple of hours and go skiing at Big Bear mountain, all in the same day.   Or, swimming in the ocean in the morning, then walking a desert path in the Sierras later the same day.  Diversity of environments was an absolute treat to me.  

of course I was much younger and not as broken down then.  But also dumber and living on instinct and bouncing around from a bad marriage like a pinball stuck between two kickerpads.   Took me years to get my shit straight and that took coming into these hills to be a hermit to do.   Had I followed my gut then (which I didn’t quite trust yet,,,) I could have done the same thing there    Hindsight, 20/20, ladeedahdeedah,,,,

Let go or get dragged,,,,

Letting go.

LIVE

LOVE

LAUGH(ing at myself)

LEARN

LOAD

as for LOAD,,,,    Get ya some MRE’s on the cheapy-cheap,, Seriously CHEAPY-CHEAP!!!!  Calculated at $2.66 a bag,  thats a 2500 calorie MEAL for less than a questionable content burger at one of the fast food joints.   Yeah, I’m gonna get a cut if you follow that link, and I did order myself a couple of cases (following BCE’s linky so he gets some love out of it.)  These things don’t go bad, despite the date thingy.    Personally saw some 5 years out of date in circulation while in the Corps and they were still issueing them and they tasted fine, for what thats worth of the older five fingers of death bags,,,(if you know, you KNOW,,,LOL)  And even if you aren’t on the Prime thingy on Zon, $6.99 shipping is dirt cheap for a couple of cases of these things (or more than a couple, since the shipping rate stays the same on the Zon).