I have added some pictures to the original entry. This is the start of the sunset that Steve likes best. The last picture is of the same view though, later on in the sunset phase.
This is Steve rowing back to the boat from shore.
This is a view of the boat standing near the bow looking back. We were underway which always makes it interesting walking about the boat.
This is an island view of the sea.
And we are back at the first entry.
The weather is changing so much in this area that I am starting to miss the boat we owned and sold a few years ago. Her name is RoisÃn Dubh (raw-sheen doov) which means Black Rose. This name was one of the metaphors for Ireland, herself during the oppressive times of English rule. The Irish were not allowed to sing patriotic songs or read patriotic poetry, the war-pipes were outlawed because it stirred the Irish soul to fight when played. The bards and priests were killed if they could be found and the speaking of Irish Gaelic was outlawed. It was a bad time to be Irish. The Irish wrote about their country in the form of the metaphor to be able to still sing about her and evidently, got by the British. I chose one of those names for the boat.
I'm at the helm in this picture. We had taken an holiday boat trip to the San Juan Islands in the very northern part of Puget Sound. This is very beautiful country and a good distance from where we live, which is at the most southern end of Puget Sound.
This is Steve, my other half and first mate. ( in many, many ways ) Over 13 to 14 years we have spent boating around the Sound with friends or just ourselves. Many a good meal was cooked and eaten, breaking bread with friends and sharing companionship.
This picture of Mt. Rainer was taken from our boat at anchor near Primrose Point, Washington.
This has to be one of my most favorite sunsets, just sitting on the aft-deck, with a glass of Glenlivet, a hat and jacket on, a lighted candle in a lantern on the a serving table, and this beautiful view right out of the "backyard" of our boat at anchor. They say, the best two days of your life are when you purchase your boat, and when you sell it. I would concur. I now enjoy the many pictures and memories we have collected.
11 comments:
That is the *loveliest* sunset photo!!! Wow...
Being near the water is great, but to be out on it, in the midst of that wild and wonderful world...is something else again.
Greg: Actually, that one on your site is equally as beautiful with the shadow-likeness of the tree in the foreground. Really quite nice.
Yes, there are times when I miss going down to the boat and even just sitting on the back of it watching the Sound from the marina slip. I don't miss, all the chipping, scrapeing, sanding and painting, nor all that goes with owning a boat. Now that fuel prices are sky-high for diesel fuel, I'm glad we sold it when we did. All that said, I have always and will always enjoy the sea and being on it. Nothing like being rocked to sleep in a quiet harbour.
So now you have the wonderful memories of your boating adventures without having to scrape and sand and paint and etc. the boat herself. I've heard it said that a boat is a hole in the water into which you throw your time and money. But it does look like you had some lovely experiences.
Java: How true about the hole in the water. Another definition is the acronym fo B.O.A.T.
( break out another thousand ) ;-)
Gorgeous sunset! Your Roisin Dubh was a beautiful lady. I've always wanted to own a boat someday. It will likely be a canoe, though.
Oh, and your first-mate is a handsome man.
Hey Cooper: She certainly was.
I used to tell people that you could always spot us when we were out on the Sound. Most of the boats are white with chrome and ours looked a little like a grand old dame with a wee too much rouqe and lipstick on her!
The boat was built in Holland, Michigan in 1959 and launched in 1961, from the information I got about her. She is a Chris Craft Roamer, a 36 footer with a steel haul. She also weighed 14 Tons and we left her mooring under a covered slip at the marina all year around and having it pulled every other year to do painting, scrapeing, etc.
There are many upsides in having a boat but the downsides are just as many. When adding up the cost of the slip, insurance, maintenance, etc., it was like having another house. I think a canoe would be a good option and easier to take care of. ;-)
That sunset is one of my favorites. Steve likes another one and I was going to post it but there seems to be a 5 picture limit per entry, so perhaps, another time or if I can figure out how to add more, I will.
I will pass along your complement of First Mate's visage. ;-)
Cooper: Update to the pictures...
I found a way of adding pictures so they have be added to this entry.
Gorgeous sunset shots. First mate ain't bad either. But what a lovely little lady your Roisin Dubh was. Of course you miss her. But all the while I was reading, I was thinking of the boating aphorism you concluded with.
I grew up around lakes and boats... but they were low-maintenance little rowboats mostly, with outboards. Boats of all kinds are available for rent down here. Getting out on one for a day trip once in a while satisfies my maritime yen. There's nothing quite like finding a secluded little beach cove and spending a lazy afternoon there, anchored offshore... with the right company, of course.
Joe: Thanks. Taking pictures of sunsets like we have seen are almost a no-brainer. Point and click. All the work is done by nature. ( By the way, Greg of Midnight Garden, has one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen posted in his latest entry. Take a look when you have a chance.)
One can rent a cabin cruiser for a week or more in the San Juan's and if the urge is strong enough, we may consider doing that. Of course, nothing is like having your own boat and knowing all the little nuances of how it works, what all the wee bells and whistles do and where they are when you need them. The down side is one needs a treatise on how to operate it. I would rather a vacation be "brainless" with some drooling from not engaging the brain to think than to have to study the guide on how to run it. ( Laziness in the extreme )
We too, enjoyed pulling into many secluded coves or a small, out-of-the-way, marina to drop anchor and enjoy the beautiful views after a day of boating. The silence at night with the boat rocking one to sleep is one of my favorite memories.
( I agree with your assessment of my "1st mate. I already mentioned Cooper's comment about him and of course, I will add yours. He told me, he was going to break all my glasses so I wouldn't really see him after that comment. I told him, I still have my cane.) ;-)
Hello.
I am new to your blog and have been lurking for a little bit, but decided to come out of the wood work today.
Your photos are beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
It-bre: Welcome! Glad you came out of the "woodwork." It's a lot more fun that way.
Thanks for your comments and do stop by again, you are most welcome.
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