The Landlocked Sailor

Last Monday I had a photo shoot scheduled at Morro Bay State Park. I hauled myself out of bed at 5 a.m., stumbled through my morning routine, and drove to the Natural History Museum. I was about ten minutes early, which was good because I hadn’t scoped out the place ahead of time.

I got out of the car and attempted to shield myself from the drizzle, but I looked up at the sky and thought it would clear up as soon as the sun rose a little. The light was dull but improving by the minute. As I clicked away at all the potential props and backdrops, my fingers started to go numb. Next went my nose. “Yeesh,” I thought, “it’s freezing!” Then I laughed at myself because of how quickly I’d forgotten winter in Indiana.

About 15 minutes after the appointed meeting time, I texted the model to see if he was on his way. My phone immediately started to ring. “This can’t be good,” I muttered. There he was on the other end of the line: “I emailed you…” He explained that it was pretty rainy where he was, so he didn’t think it was a good day for a photo shoot. Well, thank you. “At least he’s thinking,” I grumbled aloud to a little sparrow as it hopped cautiously by.

Imagine that you’re on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean. You feel the sun beating down, and the gentle sway of the vessel in the water. You turn your face to try to feel the direction of the wind, but there is no wind. Not even a breeze. You hear the creaking of the masts and the gentle lapping of the water on the hull, but you are dead in the water.

There’s no telling when the wind will pick up again; it could be several days. In the meantime, what will you do? The year is 1854, and you are a topman aboard a merchant vessel bound for some Pacific Island. You can’t pass the time by reading, because you don’t know how to read; you don’t feel like singing at the moment, and you can’t whistle because you are superstitiously worried about whistling up an ill wind.

What’s a sailor to do?

Maintenance.

There’s always plenty to be done to keep the ship in top condition. There are sails to be mended, lines and rigging to be repaired, old rope to be turned into baggywrinkle, decks to scrub and tar… the list goes on and on. However, when that “Sailor-Do” list is completed, what’s next?

Fancywork.

Have you ever seen a particularly handsome bell rope and wondered, “How on earth did they make that?” Or how about a boat’s ladder (stairsteps) all decked out with ornamental ropework? It’s not strictly ornamental, after all. On the ladder, for example, it serves as a nonskid surface for climbing around in your wet boat shoes. There’s a  name for this combination of form and function: it’s called Marlinspike Seamanship, and it’s not exactly a lost art.

The next time you have an opportunity to get up close and personal with a sailboat (or even see one in a movie), look for examples of Marlinspike fancy work. It’s all done by hand, and it’s a tradition worth carrying on.

If you’re in the Morro Bay/San Luis Obispo/Central Coast area of California and you’d like to participate in a Marlinspike workshop, leave a note in the comments below. We’ll let you know when we have one coming up!

Also, check out these books (click the covers to see them on Amazon):

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So today, in lieu of Wordless Wednesday, I am FINALLY posting a few photos from our awesome family photo shoot aboard the Tall Ship Lady Washington. Thanks to the lovely Ginger of Sandprints Photos in Morro Bay for her amazing photography and cheery personality. Also a big thanks to Captain Miah and the Lady crew!

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Urban areas are overrated.

OK, I admit it: if I had a free ticket to Anywhere, USA, I’d be in NYC quicker than you can say X-ray scanner, and if I had to pick a destination on the West Coast it would be Seattle. I do love the big city, but I know I’d soon be back home in my tiny town. All things considered, I can’t think of a better place to experience life with my son every day. Morro Bay, CA is a small town of a little more than 10,000 residents scattered over 5 square miles.

Reasons to love Morro Bay:

• November, 10:00 a.m., 63° (17°C) and sunny
• I can put the baby in his stroller and run all our errands on foot
• When business people ask for a phone number, they look at me like I’m crazy when I include the area code
• In 2 hours of running errands, we see approximately 6 people we know
• At the Post Office, we see a letter carrier walk right out the front door with his satchel of mail and start delivering to the businesses across the street
• On the way home, we see 2 more letter carriers, on foot, with their satchels
• Plus, there’s this dog that hangs out at Legends Bar:
  

  Legends Dog

Small town ♥ !

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Actually, he has not been out on the water yet, but since he is the son of two sailors, I think it’s fair to call him a little sailor boy!

So this is why I have not been blogging lately. I’ve been busy taking care of this little one. He’ll be 6 weeks old on Wednesday! I had originally planned to reopen my Etsy store on August 1st, but that was just wishful thinking. Then I pushed it back to September 1st, which is only about a week and a half away, so we’ll see!

Anyway, I wanted to name him after the wind and the sea, so I did… in Hawaiian. Isn’t he sweet?

We found a great little thrift store a couple of blocks from the beach in Cayucos, CA today. I picked up some jersey-knit cotton, some cotton flannel, and some great wool and cashmere for upcycling.

I also made MrJ try on some of my finds. This is my favorite. He looks like Mister Rogers, even though it’s not a cardigan!

That’s MrJ in the Celery Lands End Cashmere Sweater. The grey Pendleton sweater has 4 or 5 moth holes in it; otherwise I would have been tempted to resell it. The flannels and jersey knits are for a new stash of cloth diapers, and I’m sure the Pendleton will become a diaper cover or two. Still not sure what I’ll do with the cashmere, but I have a hunch it will also be baby-related. Why baby-related, you ask? Oh, didn’t I tell you?

This could be why I never blog anymore.

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Santa Monica Pier by Brian Auer

I’ve always wanted a summer home on the beach. But can you imagine the cost of a beach house you’ll only use a couple of weeks or months each year?

I started thinking about why I want a beach house. I’ve come to the conclusion that the appeal is in the beach itself, not the house. Basically, I want a place I can sleep, shower, and eat, with easy access to the beach. I’ve found my solution at Hostelling International’s Los Angeles-Santa Monica Hostel. The catch: you can only stay for 14 days per year, or 14 consecutive days (so you can’t stay the last 14 days of December and the first 14 days of January which would make it 28 consecutive days).

If you’ve never stayed in a hostel before, here are four reasons to consider it:

1. They’re cheap. Usually under $30 per night per person, depending on the type of room you choose. That often includes breakfast.
2. They’re close to stuff. Unlike the airport hotel, your hostel will be right in the midst of everything interesting. Often right downtown, on the beach or in the woods, and within walking distance from train and bus stations.
3. You can cook your own food (or not). Hostel kitchens are usually stocked with spices, cooking oil, etc. (not to mention pots, pans, plates, everything you need). Grab a bag of groceries and cook a yummy dinner. If you don’t feel like cooking (or grocery shopping), there’s a good chance there will be a special dinner available one or more nights you’re there, usually under $5 a plate.
4. You’ll meet lots of interesting people (or not). With the lovely and comfortable common areas, there are plenty of opportunities to meet fellow travelers, many of them international. Everybody’s got a story. If you’re feeling anti-social, well, a hostel is probably not the place for you, but if you just want a little more privacy, many hostels have private or family rooms available. Oh, and don’t worry about your stuff if you’re in a dorm-style room. There are lockers, but remember that everybody’s in the same boat, and the honor system is important here too.

The Santa Monica Hostel is your very own beach house, two blocks from the beach and the Santa Monica Pier. You just have to share it with 250 of your closest friends!  When you get there, head out to the end of the pier and have dinner at Mariasol- good Mexican food and a priceless view. Of course, there’s also the arcade, some fast food places, and oh yeah, the Ferris wheel and carousel! Have fun!

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