The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

Great to hear you South Padre Islanders hooked up after Willie's Tug got the new hose project finished, finally.

I am sure you compared notes about how refreshing the climate is here in the upper left corner this time of year :D
Remember, we just wait a bit and a new weather system appears, so we embrace change in these parts:-)

Anne, currently trying to keep up with two preschool granddaughters from high in the Colorado Rockies who are bicycling, hiking, and chasing Nana around the pool all hours of the day all the while chatting nonstop :lol:
 
Hope that haircut was cheap, Capt Jim. You might have wanted to leave a little more on top and you could have left a little more on the sides or you might have just left it the way it was. :wink

Anyway, beyond your disgruntled look, who's boat is that with the twin engines?
 
Jim,
I'm guessing that the next time Joan will break out the Straight Razor on the "rocking dock" and give you a REAL SHAVE....of course that would take some magnum cojones on your part.....er....maybe a bad idea you might end up with no cojones. :disgust

BTW in close examination of your vessel location, how did you rate the old rocky dock location....I've moored up on those particular docks in the past and they are narrow and tippy. (The C-Dory in the background helped orient me to where you are docked).
 
DaveS":2dczshet said:
Jim,
I'm guessing that the next time Joan will break out the Straight Razor on the "rocking dock" and give you a REAL SHAVE....of course that would take some magnum cojones on your part.....er....maybe a bad idea you might end up with no cojones. :disgust

BTW in close examination of your vessel location, how did you rate the old rocky dock location....I've moored up on those particular docks in the past and they are narrow and tippy. (The C-Dory in the background helped orient me to where you are docked).
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Hi Dave. We actually chose this spot. No major "walk by" traffic from the transient docks. Many of our neighbors on this dock are liveaboards or have their boats slipped here seasonally. Everyone kinda looks out for one another. The finger docks aren't as solid feeling as the bigger docks, but they aren't tippy like some we've experienced; and we are a lot closer to all the facilities (including a shorter walk to work).



joefish":2dczshet said:
Hope that haircut was cheap, Capt Jim. You might have wanted to leave a little more on top and you could have left a little more on the sides or you might have just left it the way it was. :wink

Anyway, beyond your disgruntled look, who's boat is that with the twin engines?
Click to expand...

Cheap? :roll: Disgruntled? I think I look completely gruntled. :mrgreen: I was squinting due to the bright overcast (is that an oxymoron?). Nice thing about hair: it grows back. Well, most of it. It's a good haircut that most people won't get to see 'cause I wear a cap to work. It was getting long enough to curl out from under my cap - gotta present a professional image, ya know.

No idea about the 22 with twins behind us - I haven't seen anyone at that boat since we've been here.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
I was squinting due to the bright overcast...
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Is that what it's called? I've been here over 12 yrs and that's the first time I've heard that. :? I guess it beats my term: "low, gray, interminable, makes me wanna eat-my-gun, ceiling of clouds, gray & drizzle..."
 
localboy":3pjlwr6c said:
I was squinting due to the bright overcast...
Click to expand...

Is that what it's called? I've been here over 12 yrs and that's the first time I've heard that. :? I guess it beats my term: "low, gray, interminable, makes me wanna eat-my-gun, ceiling of clouds, gray & drizzle..."
Click to expand...

Like you, Mark, I like sunshine. I know "the season" is coming, and having an ending date makes the gray easier to tolerate. Being on a boat much of the time doesn't hurt, either. Truth be told, I think the weather here is more like "sunny Sequim" (Roger's phrase) than Seattle. So far since we've been here, the actual weather has been better than the forecast. Still, that beautiful sunny day yesterday sure was nice; I'm hoping for a bunch more just like that. Good for the attitude, AND it puts guests on the boats.

Sunny wishes,
Jim
 
Sad, funny, true...I have no gun to eat but i completely understand...we live under a perpetual cloud here.

localboy":h9l722i9 said:
I've been here over 12 yrs and that's the first time I've heard that. :? I guess it beats my term: "low, gray, interminable, makes me wanna eat-my-gun, ceiling of clouds, gray & drizzle..."
Click to expand...
 
My "eat my gun" term was strictly for shock value and was not meant to be taken literally. That said, the weather here sucks. :lol: Summer can be nice, but it is too short lived.

We have recently been discussing where we would retire to. Arizona sounds pretty good sometimes. But it's kinda dry there, which makes boating difficult. :wink:
 
Pat Anderson":1uv7oct2 said:
Sad, funny, true...I have no gun to eat but i completely understand...we live under a perpetual cloud here.

localboy":1uv7oct2 said:
I've been here over 12 yrs and that's the first time I've heard that. :? I guess it beats my term: "low, gray, interminable, makes me wanna eat-my-gun, ceiling of clouds, gray & drizzle..."
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Roger (Dreamer) explained that rain shadow thing to me. Many people think Hawaii has some of the most ideal weather on the planet (right, Localboy?), but each of the islands has their dry side and rainy side... sometimes just a few miles apart. Of course, the solution is to go back to nomadic ways: wander to where the best weather is located during specific times of the year. Summers here are hard to beat... is it true that summer is scheduled from August 4th to the 7th this year??? :crook :mrgreen:

We feel fortunate to be able to wander around. It isn't a coincidence that these "fun summer jobs" are located in places we want to spend an entire summer season. For seasoned wanderers (pun intentional), summers can be a challenge: all the "amateurs" are out there in RV parks, playing with boats, filling up the National Parks, screaming kids, smokey bonfires... just like you'd expect. So, many full-time RVers and boaters "lay low" during the summer. When everyone goes back to their regular lives, you have spring and fall that are great times almost everywhere in the US. Winter - time to head south.

One man's "perpetual cloud" is another man's interesting experience. How close is that count-down clock these days, Pat? :wink:

This topic always reminds me of another Hawaiian saying: "Never judge a day by the weather." Easy for them to say, 'cause they have plenty of sunshine. :mrgreen: But, it does bring up another perspective: people who say that have obviously never lived where it gets below zero for weeks at a time and they're up to their ass in snow. :twisted:

You can't change the weather. You can, however, enjoy where you are or change your situation. When we were in the Tetons and we'd get that occasional day of rain, people would grouse... I'd tell 'em, "You're here for a short time, in one of the most beautiful places in the country. Go buy a cheap rain poncho and get out there and take it all in. You never know what tomorrow brings."

Just tryin' to spread a little ... sunshine. :D :hot

Best wishes,
Jim
 
It would be nice to follow the weather around and you can do that on a more local scale in Washington hopping back and forth over the Cascades to have the fun you want on a given weekend. We do it all the time to maximize the fun while hiking, camping, boating, and motorcycling.

Remember that the landscapes and scenery you enjoy up here are sculpted by rain and snow and relatively difficult weather. The character of those landscapes created by eons of weather influence is what makes them so striking and interesting to view and venture through.

Don't you think that weathering may also apply to humans and relate to our depth of experience and the landscapes of our bodies and minds?

I would be a different man if all I ever knew was sunshine on my back and 75 degrees. The best times of my life have been in the harshest of weather but I understand thats not for everyone.

The difficulty and oppression of variations in climate/weather is what keeps some of us looking forward to the next experience.

I will tell you from loads of northwest travel that the weather in one corner is not the same as another and if you want to experience more sun or more rain you don't have to go far around here for a change. I grew up against the Cascade foothills Puyallup/Graham and still have family there and after living out past Gig Harbor for 6 years I can say with confidence that the weather between the two is more different than the miles between would indicate. We get loads more sun than they do and the clouds we get drift by more than hang over head.


But keep those warm sunny days randomized, rare, and precious for us locals so we don't loose an appreciation for them.
 
I actually don't mind the cold. I work in it during winter. I'd prefer 20F and sunny to the un-ending days of 40ish drizzle & the 1000' ceiling of gray we have here. It's also funny to see how NWers react when the sun does make it's way out. It's like everyone suddenly downs 1000 anti-depressants! :lol: They grouse if they're at work on a sunny day(s) and give praise to God when they return from a glorious sunny weekend in which they were actually off work. It was quite humorous to me when I moved here; now I have become one of them. :x :shock:

I realize the weather is what has made the PNW what it is, but that doesn't change the fact that it's not for everyone. Meredith is born/raised here and even she is tiring of the gloom. I met people in Hawai'i (transplanted "Mainlanders") who complained we didn't have "seasons". But to us, it was perfect. I could surf, swim, just read a book on the beach, even in January. I didn't own a jacket. Shorts & slippers (aka "flip-flops")were the daily dress code and my mountain bike was my daily transportation. The only reason I moved here was for a better financial reality/opportunity; "Paradise" is VERY EXPENSIVE. I have no regrets, however. Like I said; I LOVE SUMMERS HERE and it is a beautiful place.

But if I won The Powerball tomorrow, I'd send you all my new address...on Mau'i. 8)
 
Indeed, Mark. While working in the Tetons, a man gave me his card and said, "If you ever want a captain job on Maui..." My first question, "Does it include housing?"

Joan's first question, "Did Hawaii change their quarantine rules for domestic pets?"

Priorities.

While sitting on Kaanapali Beach on Maui, I once said to Joan, "If we sold our house, our business, the commercial property, our vehicles, and everything else we own... we could probably afford to stay here for another month or so." :roll:

Hawaii (mostly Maui) was our "reward" for a lot of years for making it through our busy season each year. A treat when winter had a grip on the Black Hills. We certainly understand extremes in weather.

The drudgery of commercial flying has taken some of the pleasure out of travel to some locations. These days, we prefer to have our "home accommodations" with us, whether boat or RV, as we travel.

Weather (since that has been the topic now) does play a big part in most folks' state of mind. For those who live to snow ski, laying on a beach with warm water may not seem so attractive. I'm glad we all have different tastes.

All that said, each place we visit has unique qualities. Doesn't mean we want to live there (anywhere) year 'round. Life is short and uncertain. Take pleasure where you are.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Summer in the PNW is gorgeous...both days of it!!! :lol:

Gore-Tex baseball cap. $25
Gore-Tex rainsuit. $400
Gore-Tex boots. $200

Not getting drenched in Seattle. Priceless.
 
Both interesting articles. I was a math major, and the author did put a positive spin on each of those factoid-filled writings. Still, the fact remains that Seattle gets more rain and has less sunshine that any other major city in the US. Significant? Only if more rain and less sunshine bothers one. If I had to endure it for months at a time, I would be "one." :wink:

Even for a sun-lover, the Pacific Northwest is amazingly beautiful. Of course, there are some times of the year where you have a better chance at seeing all that beauty. We just got back from a drive on the west side of San Juan Island and a bit of hiking around Lime Kiln State Park. The trees and other vegetation are absolutely lush. The blue sky and white-capped water made a dramatic backdrop. How could anyone not find that captivating?

I feel the same way about the warm water, powdery sand beaches, and glorious Gulf sunrises in south Texas. Or the majestic Grand Tetons. The stark desert scenery of the southwest. The man-made "canyons" of the Manhattan skyline. Mt. Rushmore. The Pacific Coast Highway in California. Even the way the wind blows across the endless fields of wheat in Kansas, looking like waves. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, and I like being the beholder... in a lot of different places.

Pretty sure I haven't said anything bad about the PNW or Seattle (it is one of our favorite big cities). Oh, I may kid Pat about the weather, but that is more to get a rise out of my friend. I truly suffered through some bitter winters in my younger years and wouldn't wish that on anyone.

I totally get why people settle here. I've come to the conclusion that we are OK not settling anywhere. For the sake of raising our daughter and building a business, we spent a lot of years in one place, but also made it our business to travel a lot.

On a tangent, this article about flying commercially cracked me up...

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/13/travel/ai ... ?hpt=hp_c3

We all have our breaking points, whether it is lack of sunshine, too much cold, too much heat, or being treated like cattle on an airline.

A good laugh or twelve every day can get you through a lot.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
I saw a couple C-Dorys out and about yesterday: Ben and Kathryn on Big Blue, enjoying some whale watching. Walking back from work, I met Tim and Betsy on their 22 (from Anacortes).

It's a rainy day today. It was coming down heavier this morning, just a solid mist now.

Joan has the day off, I'll be working as a naturalist today. I'll be getting out my rain gear before I head to work.

We get some interesting questions when it rains...

http://captnjim.blogspot.com/2012/06/wh ... comes.html

I recall that the folks who own this business asked us if we knew what to expect for weather here. 8)

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
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