Showing posts with label sailing. Show all posts

tacking, bougainvillea, and bees


"We have been tacking back and forth, ducking under the swinging boom. Sid is very busy, for the boat handles badly and the wind seems to come from every direction. The sun has gone under, too, and the warmth has left the afternoon. The sky to the west is full of bruise-colored clouds, and the hospital towers on the north shore are lost in gray shrags of rain. In the hostile airs we come almost to a standstill." –Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety, p. 131

I loved this book for so many reasons, a small one being at this part of the story—a sailing trip—when I unexpectedly understood what was happening, all from an afternoon of sailing this summer. A few hours split between the Lido 14 and sailing solo (i.e., the three of us) on a Sunfish and we experienced some of those moments of listless tacking–changing directions in order to take advantage of the direction the wind is blowing. But if it keeps changing, you go nowhere. (the baby sailboats above are the opposite–smooth sailing because the wind is steady)


I'm currently reading a book about Morocco that strikes me as a modern, Moroccan "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House"-esque story. I love reading about Moroccan culture, history, craftsmanship, and tilework. In several parts of the book, the author describes the vegetation in some of the Moroccan cities he visits. Many of the plants were familiar to me, but he kept including "bougainvillea" in the list with no description. In my head I pictured the plant above, which I saw on the Italian Riviera; it seemed fittingly colorful and apt for a Moroccan scene, so it served as a fine substitute. Finally I Googled this unknown plant and it was the very same. Isn't it so beautiful and unusual? I had always thought that it had green leaves and that the flowers were also leaves, as they look quite similar, but Wikipedia tells me otherwise (the fuchsia leaves are "bracts"). It's nice to actually know (and I'm so happy I found these photos!).


Last but not least—I finished reading Anna Karenina this past fall. From the beginning, Levin was my favorite character. In the latter half of the book, Tolstoy introduces Levin's hobby of beekeeping and obviously this sealed the deal.

I laughed so much as I read this exchange:

" 'Kostya, look! Here's a bee! Really, we shall get stung!' cried Dolly, waving away a wasp.
" 'But that's not a bee, it's a wasp,' said Levin."  –Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, p. 948

Though I'm not actually a beekeeper [yet; but I am a member of the county beekeeping association!] I, too, have a silly habit of correcting people when they mistake yellow jackets or wasps for bees. I feel somewhat justified.

 . . . 


Lately I continue finding small and insignificant things to appreciate beyond the more obviously compelling elements of the books I read. Just one more reason that I love reading.

sailing

I went sailing on Saturday with Adrienne, Quinton, and the local yacht club. It was the. greatest.
We sailed with the commodore in a vessel called the Lido 14, and I thought the sail looked familiar—I saw one of these (and took a photo of one of these) last summer on Balboa Island! Later the 3 of us went out alone in a Sunfish (with the red and white striped sail). All day I was reveling in being on the water and the excitement of learning a new skill. Oh I loved it. We will be going back.

 Age and I sang "yes, we have no bananas; we have no bananas today," à la Sabrina. It was only appropriate.
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