Sailing On Grace : Annapolis -Grace, the boat and the spirit

5/9/18 leaving Cambridge/arriving in Annapolis

This morning motoring through the Choptank River leaving Cambridge....The immediacy of pleasure

Sitting in the curve of stanchions on the aft deck. Sun behind me, wind on my face. Wind ripples the water, waves if at fish level, perhaps. I feel forward motion, the vibration of the engine, and hear water rushing and bubbling around the hull. Houses, white rectangles with minimum detail slip past a mile away on either side. Every now and again a motor boat passes disturbing - creating a new - rhythm. A beam roll added to our vaguely discernible up and down as Grace advances through the water.

Doing nothing is foreign. Accustomed as I am to paying attention, pulling my weight, doing my fair share whatever the situation I'm in. Is this pervasive fear of quiet, or inactivity, of not doing inborn or learned? Or middle class privilege? Since I've not "earned" this wealth/opportunity, I should be doing something every moment to make the world or someone better, healthier?

Passing R16 I relish the osprey nest with one bird on the nest and another on lookout. I bet they're not concerned about making the world a better place. They just are.

And Grace, the boat as well as GRACE, the spirit, moves us along, literally and figuratively.

The day progressed, gentle seas and wind, blue skies, short sailing day and only one spat with David. We easily misunderstand each other, taking shortcuts in communication, expecting the other to read our minds. I was at the helm, navigating, setting a new course. I made a turn - lots of water, no boats around, me ready to work on setting new course. David hovered - I felt David hovering. "Don't touch the screen" I said sort of joking but also wanting to figure it out for myself. Of course, I'd insist on him checking my work as I check his but wanted to figure the course first. Lots of time. No hazards in the immediate future. Clearly, I choose the wrong words or tone for the moment and a spat ensued with both of us convinced we were RIGHT and preferring not to "listen to understand" the other. David wanted me to do the task the way he does which, I admit could be the better way, but I wanted to figure it out. We went to our corners and rested. Nothing like the stubbornness of an only child and a youngest son.

'lo and behold we made it to Annapolis - no crisis, we're both still on board and where it is beautifully calm. We almost immediately got off the boat, registered for our mooring, got tokens to use the showers and divided up. I needed to do something "by myself!" (my emphasis on paper - I was a little more gentle saying I needed some alone time.) I realized later that I just didn't want to have to negotiate anything else - where to go, what to do - with David for awhile.

I explored some new neighborhoods away from the tourist section of the port. Only now do I notice the appropriateness of this "house divided" house, given the recent dust-up.

The gardens are just coming into full bloom...dogwoods, azaleas, pinks, bearded irises and green everywhere. In NC these flowers were on their way out. At this rate we should arrive in Maine at perfect flowering season.

I was sort of looking for - going in the direction of - a church steeple toward the south/southeast of the harbor. Never found it but no disappointment.

Several "no outlet" roads and I finally took one to its end in the river/creek on the other side of the swing bridge from where we moor.

This little bench in a sort of arbor/groto was at the "no outlet" at the road that ended at the river/creek. I stopped. Watched and listened to sparrows. Read the "don't let the dog out" sign on a gate. Looked in the metal box. A LIBRARY! one of those little "free libraries" that I'd first discovered in New Orleans (I think)...a take a book/leave a book (if you have one handy). I'd brought my own book but decided to look at Resisting Happiness which was there. Hmmm.

I ended up reading all the chapter titles, the bold print, and the "main theme" and "action steps" at the end of each chapter. Good find. A Catholic book - writer is Catholic and the book promotes Catholic practice - and God is identified as male so I had to translate that to my feminine, more universal, non-religious perspective and language. What a bother. Lovely information though and, obviously, what I was led to find on this beautiful day.

Agreed upon time to reconnect with David. I stopped along the way to smell more flowers, took my shower, called David again for meeting place. He stopped by the boat for beer - saving our money - and we took the dinghy to the other side of the swing bridge. A lovely little boat trip up the beautifully calm "creek" with some big boats and little boats and expensive condos and homes. We found my "no outlet"/library place. As we came back under the swing bridge we entered the end of the Wednesday Night Races - a tradition in many boating communities. These were bigger, faster boats than our Freeport Yacht Club race. Holy cow. Sailing vessels from every direction, most moving much faster than our little dinghy. Excitement! We made our way to the mooring field where there was some protection from these beauties. Then... Home to Grace for dinner on the aft deck. Ahhh.