The Best of Yosemite

One of the most beautiful places in the US!

A Golden Birthday

We have been sharing golden retrievers with our friends for over 30 years. Three of the four below are siblings. That's my wife Bridget in the back and Hana too. The siblings turned 2 today. They are such a joy! For her birthday, Hana and I sailed over to Clipper Cove for a romp on the beach. She loved it. Then we did a nice sail in 12-15 knot winds towards Angel Island. It was a great day! And a great dog!

Life is an Adventure!

I found this on Quora. A site where folks ask questions to the world and you get to answer them. I am a big believer in having dreams. And dreams lead to adventure! Read on. Life is supposed to be a series of adventures. It's impossible to understand the meaning of life without understanding that. We're all supposed to be explorers, pioneers, and treasure hunters of the soul. We're not supposed to be sleep walking through the world, caught in a routine, heads down and eyes closed to the possibilities that lie waiting all around us. This world is a dramatic arena, and each of our lives is supposed to show that in the best possible way. "Without adventure, civilization is in full decay." (Alfred North Whitehead) I've become convinced that we are here in this world to live a grand adventure consisting of a series of smaller adventures. We are here for discovery, growth, creative accomplishment, and loving fulfillment. Anything less is a waste of time. Whether your adventure is noisy and glamorous, or subtle and deep, whether it plays out on a global stage, or within the borders of your own neighborhood, whether it involves changing the world, or just improving yourself, an adventurous approach to life is a requirement for becoming the person you're capable of being, making your mark in the lives of others, and experiencing a sense of lasting fulfillment along the way. I choose the word 'adventure' carefully. It's more than just a journey that I have in mind, a process of travelling from point A to B. An adventure is an extended experience, frought with risk and reward, unpredictable twists, guaranteed obstacles, and surprising results. You can take a trip, launch out on a voyage, or undergo a journey fast asleep. But an adventure has to be experienced. Eyes wide open. In disbelief, terror, amazement, or bliss. It is an essentially existential endeavor, a foray of the heart, mind and senses that calls into play every aspect of your existence. The term 'adventure' is in a sense value neutral. An adventure can be frightening, or it can be great. It can cause pain, or produce joy. It can end badly or well. But you never experience an adventure unchanged. In fact, adventure is all about change. It's about growth. And growth is the core of life. Successful lives grow out of successful adventures. The adventure of your life is so important that it demands the best of your attention, and the most of your energies, on a daily basis, so that it can be lived well. The world's greatest literature attests in many ways to the paradigmatic importance of adventure in human life. In the Iliad and the Odessey, the ancient poet Homer spun tales of striking adventures that have reverberated down the centuries, capturing the interest of people in every subsequent time. In the book of Genesis, one of the foundational stories of the Bible, an account viewed as of crucial importance by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, presents Abram as a man suddenly called out of the comfort and security of his homeland for a new adventure, a journey that would eventually lead him to The Promised Land. Renamed Abraham, this adventurer is viewed as the original Father of faith, and as an individual through whom all the nations will eventually be blessed. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go." (Hebrews 11:8, New Testament) The Buddha went on a quest. Mohammed lived an adventure. Moses, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Columbus, Gandhi, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Susan B. Anthony, Amelia Earhart, Martin Luther King - so many of the names that represent to us lives fully lived are those of adventurers, inventors, discoverers, liberators, creators, people who were not content to just measure out their days, but who threw themselves into a dynamic process of change for the sake of others as well as themselves. We're fascinated and inspired by mountain climbers, sailors on the open sea, serious rafters, hot air baloonists, scuba divers, spelunkers, astronauts, and pioneers of every kind. We admire those among us who are able to break out of their routines and take the risks involved in all discovery. And, in more subtle ways, we read with interest and satisfaction the stories to be found in great novels of character challenge, emotional learning, and personal growth. Adventures of exploration and conquest, as well as adventures of the heart, have dominated the human imagination at all times. Deep down we've somehow always known that life is meant to encompass challenging adventures, We've even suspected that human existence reaches its pinnacle in creative adventure, and yet this is an insight we too easily forget to apply to our own careers in this world. We might dream of fabulous adventures in our innermost thoughts, but thrown into an actual one, we often react with anxiety, aversion and fear. "When you¹re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you¹re having an adventure you wish you were safe at home." (Thornton Wilder) We live in what could be the most adventure filled time of change in all of human history, but we have not been sufficiently prepared for living that adventure well. We don't deeply enough understand the necessity of personal adventure for the happiness and fulfillment that we all ultimately seek. We need new wisdom for our lives at a time like this. And wisdom is the philosopher's job.

The Gorilla Strikes

Back in the early 90's (I was about 32), I was working at an event company and a call came in. A woman was asking about having someone in a gorilla suit come out and entertain at her daughters 16th birthday party. I asked her to hold while I called the costume shop to make sure they had a suit available. I got back to the Mom and told her $500 for an hour of mayham! The next day I rented the suit and headed to the party. Now this was something I had never done. We are usually coordinatining large corporate events. But what the heck, let's have some fun. I burst into the party of 20 girls all shrieking and jumping up and down. Most were cheerleaders I was to find out, and very cute. I had my boom box blasting "They say it's your birthday" by the Beatles. Then we went into a bunch of fun dance tunes. The girls loved it and I was having a ball. As I was leaving, the birthday girl is saying goodby and thanking me. She asks me to take off my head gear so she can see my face. She says, "Oh you are so cute, I am going to have you come back for my 21st birthday and have you strip!" That was a nice complement! So I had that to look forward to!! Afterwards, I took the gorilla suit to a Grateful Dead show at Shoreline. I got a huge response from the crowd. Especially the ones tripped out on LSD. They thought I was the real deal and had escaped from the zoo!

Big Yachts in Sardinia

*(&^II February sailing on the bay has been spectacular with 10-15 knot breezes. We are in the middle of an unprecidented drought in California, however, the weather is down right amazing. Today will see low 70's on the water. Too cold to swim at with the bay at 54 degrees. Heading for an overnight on the island with Hana (the dog!) and some good winds expected Saturday. Bon Voyage! Also planning to spread some of my late great Mom's ashes, Evelyn.

Trip Report: Sea of Cortez, Mexico

La Paz Sailing Adventure January 2022 John, Arnie, Barry and Geoff joined me for a charter out of La Paz. Dream Yacht Charter supplied us with a 40’ cat for week in the islands. We spent a night in La Paz and provisioned the next day. At l2 we arrived at the base at Costa Baja Marina and prepared for departure. At 2pm we were off to Espiratu Santos. I went down to take a nap and a few hours later we were anchored in a huge bay with one other boat. I prepared dinner and we cheered our arrival to this beautiful location. Barry provided a sound track of Pink Floyd and we retired to the bow for a gourgous evening of looking at the stars and milky way. On Tuesday we were up early for breakfast and a snorkel. We moved to another smaller bay and enjoyed the 70 degree water and some cool fish. Lunch took us up to Isla Partida and the clear waters of the Sea of Cortez. We finished the day with a bocce game on the beach and a lot of laughs. Arnie prepared a shrimp dinner that was out of sight. Our destination on Wednesday was 19 miles north to Isla San Francisco. We arrived at lunch time and proceed to relax a bit. At this point we had mostly motored north. The winds were up so we went for a 2 hour afternoon sail. After returning to SF, we went for a snorkel with millions of fish next to the rocky wall. Very impressive. Arnie went for a paddle and said it was his best in years. A few miles north was another island with a mangrove sanctuary. John and I stayed on the boat as it would have been a tight fit with the five of us in the zodiac. The boys were gone for about 2 hours and they had a great time motoring in waterways. After lunch, we decided to pick up anchor and go sailing. It was glorious. We returned to SF once more as the winds were over 25 at that time. The next morning we took off early for San Evaristo. A small fishing village 30 miles to the north. The winds were in the high 20’s so we motored into the storm. We made it and headed to dinner at a small restaurant. Retired early and slept well. The best day of sailing was upon us. On Saturday we saw winds in the 30’s blowing in towards the south. We had a fantastic down wind sail back to Santos. 4 hours of 5-7 knots and effortless sailing. We ended up in a beautiful bay and more snorkeling. We played a round of Liar’s Dice and called it a night after another great meal. Sunday we were up early for one last snorkel and some hammock time in the bow. We had luch at a busy beach with lots of tourist boats. Then it was time to head home and back towards the base. Dinner was a lot of leftovers. We turned the boat in the next morning and said good by to La Paz. We had an amazing week of fun with great friends and weather! The boat exceeded our expectations. We are very happy sailors!

Stuck in Mexico

We had a marvalous week sailing the islands off La Paz in the Sea of Cortez. Our chartered cat worked well for the 5 crew. Unfortunatly, after taking our covid tests to re-enter the US, 3 of the 5 have covid. We are in a hotel in Cabo isolating for the next 5 days. We hope to depart Sunday after receiving clearance from a local doctor. The weather is nice but we really can't enjoy it.