Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Good times, trip, on the horizon

Soon to head off for a good long trip with the boys where we will play away many days in the islands again. Poor Amy has to work. Head to Stuart, hike and climb around, head into BC and over to Portland Island, and who knows where else? Five easy days, sailing on a breeze, lots of good food and wild, deep time. Time to think. Time to play. Time to sit next to each other and not say a word while watching eagles soar. Ah, just the anticipation of it fills me with joy.

We have such an intimate connection with the Salish Sea and her many islands, and I am just so grateful for every single day I am able to explore a bit more. Our sons have little clue that what they do with us to explore nature is so unusual and unique, and that is fine with us. They'll follow their own path eventually, like this one or not. But come on, look at this beautiful boy and imagine he doesn't get this into his bones?

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Love your machines, and they will love you back


I went to Aeolus to perform the sort of maintenance that must be done but that people avoid doing. Growing up, my father would let me use his tools to tear apart lawn mowers and fix my bike and do all sorts of crazy things. Looking back on that, I see how much I learned about basic mechanical principles, and most importantly, the reciprocal relationship between machines and their owners.

I know people who treat their machines as though they are autonomous creatures, capable of their own preservation. Don't lift a finger to maintain them, and then get upset when they fail them at inopportune times. Sailing books and blogs are filled with stories of sailors having misfortune related to a routine maintenance item not being addressed.

To indoctrinate my boys, I have taken to saying to them that you must "Love your machines and they will love you back". A simple mantra, easy to understand. Really, it is just a subset of the larger truth that Auden said so well that we must "Love one another or die". But sticking to machines, they do so much and ask so little. Especially a diesel engine.

Well, I just spent about 24 hours hanging upside down in the bilge giving lots of love to my diesel on Aeolus. Changed the oil, changed the filter, and changed the Oberdorfer impeller on the water pump. Cleaned this, cleaned that, checked this, checked that. Really, I was just giving her a good rub down and making sure she is ready for another season.