Monday, August 29, 2016

I'm So Excited!!!

Early summer 1985... Standing on the pier... Norfolk, VA... 2 less than two weeks after reporting aboard the USS FLYING FISH SSN-673... Waiting to get underway for a Med Run... Dress Whites... Singing this... 

31 years later... 2016... Late summer... Simon, in his dress whites and I... The Last of the Moheathens... Weeks away from the next leg of our adventure... 

Details of which are changing rapidly... Like the river we are camped on... 

Our life now... RVing... Like a Med Run or a West Pac... There's the adventure of getting there and the adventure of being there...

Getting there... By submarine or RV is cramped... Sometimes smelly... Everything better be stowed for sea before getting underway... And goddamn it... I'm still hot racking with a smelly dog... 

Being there... Everyplace is different... As different as a Med Run and a West Pac... 

As different as a 23 yr old on West Pac and a 29 year old on a Med Run... As different as a dark, crowded, smoke filled, noisy bar, full of drunk sailors and country music and a 60 yr old alone in a quiet campsite, beside a campfire, only the dog near by... 

Surrounded by the sounds of the forest and stars so close they can touched... Far better than the sounds of a casino and flashing neon lights...  

Any way... This song has been echoing in my head all day... #imsoexcited #coulditbeanomen 

https://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=b3XQziVgIK0&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dg6A6pMO_WKM%26feature%3Dshare

Long may you run...

Just found out yesterday was Rainbow Bridge Rememberance Day... 2/3 of these beautiful boys have crossed... Simon and I are the Last of the Moheathens and we miss his brothers, everyday... Long may you run boys... Long may you run... xxxxx

Saturday, August 27, 2016

No Regrets, Coyote...

A little over a year ago I began the practice each day of listing things I’m grateful for in my journal… Each morning with a cup of coffee, pen and paper… Old school… In cursive… Sister Mary Miserable would be proud… Even if it’s messy sometimes…

It’s been an eye opener and life changing as there are always things to be happy for… Taking the time to think about them to start the day sets the tone for the rest of the day…

Using different methods to provoke good thoughts and to get the ink flowing… This morning I started with the five senses… Sight, Hearing, Smell, Touch and Taste… Felt so good after words I thought I’d share some of the good feelings here…

Sight… The blue sky and all that is good… The trees and the leaves that have already begun turning yellow… Mountains… Sunrises and Sunsets… Smiles… And the wag of Simon’s tail…

Hearing… I’m looking forward to hearing nature again… Three more weeks before Simon and I are alone in the wilderness… The sound of a stream and the wind through the trees… The song of the birds and sounds of the forest… Laughter… And silence, my favorite sound, it’s the sound that speaks the loudest…

Smell… Campfires and good food cooking on the fire… Wild flowers… Simon as I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in the fur of his neck… Smells like love…

Touch… The touch of a friend… Near, far, new, old… A handshake… A hug… Or even a text from afar… The feel of a cool stream to put my feet in… The splash of cool water on my face… The warm sun on my face… The morning dew and the wet grass on my bare feet…

Taste… Good food… Meat off the grill… Fresh fruit and vegetables… Strong coffee… Red wine… Cool water… Good beer…
Warm bed… Good rest…

Time to think… Time to listen and time to hear… Yes, there’s a difference…

No regrets… Life is good…