Learning to Sail

Remember learning how to drive a car? I can remember thinking, "There's so much to remember." I also recall learning how to drive a clutch and thinking, "I will NEVER be able to do this."  Well that's precisely how it feels to learn how to sail. I have had exactly 3 lessons and I feel the same way I did when I learned to drive a car, with the aforementioned lines buzzing repeatedly through my brain.

In my mind, I thought I would have a little more of an edge. I'm not new to sailing, per say. I've been participating informally as crew during our Wednesday night sailing races for over 5 years. I know how do a lot ON the sailboat, but drive it? I guess I'll have to think that one through again. After all, I have zero experience there.

Last night my sailing instructor looked at all of us with a perplexed facial expression as we pulled our practice boat, Animal House, into the slip. It reminded me of my father walking back into the house after a practice session when I had my driving permit at the tender age of fifteen.  "What were you thinking?" he asked most of us at some point.  I know he is trying to help, but mostly I was thinking,"I feel retarded, that's what I'm thinking." 

I didn't say that, but I wanted to. The truth is I was thinking that I have been on a boat that uses a tiller to steer only a few times, and because of this, it is opposite to the way I am trained to steer anything. I didn't say that either, but I wanted to. 

I'm not going to give up though. Every morning I awaken and think about my prior sail, and I am loving sailing more and more. I did captain the boat, and even though I found it frustrating, and I felt like a newby, I did it. Moreover, I look forward to my next sail and trying again. The people in my class are really forgiving and friendly, and my instructor is excellent. He is the perfect mix of safe and knowledgeable, yet at the same time willing to let me learn from my mistakes. I feel I'm perfectly placed  in this course. 10 and 2 is still relevant, but it means something completely different in a sailboat compared to a car. 

Now that driving is effortless, and I'm a licensed (Class A and M) driver, one who has been seasoned ever so slightly over the years. I admit to pulling some some not so safe shenanigans in a car. Things I would not even risk, nor would I admit to, back when I was learning how.  For example, I have driven while eating a meal, and I have texted, emailed, chatted, or used my mapping app (all while driving), because driving is just too darn easy. I really don't have to think that much, and even though I aim to keep myself from doing any of those dangerous distractions these days, I know that I would probably drive just fine if I did. 

So it follows...

Someday, I am sure I will likely feel the same way about sailing as I do about driving, or cycling, or anything else I do well. But for now, I will continue to search for good training videos, or practice tying knots using my dogs' leashes, or reading about saililing, or feeling the wind on my face and hair to determine its direction, or checking the weather report. Then one day I believe I will wonder why I ever thought it was so difficult. I hope that day comes sooner, rather tan later. 

Rebuilding Trust

In the beginning process of gathering information about my family tree, I simply wanted to learn the names of my children's grandparents. It took about two weeks to get them on paper, but one was missing, and off on another branch, I had the names of two great grandparents. In my quest to learn the grandparents names, I learned a couple of great-grandparents names, and since I was short one grandparent name, I kept asking questions. 

My obsession and excitement to complete the family tree grew, alongside my hypothesis that most of my family's roots were right here in the USA. The next thing I knew, I was going after data about relatives who were here back in the 1800s, and a part of the Union side of the Civil War thinking... I wonder if my family dates back to the American Revolution? 

So far, I don't have an answer to that question, but something I noticed as I kept digging for more information is that things I took for granted as truth before the research, were not accurate. The more and more I dig the more I am convinced of two things: people who keep secrets usually take one to their grave, and patterns emerge in family structures that repeat, just like history repeats.

I am writing this today to urge people NOT to keep secrets.

Keeping a secret basically puts up a huge road block in discovering the truth. It also makes for trust issues, but that's another story. As one who is doing family research, learning there's a secret, changes everything. It modifies all that is discovered and makes everything subject to scrutiny. Maybe that's a good thing? 

In any case, when a secret is exposed, that's when the story gets interesting. At the same time, those who pass along family secrets think they have done so to protect themselves, but often the secret is so benign and harmless, it only serves to keep other family members in the dark, not to mention forces assumptions that are likely untrue or incorrect.

This morning, I watched an interview with Hillary Clinton on CNN, and she made several statements I think fit - even here.

She said, "...mistrust and misunderstanding are often the real fundamental obstacles to bringing people together... When you are dealing with implacable adversaries who believe their version of reality is right and yours is misguided, it's not easy, but at the same time, you can't ever give up trying... but we don't have enough trust, and trust is the glue that holds a democracy together..."

For some reason, this rings true for me, even in regard to family research. 

Family Heritage Questions

I have been conducting some research that traces my family lineage. It is extremely tedious, but rewarding work. I started this search over three years ago, but I dropped the ball because I kept hitting dead ends. What I've learned is that cousins and aunts and uncles have a ton more information than I thought they would. And now, three years later, my family tree is getting really big! Like a live tree, it's fun to watch it grow.

There are many great websites that assist in the discovery of relatives and ancestors, but once I got going, I realized that I had saved quite a bit of information on my own. For instance, this morning I located an audio recording on cassette tape of my mother in law telling Brad about when she traced their roots back to Stockholm, Sweden. She even found a family grave site near Stockholm, when she stayed there with relatives.

Again it was a cousin that hosted my mother in law. The relation was that her mother was a cousin of my mother in law's great grandmother. The cousin's name was Eva and it turned out that Eva had a doll named after my mother in law, Corinne. Corinne and my sister in law took the trip to visit Sweden in 1984.

What I am wondering is... How long has our family been here in the U.S.? Many of my ancestors have been here in the U.S. for quite a long time, which makes it easier to trace our roots. I've recently discovered my ancestors have roots that date back to the Civil War time. Now I'm thinking that I may have had relatives here during the birth of our great nation. I recently discovered that Brad has a relative who is buried at Arlington National Cemetery!

Seattle

One of my favorite cities. Home to my favorite football team. Also known as the emerald city. I love Seattle. The sights, the sounds, and the smells of an ocean port town, which boasts a Public Market right next to the water, and a ferry system that carries people and cars to any of the islands that make up the Puget Sound - or all the way to Canada, if the want or need is there. Could there be a better place to hop a plane, or train, or take road trip?

Yes? Then read on...

One of my favorite things to do in Seattle is take a ferry ride. The easiest one to take is the Bainbridge island ferry, because the terminal is so accessible. A better ferry excursion takes a little more work and planning, but it's well worth the effort. It leaves from Anacortes, and travels around the San Juan Islands. I've visited almost all of the islands in that area, but by far, my favorite is the stop at Friday Harbor on the San Juan Island. There are a lot of fun things to do right there at the ferry terminal, which is why I think it's the best ferry trip ever.

Reference a ferry schedule, by going to www.wsdot.wa.gov, and make a plan before embarking on a Friday Harbor adventure.  If you want to eat too, there are many great restaurants right near the ferry terminal. I like Cask and Schooner for something a little fancy, and Friday's Crab House for drinks and grilled/fried food. Both have an excellent view of the water, and the food is good at both as well. If you have more time, there are lots of restaurants, pubs, cute boutiques, and so on all set near or on the Main Street. There's an interesting self guided walking tour around the waterfront that should not be missed, and I highly recommend a visit to The Whale Musuem. There are resident Orca pods that travel through the Haro Straight and they are the best source for knowing where to view the whales in their habitat. There is nothing that can compare to viewing Orca whales in the wild.

Ferry trip taken? A few other fun activities await. First, make sure to visit the Ballard Locks (actually named Hiram M. Chittenden Locks). On a nice day, I could spend the afternoon here. There's a visitor center, there are big boats, there are little boats, there are even tug boats, and it's fun to watch them pass through the locks. Take a tour, or don't, but definitely stand there and witness this passage way.  If you have time, go down to the salmon run viewing area that's near the salmon tubes that shoot out the smolt (young salmon). If you're lucky there will be a  ranger inside the salmon ladder viewing area who will answer your questions about the salmon and their migration. 

The South Lake Union Trolley (aka: SLUT) is a fun way to get to Lake Union, which is another not to be missed location in Seattle, assuming a trip to the Space Needle has been visited at least once. Why? Because both should be seen in person at least once, and the SLUT will take you there for free! It's fun to look at the yachts for sale once you're at the harbor. I also like to drink a margarita at one of the many restaurants around Lake Union. Just wander around and you WILL find something fun there. Check out www.ridetheslut.com for more information. They also have a great map. 

Last but not least, take a day trip to the Fisherman's Terminal and wander around. Either purchase some sort of seafood there, or stop into Chinook's for a meal. Last time I was there, I ordered Cioppino with a Cesar salad and some Strawberry Shortcake for dessert. The Strawberry lemonade is delicious. Maybe because the strawberries are farm to table. I'm not sure, but next time I want to try the baked Blueberry dessert. The people next to me ordered it, and it looked really yummy! 

There are so many wonderful places to eat in Seattle, it would be impossible to mention them all. But to be thorough, and so I don't forget, here are a couple: Dot's in Fremont makes the best meat sandwiches I've ever consumed.  The menu changes often, but I've sampled their pastrami, roast beef, and Reuben sandwiches that were all amazing (warm meat baby), so try Dot's out, if you can. I also want to mention Bizarros just because it's a cool place, and oh so colorful. It's close to Green Lake, which is fun to walk, ride a bike, rent a paddle boat, or stroll, if you are looking for a place to exercise outdoors. 

Yes, it will likely rain at least one time when visiting Seattle - even in the summer. It's part of its charm.  Bring along an umbrella, or better yet, wear a light jacket with a hood. Most of the time, a jacket is all that's needed, and a jacket will likely keep you warm at night. If it's really warm, especially in the evening, be prepared for crowds. It seems like EVERYONE goes outside when it's nice out, because there is no place prettier. If the weather doesn't cooperate? Don't despair. The weather will camge a lot in one day.  When making plans for a day trip, any local will tell you, the weather should never be a reason to stay inside.