The Summer of… Purple Martins

The Summer of… Purple Martins

It seems that each summer, one creature or another comes to us in a way that defines the sailing season. That the wind and weather, the landscapes and seascapes, and their inhabitants distinguish one day from another aboard delights me. I remember—2007 was the summer...

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Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes

I love when a fellow sailor pauses on the dock to tell me what a beautiful boat we have. Kagán, however, is not only beautiful, she is also a great sailing, and liveaboard, vessel. But that doesn’t happen without a lot of work behind the scenes. The last few weeks...

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Going with the Flow–Literally

Going with the Flow–Literally

Visiting with a New Mexico friend before leaving the Land of Enchantment for parts north, and the sailing season on Kagán, she asked me how we decide where to go. The answer is that sometimes there are places we need to be on particular dates, and sometimes we have a...

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Writing—and Authoring

Writing—and Authoring

I have been writing for decades, but I have only been authoring (which I admit may not be a word, but let’s just say it is) a brief time. I am contemplating the contrast between writing and authoring this morning. Writing is a process I felt a pull toward, like it was...

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Outta My Head

Outta My Head

This is a guest post by Holly Moxley, an artist and designer, and my dear friend. Holly usually expresses her thoughts and feelings with brushstrokes, but she switched to a pen for this piece. I hope her words will resonate with you as much as they do for me. Thank...

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A Fault Ruptures and Hearts  Break

A Fault Ruptures and Hearts Break

A natural event can become a disaster when humans are in its way—like the earthquakes in southeastern Turkey beginning during the early morning hours of February 6, when thousands upon thousands were asleep in buildings that could not withstand the shaking they were...

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Intrepid

Intrepid

Small in size doesn’t necessarily mean small in spirit. Though our house no longer holds our little dog, Capi (who passed peacefully, here, with us by her side, on December 9, 2022), her spirit certainly lives on in it. Capi was undeniably cute. But ask anyone who...

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The Perfect Line

The Perfect Line

Someone says something, and you’re struck dumb. Perhaps dumbfounded is more like it. Would someone really say that? Too often it’s family—Uncle Aren’t-I-Funny? or Aunt No-Filter. Or maybe it’s Ms. or Mr. I-Don’t-Even-Know-You-And-Still-I’d-Say-That. Haven’t we all...

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Wherever I Go…

Wherever I Go…

…there I am, in all my neurotic glory. In early September, in the days after attaining my Coastal Navigation certification with my sailing mentor, Nancy Erley, I felt empowered—a confident captain of my fair little ship. I started drafting a piece titled Empowerment....

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Swoosh

Swoosh

Sometimes it takes decades, and sometimes just a moment... Growing Up and Out (2000) I grew up,into me,not who you wantedme to be.You remember,and so do I,that I would doall you said,that I would bewho you said,when I was small. That little girlseemed to needyou, so...

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Geologists study the earth and the processes that shape it. Writers study the human heart and the processes that shape it. The GeologistWriter builds a bridge between the two. Come across it with me!

GROUND WORK: Wander the outdoors with me.

VENUS & MARS GO SAILING: Life. Intensified. On the Salish Sea.

FINDING THE WORDS: We all have stories – let's find the words to tell them.

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