Kittywampus is Sold!

Well, this post is a bit dated, as it has been a few weeks since it has happened, but Kittywampus is sold.  Captain Man has worked almost 2 years in revamping this boat, so that we could take her south.  We were hoping to make that journey last winter, but she just wasn't ready.  So, the work continued into the spring, (and still some).  Kittywampus is a beauty, and all his hard work shows.  It is with mixed emotions that she is going to someone else after all the efforts, but we feel good that the proud new owners will use and enjoy her.  Captain Man will be taking her to Mobile, Alabama very soon to meet up with the owners.  

I met Captain Man over 10 years ago and he introduced me to the world of cruising.  Since then, I have been privileged to enjoy four great boats...Cats Away, Felix, Fat Chance, and this boat.   With Cats Away, I visited Captain Man in the Bahamas for extended trips.  But Felix and Fat Chance, I stayed on the boats while cruising and I got attached to the boats.  Especially Fat Chance.  And now, it's the same for Kittywampus.  We haven't sailed her much at all, but we have been working on her for a long time.  For boaters, it is a labor of love.  Not only do you want the boat to look nice, but your life depends on her while you are at sea.  Captain Man goes to great lengths to assure any boat is sea worthy and safe, but for me it goes a little beyond that.  Some may think I a bit touched when I say this, but there is a sort of kinship with the boat when you are on the water...with just you, your partner and the boat.  All are dependent on each other for survival.  So, yep, I do get attached to any boat that takes us on that journey.

But, it is always great to know or feel that the new owners are going to respect that kinship...and I know for Captain Man, (the one who has done such extensive work on this boat), it makes him feel good to know that the owners will use and enjoy her as much as we had hoped to do.

So to the new owners...Congratulations on obtaining Kittywampus!!  She is a beauty,  sails great and I know she is happy to be back on the water.  I hope you have many, many wonderful adventures on this great vessel.

Beauty with Aging!

A lot has happened since my last post...and hopefully I will be able to share soon.  So in the midst of everything going on, I am trying to keep my anxiety to a manageable level by keeping up with my walking.  This morning, as I walked through through town, I had to stop and snap a few pics of the beautiful, old oaks around the Episcopal Church.  They are gorgeous!  

I bet these have weathered some tough times through out the years.  The gnarly branches look as though they have been twisted back and forth, probably through several major storms.  

This morning there were two squirrels scampering about the limbs, don't know if they were playing with each other or scurrying about getting ready for stormy weather.  I have always heard that animals can tell if bad weather is approaching.  I am hoping these two were simply full of energy and happy to be playing on this ole tree, and not in a tizzy trying to get ready for something we don't want to see around here.  

Anyway, stopping by these old oaks this morning got me to thinking, with age comes beauty.  Beauty in that the outside appearance reflects our experiences that make us who we are.  When these beauties were planted or seeded by the wind, they probably would not be been described as "beautiful trees".  But now they are beautiful old trees.  For this oak, the passing of time is revealed by its size and twisted branches, showing how it weathered its life.  For us, we have our scars, gray hair and wrinkles...showing how we've weathered our lives. The scars, wrinkles, twisted or gnarled bodies...they are a representation of what we have been through, of what we have seen and experienced.  To live life's experiences and wonders, well that is beautiful. 

So, in this era of fashion and beauty, with ads of young, beautiful people without scars, wrinkles, sags, or graying or receding hair, and "anti aging creams, lotions, potions, etc.", why don't we view aging as a beautiful experience.  The next time you see an elderly man or woman, embrace their beauty... those wrinkles you see are real beauty marks.