Today was another day of much work for little reward, as I once again pitted myself against the relentless current that has thwarted my progress for the last few days.
This is where I almost wish I had a crewmate. Crews of two typically alternate shifts, each rower rowing for two hours while the other rests. It’s a brutal regimen, but it does mean that the crew can push on through a current because there is somebody always at the oars. I, on the other hand, go backwards when hunger or tiredness force me to take a break. And so I end up rowing the same piece of ocean again and again.
However, there was a little dollop of inspiration in the book I was listening to today – “Empire Falls
The phrase that stood out for me was used to describe what happened when things did not go according to plan. She would keep on going, “delayed, but not deterred”. I liked the mantra so much that I have written it up on the whiteboard in front of my rowing position.
I am most definitely delayed on the Indian Ocean. But not deterred. Well, only a little bit, sometimes. But I’m still here, and still rowing, one oarstroke at a time….
Other Stuff:
I’m tired after a long day at the oars, so this is your lot for today. I’m off to bed, and will get up early tomorrow morning to start rowing again before I lose too much ground.
Quote – a bumper- juicy quote to make up for the short blog:
“Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path, and where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god. And where we had thought to slay another we shall slay ourselves. Where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone we shall be with all the world.” (Joseph Campbell)
Photo: it’s a big, big, big, big ocean.
Sponsored Miles: 2 new sponsors to help Roz regain those lost miles. Thanks to Daniel Collins and Peter Lisker.
Thank you for the huge response to Roz’s request for laughter – both here on the blog page, and also on Facebook. I have enjoyed reading them too. Just a shame that Roz can’t see the Youtube clips, especially the one of people with weird laughs.
Great stuff, laughter. Thanks, Rita. All the best, Stephen
This is off the blog that I started for Roz. I thought it appropriate since we seem to be having a solidarity theme this week. The planned Solidarity Sunset is August 13, 2011. However, for those that cannot wait here is some useful information. My target audience lives in Northern California, however, any information can be googled to target your location.
Keep sending Roz those good vibes! Please feel free to share as my goal is to get people to appreciate the information enough that they feel it appropriate to donate to Roz’s cause.
This weekend Friday and Saturday nights July 29 and 30th 2012 marks the beginning of the Perseid and Delta Aquarid meteor showers. Coupled with the new moon (no moon) It should be a nice little light show not to be missed. The Earth in its orbit travels through two large asteroid belts every year. We will soon be traveling thru near center of the largest one The Persieds. Last year I took a large group of people to the top of Lover’s Leap just above Strawberry. We used the Strawberry Lodge as a staging point for the hike. We brought wine and cheesecake to enjoy the night sky in deluxe splendor. Better yet finding a kayak in campground like the ones in Lake Sonoma and Cherry Lake, Wright’s lake, Echo Lake and Fallen Leaf Lake are best for this but any area clear of trees and lights can make this an unforgettable show. Lake Oroville has floating campgrounds that you kayak to. Maybe a fire look out station for those who don’t like water. We use satellites now so many of them have turned into remote camping destinations. http://www.buckrock.org/ I suggest using google maps to find local airstrips if you are not near a granite peak void of trees. http://www.maps.google.com Observatories like the one on top of Mount Livermore and Mount Tam are also perfect places to stargaze. Bring warm layers, flashlights, mosquito repellent, a thermos of Vietnamese or Japanese noodle soup and down load google sky map or similar star chart on your smart phone. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/07/110725-double-meteor-shower-sky-show-space-science-perseid-aquarid/
Squaw Valley will be hosting an annual meteor shower campout event at high camp just above the tram ride: on August 12th with the full moon.http://www.theskichannel.com/news/skinews/20110725/Campout-for-the-Perseid-Meteor-Shower-at-Squaw-Valley-USA ***Bonus information: when to look for satellites (an hour after sunset) We (the earth) is in the shadow. The Satellites are still in high orbit and reflect the suns rays down to us via their solar wings because high up, they are still in the sun’s direct path. And finding constellations (often too difficult due to the shear number of stars above) can now be done thru apps such as starwalk for iphones and google skymaps for androids. It took me twenty years to learn what Kasey downloaded in 8 seconds for free
http://seasky.org/ http://www.theskyscrapers.org/mehttp://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases_calendar.phtml
for more sun and moon times at your (or Roz’s, +/-) specific location: http://www.sunrisesunsetmap.com Enjoy and many thanks! ~Jay www.outside-365.blogspot.cominformation for the everyday adventurer
Row Roz Row!
Ahhhh thank you for reminding me of fond memories of sunsets on Mt. Tamalpias, Diablo, Tuolumne meadows Cathedral Peak and Unicorn Peak. Mt. Shasta too. Also White Mountain Peak. Some of the best sky viewing I have seen is from Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park. 10,000 feet (approximately 3,000 meters) above sea level. Thanks for the links too. Cheers, Stephen
I like that…Delayed but not deterred. I have been working on a project that keeps getting delayed. Gives me hope to finish it. Climbing the mountains in the Cascade range of Oregon and Washington is a bit like what you are going through. It is like trying to climb a giant gravel pile. One step up, two steps back. Perhaps a little like Sisyphus?
Hi Roz, Here’s a (true?) story, courtesy of Wazza, UWA Rugby Club, hope you like it;
It’s a slow day in a dusty little Australian town. The sun is beating
down and the streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in
debt, and everybody lives on credit.
On this particular day a rich tourist from down south is driving
through town, stops at the local Motel and lays a $100 bill on the
desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick
one to spend the night.
He gives him keys to a few rooms and as soon as the man walks
upstairs, the owner grabs the $100 bill and runs next door to pay
his debt to the butcher. The butcher takes the $100 and runs
down the street to repay his debt to the pig farmer. The pig farmer
takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed
and fuel.
The guy at the Farmer’s Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his
drinks bill at the local pub. The publican slips the money along to
the local prostitute drinking at the bar, who has also been facing
hard times and has had to offer him “services” on credit.
The hooker rushes to the motel and pays off her room bill to the
motel owner with the $100. The motel proprietor then places the
$100 back on the counter so the rich traveller will not suspect
anything.
At that moment the traveller comes down the stairs, picks up the
$100 bill, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the
money, and leaves town.
No one produced anything. No one earned anything.
However, the whole town is now out of debt and looking to the
future with a lot more optimism
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the Australian
Government’s stimulus package works.
I often wondered about that;-)
Wow, I’m so pleased that was such a rousing success. I really enjoyed all the jokes and stories, too. I particularly liked the one about the 4-year-old rower/kayaker working on his blisters to be like Roz and retrieving plastic bottles from the harbor.
Wow, I’m so pleased that was such a rousing success. I really enjoyed all the jokes and stories, too. I particularly liked the one about the 4-year-old rower/kayaker working on his blisters to be like Roz and retrieving plastic bottles from the harbor.
Wow, I’m so pleased that was such a rousing success. I really enjoyed all the jokes and stories, too. I particularly liked the one about the 4-year-old rower/kayaker working on his blisters to be like Roz and retrieving plastic bottles from the harbor.
Roz,
Enjoying your posts. I’m going to use the Joseph Campbell quote in the creativity class I’m facilitating tonight. Keep rowing.
Navé
Everyone else must be tired after yesterday’s efforts. But not me! Here’s one inspired by a TV commercial:
A mother and her young son were flying Southwest Airlines from Kansas City to Chicago . The little boy, who had been looking out the window, turned to his mother and asked, “If big dogs have baby dogs, and big cats have baby cats, why don’t big planes have baby planes?”His mother, couldn’t think of an answer, so told her son to ask the flight attendant. So the boy went down the aisle and asked the flight attendant, “If big dogs have baby dogs and big cats have baby cats, why don’t big planes have baby planes?”The busy flight attendant smiled and said, “Did your mother tell you to ask me that question?”
The boy said, “Yes, she did.”
“Well then, you go and tell your mother that there are no baby planes because Southwest always pulls out on time, and ask her to explain that to you.”
Adding a rainbow makes anything 20% cooler.
How about a little anecdote to detract you form the endless ocean?
A lot of years ago I took a trip to a Canadian Airshow in a not very rebuilt WWII twin engine bomber trainer. The center windscreen was cracked and taped over, duct tape supreem. The weather forced us to land at another air show where they put us on display. The weather cleared and we flew to the Abbotsford BC airshow where they put us on display too. The little door on the bottom of the wing for draining the fuel tank lost it’s screw, so we used a band-aid to hold it shut. On the way back to California the door fell open in flight and someone had to lean out of the plane to close it. Then 10 minutes from landing the left oil tank ruptures and they had to close the airport till the smoke cleared. If, knowing all this, I had a chance to do it again, I would not hesitate for a second.
Hope that distracted you for a couple minutes anyway.
A guy gets shipwrecked. When he wakes up, he’s on a beach. The sand is
purple. He can’t believe it. The sky is purple. He walks around a bit
and sees that there is purple grass, purple birds and purple fruit on
the purple trees. He’s shocked when he finds that his skin is starting
to turn purple too. “Oh no!” he says. “I think I’ve been marooned!”
Hi Roz,
Great rowing! What’s your current position, I don’t seem to be able to find it anywhere. Don’t if it’s my computer skills or ‘man type’ searching!….
Stay safe
Justin