Emotions #3 - Adventure

I went to my favorite sunrise location this morning. I hope Sam's Club doesn't mind my parking with the trucks out back. Nina and I used to stop there regularly to watch the sun rise over the valley that is Morgantown. I pulled up to the edge of the lot and turned off the motorcycle. Upon surveying the sun's fresh rays and the valley of wispy fog below and after a wonderful feeling of awe, it hit me.

ADVENTURE! ... That is one of the primary reasons for my wish to go to Broad Key.  Adventure.  I think much of my love for riding a motorcycle is the sense of adventure I can get just driving to work. A smell, a blowing leaf or the morning chill, something reminds me of the morning air as I drove up the mountain toward the early Fall foliage in Killington, VT. Or I am facing a long straight stretch of road in the Great Dismal Swamp, NC. Of course there are the non-motorcycle treks in the bush in Africa or wandering the back streets and Torii lined walks of Kyoto, Japan. It seems that I have always been planning a forthcoming, in the midst of or still in the afterglow of ... adventure. These days  adventure is eluding me.

I think we all have to admit that heading to BK is an adventure. Now, is it a three day adventure? A month adventure? A year? Of course I don't know. But it is stepping into the unknown. Isn't that what basically defines adventure?

ad·ven·ture.   adˈvenCHər,əd-/

noun

1.  an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.
"her recent adventures in Italy"

Seems to fit.

While I am not an adrenalin junkie, I guess I do need an adventure rush once in a while. It is a big world out there and I continue to want to try out pieces of it.

(I hope you don't mind my ramblings. I feel like a sports commentator who is compelled to fill in the blank spots in the action. Little is happening so I fill the holes with what is in my head.)

cz, 07:42 7/30/14

Emotional #2

Not all the posts under the category of Emotional are bad or sad. But they reflect emotions within my head and heart. Yesterday was a great day.  I include this post as an example of what I love and am leaving behind. It IS emotional.

 My home, the place where Nina and I have lived for 37+ years is a unique place. It is an old lock and dam on the Monongahela River. The social environment for those who live there is pure and complete family. We do everything together. I could go on and on here but that would deviate from the intent of this blog.

Why am I including this in the keeper's blog? Yesterday we worked to get the walls and roof on an addition that is being put on Rick and Kim's cottage. The weather was about perfect and we had some very good help. This is a time when work is fun. Seth, my favorite son, even came out for the day.  We worked so well together and got so much done.

The weather even cooperated completely.  All day it was sunny and maybe too hot. But good working conditions. We got sheathing on one side of the addition finished when the sky darkened and quickly started to dump rain that lasted into the evening. But we were ready with a tarp. The tarp went up as soon as the rain started and the floor did not get wet at all.  I swept the floor. Tables and chairs were gathered. We had the first meal in their addition - in the rain.  Nina pointed out how much she loves the sound of rain on the plastic. It was truly wonderful.

Life on the river is so much a part of me.   It tears me apart sometimes to think about not being there.

Notice, however,  I am relocating to another water based life for a while.  I have to have access to the water...

cz, 11:45 7/27/2014

Turkey Point #2 - The crocodiles

As mentioned in my previous post, Turkey Point #1, I have read about the crocodiles thriving in the cooling canals at Turkey Point power plant. I found the NPR article.  Here is the link if you are interested:

NPR - Crocodiles

Hmm.  I wonder how far a crocodile will swim in salty water.

cz, 09:50 7/25/2014

Turkey Point #1 - Cooling water

I have mentioned before that the night-time view of the western night sky is less than pristine because of the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant. The subtle glow of low pressure sodium vapor lights dominates the horizon. And I am not sure if I have discussed the crocodiles in the plant's cooling canals. Very cool thing. (I will review my posts and discuss the critters later).

But Turkey Point made the news recently. NPR had a report of their cooling canal temperatures rising to near permit levels. So, in an effort to keep you as closely involved with my Broad Key experience as possible, here is that report:

NPR - Turkey Point

I have thought that the cooling plan at the plant was good in general. But the rising temperatures are bringing new issues. The high salinity is affecting the ground water, a problem Florida has anyway because of pumping fresh water for human consumption. All things for another discussion - another day.

Stay tuned...

cz, 09:40 7/25/2014

After the Florida Prep trip

In a tiny bubble, the trip to Florida was a success.

As I drove from the Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood International Airport I stopped at the The Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami (hereafter known as RSMAS and UM because I am not into typing that long name) to make my first visit to that portion of campus. Unfortunately, I was not early enough to meet with too many folks but Evan did his best to show me around. While I have not been offered the position, I was introduced repeatedly as the new keeper of Broad Key. The visit went well and some headway was made to introducing me to the facilities, people and even some interesting off island options for get-aways. 

It was at one of the little meetings that my on-land boat storage went from $110/month to $0. The owner of the island (Remember, UM leases the island) has a tree nursery. It was thought of and immediately arranged to keep the boat and trailer at the nursery.  Perfect.  And to finish the coverage of this part of the trip:  Lindsay and I took the boat to the nursery and met Moses who lives on the property. Moses chose a great place to park the boat and I feel like I have made another friend in the area. Good guy.

By the time I made this trip, I already knew about how to deal with the storage unit I will need and the post office box.  While Evan has said to use an address at RSMAS, I feel like I should do something more local and less reliant on others to transport my mail and packages.  Maybe both?  Bills to RSMAS and care packages to Homestead PO Box! You can tell where my priorities are... Did you know that the USPS PO Boxes will not receive packages other than those shipped USPS?  UPS PO Boxes receive and hold packages from ANY shipper. Guess which I plan to use. Both storage and PO Box are something I have to commit to and therefore could not arrange on this trip.  Remember - no offer from UM yet.

The other part of the this trip was Lindsay's move. While I had hoped to get to BK, I realized what Linz was going through. There was no way I could do anything so selfish as take to the water. Lindsay has been in her current position with NOAA in Miami for about three and a half years. She has made quite an impact on their small boats program there. She and Erik established their first real home there. My grandson was born and spent two years there. Erik and Lindsay made a home that was welcoming to all who knocked on their door. And now she had to pack it up...

Erik and Ethan went north a month ago to stay with his parents. Lindsay's summer schedule would only allow a few days of dual parenting time. While Erik is about the perfect single parent, it would be nice to have the additional help from his parents. So Linz was left to prep the house for the move. And this was the weekend before the movers took their stuff away. I was there for her...

For many reasons, it was an extremely emotional time for me. I guess, as it relates to the BK transition, I was looking at my family all moving or existing up north. While I was moving south, alone (but for Inja and Qat). It was very hard...  It is hard to write these words right now.

So it was with Linz that I spent my weekend. I did not even think of water...

cz, 08:55 7/25/2014

Preparatory trip to Florida

Sheepish #2  (Read Sheepish #1 first)

This is the other draft I just discovered. While it is hard to just send these drafts, I think it adds to the continuity of the overall blog experience. But I bet you will read them backwards just as I would...

Still with no official word, I continue on with my preparatory activities. Some of my tasks would have to be done anyway, move or no move. Daughter Lindsay is finishing her assignment in Miami as NOAA's small boats officer. She is being transferred to Silver Spring, MD. THAT part of my overall plan sure didn't work.  Moving our boat has to be done anyway. But why not take care of other activities in preparation to move while I am down there?

So I hope to be heading to Miami next week. I hope to meet with the dean for whom I will be working, move the boat around (with, as of yet, no tow vehicle), arrange for boat storage, find and acquire a storage unit, arrange for a mail box and have a drink with Linz as she packs.

(Not dated - I don't when this was written)

Prep note #1

Sheepish #1

I am feeling a bit sheepish. I just found the following in my Drafts folder.  I thought this was posted long ago.  While I know it is not good form - my creative writing friends will remind me, I am sure  - I am going to post the following without much review.   There is an other draft discovery coming soon after this, Double sheepish.

Just a catch up note...

Looking into storage and PO Boxes and other things related to being on BK. If I did not want to maintain a land-side life it would a whole lot cheaper. But as many of you know, I am really tied to a motorcycle so one has to be there even if it is used only a few hours every couple weeks. And the boat... I hope I really, REALLY like having it there. Half of my storage costs are related to the boat. I may discover that these things are either not necessary in my new life or maybe they will make a significant contribution to my sanity.

As to the officiality of it all,  nothing new yet.

Thanks for reading...

cz, 11:00 7/9/14