Getting more light! The higher angle sun felt good, even with the 20 degree temperature. Grab the waveski and went down to the break. Head-head plus waves, blown out with diagonal N-NW winds. Not a soul on the water. It stayed that way. I was not up for battling my way out through a beach break zone to get short rides on crappy waves. Tomorrow is another day and, hopefully, another opportunity.
Mahalo!
sing
Have the snow drops or crocus emerged?
No, too early yet. Will enjoy those when they emerge and bloom. But for those afflicted with SAD, this is the point in the season where the “weight” that is felt psychologically and somatically begins to lift perceptibly. It’s the strengthening sunlight pulling back on the shroud of gloom that falls over everything heading into holidays and new year.
For SAD folks, one of the better coping strategy is to get out and be as active as you can, weather permitting. Doing something mildly intense is even better because it produces endorphins that helps to uplift mind/body.
Mahalo!
sing
I’ve noticed the lengthening daylight and am loving it.
I have a lamp on a timer. In winter it’s set to turn the lamp on at 5 pm; just had to change it to 6 pm. Happy dance!
Rookie – I have always liked your avatar. 
sing
NICE shot, ChucK! Is that recent? Aren’t still mostly in the dark?
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Feb 3. With twilight, we get about 9 hours +
Ok. For Feb 3, Boston had 10 hrs 11 minutes of light. Glad I am down here then. 
sing
I find myself in need of silver lining regularly in all sorts of contexts. I wonder how much the material goes for these days. There’s a Buddhist monk in Western Australia named Ajahn Brahm (ajahn means teacher in Thai, he’s from the Thai forest tradition of monks) and he has this great talk about what he calls the “fault finding mind”. Basically the habit many people have, especially me, of seeing the negative aspects of things.
So, as I said my fault finding mind is strong. You all know it from my thread detailing the annoyances before a paddle enters the water.
Today I realized a car-topped kayak probably won’t fit under an overhang in the shared driveway of my townhouse. For whatever reason they designed one of the townhouses to hang over the driveway, and while for some length of it there’s decent height, the driveway then slopes upward while the townhouse doesn’t exactly slope up with it. I just have a feeling a boat would smack that overhang, but not 100% sure.
Le sigh. Now where’d I put that silver lining…
Pull the car out of the garage and park in the driveway or street before throwing the kayak on top??
A Zen story: The head of zen monastory was having a visitation with some important guest. The monk couldn’t help but notice the distraction of his guest. Finally, the guest exclaimed, “What a marvelous and beautiful (heirloom quality) tea set you have!” The monk replied, “Yes, it is quite beautiful. But, to me, it is already broken.” (The universal principal of “inpermanence”.)
Before my current 6 year old Honda Fit hatchback, I had a similarly blue Suzuki hatchback that I mostly used to get me to my outdoor excursions. Less than a couple of months of getting the Suzuki (which I immediately outfitted with Thule racks), I had to travel to Salem, MA for a meeting. Had my RM seakayak still on top of the Suzuki when I went up to Salem. Being close to late, I rush into the first parking garage I saw in the downtown area. As I tried to enter, I heard/felt this large thud on the top of the car. I had run into and broke a 6" PVC piple that had been dangling across the entrance as a height limit minder. The kayak was fine, but where the Thule feet rested near the back windows, the roof and rear window lines on both sides were distorted by the impact. I profusely apologized to the parking garage attendant, backed out of the driveway, and quickly found a surface lot nearby to park. I got to my meeting a bit late and apologized there as well.
I was pretty upset at myself for several days after for rushing and not paying attention. Then I let it go. I never bothered fixing the dented roof and window lines. Rather, I just drove the car as I intended it largely for until the Suzuki met it’s end.
About seven years ago, my younger son came safely back from his Iraq deployment. He wanted to visit some friends and asked to borrow my car. Sure. Later in the evening, my son called and said he got into an accident, half mile from home, on a pretty desolate street that borders along a large cemetary. It was snowing and sleeting. My wife and I got into her car and drove carefully to where my son was. Upon arriving, we can see from the snow covering that the car had skidded, hit and jumped a curb and hit the cemetary wall. First thing my son said, “Dad, sorry but I totaled your car.” I asked whether he was hurt. “No, the air bag deployed and totally protected his chest from the steering wheel.” I said, “Don’t be sorry. I am just glad you are not hurt (and a silent thanks – that he’ll still be around with us for longer).”
I am fortunate to be able to afford things. But things are just things.
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Sing. That reminds me of going into a parking garage with my S10. I had a side ladder rack and that was easy to install and remove for my 17.5 boat. Going into a garage, I heard noise and fortunately stopped. I forgot the rack was on, but actually didn’t realize it was high enough to catch.
I recently built an addition on my house. A contractor friend recommended a two foot overhang over the driveway. I resisted because I imagined turning around and clearing my kayak or a bike off a roof rack. I added the overhang and mitigsted the risk by installing a raised curb and sidewalk under the overhang, as well as a raised sidewalk in front of the steps.
