Thalassophile

Posted on September 15, 2021 by rfljenksy

Thalassophile (noun) Origin: Greek Someone who loves the sea, ocean; A lover of the ocean.

I was in the Navy for 21 years. I lived on a ship for 12 months. My dream has been to sail across the ocean on a sailboat. I have not lived out that dream (only thing on my bucket list) but I still feel like one day I might.

I read the book “Unlikely Passages” by Palley and it only invigorated that dream of sailing. I love water in general. But I love the sea most of all.

Unlikely Passages Paperback –

Unlikely Passage is a sailor’s manifesto. Palley gave up a successfull career as an art dealer while in his late 50s and embraced retirement with a vengeance. He sailed away in his ship Unlikely and circled the globe. In doing so, he created his own universe-a small boat in a large ocean. Through a series of humorous anecdotes and illustrations, insightful observations, and practical information, Palley expounds his unique sailing philosophy.

sailboats on a beautifully lit waterway

“The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too” ~ Vincent van Gogh, The Letters of Vincent van Gogh

boats in the distance Australia 2005

“To reach a port we must set sail. Sail, not tie at anchor. Sail, not drift.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

“The sea is emotion incarnate. It loves, hates, and weeps. It defies all attempts to capture it with words and rejects all shackles. No matter what you say about it, there is always that which you can’t.” ~ Christopher Paolini

Curacao Ocean View at Night

“We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.” ~Mother Teresa

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” ~Ryunosuke Satoro

Haute Pink Photography – Seattle Alki Beach

“There’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.” ~Sarah Kay

Daughters and grandbabies on Alki Beach in Seattle.. Liquid city

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Sea: Islandtraveler; Jeff; Beach; Marina; John; Laleh; masgautsen; citysonnet; Paul

Dès Vu

Posted on March 16, 2021 by rfljenksy

Dès Vu (noun) Origin: Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows | The awareness that this will become a memory.

ETYMOLOGY: From the French word dès vu, “seen as soon as” or “seen from this point forward”

Sometimes this is how I view the things I do as I am doing them. I travel a lot and have lived far away from everyone I know for a very long time. My long-standing and connected group of friends and family have built histories of togetherness and sameness. Sometimes I am jealous of them. Sometimes they say they are jealous of me.

This has been my intent and my dream and I have chosen this life and have very few regrets. I turn 54 this month and though this is still young, I am quite far from my mid-life stage. I mean really? I truly do not expect to live to 108. I do have some decades in front of me but sometimes when I am looking ahead, I can’t help but already feel disconnected from what is directly in front of me. I feel like the present has already happened and I begin to miss moments at the exact time I am experiencing them. I know that in minutes it will be gone and all that will remain is the memory of what once was…

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“Once in a while you look up, and watch as the present turns into a memory, as if some future you is already looking back on it.“

“I have learned that if you must leave a place that you have lived in and loved and where all your yesteryears are buried deep, leave it any way except a slow way, leave it the fastest way you can. Never turn back and never believe that an hour you remember is a better hour because it is dead. Passed years seem safe ones, vanquished ones, while the future lives in a cloud, formidable from a distance.”
― Beryl Markham

“The pleasure of remembering had been taken from me, because there was no longer anyone to remember with. It felt like losing your co-rememberer meant losing the memory itself, as if the things we’d done were less real and important than they had been hours before.”
― John Green

Dès Vu – Mina; Neveah; Winter; Murmel; Eliza; Brian; Inese; nananoyz; jay-lyn; Happysoul; Dorinda; paintdigi

Mångata

Posted on January 25, 2021 by rfljenksy

Mångata (noun) Origin: Swedish | The reflection of the moon on the water.

The sun rising.. the moon setting.. the moon rising.. the sun setting. I am lost in the dance. Which is which? I think I know and then I look again and I can’t decide. Does it matter? The start of one and the end of the other which only signals the start of one and the end of the other.

I think that the reflections of the moon on water are amazing. Just as the reflections of the sun on the water are blinding. I am a day person by nature, but you can’t stare at the sun like you can stare at the moon. I love the moon because when it is big and round, you can see the imperfections but you still love it. You still know that it is beautiful. It casts eerie shadows and changes size and appearance when you move. While it is changing, as you move, it follows you. The sun does the same. So does it matter which is which?

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In my opinion, they are equal in beauty, substance, and style. Specifically with a nice glass of red. So I ask you, does it really matter?

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“The moon is a loyal companion.
It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it’s a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human.
Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections.”
― Tahereh Maf

Moon links: purpleraysblog; carolyn; calmkate; michelle; sinhayati; jane; indira; apk; Timothy; Rosebud

6 Weeks In – Keeping it Real

Posted on November 8, 2015 by rfljenksy

I try to keep it real. I don’t have time to worry about what I’m projecting to the world. I’m just busy being myself.

Demi Lovato

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Well, here I am. 6 weeks in and still working on getting organized. I’m having a great time and keeping super busy at work. It does seem that I’m way too connected to my work to really take time away from it. By the time I get home, I’m usually too tired to do anything but watch streaming TV. However, now that I’m sort of settled in, I’m hoping to get back to disconnecting a little and start exploring. I wanted to take a minute and present some of my favorite first impressions on my new home.

“I live in my own little world. But its ok, they know me here.”
― Lauren Myracle

The first thing I have really been mesmerized with has been the fact that people carry nearly everything on their head. Possibly I’m most impressed with this because I can barely walk without dropping something or falling. It’s super impressive. Everything from bread to sewing machines. Sadly I do not have a photo of the last. I can completely understand how convenient that would be to free up your hands, but it just seems impossible. Apparently it’s not.

The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer.

– John Madden

The next thing I noticed was that you could virtually buy ANYTHING on the street. On ANY street. ANYWHERE!! Not even joking. Hungry? Check. Newspaper or book? Check. Fine art, masks, or toys? Check. Bathroom mirror? Check.

Like most of the countries I have been in, there is a network of quasi-broken down cheap forms of transportation. I have not as yet used one of these and so far, I am not convinced I will. Most of the roads are great, but as you can see, some are barely passable, even in a bigger vehicle. I still enjoy watching these industrious individuals transporting people around.

For me, one of the best changes from the last 3 countries I have lived in has been my commute to and from work. Normally I am either walking to work in a fairly dirty environment, pushing through traffic, or being transported in a very uncomfortable car-pool or on a crowded subway. Here, a quick trip to a boat ramp about 7 minutes by water and then boom.. walk into work. For me, a great way to start and end each day. It also forces you to get to work on time and to leave work on time.

Speaking of water, many people live on the water and live from the fruits of the water. Everything from tug-boasting to commuting, fishing to dredging sand to sell and just sailing. The water is an important part of this place. It’s a main shipping hub and it seems like everything from every country goes through here. People live in shanties on the water and in high rise condos or on resorts. It’s such an interesting lifestyle.

“I did things I did not understand for reasons I could not begin to explain just to be in motion, to be trying to do something, change something in a world I wanted desperately to make over but could not imagine for myself.”
― Dorothy Allison, Trash: Stories

I was fortunate enough to go out on a medical outreach where we were able to weigh and measure people, test them for diabetes, provide vitamins and doctor screenings. My favorite part of the trip was playing with the kids though and learning about their games and teaching them some of ours. It was great one day trip and look forward to participating in more of these when they come around.

My favorite part of being here, is being back by the water. Aside from riding to and from work by boat. We are close enough to the ocean that an occasional beach day can be had. I do love the ocean. So with that I will end this post. Thanks for visiting.

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

Dale Carnegie

Past posts I have missed

Misty waters of Vietnam

Posted on April 7, 2014 by rfljenksy

Ailsa’s travel theme this month was Misty. As mentioned in my lat post the first 6 days of my trip from Hanoi to Vietnam were cold and misty and on other days down-right pouring. Her theme was great for this weeks posting as I spent many of my days on the water in Vietnam. Though not all shots portray misty, after the first 6 days it took me nearly a week to dry out.

The following photos were taken on the water and in the water in places all over Vietnam. The beautiful boat ride part of my tour visited Ha Long Bay in Vietnam which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was amazing. There were thousands of little islands that jutted from the water most of which were not inhabited. At the base of a couple of the bigger islands there were floating villages that housed four fishing villages.

We also visited locations in the Red River Delta, Hoi An, Mai Chau and Bai Tu Long Bay. A very mystical place indeed. I hope you enjoy.