Most of life on Lothlorien was like normal living anywhere. We did laundry, went to work, fixed meals, washed dishes. I qualified for a homeowners exemption and we were even visited by the census taker for the 1980 census.
Erik was a junior in high school at the time. Each morning as we left for school, he and I found more and more interesting things to watch as we walked down the dock toward the car – starfish, tiny black crabs, even a baby octopus. His teachers couldn’t understand why he was always late for class.
Sometimes, on school holidays, when I was able to get away from work, we would go off on a short (and nearby) cruise. One of our favorite places was the Isthmus of Catalina Island, one of the California offshore islands with a fascinating history (http://www.catalina.com/history.html). Sometimes we picked up a mooring at Avalon, but our favorite spot continued to be at the Isthmus.
Now, I say “picked up a mooring” like it was easy. Wrong! It was a steep learning curve, and warrants an entire post on its own. But we had to learn soon enough or bang into some angry boaters!
http://virtualguidebooks.com/SouthCalif/ChannelIslands/TwoHarbors/IsthmusCoveWest.html
The Isthmus was quaint, laid back, neighborly, and generally more fun than Avalon. It was a place where even the local sheriff would hang out and smoke a doobie with us. There was local musical talen and sometimes a group would put on a little outdoor theater in town. Everyone who moored there quickly became friends with both villagers and boaters. http://virtualguidebooks.com/SouthCalif/ChannelIslands/TwoHarbors/DowntownTwoHarbors.html
I was accepted as just another sailor, but it seemed to be an outrage among some of the male boating population that a woman could have purchased a boat that size on her own without winning it in a divorce settlement! I have many stories about that prejudice, and I’ll leave them for another time, but there is one that I’ll never forget.
One year I took off from work, and spent two weeks there with my son Erik and my daughter Inga. While I lazed in the cockpit, they entertained themselves by taking the dinghy back and forth to shore, polishing the hull, catching some rays. A man and his wife with two teenage daughters pulled up and moored beside us. Their girls were sunning in skimpy bikinis for the benefit of my son (who seemed to be oblivious, but maybe wasn’t).
After about a week the man couldn’t stand it any longer and asked me if my husband was coming over for the weekend. I told him I didn’t have a husband and that the boat was mine. He gave a salute with a very sarcastic “Aye, aye, skipper!” and never spoke to us again.
If I didn’t have to go back to work to make mortgage payments on my floating home, I could have stayed right there on Lothlorien at the Isthmus forever!
Erik was a junior in high school at the time. Each morning as we left for school, he and I found more and more interesting things to watch as we walked down the dock toward the car – starfish, tiny black crabs, even a baby octopus. His teachers couldn’t understand why he was always late for class.
Sometimes, on school holidays, when I was able to get away from work, we would go off on a short (and nearby) cruise. One of our favorite places was the Isthmus of Catalina Island, one of the California offshore islands with a fascinating history (http://www.catalina.com/history.html). Sometimes we picked up a mooring at Avalon, but our favorite spot continued to be at the Isthmus.
Now, I say “picked up a mooring” like it was easy. Wrong! It was a steep learning curve, and warrants an entire post on its own. But we had to learn soon enough or bang into some angry boaters!
http://virtualguidebooks.com/SouthCalif/ChannelIslands/TwoHarbors/IsthmusCoveWest.html
The Isthmus was quaint, laid back, neighborly, and generally more fun than Avalon. It was a place where even the local sheriff would hang out and smoke a doobie with us. There was local musical talen and sometimes a group would put on a little outdoor theater in town. Everyone who moored there quickly became friends with both villagers and boaters. http://virtualguidebooks.com/SouthCalif/ChannelIslands/TwoHarbors/DowntownTwoHarbors.html
I was accepted as just another sailor, but it seemed to be an outrage among some of the male boating population that a woman could have purchased a boat that size on her own without winning it in a divorce settlement! I have many stories about that prejudice, and I’ll leave them for another time, but there is one that I’ll never forget.
One year I took off from work, and spent two weeks there with my son Erik and my daughter Inga. While I lazed in the cockpit, they entertained themselves by taking the dinghy back and forth to shore, polishing the hull, catching some rays. A man and his wife with two teenage daughters pulled up and moored beside us. Their girls were sunning in skimpy bikinis for the benefit of my son (who seemed to be oblivious, but maybe wasn’t).
After about a week the man couldn’t stand it any longer and asked me if my husband was coming over for the weekend. I told him I didn’t have a husband and that the boat was mine. He gave a salute with a very sarcastic “Aye, aye, skipper!” and never spoke to us again.
If I didn’t have to go back to work to make mortgage payments on my floating home, I could have stayed right there on Lothlorien at the Isthmus forever!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment