Saturday, August 29, 2009

Leaders Hike Mt. Townsend

Today Don and I took our classroom leaders on a hike. These students were with us last year and will also be with us this year. They are chosen for their proven responsibility and cooperativeness. They will help us manage the 60 fourth and fifth graders in our classroom this year. We climbed Mt. Townsend on the north end of the Olympics. It is a formidable hike for these kids and they all made it. It is four steep miles up to the top (3000 ft.), and four more aching miles back to the trailhead. The morning weather didn't look very promising, but it was partially sunny by the time we were at the trailhead and we had sun the whole trip. We are looking forward to a great year with these leaders.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

guests from Norway

Last evening, Ingvar and Svanhild came over for dinner. Uncle George and Kirsten also joined us. Ingvar is Esther's cousin from Norway. He and his wife Svanhild live on the family farm in southern Norway. Both are recently retired teachers and are enjoying a little travel. Fortunately for us, they speak excellent English. It was very enjoyable learning about their lives and the Eide/Vasshus family stories from the other side of the Atlantic. Esther will get to see them again on Saturday at a large family get together in Arlington to celebrate Aunt Kirsten's 80th.
In other news - Esther and I are back to work and are realizing that our days with Calvin at home are dwindling down.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

a family cruise


the fearless crew
Originally uploaded by Southworth Sailor
Our original hiking plans for the day got postponed, and my family surprised me by all wanting to join me in sailing this afternoon. The wind had just shifted to a north breeze of 10-15 kt; so conditions were perfect. We had all the wind we needed with the main and working jib. The extra ballast contributed to a stable ride. We had an enjoyable sunny sail around Blake Island and were home for Papa Murphys pizza for supper.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Staying cool on the Sound


Alkai Point Light
Originally uploaded by Southworth Sailor
I spent a 'cool' day on the Puget Sound today. Esther and the boys went school clothes shopping and I enjoyed the day on my sailboat. The wind was brisk in the morning so I got an early start. I tacked up the Sound under a reefed mainsail as it was gusty. By noon, I raised it to full sail and got to really enjoy the stable windward ability of the boat. If it was a hot day, I didn't notice as I wore my sweatshirt most of the day. I cruised by Alkai Point and crossed Elliot Bay to Magnolia bluffs before turning around to ride the tide and wind back home. The wind died at the south end of Blake Island so I putted in the last half mile.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

San Juan Island - Day 4

Our final day on the island started with Esther and my ‘Ada’ time, as she is bright and lively at the crack of dawn, while her parents want to enjoy the lazy morning. After packing up, the girls went to Roche Harbor for window shopping and the boys played another round of disc golf which ended in a sudden death between Markus and Bjorn. We ate lunch in Friday Harbor and visited the whale museum before boarding the scenic evening ferry back to Anacortes. We were fortunate to have wonderful weather and we are thankful for a wonderful family getaway.

San Juan Island - Day 3


Roche Harbor
Originally uploaded by Southworth Sailor
Another relaxing start to the morning including blueberry pancakes and a walk with Ada brought us to a morning stroll through nearby Roche Harbor. The rest of them dragged me onto a tour of a $4 million stink pot. There is a unique sculpture park where we quickly toured before lunch. After lunch it was hard to stir the napping and sleeping masses to a hike up Young Mountain for a great view of the western San Juans and beyond. While the girls prepared fajitias, the boys went for a round at a nearby disc golf, where Calvin took the honors. We ended the day with Shakespeare Under the Stars ‘As You Like It’ at nearby Roche Harbor. The play was well done and enjoyed by all including Ada.

San Juan Island - Day 2

A slow relaxing start to the day brought us to a tour of English Camp (i.e. Pig War) True to British style, the camp was an oasis of civilization on the outskirts of the western frontier. After a lunch and nap back at the cabin, we stopped at Lime Kiln Park, a park that is famous for its whale sightings. Our intention was to walk the loop and move on to the next destination. However, shortly after we got there, a super pod of Orcas came right passed us. What a spectacular sight as no less than 50 Orca paraded in front of us, some less than 20 yards away! We later discovered how fortunate we were as records show that there are about 60 sightings a year from this spot. The rest of the day paled in comparison to our whale watching, but we took a quick tour of American Camp and Cattle Point before heading back to the cabin for seafood fettuccini.

San Juan Island - Day 1


Westcott Woods
Originally uploaded by Southworth Sailor
We got up early so that we could get in line at Anacortes for an 11 am ferry to Friday Harbor. The San Juans greeted us with typical gray skies, but displayed their charm non-the-less. Arriving in Friday Harbor, we had fried seafood lunch and browsed the town before checking out our cabin. Westcott Woods cabin is a very unique rustic structure nestled in the woods above Westcott Bay. The original cabin was constructed in the 70’s with recycled lumber. Some newer additions attempt to maintain the rustic theme. The bookshelves are filled with classic literature, which made our literary fans happy. The evening was spent enjoying the surroundings and cozy cabin.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Now - About That Boat

I have waited to give much detail about my 'new' sailboat until I was actually using it. It took me about a month to clean her up a little and get a mooring ready for her. Well, she's been in the water for about a week, and I have had the opportunity to sail her a couple of times, albeit in light wind. I really like the boat. I think it is just the upgrade to get Esther on the water more often, and take a few more cruises. The Montgomery 17 is 17' long (duh!) and about 7' wide. She weighs 1600 lbs. including 600 lbs. of ballast (weight underneath to keep it upright) This particular boat came with 5 sails, though I can only use two at a time. Each of the 4 'headsails' are for different wind conditions, from light air to storm. The rigging is much more sophisticated than my last boat, and I am 'learning the ropes' as I go. I am very grateful to have her, and I look forward to many years of nautical pleasure.

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Navigation System or Compass?


Sermon title
Originally uploaded by Southworth Sailor
Today I preached at our church, so much of my spare time this past week was spent in preparation. My topic was decision making and I used the new Navigation System and the classic compass as object lessons. I likened a Nav System to discerning 'God's Will' through 'signs.' - just looking for the next direction point on the screen. I tried to point out that this strategy is not supported by Scripture, and could really be viewed as a form of divination. In contrast, the Bible outlines a set of guidelines for decision making that is like the points of a compass. Scriptural Wisdom, Good Advice, Providential Circumstances and Prayer are the cardinal points in the decision making compass. I kind of gave the Nav System a bad rap in the analogy; so I guess I better not get one for a while:)

Sunday, August 02, 2009

A Hot Week in Lynden

Esther and I spent most of the hot spell this week in Lynden. It was quite eventful as Bjorn and Jenny celebrated their second anniversary and Esther her " !? "-second birthday. We got to spend a lot of time with Ada, even babysitting overnight as Bjorn and Jenny were at the cabin. I spent three days scraping, priming and painting the barge trim of the house and repairing a few window sills. On one hot afternoon, I was able to give my mom a ride to Birch Bay in our air conditioned van. Her apartment was very hot, but she wasn't complaining. We were also able to share some great meals with Mike and Marti and John and Kay. Brea was the only teenage/young adult on the compound as everyone else was gone. We made it home for Calvin's short break from camp duty on Saturday, celebrating his birthday a little late.