Wind, beards, a silver anniversary and the news

At mooring, waiting for the wind...

Summer has flown by and recently I’ve noticed the bright green hues of spring have faded as the undergrowth leaves begin to turn colors.  After last year’s drought and terrible harvest in these parts, the corn stands tall, soybeans are all bushy and apple trees appear loaded with fruit.  It appears creation is blessing us with a bounty.

Since arriving back from my trip out West last month, I have spent most available afternoons sailing.   Some days, the wind has been nearly non-existent and I recline in my boat, using life jackets as cushions as I let my troubles drift along with the boat.  Other days, the sailing has been fast and my troubles disappear as I focus on the wind, the water ahead, and the shape of the sails.   The wind on smaller lakes change more often than on larger bodies of water, so when the winds are strong, concentration is a must.  However, the thrill of the boat heaving as it slices through the water is exhilarating and makes the effort worthwhile.  I have yet to capsize to the boat (but this past Sunday had it heaving on a reach to where the port side of the cockpit was just inches from the water line).  Since my boat is a classic, built in the mid-60s and before they began to install self-bailing contraptions on this type of boat, the thought of capsizing and me-bailing isn’t appealing.

Me and my beard at the tiller on a light wind day

This month I’m celebrating a silver anniversary for my beard!  That’s right; it has now been 25 years since a razor has scrapped my cheeks and chins.  As I had a few beards before this one, when I grew the hairs out on a backpacking trip in the Idaho mountains in the summer of ’88, I had no idea I would have kept it this long, but I don’t have any plans on shaving it anytime soon, maybe never.  Of course, as I’ve aged, I have found I need to keep the beard trimmed for when it gets too long the gray spots become too prominent.  With the celebrations of my bread, I’ve been hearing a lot about other beards lately.  On the radio the other day (I think NPR), I learned that Col. Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame dyed his beard early on in order to create his image.   Another NPR report discussed beards and politics in Iran!  Then there’s BrianWilson, a pitcher for the LA Dodgers and his beard.  And then there is a viral youtube post about a magic beard that I watched thanks to Sherry, one of my blogging buddies.  With all this media and blogging talk about beards, you’d think there is nothing important going on in the world such as us sticking our nose into the mess in Syria.