I tried to post this at 3 am the other morning but had no internet signal. Not sleeping through the night is something I have come to understand as a lone part of my life, and although it used to happen back when I lived in the real world, always at times when there was an early commitment the next day, now it just comes and goes whenever it wants, and I let it in like an old rival who no longer inconveniences me. I won't say I like it, because there is nothing better than sleeping on a boat. Nothing compares to the barely perceptible motion rocking you and the soft lapping water noises that lull you into a suspended place.
But I have been seeing the one and two and three ams of the morning and its a very beautiful and peaceful time to be awake, especially without that anticipated morning stress. Rock and Max deep breathe in our bed below, pendulous and unaware. Wandering naked around the boat with Alma padding behind me or sitting beside me on the bow, when everything is still, except for a light night wind or land breeze.... My dock neighbor, a sailboat away is usually up, her light varies from the forepeak reading, to the galley making coffee(or having a Sambuca.) We talk the next day and always agree to let each other know we are there, up when all is asleep, but neither of us disturb the night to ruin it with words.
The stars are amazing and I have watched the Big Dipper slide around our stern to the north and west and settle over the yacht club in the last few months. I glimpse a few shooting stars no matter which direction I look, and pick out the constellations I know, amazed at the expanse overhead. Never did finish that book on celestial navigation... Count the mast lights, always just a handful compared to the boats anchored out. There is a faint city glow in Puerto Plata's direction, about 14 miles east on the coast but nothing to give the sense of much civilization, lots and lots of lonely black sky.
I watch the late night stragglers, the hunters, the lost. The owls of the DR are plentiful, small beige ground-dwelling birds that call out as they pass into the mangroves for dinner, bats flit by silently blocking the starry ink, a big jittery flying thing zips by....The sounds of the night and early morning are many once the ear drops its expectations. A number of rookeries dot the mangroves in the harbor, and the occasional eruption of egrets chattering is music to the night. Punctuated by the splash of fins chasing a meal , the thump of the dinghy catching a tiny wake into Magpie, the sound of the ocean roaring and the blowholes in the cliffs along the shore beyond the harbors entrance, a deep cow moo or the high-pitched donkey-having-sex bray, the rooster who can't sleep and the dog that barks after the shadow of an owl on it's hunt all play together in a soft symphony of the sleepless.
Around 4:30 theres a dinghy motor and before long TipTop , an 80 or so foot tourism catamaran starts to purr and slides out in between the boats with a flashlight to guide it to the ocean. No thumps , only the low engine rumble and bouncing lights, off to pick up touristas from resorts for a day of idyllic deserted beaches, swimming, snorkeling, and beer. The lone captain is the only one up and off to work. I stretch, consider coffee and my book, but pad back to bed for a deep rest before the rest of the harbor awakens. What a magical place to be.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
TheTop Ten Reasons to...
...Temporarily Abandon A Blog.
10. Guilt. Once you get 'behind', and you get friendly reminders that no longer sound like praise for your writing but failure to keep appointments....and the pea under the mattress begins to grow and soon lying down is another painful reminder no entry was made again today. All I needed was more guilt, my manufacturer did take a bit of a holiday, but production is back on track. The gland is full.
9. Sweat. Its hot here. and humid. Sometimes breathing is all it takes to drench me in a bath of sweat. If any exertion is involved you can bet I will slide off my barstool. I sweat , I dry off, I sweat again. I am very uncomfortable, especially around Dominicans who do not sweat, always look cool and fresh. Where is that damned trade wind?
8. Hormones. I never thought of myself as a homicidal lunatic in capris, but my fists are clenched,my breathing is shallow, I am sweating (again), and thinking very bad thoughts about how deep the water is here, and how quickly someone could sink to the bottom. Probably don't need that rope and cement block.
7. S.B.S. Social Butterfly Syndrome. Or the inability to say "NO." So far , taking people for provisioning , to the airport (and picking them up) , a stint of house-dog-garden-sitting (without internet services), cooking & serving at a local bar/restaurant, attending too many Happy Hours (never really a problem for me, really), lunches, dinners(also not a problem in the food department), an 'intervention', pool parties, birthday parties, freedom parties(bye bye Bob), going away parties, coming back parties, concerts, ballgames (yes, I now attend softball games after avoiding all sports, all of my life) and whatever else I can do to assuage #10... I am there!
6. Scratching. Or maybe this should read itching. I am somehow allergic or very sensitive to the No-Seeums (which you can actually see, like a speck of black pepper) that bite me everywhere they can at dawn and dusk. So first I itch, then I scratch, then I have these bites that remind me I need to scratch again. Have gone through bug spray(does not work, even industrial strength), itch ointments( I should gain 20 pounds for all the topical steroids I have lathered on me) , and Neosporin for the remains of the battle. Hard to type while scratching certain places. Rock says I look like a junkie, always a man of succinct description.
5. Insomnia. I have found that I am unable to blog during the hours of 1 or 2 am and 5 am, despite the burden of #10, it is not a good time to write for me. I am usually keeping No-Seeums off me, and trying not to scratch.
4. Goats,Donkeys,Cows, Horses, Dogs, Chickens, Birds, No-Seeums. The abundance of wildlife here, wandering around freely or being utilized for transportation, food, etc... is amazing and it takes alot of time to take it all in (and not scratch.)
3. Bougainvilleas,Flamboyant Trees, Mango Trees, Papaya Trees, Banana and Coconut Palms, Royal Palms, Ficus Benjamin, Bromeliads and all the local flora that grows indiscriminately like weeds that make the landscape change constantly. Its an engaging process to go from one place to another and not be taken by a plant.
2. Pineapples. OK so I got carried away soon after arriving and bought too many papayas, but on the last trip to Santiago I bought over ten pineapples for 150 pesos, and they were rolling around on the floor of the car, smelling so sweet. I managed to give 6 or 7 away. But fresh fruit takes up your time here, and you have to pace yourself in the preparation and gorging of them. Mangoes are still in season, and I wait anxiously for avocado season when they will dump armloads into your car at stoplights. I can't wait.
AND THE NUMBER ONE EXCUSE, I MEAN REASON FOR NOT BLOGGING:
1. Internet Availability. My only real frustration, my only means of communication. Its better today but we had another visit from Alexander: the new provider for the harbor is a sweet gentle young man who has been given his internet knowledge by God, and although he is on Dominican Time, he will come to the boat and fix things, repeatedly. We have finally achieved some consistency, and I am hoping that since we now have a cable from one computer to another(wireless was the problem!?!) things will improve.
Fingers crossed, the blog has had its holiday and returns with no apologies.
10. Guilt. Once you get 'behind', and you get friendly reminders that no longer sound like praise for your writing but failure to keep appointments....and the pea under the mattress begins to grow and soon lying down is another painful reminder no entry was made again today. All I needed was more guilt, my manufacturer did take a bit of a holiday, but production is back on track. The gland is full.
9. Sweat. Its hot here. and humid. Sometimes breathing is all it takes to drench me in a bath of sweat. If any exertion is involved you can bet I will slide off my barstool. I sweat , I dry off, I sweat again. I am very uncomfortable, especially around Dominicans who do not sweat, always look cool and fresh. Where is that damned trade wind?
8. Hormones. I never thought of myself as a homicidal lunatic in capris, but my fists are clenched,my breathing is shallow, I am sweating (again), and thinking very bad thoughts about how deep the water is here, and how quickly someone could sink to the bottom. Probably don't need that rope and cement block.
7. S.B.S. Social Butterfly Syndrome. Or the inability to say "NO." So far , taking people for provisioning , to the airport (and picking them up) , a stint of house-dog-garden-sitting (without internet services), cooking & serving at a local bar/restaurant, attending too many Happy Hours (never really a problem for me, really), lunches, dinners(also not a problem in the food department), an 'intervention', pool parties, birthday parties, freedom parties(bye bye Bob), going away parties, coming back parties, concerts, ballgames (yes, I now attend softball games after avoiding all sports, all of my life) and whatever else I can do to assuage #10... I am there!
6. Scratching. Or maybe this should read itching. I am somehow allergic or very sensitive to the No-Seeums (which you can actually see, like a speck of black pepper) that bite me everywhere they can at dawn and dusk. So first I itch, then I scratch, then I have these bites that remind me I need to scratch again. Have gone through bug spray(does not work, even industrial strength), itch ointments( I should gain 20 pounds for all the topical steroids I have lathered on me) , and Neosporin for the remains of the battle. Hard to type while scratching certain places. Rock says I look like a junkie, always a man of succinct description.
5. Insomnia. I have found that I am unable to blog during the hours of 1 or 2 am and 5 am, despite the burden of #10, it is not a good time to write for me. I am usually keeping No-Seeums off me, and trying not to scratch.
4. Goats,Donkeys,Cows, Horses, Dogs, Chickens, Birds, No-Seeums. The abundance of wildlife here, wandering around freely or being utilized for transportation, food, etc... is amazing and it takes alot of time to take it all in (and not scratch.)
3. Bougainvilleas,Flamboyant Trees, Mango Trees, Papaya Trees, Banana and Coconut Palms, Royal Palms, Ficus Benjamin, Bromeliads and all the local flora that grows indiscriminately like weeds that make the landscape change constantly. Its an engaging process to go from one place to another and not be taken by a plant.
2. Pineapples. OK so I got carried away soon after arriving and bought too many papayas, but on the last trip to Santiago I bought over ten pineapples for 150 pesos, and they were rolling around on the floor of the car, smelling so sweet. I managed to give 6 or 7 away. But fresh fruit takes up your time here, and you have to pace yourself in the preparation and gorging of them. Mangoes are still in season, and I wait anxiously for avocado season when they will dump armloads into your car at stoplights. I can't wait.
AND THE NUMBER ONE EXCUSE, I MEAN REASON FOR NOT BLOGGING:
1. Internet Availability. My only real frustration, my only means of communication. Its better today but we had another visit from Alexander: the new provider for the harbor is a sweet gentle young man who has been given his internet knowledge by God, and although he is on Dominican Time, he will come to the boat and fix things, repeatedly. We have finally achieved some consistency, and I am hoping that since we now have a cable from one computer to another(wireless was the problem!?!) things will improve.
Fingers crossed, the blog has had its holiday and returns with no apologies.
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