This morning I woke up to a sea lion.

Diana's out of town, in Phoenix, so no, it wasn't her. Here in Sausalito we're overlooking the harbor and we're close enough to hear boats, seagulls, and the occasional drunk live-aboard. Well this morning at about 6 a.m. my ears were perked awake by the sound of a barking sea lion down in the harbor. Ar Ar Ar! That's what I heard. There are plenty of sea lions over in San Fran, but I didn't think any would venture over here to Sausalito. "That sucks," you say because I was woken out of my beauty sleep? Naw. Beats the times when I'd wake up in the middle of the night in Baltimore or DC to the sound of gunfire or police sirens. I'll take the barking sea lion any day. Besides, I'm headed up to Tahoe to meet Di and we're gonna spend her birthday there in lots of snow and sun. The barking sea lion was for me an auspicious sign!

Okie dokie, REALLY meet your new president!

Which one you votin' fer? click here











funny ain't it...

Enough of my whining, meet your next President

This is why I think we have our next President of the United States: Come get Obama'd

Now doesn't that feel good? Just what this country needs. A CHANGE.

Day two, no power

Yes, we were in another windstorm, and are without power, AGAIN. Is this our future folks? Hurricane Cat 5 winds in the mountains (156 mph, never happened before), flooding in areas never flooded before, drought like never before, etc...what's your "natural" disaster?

We embarked on our roadtrip/sabbatical because the windstorm of December 2006 in Seattle put a tree on our house. At the time I remember it being called the 100 year storm. Then about a month later it was called the 50 year storm, and now after the December 2007 storm that hit Seattle, I think it's being referred to as the "Maybe this shit will happen every year" storm. SOOOO we went through one of the windiest storms ever remembered in Pugetopia, we hit the road, next winter comes and another crazy storm comes and floods areas never flooded before in Washington state. Well here we are in the bay area and a windstorm comes through (like never before?) knocks the power out, and they're not saying when it will come back on. Hurricane force winds rocked the Sierra (like never before). Think mother earth is a tad bit angry at us?

Here's my plan. Diana and I have obviously offended the Goddess of Wind so I think I need to appease her in some way. We no doubt will have another run in with her so I plan to offer myself as a sacrifice. Remember the end of Dances With Wolves when Kevin Costner and Mary MacDonald are leaving the winter camp to go and plead the Lakota Sioux argument to the Fed in DC? They're both on horseback riding a narrow path out of the snowy valley and up above them high on a cliff face is Wind in His Hair, on horseback, spear in hand, and he is yelling at the top of his lungs, "Swameny chutonka o watchee!" He keeps yelling this, "Swameny chutonka o watchee!" Which if you're versed in Lakota means "I am Wind in His Hair, do you see me? Dances With Wolves is my friend!" Here the tears start rolling down your cheeks I know but look back at the screen if you can and notice Wind in His Hair. His hair really does have wind in it right there in that moment. Form meets function right? So I'm thinkin' during this next windstorm, depending who we visit next it might be near you, I'm going to climb up a tree like John Muir did during the peak of the highest gust, climb right up to the crown and hug that baby for dear life, and I'm gonna yell "I am Wind in His Hair! I am Wind in His Hair!"

Now if I make it out of that, one of two things will be accomplished I reckon. Either I will appease the Goddess and she will leave us to go and play in the North Pacific somewhere, or it won't work, she will still follow us, BUT, the next storm won't seem so bad to me. In fact, I might go ahead and take a stroll outside just to get some fresh air. Sounds like a win wind situation if you ask me. :)