Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Stepping Out of the Shower

This morning I woke up in a house surrounded by the feel of grandparents. Not my grandparents, but somebody's, and the house felt like it.

Day 44:

Today some sneaky little punk stole the sun some time before dawn. God, in an effort to buy time while he was looking for it, threw a sheet of clouds over the sky hoping that nobody would notice the absence. Having recently spent a good deal more time under the heavens than most people, sensitive to the slightest abnormality, I have not fallen for this simplistic ploy.

It was a cold dark day, if day you could call it.

I trailed my new lure, hoping that god would be too busy looking for the sun to notice I was fishing. Maybe today I would catch something. But it would seem that the force against me is greater then divine, no fish for dinner tonight.

I paddled to Sestri Levante. My host from the night before told me that while I was at sea he would contact the paddle club here and ask them to meet me at 3:00.

The distance was not far, though it would have been to the next port, so I was there at two. And nobody met me at three at the spot I had been told to wait. But at 3:15 as I was ready to move on, I saw another paddler out on the water moving at a good clip. That was odd, I thought. You'd have to be crazy to be out paddling on a day like today.

I called to him, but he did not hear me. I followed him and eventually got his attention. Yes, he was looking for the crazy kayaker from Portugal.

“Barcelona.” I said. It was wonderful to meet him and he seemed happy to meet me. Tonight I'll sleep in the clubhouse of the Leaga Naval Sestri Levante. I met a bunch of them and they're super cool folks.

I was slightly surprised when I stepped out of the shower into my bedroom, and found a class on navigation beginning there.

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