Interesting perspective on why we might not see regime change in the DPRK anytime soon.
Korean dynasty
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Monthly Archives: January 2012
The center of the universe
Jee Yeun points out the obvious.
Oahu Temple
I forget the name, but as you can see it is beautifully situated. It was featured in Lost during the wedding of the Korean characters that was supposedly in Korea.
Pill box
World War II era fortifications on Diamond Head in Hawaii. For all the good they did…
A tree grows in Waikiki
On the water
Had a great start to the new year visiting my seafaring friends Rod and Patty Headlee.
They purchased this 43′ sailboat in Annapolis, MD and were completing refitting at the time of our visit in New Bern, NC.
Ain’t she a beauty?
I believe the name Second Chance derives from the fact this boat originally manufactured in 1969 has been completely refurbished and made seaworthy for her new life as home to Rod and Pat in whatever location the winds of fancy may carry them.
This is the forward stateroom where me and Jee Yeun spent the night. A little cramped but comfortable. We were rocked to sleep by the gentle motion of the marina waves and serenaded by the singing of a stiff breeze through the rigging wire. A slightly larger stateroom aft is where Rod and Pat quarter.
The head. It’s operation was just complicated enough that I’d usually make my way out to the marina lavatory. There is also a small shower to the left which went unused during our visit.
The dining area featuring Sebastian the seagoing cat. Notice the net full of snacks hanging above. The boat was provisioned for several weeks of sea travel, so every nook and cranny was filled with the necessities for a self-contained life.
The galley featured a stove with oven and a bread maker…
It takes a big man to admit that he is probably not “right sized” for long term living at sea on a sailboat.
No TV on board but we did enjoy a little live music.
We trekked into New Bern where Jee Yeun made a beary nice friend…
Rod bought some supplies at this old fashioned hardware store. A much more pleasant experience than shopping at Home Depot, that’s for sure.
We lunched at this popular local eatery and then said our farewells. Rod had been closely monitoring the weather for a good 3 day window to make it down to Florida. The seas can be treacherous off Cape Fear this time of year. The had hoped to be in warmer waters by October but the refitting took longer than anticipated. They plan to spend a month in the Bahamas and after that probably the west coast of Mexico. Their home port is Los Angeles, but they really love being in the South Pacific, spending a lot of time in Pago Pago and American Samoa.
I really respect their success in living the life of their dreams. I do not envy that lifestyle however. A life at sea is really hard work. When sailing, someone must always stand watch. And maintaining the boat and it’s critical components is a never ending chore. I guess I prefer a life of sloth ease. Now, we might fly in to visit them in some exotic port of call, but from my perspective, sailing in a little boat in a big ocean is more scary than romantic.
On the drive home, we spent the night in North Myrtle Beach. Winter is the best time of year at the beach in my opinion, mostly because I had crowds.
America’s East Sea as viewed from our crappy (but $40 per night) ocean front room.
Jee Yeun enjoys her coffee and the Carolina sea grass.
The temperature was right at freezing and there was a cutting ocean breeze that chilled to the bone. It was so cold that the seagulls flocked around Jee Yeun trying to keep warm.
But there is something to be said for the solitude of the oceanfront in winter.
Into the great wide open
So, the end of 2011 is upon us. It was not a good one for the McCrarey clan. My mother and father both passed away, and earlier this month, so did their loyal dog entrusted to my care. I also dealt with the transition to retired life and the surprisingly difficult task of adjusting to living in the USA after six mostly wonderful years in The Land of the Morning Calm. On the plus side, a beautiful granddaughter (Sydney Renee) joined the family. And so of course, the circle of life continues.
Today I completed the surprisingly extensive paperwork associated with an application for a fiancee visa so that my sweetheart Jee Yeun can stay with me wherever I’m living. I checked the hours for my local post office and confirmed they stayed open until 2:00 p.m. It’s funny, I’ve procrastinated for weeks on getting the visa application together but once done, I wanted it out in today’s mail, by god! So, I arrived at the post before 1 o’clock only to discover they closed at noon for the holiday. And there was no wind, rain, heat or snow to delay those postal people from their appointed rounds.
Not to be deterred, I drove on in to the Main Post Office in downtown Columbia. Much to my chagrin, I discovered that that office does not open at all on Saturday, and especially not on New Year’s Eve Saturday. So, I dropped my envelope in the collection box out front which promised a 3:00 p.m. collection. Whether or not that’s true, my mission was accomplished.
And then a question came to mind. If by some magic you could be shown your future life, would you want to view it?
Now I know that is not a unique or profound thought. But what prompted the question was looking up at that fourth floor office I occupied from 1986 through 1993 when I was working for the Postal Service. Back in those days I’d sometimes gaze out my window and watch the happenings on Assembly Street, the major thoroughfare in my adopted Southern city. I saw Pope Paul, President Bush the First, and Governor Campbell motorcade by, but mostly it was just the hustle and bustle of the ordinary citizenry going about the business of what I presumed were their ordinary lives.
And today I wondered what would the me of back then have thought upon seeing the me of today mailing a letter of such importance and yet its contents were beyond my wildest imaginings just a few short years ago. I hope I would have laughed at the absurdity of it all.
Despite all the hopes and dreams and best laid plans, we are after all destined to live in the moment. I never envisioned this life that I’ve lived turning out as it did. The detours and heartbreaks and disappointments all inevitably led me back to this place, but changed me almost completely from who that man looking down from the window way back then. And I don’t just mean those extra pounds around my belly. All those experiences that I never planned for, dreamed about, or even knew that I desired have not necessarily made me better, and I certainly hope not worse. But this is who I have become, and I am glad for it.
I’m not going to answer my own question directly because I don’t know if someone had shown me the road ahead back then that I would have had the courage to follow it.
So, I am looking forward to the new year. And I know that there are things I’d like to see and do. But I’m thinking I’ll just take it a day at time and see what happens. Doing it that way has worked pretty well for me so far I suppose.
Speaking of plans (and proving my point), I was going to take Jee Yeun out to Myrtle Beach for a little R&R to start the New Year. And tonight I get a phone call from my old (aren’t we all?) high school friends Rod and Pat Headlee. For the past few years they’ve been living on a sailboat and traveling the world, mostly in the South Pacific. They bought a new boat in Annapolis, and after outfitting it so they can sail to warmer climes, they are heading south. Their journey has begun with the Intercoastal Waterway and they are currently docked in New Bern, North Carolina. Which as fate would have it is where we are going to be tomorrow instead of Myrtle Beach.
You just never know what’s in store, do you? I guess that’s the way I like it.
Happy New Year everyone!