Collins of Oakley

Joe Collins, my old UMASS college buddy and Michael's godfather, called me out of the blue today and invited Joanne and I to the Oakley Country Club in Watertown for dinner this Friday.
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I used to be able to beat Joe in most sports while in college.... which I'm sure he wouldn't admit to then and definitely not now.... but I can't come close to his golf game. Lucky we are not playing.
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Dinner will be something to look forward to.

Clams

Doug Maxfield turned us on to Essex Seafood in Essex, MA as the best place to eat fried clams about five years ago.
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Since that time, Joanne and I made the trek to Cape Ann specifically to eat here on numerous occasions. While in Gloucester today, I dropped by to make another contribution to their business.
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Doug was right then, and he is still right.

Hidden Opportunities

There are a ton of economic opportunities out there. Most arise in places that you don't suspect.
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That being the case, you have to stay in motion.
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If you aren't moving, you can't bump into anything...... And the bumps are where the opportunities hide.
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I'm finished with Maine for the time being and heading to Gloucester, Massachusetts this morning.
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Gloucester on Cape Ann is a very interesting place with a gritty middle class work ethic mixed in with exceptional natural beauty. I thought that Sebastian Junger caught the essence of Gloucester well in his best seller "Perfect Storm."

Right and Wrong

Whenever I feel wronged by someone or something, and start to take mental defensive postures, my body starts to feel uncomfortable. Even when I am completely "right".
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But then if I realize that there is really no right or wrong, only the endless rotation of yin and yang, I start to feel pretty good again.
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It's better to let it go and feel good, because the facts and circumstances will change soon enough.
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"Those who know do not say, those who say do not know. " That Taoist phrase confounded me when I was in my early twenties, now I think that I grasp it.

Egg Rock and Katelyn

For years I have stared out at Egg Rock from the Lynn shore and never circled it in a boat until today when we took a boat cruise on the WhaleEye with the Peabody's.
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It is like a mini mountain peak sticking about 30 feet out of the water. The water depth plummets to 60 ft all around the rock, so it's a 90 ft pinnacle rising out of Nahant Bay.
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Also Kate and Stacey used O'Shea's pool while they were away.

Tender Sail Launching

I'm rigging the sprit sail that Joanne bought for me from Doyle Sailmakers to use on the Tender today. The sail was designed for the pram that I built a couple of years ago, it was never set up to use. High tide is at 5:00 PM and we'll be ready for a sailing launch by then, unless we decide to bring the WhaleEye to Brown's Island for the afternoon.
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I bought the kit for a full size sail from Sail Rite to use on the Tender, but it needs to be sewn and I'd rather use the smaller sail to see how the Tender performs
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When I build the Marblehead Gunning Dory, it will be rigged for the use of both sails simultaneously. By then I should actually have learned how to sail.

Looking Back in Time

This is a picture of the Galaxy M81.
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Who knows what it really looks like, because this is what it looked like millenniums ago, since the light just hit the Hubble telescope from 11.6 million light-years away.
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Everything that we see is a reflection of how long it takes the light of that object to reach us. Therefore, everything that we see actually happened in the past.
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Astronomical objects just emphasize that fact because of their extreme distance.

Cootie Free

It's nice to wake up back in Marblehead, in my own bed. I dislike hotels - even real nice ones. You always feel like cooties are everywhere. I don't even like to walk in my bare feet in the rooms. Yes, this does sound phobic, probably because it is.
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Anyway, there's no place like home. At least I know where the cooties come from there.

Vacation Planning

I am embarrassed that I waited this long in my life to experience the beauty of the Down East coast of Maine, when it is a half day drive away from Marblehead.
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And I wasn't even there on vacation. We can fix that.

Tee It Up

I love the smell of a communications tower in the morning.
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It smells like.... Victory.
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Cadillac Mountain

Click on this map to enlarge it and see the indigenous tribes of Maine.
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I'm interested in finding the significance of Cadillac Mountain on Mount Desert Island to the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine and NewBrunswick.

POTW Selections - Week 31 in remote Maine

I know that you think that just because I'm way here up in Maine, that I'll forget to make the Peep of the Week Selections.
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That is so bogus. Forget POTW??? Not on your life!
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The thought of your lack of faith stirs anger and other negative emotions. Lucky I'm up here in friendly Maine on my best behavior, or I'd probably do something to blow off a little steam about now.

I have to make the selections now..... I can't waste too much time while I'm out in the field.

Announcing
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week - 31st week of 2007

• Doug Maxfield
• Tina James
• Michael Murphy
• Peter Crawford
• Tom Egan
• Tim Wakefield

Tomorrow we survey two more sites in on the coast, then deadhead the 4+ hours back to Marblehead. Mike is home from DC and Katelyn will be coming in from Boston. Looking forward to the weekend.