June 24-Sitting around Bodega Bay

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We’ve had no shortage of drama here in the marina, as you can see from Harry’s earlier note about the ding-a-ling in the dinghy. The wind level alone is enough to raise my blood pressure. We’re idle, and it’s hard for both of us to do nothing. Small things become a big deal: I baked chocolate chip cookies yesterday and we took a compatibility quiz in the Oprah magazine. (Needless to say, we’re compatible.)

This morning the wind was still screaming through here, and also in my dreams all night. At one point, I woke drenched in sweat and terrified. I thought the boat was heaving and flopping all over, and didn’t get clear that this had been a dream until morning, when I asked Harry how he did with all the swell.

We’re enjoying walking around the bay to the small collection of restaurants and grocery stores, about an hour away on foot. We stopped in at the Sandpiper Restaurant for lunch today, a seriously run-down shack almost hidden in another small and very unkempt marina here. Imagine our surprise when we stepped into a spotless dining room crowded with beautiful people. I had a some super wasabi ahi on baby spinach greens and a glass of pinot gris. For Harry, it was all about the crab. So bizarre to encounter this bit of high-end consumer culture in the middle of a marina full of derelict boats and sad single-wide trailer homes. How do these people even know about this restaurant?

We’ve tracked down the only available wireless Internet service, at the Tides Hotel and Restaurant, another bizarre businessplace here among the roadside dives. The receptionists at the Tides let us sit in their lobby and use their Internet service, gratis. Harry checked the weather and surface charts there earlier today and found disagreement between the National Weather Service and NOAA. NOAA suggests we might be able to leave Bodega Bay by Tuesday a.m., but the National Weather Service says nothin’ doin’ until Friday or so. I’m seeing that our challenge now is going to be patience, because the antsy “gotta’ get out there” feeling is starting to nibble at our feet.

In blog-related news, our friends Jeffrey and Amy googled “whale tail flapping” so they could tell us what it meant, and our blog was the number one result! To see what they found out about the meaning of “whale tail flapping”, see their comment on that days’ blog entry.

J

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Photos

Taking the compatibility quiz
"Do you enjoy new experiences, even those that pose a threat to life and limb?"

Staying sane
I can't stop thinking about a)running with Dafne, b)spinning with my spin pals and c)swimming laps. Must sweat more.