Canoe U. Morning Walk

Today the opportunity presented itself to make sure some of the morning routine that's normally not my responsibility got executed on schedule.  That little wrinkle in my calendar also allowed me to take a ramble through Canoe U.

Rickover and Alumni Halls and the Chapel from the other side of College Creek

This view shows the crucible in which toughness and resilience are taught.

USNA Columbarium from across the Water

This view is a reminder that we have limited time on this terrestrial plane, so we best use it wisely.

Today was busy and mostly productive. Tomorrow will bring a new series of experiences and adventures. Counterintuitively, I'm revelling in the uncertainty. Interesting.

Challenges

I'm engaged in a Fitbit Workweek Hustle, and for the second week in a row it looks as if I'm going to finish in a pretty strong second place.  There's one day left, so it's possible that it might all fall apart. The person in first place is quite a competitor, and I find it irksome that I've fallen so far behind. Be that as it may, the competition and the challenge of the event has been good for me. It got me out of my rut, and I visited the Capitol for the first time in quite awhile on my morning ambulations.

Capitol Hill - Spring Morning

Spring changes things, and I'm glad I made it out this morning to see the sights. I was better prepared for the doubling of my duties that came later in the day. Wait...how's that again....I don't get the promotion, but I get twice the work for at least the next quarter or so?

Color me confused, but there it is...the path that the universe has laid at my feet. I suppose there's really only one thing left to do with this situation, and that's to keep moving forward. Fuck these guys. I'm planning to bury them in success. 

I love a good challenge, and the upside of this one is that it would be difficult to make matters worse than they have already become. Tomorrow we lose two more folks out of a department of nine. That's on top of the two we lost earlier this year with no replacements on the horizon. I find myself in charge of production on two shipbuilding programs with five (including me) of nine staff remaining. Like I said, I love a good challenge. Time to work the problem.

There's no telling what tomorrow may hold, but I pretty certain it won't be boring.

Five "Must Have" Items for Long Distance Walkers

Grind it out.  That's what today felt like, I captured no photos, and I find myself short on inspiring tales, so I'm reaching back to my 10 List of things to write about and pulling out something I know because it's easy to execute without a great deal of thought.

Five "Must Have" Items for Long Distance Walking

1.  Good Socks. I experimented with quite a variety of socks before I finally settled on a medium weight wool blend running sock for long distance walking. I even marched a little over six miles without socks, and that was the worst of my errors.  I've tried thick socks, thin socks, double socks, triple socks, toe socks, tube socks, socks for a particular foot, etc.  Some things I've learned. 

No socks is bad. Really bad.  By the time I realized I had a hot spot the blister was there. 

Avoid cotton. Soaking up moisture, this is the second worst sock error I made.

I recommend wool and synthetic blends in the 35% wool range. Also, I recommend a sized sock. When I finally got the material right, I chose medium socks to start with and this led to blisters between the toes. I thought the larges would bunch up, but a roomy toe box worked best for me.

2.  Technical running shirts.  The slick fabric of the technical running shirts allows your skin to breath, protect you from sun, keep you warm in the cold, and aid in evaporation in the heat.  Again, avoid cotton like the plague.

3.  Shoes. After some experimentation, I went to a competent running store and told them what I intended to do (walk long distances), and they fitted me for running shoes.  The lightweight materials and good cushioning make this a solid choice for my walking which is mostly on asphalt and concrete.  They even work well on prepared trails through the woods.  For serious hiking, more support might be required, but the running shoes are the right choice for distance walking in a suburban and urban environment.  It turns out that all those lawyers in athletic kicks and business suits/skirts were right after all.

4.  A good watch cap.  I prefer technical fabrics.  A good watch cap will be useful for about 8 months out of the year in the mid-Atlantic region. It will keep your head warm and dry and allow you to wear less clothing overall as the weather gets chillier.  I also like to sleep in mine from time to time.

5.  Lycra, form fitting, boxer underwear.  The longer legs and slick fabric keep the inner thigh chafing to a minimum, and if you wear them to the pool they can pass for an olympic style swim suit. I don't recommend that last part, but they might help you escape with a shred of dignity if you give it a try.

Till tomorrow reveals her true nature, adieu.

Pioneering

Thanks to clearing out some of the clutter, I realized about two weeks ago that I hadn't yet tackled Robert Heinlein's Time Enough for Love  even though it's been in my library for over a year. Launching off on the book, I found myself about half way through it today on my way back north.

Charlotte-Douglas International Airport

Heinlein's books affect me by both engaging my imagination and prompting me to look at the world through a slightly different lens than my habitual assumptions. This one causes me to think about the profession of pioneering with a sense of both longing and adventure.

There are still areas left to explore here on earth, but pioneering, the profession of exploring, taming, settling, and scraping out a living making an untamed wild more habitable for humans seems just out of reach. I'm not sure if that assumption is true, but it sure feels like it.

The last great terrestrial area to make an attempt to habitate rests on the floor of the world's oceans. For other pioneering entrepids, looking to the stars seems like the next logical leap.

I believe the world is ready for the next great challenge, and visionaries like Elon Musk and Richard Branson seem to be making a go of it. 

Sunset - College Creek

Walking distances has proven to be marginally effective at scratching my natural nomadic itch, but the opportunity to work with others to colonize the moon in my lifetime seems like a better outlet. That kind of pioneering would not necessarily be a one way trip like some of the more ambitious interplanetary goals will likely end up being, and a base on the moon outside of the earth's gravity well seem like the next logical step.

The moon is a compelling target, and it offers plenty of chances to hone our space pioneering with reasonable odds of success. 

I'm looking forward to tomorrow and moving one more step closer to the destiny that's calling out from above.

Six Sunset Vistas to Add to Your Bucket List

If you've been following this blog, you should know that there are not very many of you, and you have probably figured out by now that I enjoy to post pictures of sunsets and sunrises.  The pictures lean toward sunsets, but that's mostly a function of the schedule I keep. Both astronomical phenomenon are equally beneficial from my perspective.

I also love travel and have been blessed with visits to four of seven continents and a fairly robust log of locales visited over the course of my life. Although the beginning and ending of a day are special experiences anywhere you find yourself, I do have some favorite locations.  Without further ado, I give you six sunset vistas to add to your bucket list.

1.  Key West, Florida - A week's worth of attending the Sunset Celebration hosted daily at Mallory Square Dock in Key West is worth the planefare and boarding combined. Every day that the sun makes an appearance is a celebration with performers, crafters, food, and hundreds of people gathered for the finale of the day. Key West in general is a very special place, and the Sunset Celebration lives up to the billing it receives as a party to acknowledge the glory of nature as the sun settles down into the Gulf of Mexico.

2.  West Shore of Oahu - Anywhere along the western shore of Oahu, Hawaii delivers a sunset vista that should be experienced at least once in your life. Some of my favorite views of the sunset in Oahu came during the (more expensive) celebration at the Paradise Cove Luau. Having been to a luau or ten, the sunset as viewed from the beach associated with Paradise Cove makes this one special. If you're going to attend a luau anyway, and you should, might as well make it a two-fer and take in colors of the sky as the sun makes it's exit until the next morning.

3.  Bridge over College Creek on Rowe Blvd, Annapolis MD - For reasons that I don't completely understand, the quality of lighting in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, particularly in Annapolis, MD, rivals anywhere else in the world I have traveled.  The bridges over College Creek in Annapolis offer long stretches of water to reflect the spectacular pinks, reds, oranges, blues, and greens that often accompany the setting sun. Partly cloudy days with a clear horizon provide the best viewing, but if the sun is visible any day will do in a pinch.

4.  Fairhope, Alabama - The bluff overlooking South Beach Park and Stack Gully has a concrete walking trail, numerous benches, convenient bathroom facilities, and a number of public art installations and piers that add interesting contrasts to the views of the sun settling down into the waters of Mobile Bay. In the winter the air off the bay brings a hint of warmth and in the summer there is usually a cooling breeze to cut some of the famous south Alabama heat and humidity. After the sunset, the town of Fairhope offers the same celebratory atmosphere that seems to be a theme to accompany my favorite sunset parks. The folks at McSharry's Irish Pub are always warm and friendly, and the shepherd's pie is well worth the visit after a long day of walking.

5.  Anywhere on the ocean - Sunsets undefiled by city lights and foreground obstructions are near the top of the list.  While I've never personally seen the green flash , I'm going to keep going to places with unobstructed horizons until I do see one or can no longer make the journey.

6.  Wherever you are right now. I post quite a few of my sunset and sunrise pictures to other social media sites, and I had a friend comment the other day that I "was making everyone look bad with all these pictures of the magic moments" of the day. It's not that I'm a particularly good photographer or that fabulous sunsets are particularly rare occurrences. Every photo I post is a contemporary sunset or sunrise from the day it was posted unless noted otherwise (and that is a rare occurrence). I'm lucky because I put myself outside at the magical moment that happens almost every day and just wait for the unique but ubiquitous event to occur while I'm watching.

I'll leave you this evening with another view closing the chapter on another day.

Sunset - Residential Street - Spanish Fort, AL

Another great day for the books, and I'm looking forward to facing the mystery of tomorrow.

Long(ish) Walking as a Means of Renewal

For the first time, in a very long time, I found myself with no structured activities planned in advance of greeting the morning. Today promised to be a day of renewal, and I'd like to think I used it wisely. After taking a bit of my own advice and skipping the sunrise the morning, I got myself together and decided to research the possibility of talking a long(ish) walk in the Pensacola, FL area. The distance from Mobile, AL to Pensacola, FL is not daunting, and I thought that a change of scenery, to an area I have not explored in a long time, might prove useful.

After a quick scan of suggestions from Google, I settled on starting out near the Pensacola Lighthouse. Plans being what they are, fungible, I actually started a little bit further east down the beach than I had originally planned, and I ended up with about a four mile walk to the light.

Blue Angel Static Display - NAS Pensacola Officer's Club

Naval Air Station Pensacola, being "The Cradle of Naval Aviation," host more than a few bits of eye candy for enthusiasts of aviation in general and Naval aviation in particular. This static display as one of several that I passed on the trail to the lighthouse. I also took the time to speak to the closest mothers in my life since I found myself away from them all on Mother's Day. All told, I spent about three hours on the phone with them, and I thoroughly enjoyed their company.

After a little over an hour, I fetched the distance to the lighthouse, and the walk proved to be worth every step.

Pensacola Lighthouse with the Lighthouse Keeper's Residence in the Foreground

Originally, my plans called for finding a location to take pictures of the light as sunset approached, but when I finally got there, I found that the angles weren't going to give me the shots that I wanted. What I did not realize was that the lighthouse was open for visitors, so I decided to pay them a visit.

Pensacola Lighthouse with Jeremiah Pelican

Like many cities, Pensacola boasts a public art installation at various locations of a statue decorated with symbolism to match the surroundings. This art installation is call Pelicans in Paradise, the Jeremiah Pelican, The Lighthouse Keeper stands watch over the lighthouse. The light tower is one hundred and ninety one feet tall and the observation platform can be accessed by climbing a spiral staircase with one hundred and seventy seven steps. Admission was six dollars, and the views from the top far outpaced both the cost of admission and the light sheen of sweat the climb up initiated.

View from Pensacola Lighthouse Looking East

The observation platform is the tallest publicly accessible lighthouse platform in the state of Florida. Looking east you can see down the length of Big Lagoon all the way to Pensacola Bay.

View from Pensacola Lighthouse Looking West

Toward the west, you can see the skyline of Orange Beach and past the state line into Gulfshores, Alabama with the miles of white sand beaches in between.

View From Pensacola Lighthouse Looking North

Toward the north the airfield and the National Naval Aviation Museum are prominent landmarks, and with a bit of luck a student pilot will put on a display of aviation skill (or not) during one of their many training flights.

Having decided that I would depart Pensacola before sunset, I made my way back to my car and wrapped up a walk measuring a little over eight miles.

Blue Heron Making an Approach at Naval Air Station Pensacola

Toward the end of the walk, I caught a Great Blue Heron making a landing approach on the apron that used to host the seaplanes stationed at Pensacola. This was a fitting encore to a spectacular jaunt.

Falling back into old habits, I made my way down to Fairhope, AL to take in a sunset.  I put in another five miles of walking along the bluffs, and enjoyed the closing of the day.

Sunset - Fairhope, AL

The cobalt sky was lightly brushed with high cirrus clouds, and the warm breeze off Mobile Bay brought with it a feeling of renewal and energy from across the water.

Skyscape - Fairhope, AL

Even after covering just a bit over a half marathon distance, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated.

Out on the Water at the Closing of the Day - Fairhope, AL

Today was a day of welcome renewal and adventure. Soul healing new sights and old favorites tilled the space between moments. I'm looking forward to what the universe has planned for tomorrow.

Ten Ways to Decompress Following a Hectic Week

This week proved itself a little hectic. Without going into too many details, I'll say that in the last six days I've helped manage the schedule of approximately two hundred folks in a pretty fluid high technology test environment, been isolated from email and internet connectivity for forty eight hours, gone to work at 0230 in the morning, and put in about eighty hours in "the office."

With the appearance of the first relatively calm day following that gauntlet, my thoughts turned to ways that I found useful in decompressing a bit from that high intensity time.

1.  Catch the sunrise.  Awakening before the crack of dawn ought to come with some advantages. In addition to pretty good compensation (which never really makes up for lost sleep, by the way), the sun will make an appearance and you should probably consider taking in the sights for a bit.

Gulf of Mexico Sunrise

Up before dawn, there were a series of things that called to be dealt with, but when I stepped outside for a moment, this is the vista that awaited. I stood in the moment and reveled in the perfection. The tone had been set for appreciating the other perfect (though less scenic) moments that would follow.

2.  Meditate. When you sit at a picnic table and stare at a point in space for twelve minutes (or so) as the frantic actions unfold around your reverie, a co-worker might eventually come up to you, tap you on the shoulder, and ask if you're alright. When they do, you might consider sharing with them the benefits of mindful meditation including but not limited to clearer conscious thought, a heightened sense of serenity, and lower blood pressure. They might show some interest, or they might leave you alone going forward. Either way, this is a win-win from my perspective.

3.  Don't catch the sunrise. There's something to be said for paying back some of that sleep debt you might have built up during the week. I'm staying at a hotel that's chose Arianna Huffington as their ambassador for a good night's rest. The staff even left a handy list of her eight tips for a better sleep. A quick Google search reveals that she's authored five, eight, twelve, and ten tip lists for a better sleep so it seems to me that she takes the topic pretty seriously.  The fact that four of the eight tips are part of my own daily practice is heartening. 

4.  Turn off the television.  I have not watched any television nine days. I don't miss it a bit. In today's connected world it is all but impossible to get away from what passes for news and current events, so my knowledge of what the talking heads have been endlessly yammering about over the last nine days have not escaped my attention (unfortunately). Keeping the television off has lessened the volume of their hyperventilating to a background murmur, and I find that it's much easier to stay in the moment and appreciate the things that are happening within about a meter of my existence. I saw a lizard on the front quarter panel of a Ram Hemi Truck this afternoon. Apparently one also secured their position as a presidential candidate and another is likely to follow shortly.

5.  Take a walk. I went to a park with a bluff overlooking the water today. It's one of my favorite haunts when I get a few hours of downtime in this neck of the woods. The weather was cool with a hint of warm humidity, the mosquitoes have not yet invaded in force, and I spent some quality time in the vicinity of some fellow travellers watching the world complete another revolution. It's just the kind of revolution that I can get behind.

6.  Eat something new. I found myself hankering for something a little sweet, but I didn't quite know what I wanted. Fortunately, I stumbled across a little bakery that was new to me, and they had some fresh lemon scones. Never having tried them before, I knew before they crossed my tongue they were going to hit just the right balance of sweet and tart. I was not disappointed.

7.  Say "Thank you" more often than usual. The bakery counterman asked me if he could help me, and since I didn't know what I was searching for I said, "I'm just poking around, but thanks for asking." This elicited a smile from him that brightened my day. The checkout girl with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and a smattering of freckles beamed up as well when I thanked her for her help purchasing the scones. I don't know if saying "thank you" and meaning it brightened their day at all, but their smiles sure brightened mine.

8.  Get rid of excess stuff, and if you can swing it, give it away that might help someone else. 

Minimalism - Day 9 - Alabama

Some of this stuff went right in the trash. Let's face it, when you have two toothbrushes, it's time to part with the one that's worn out. Who needs more than one pair of nail clippers? When you drop a pair of work gloves in a toilet accidentally, you might want to think about tossing them in the bin. On a happier note, I returned The Lobster Chronicles to the Little Free Library that I borrowed it from about three weeks ago. It was a good read, and I recommend it to those who might be thinking of becoming a lobsterman (or woman) and are worried about the winters in Maine. The book didn't chase me away from that particular idea, although I might consider a summer lobster season in Maine followed by a winter season in the Caribbean. That book was joined in the little shed by When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron. This book makes a compelling case for the argument that pain and uncertainty are harbingers of a person getting a little bit closer to the truth of their existence if you can muster the courage to lean into the discomfort. It was compelling, and I recommend taking a gander.

9.  Journal. It's what I do now, and I find that putting thoughts into typeface gets them out of my head where they're easier to manage.

10. Catch the sunset.

Sunset at The Bluffs - Fairhope, AL

It's been a long day, even if you chose not to catch the sunrise, and the revolution is over for now. Take a moment and feel the warm wind come off the bay. Watch the blues turn to greens and the hot yellow melt into orange and red.

Seahorse Sunset - Fairhope, AL

Know that you've done your best, and, whatever the outcome if you're like me at all, you'll be looking forward to the hopeful newness of another day tomorrow.