I mean, how would I feel if somebody come runnin' in the gym and bust me in my ass while I'm on the treadmill? Detective Edwards (Will Smith), Men in Black (1997).
I just want to be left alone. I'm an introvert, late middle aged and tired. I have to get some miles in my legs so I can try to keep up with a bike class next month. There is a foot of snow on the ground.
So I make my way to Planet Fitness, dress out and sit on a stationary bike. Perfect, except...
No matter which of the five upright bikes I choose (they don't have spin bikes) I am staring at four TVs, with the following channels:
MSNBC
CNN
Fox
Some business channel
All of them are non-stop politics.
I'm all for being up on political discussion. Facebook friends know that I'll engage from time to time - often succumbing to a contrarian streak a mile wide. Fair enough. But this shit doesn't ever stop!
I get it. This guy's a menace. Well... They all are. And so are you. You are the reason people can't agree. You are telling them 24/7 not to!
This is where I was last week. I had no cell coverage, no FB. (HT Sara Patterson Bright).
I want to go back.
I took my phone off of airplane mode as we taxied in at Dallas Fort Worth airport. It "exploded," as is the common expression denoting a cacophony of tones and vibrations. I'd received a number of text messages. One, from a cycling companion, gave chilling news.
A friend - a cherished work friend - had taken his own life.
Over the course of the next hour, awaiting our flight to Nassau and vacation, I processed with other men and women who knew my friend well. In the early hours there was little additional information. No explanation.
We taught Report Writing together at the police academy. We had for a number of years. We'd polished and honed, examined and reexamined the curriculum. He called us The Odd Couple.
I was Felix, fastidious and exacting. He was Oscar in the blue collar sense. It had less to do with our personal preferences and more with our presentation styles. I am contained, controlled. Structured and refined. Liberal polysyllabics, virtually no profanity. Decades in the classroom teaching law has gotten me there.
He was six feet of "In Your Face." He told stories painting with a broad brush. Were it not for a liberal use of profanity he might have been struck mute. He could make a point the way street cops make them - bark on, zero quarter. It was the way he saw it - like it, don't like it...all the same.
Of course, like all couples we fought. Like all writers, too. I'd express a point of order. His eyes would light up, his back straight and he'd take a sip of his omnipresent iced tea. "Oh?" he'd say. But that was never the end. He was profoundly patient with his little friend. He would listen, we would discuss. In the end, it wasn't an uneasy truce. We had an accord.
We would begin every new academy with a story he told, the moral of which was to write good reports. It was of his best friend, a young man with his whole life ahead of him. His friend committed suicide at age 16, something that still haunted him all of those years later.
I thought about that, gazing at the stunning waters off Nassau, Bahamas. Beside me, the love of my life. We touched glasses and made a toast to my friend. When I got home, clearing on-line messages, I found an exchange between my friend and me. Early April, a promise to get together for margaritas and Mexican food. To discuss business, but...also, just 'cause. It would have been today.
Fair winds and following seas, partner.
Our Bahama sail aboard the Liberty Clipper defies easy description. It was unlike any vacation we have experienced.
We
are veteran “big boat” cruisers, used to the kinds of amenities major
lines offer. Options – lots of options, lots of glitz, everything done
by crisply-dressed crew members who bring game faces to every encounter.
Schedules of events slipped under the door very very AM and adhered to
with nautical precision. Port calls done with military efficiency,
ashore at zero whatever and don’t be late getting back. The Captain is a
voice on the intercom.
Our first impression of Liberty Clipper
was of a vessel who spends her days primarily at sea. There was rust.
Many of the fittings showed wear and repair – probably multiple times.
So many feet, both shod and bare, have walked the deck that the wood is
nobly worn in all the right ways, including those imperfections that
would be immediately cured on a mega-vessel. The crew had made this a
comfortable home, without pretense or affect. If a towel was useful as a
shade in a porthole, well that’s what they used.
The week
started with a meet and greet, where we were introduced to both crew and
guests. Again, zero pretense. Do you want a beer? Let me show you to
the ice chest. Snacks? Laid out for the gala, but once underway there
are bags of chips and granola bars in a basket. Make yourself a mixed
drink in the salon.
The safety briefing was delivered in person
by the Captain. No frills, but also no nonsense. This schooner was built
to be sailed, not to be ridden. Everything had a purpose, nothing was
illusion or sham. Substantial booms moved with heft, thick lines were
under tremendous tension. The “ladders” were just that – and we were
reminded that “toes grip, heels slip.” We were shown to our cabin by the
steward.
We had paid for an upgraded cabin, with our own shower,
sink and toilet. Helpful amenities, to be sure, but the quarters were
cramped. We found it impossible for two of us to maneuver through
dressing – we did it in shifts. Bunk beds, the top narrow and not easy
to get to. Experimentation finally led to a solution that could be
accomplished in the dark (not using the ladder, on which we hung
wet beach clothes). When the company says, “pack a sea bag,” believe
that. There are no closets or dresser drawers. There is no AC. Small
fans and an overhead hatch provide ventilation.
A few down
sides. For some reason, a noxious odor often accompanied running the
engines. It dissipated soon enough, but for a while our cabin was
unpleasant. Even with a reduced passenger load it was generally
difficult to find privacy, as we shared the common areas with off-duty
crew. The bilge/sea toilet system was temperamental, needing tinkering
to keep things from backing up. Finally, if long, hot, luxuriant showers
are necessary to keep a person in good spirits… Look up “Navy shower.”
On
our last night aboard, the Captain thanked us for helping to keep the
idea of life under sail alive. Truly, it brought tears to my eyes. The
whole boat – THE WHOLE BOAT – was about celebrating an intimate
relationship with the sea that no mega-monster-floating hotel can
replicate. We went places because the wind and the tides were right. We
visited stunning beaches on uninhabited islands. We tucked into coves
and sheltered anchorages at night surrounded by miles of ocean under a
billion stars. We ate meals together, created by crew members (primarily
“Mom” and “Dad”) with world class culinary skills. On our anniversary - a
pan brownie personalized just for us.
The crew… Dreads, tattoos,
bare feet and character. Early in the cruise one of the deck hands
engaged the captain (an amazingly experienced, capable and approachable
man) in a philosophical math discussion with overtones of Heisenberg's
uncertainty principle. Another answered an innocuous question with such
deep thought and conviction I will use his insights to be better at my
own job. “You can’t drink all day if you don’t start now” became a
rallying call. Beach coconut bocce. An hour discussing Eastern Europe
with a crewman who doubled as “Pig Bar” proprietor, with him using the
word tautology to describe some of his ink.
We parted at the end
as unceremoniously as we’d arrived. But, we were different people than
when we first came aboard. This may not be an every vacation. It
certainly isn’t for everyone. I have to tell you…
My wife was
invited to take the helm under the superb guidance of The Boss. We were
“sailing reach before a following sea” in the words of CSN, 4-5 foot
waves having a little fun with us. She observed to her mentor that
keeping a steady course resembled the firm but soft hands required on
horseback. For the next half hour she and our captain discussed that as
the ship sailed onward toward Nassau, my wife in total sync with the
wind and waters.
Mere money cannot purchase moments like that.
Vacations.
I've been away from Bikecopblog for nearly three weeks, busy with things. We are putting together a web page, which is a lot more work than I thought it would be. Then again, it's probably going to be a lot better than I could have made it, struggling alone. It's something like writing for publication - a demanding, detail-oriented editor always pushes the writer to do better than they could manage on their own. It isn't fun. It works.
We will soon be on vacation, one where we intend to unplug, unwind and unlimber. Vacation...
The best thing about vacation is - everything.
Initial planning, the decision to actually go! For this one we talked at great length before deciding on a windjammer cruise. There were some complications, but they were solved by a simple expedient... American Express.
Packing is an introvert's way of previewing the experience. With each article rolled up and tucked into a cube, one's mind envisions where it will be worn. A "Hawaiian Shirt" for the relaxed dinner (with cocktails). The sun shirt perfect under the bright tropical sun. Flip flops easily shed for the beach. Even the frantic last-minute trip down the checklist only means departure is at hand. Oh - I can explain leaving the unique battery pack in the box on the bed at home. Really.
Departure day is stressful - I won't lie. Weather worries, dogs to their respective caretakers... Once, we got halfway to their destinations when we turned to each other - "Did you put the dog food in the car?"
Modern commercial aviation is a pain, but they mostly get us where we are going close to right on time. Mostly.
We had booked a week at the Occidental Royal Hideaway, a five-star all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We had planned no excursions - beach, bar and books (we both ended up reading six or seven). It snowed the morning we boarded the flight, but hell. It snows in Denver. However, the pilots apparently were based in Miami and had little experience navigating the deicing lines. We waited for our turn. We waited some more. We waited for 90 minutes, which was just long enough to miss our connection. So, instead of upscale accommodations, margaritas on the beach and my lovely wife wearing a fabulous summer dress, it was The Bayfield Inn and Suites. Houston, in the pouring rain.
Suites - ha! We had Sonic, mini bottles of Sutter Home chardonnay and a miserable night's sleep. Honest, the toothbrush they provided had about six bristles.
But... The next day we flew first class to Cancun. Arriving at the resort - isn't it always the best day, checking in at the beginning of a week away? So much possibility, everything fresh and new. One of the staff handed us flutes of excellent champagne, the bell guys left with our luggage and we got through the paperwork in short order. Except - no cheesy plastic bracelet. I inquired.
"Oh, senor," the woman said with a chuckle. "We know who you are."
It was that kind of place. We were greeted by name, taken care of with graciousness and treated to (now) six days of the finest food and wine we could ever imagine. One night, after an extraordinary meal, we decided to follow a piano player as he made his rounds. Formal dining room to lounge area to night-life bar... As the drinks accumulated we unsteadily trailed the fellow, who was dressed in white formal attire - tails, in fact. Only, he appeared to be drunker than we were becoming. No worries, we weren't driving. He played beautifully, the waiters were attentive (Grand Marnier for me, chocolate martinis for her) and finally, we decided to call it a night. Except - "Which one of these eight identical buildings is ours?"
Departure day is sort of a bummer, but it sure is nice to see the dogs and cat.
