It's not all bunnies and ducks...

Not exactly happy-making, following the money, and, well, it's not so simple is it...

Yesterday, returning from shopping for our Christmas dinner provisions, the weather was pretty horrible. Gray skies, rain, a nasty chop, the wind blowing from just the direction our boat was anchored a mile away, and the ever present threat of some serious squall action...

Now, I actually love the simple act of rowing. Of course, I know that I'll be rowing into the wind and chop more often than I'd like and unlike most modern cruisers this sometimes puts me at a disadvantage in the whole zip in to the dinghy dock and back when needful process.

Looking at the weather and looking at the Brew Pub the idea that I could grab a pint of stout and wait for a lull in the weather was tempting but, flipping a mental coin, I decided there were things needed doing back on the boat so we left the dinghy dock in a light drizzle with about 20 knots of wind.

I don't suppose I need to tell you that the light drizzle turned into a Biblical deluge which then morphed into a full on squall of the 40 knots of wind of the white horse variety. With every stroke of the oars I thought to myself I could be sitting in a pub drinking a stout...

The downside was we got wet (as in really, really wet), I lost my hat, and the 15-minute row wound up taking nearly 45 minutes.

The upside, on the other hand, was that I enjoyed myself. Sure, it might have been more fun drinking a beer while watching some other fool row his dinghy back to his boat through a hellacious squall but, being that particular fool was as much fun as I've had all week. I like to row but it's so much better when you're doing something closer to the edge where it gets a little messy.

Today it's not blowing at all (at least for the moment) and I expect I'll row into the pub for that pint of stout as it's Christmas Eve day and all...

Speaking of things Christmas, here's hoping all of you have a cheerful if not a little messy holiday.

Listening to the Tedeschi Trucks Band

So it goes...