The Polaris

Cedric and his pal Fergus also had a great time visiting the Polaris, and you can too! She's beautiful, built in 1906, a carvel-built pumpkinseed sloop. (OK, I have no idea what that means, but it sounds so cool that I'll be looking it up.)

The crew was so friendly, and answered all our many questions, and even took special care helping Cedric and Fergus enjoy their visit, too.Fergus' pal Debbie was there, as were other pals, and we had such a good time we hope we can visit
The Spaulding Boat Center where the Polaris is based. (They're a California non-profit, 501(c)(3), so give early and give often.)

The Niña

We had a fantastic time during the week at the Festival of Sail, and so did a lot of other people! There are some fantastic photos and a great video of the Parade up at Yachtpals. Favorite part of the parade? The cannon fire. The boom of cannon on the Bay is always delightful. We were watching in front of the Firehouse at Fort Mason Center, and the wind was just right so that the smoke emerged from behind the end of the pier before the Bounty in all her glory.
Cedric loved his visit to the Niña with Fergus. The crew was so friendly and knowledgeable, and very patient with their smallest visitors. They loved exploring the model:

And were so surprised that the ship was so small (the full-sized ship, that is, not the model. Although the model was a tiny miracle of craftsmanship.). It's hard to imagine sailing across the Atlantic in it, but if you're curious, check out the crew application at their website.

Less talk, more work

As the artist Chuck Close said: 'Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.'
--Jon Carroll, column for Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007

Just finished a novella. (Damn, that sentence was fun to write.) I don't write much about writing--it seems silly. I'd rather just go write novellas and novels (and lions and tigers. Oh my.)

But check out Jon Carroll. He's one of my favorite writers.

Portrait

I'm lucky to know a very talented photographer, who takes great pictures of me like this one with my latest fabric purchase.

UC Botanical Garden

Today we visited the UC Botanical Garden, and Cedric's favorite spot was the dye plants bed in the herb garden. The flowers were still stunning, and the indigo pods were lovely.


We also saw lizards, many robins and towhees, and even a roufus-sided towhee. In the quiet, California garden, we watched a small, gray mouse, no bigger than a quarter, foraging. We also stopped into the tropical house to see Odora, and I was happy that she wasn't stinky! Next to Odora is Titania, setting fruit, and another plant in the leaf stage. It's quite something seeing a flower almost as big as you, and a leaf taller than you are.