Much ado about nothing
My leg (not just my knee) was pretty sore this morning. My knee is also getting really tired of the big braces so today was pretty laid back. That hike I wanted to take seemed to be too much and everyone else seemed really happy to sit on the boat and not do much.
Being Sunday, by mid-day most of the powerboats had left the anchorage and it slowly started to fill back up with sailboats finally giving a ratio of more sailboats then powerboats. Of course, lots of folks came by in their dinghies to say hi and remark on how pretty Ciara is. If we start talking to folks most of the time one of the first questions we ask is “where are you from.” This one fellow was from Boyne City, MI. Captain said “Oh, Debbie almost got arrested there!” We told him the story from one of our first summers aboard and how the police officer there was very unhappy to see us borrow (with permission from the store, with promise to return it) shopping cart from the grocery store. It’s a great story but the guy from Boyne City laughed a little too hard and said “That’s Boyne City, come for vacation, leave on probation!” We laughed really hard at that as well.
Other sailboats came in looking for a place to drop the hook. Two of them came by and yelled over “Hey, do you remember us?” I have to admit, we meet hundreds of people every year, the chances of me knowing your boat from glance without even seeing the boat name is slim to none, but of course we were like “yeah!” Turns out both boats we met on our first trip up here to the North Channel in the Benjamins. They are the folks Captain was able to jam on shore with and he got really excited to jam with them later in the day.
The day was spent doing very low-key things. Reading and naps for the most part. Mid-day I let Kona play fetch off the deck. It cools and cleans our decks and gives her a great time. I also get a cheap cool off when she shakes her wet coat. I can’t really swim right now anyhow and I usually chicken out. Our Canadian friend near us gave her a “9.5 from the Canadians” for her form as she leaped into the water. Cory later took a relaxing dip and floated in the water for awhile.
I spent a lot of time with my brace off realizing that while it was sore this morning it was more sore from not being used in the last week and the MCL pain had greatly gone down. I am rehabbing it without the brace and carefully stretching my leg. I am very hopeful for going hiking tomorrow.
We made those fajitas for dinner and Captain gathered his bass and amp and went over to play his guitar before Cory and I even finished our dinner as we could hear them already jamming across the way and Captain was looking like a sad puppy yearning to go. The other boaters had remembered I played Taps and Last Post. I told them I only really do Last Post up here now and they requested both so I said I would. I told Captain as much and that meant playing Taps at 8:58, a minute rest and then Last Post at 9 as our usual for when I used to play both.
I finished dishes just as my alarm went off. I headed to the bow and listened to everyone jamming on the other boat. Poor Kona had drunk a lot of water while she was swimming and also had two large bowls of fajita meat water. Captain had taken her to shore before dinner where she had a long Austin Power pee but she was whining before my trumpet calls and just before I played, she peed all over the deck. She was so distraught at her un-lady like behavior that she didn’t just squat and go, she cried while she walked and peed the length of the boat. I had Cory give her a treat. I have been trying to tell her it is okay to pee on deck, so she got no reprimand from us. I played Taps and Last Post. Taps went unheard from the group that requested it because they were unaware that I would start 2 minutes before 9pm, although Captain should have remembered and they couldn’t hear me over their own music.
Captain came back after my calls to take Kona to shore (not necessary now) and me back to the other boat. I didn’t really want to go. My leg was stiff and I knew that I would be just sitting there enjoying watching him be happy, but with no one to talk to as the ladies really had their own thing going on. Cory and I were going to stay behind and watch a movie and/or enjoy their music from the comforts of Ciara. Captain really wanted me to go so I ended up joining him. Captain was having a great time jamming with three other guitar players and I get envious of his ability to just listen and join in. He received a bit of slack from the lead guitar player because he doesn’t know any chords or note names. I’ve been trying to get him to take the time to learn, and this is why. Most musicians speak the language they don’t just all play and wing it like his punk band in the 90’s did. We stayed about an hour at which point I was done and asked to go back. I don’t know if I’m a little home sick and if it is all related to my knee but I went to bed a little blue. I feel like we are just sitting around and I want to fully embrace our time up here. I took off my brace and opted just for my compression sleeve as the brace is hurting me more now than the injury. I do remain hopeful for a hike and getting moving soon.
