The Return of Wandrin’ Sam

What a wonderful week it has been here at the ol’ Rabbit Hole. My reading material this year has been robustly full of adventure on the high seas. Pouring over the pages of True Spirit, Lionheart, Dove and Maiden Voyage within a matter of months, I was quite inspired to dive into my mother’s journals from when we were cruising the seas of Mexico back in the mid-to-late nineties. Part way into reading, I decided to type it all out so we could read through easier and share with any curious family members. That idea grew into designing a book that links written memories with photos and that idea led to the idea of an interactive map which I could make accessible right now and add to while I’m typing out the whole adventure. So I hit the breaks on typing for now (which means I, myself am waiting to read further until the rest of this is set up) while I get these pages set up and ready. You can also click here to see how things are coming along.

Above: Isla Partida, Sea of Cortez, Mexico. 1996, 9 years old
Below: Wandrin’ Sam at the helm. San Deigo, California. 1994, 7 years old

Something else which was also inspired by these sailing adventures is my newest hobby/interest is morse code, which I am learning via a delightful site which offers the lessons for free and has a link for donations, of which I will definitely be donating, as I feel the course is very well laid out and I’m grateful for the free access and ability to learn as I find time. Check out www.morsefree.com if you would like to check it out!

{Side note, the second I picked this up I wondered what letter it is that my local pigeon is always cooing. So far he fluctuates between R and W - R definitely being the favorite. I had to use ear buds the other day cause his notes were throwing me off the dits and dahs!}

Later on down the road I am interested in checking out a ham radio license. I strangely miss hearing dad on the ham in the morning, tuning into the morning nets for weather advise and otherwise. It was a lot of squelch to wake up to in the mornings, but it also set a sense of community, safety and routine for me as a kid. If I wasn’t daydreaming about the day ahead, I was often listening to the updates and conversations. Friends searching for and reconnecting with each other, advice sought and given, comings and goings announced, weather forecasts and updates. I suppose it’s like an interactive news station choreographed by of a collection of sailors and landlubbers alike, meeting together daily amidst the ever-present white noise to carry along messages of all kinds. Sometimes I still long to hear that morning squelch, so I decided I’ll try my hand at it. I’ll be sure to update as we see how that rabbit hole grows.
  

So that’s how my week has been and looks like these project should keep me busy for a bit. I should be updating the Cruising Quarters daily as I continue reading the journals, so there should be regular new content to review.

I hope you enjoy! I sure did. ❤
Wandrin’Sam -out.