First rainy night

On the phone today, explaining how life is going on the boat, I found
myself saying "y'know... It's actually been super easy and equally as
fun. Although, we'll see what happens when it rains."

Well, it's now raining.

Hard.

Less than ideal.

Although, the un-ideal-ness has nothing at all to do with actual life
aboard... And everything to do with the 10-minute walk from the North
Station T stop.

I spoke to soon. Over and out.

Nav with Electric Mike

Launch Vid

Marina Bay to Constitution

Hello,

Check out this track made with Navionics US East.

Perdido - Marina Bay to Constitution

Start Time: 5/10/10 3:55 PM
End Time: 5/10/10 5:32 PM

Active track info:

Distance: 6.4 NM
Total Time: 1h 31'
Average Speed: 4.2 kts
Max Speed: 5.8 kts

Click on the attached .kmz file to see it in Google Earth!

Made with Navionics Mobile

Another Pic

Here's another pic to give some perspective...

Bosun's Chair

Mast and standing rigging went up today; getting close! Here's a pic of me hanging from a bosun's chair 50+ feet off the deck...

Keep thinking, keep dreaming.

So far, I have found this book to be interesting, well written, and a
great reminder of what is possible with a lot of vision, tenacity and
even more humility. Take a peek.

Sunday

Née here...

Quick update :) We spent sat and sun doing a few more fixes. We are
officially getting stepped and rigged this Saturday. As soon as it's
rigged we call the launch guys and they'll put it on their list
officially for end of next week!!

This is a random pic of me scraping off the NY reg # from her old
home. She's in Mass now baby!

Drizzly Spring Exploring!

As Ty works away on the computer, I made myself scarce. How
wonderful to find this city so beautiful even with a light Spring
drizzle. So much history and creativity on every corner and in every
window.

Not ideal. But a good deal. And a great idea!

Back on the boat with Ty and "electric" Mike. A long day with some
interesting/tough set-backs. For example...an introduction to sailboat
clausterphobia. That's Ty taking a lunch break in the bilge. One day
at a time!

Sailboat Sanding

It was a beautiful day in Boston! Ty and I worked on the boat today. That's me sanding the teak stairway so I can varnish next weekend. Ty did some plumbing and touch-ups on the bottom paint. We are now tired, happy, and putting aloe on our pink shoulders :)

Time to swab the deck...

Today was one of those beautifully warm sunny days that require 1)
flippy floppys 2) iced coffee & 3) buckets of cold sudsy water to
clean your filthy boat.

It's time to give the gal a little TLC. We're spending the weekend
washing her nooks & crannies and attempting to shake off the land
locked blues in preparation for her exciting launch into the big salty
sea (hopefully next weekend?)

Pic #1: Ty loving on the settee cushions.

#2: Scrubbing the V Berth and the storage lockers underneath. *My
favorite quote of the day* "There is some serious funk in that one -
there might be poop in there" he says, pointing to our soon to be bed.

#3: Unscrewing the curtains for their big day at the drycleaners.

#4: Kind of shocked when I saw how close my head was to my new "head."
But please note the rubber gloves :)

Having a blast but missing our family and friends on all continents.

To-do, to-wish...

Sitting in bed. Dreams of blue ocean water in the background as we
type away the "have to-do" and "gosh wish we could do" list for our
little sailboat.

Our no-name sailboat is camping in Mendon getting her fiberglass all
ready for her big launch. She waits patiently to return to her salty
bath. And in the meantime, her salty mates research deep into the
night making spread-sheets to organize our pennies.

This part is fun. The next part will be even better. So we plan and
watch this little dream become a great big adventure.

- How much is cabin lighting?
- How to install a VHF radio?
- Which dehumidifier is best?
- Can we afford a shiny paint job?

Mmmm...

Birthday kicks.

Ty surprised me with boat shoes for my birthday! But they've got a
split personality, Boston style. Patagonia is too smart. The rubber
grippy soles pop off after I'm safely onshore and become my
professional kicks for work.

Entitled

On my way into the office this morning I approached a car stalled at a stoplight, hazard lights flashing. A woman was pacing frantically on the side of the road, purse-fishing for a cell phone while commuters jockeyed their way around the broken-down inconvenience.

I'm far from mechanically inclined. At risk of being of more hindrance than help, I decided to pull over and offer what little consolation I could. Despite being Tuesday, I couldn't help but think of that disparaging comment from the move Office Space about "a case of the mondays". I walked to the rear of the car to push the vehicle out of traffic.

Realizing there was a car stalled in her lane, a woman in her mid-thirties driving a white, late-model, Soccer Mom minivan gave me a look of surprised disgust and mouthed an exaggerated "what the F*#K!?".

Classy. Very classy.

Maybe she had time to respectfully request that her delightful children apply their expletive earmuffs... but I seriously doubt it.

Her face stuck with me all day today. It was the non-verbal expression of entitlement. "How dare this little old lady inconvenience me so terribly by sabotaging her own alternator in order to break down in my lane and delay my errand by 9 seconds."

Entitlement. Wikipedia defines it as "someone's belief that one is deserving of some particular reward or benefit." I walked away with a tremendous sense of urgency to reject that "belief" wherever and whenever possible.

How do I/you view other people? Cultures? Professions? Educations? Neighborhoods? Co-workers? May we relentlessly pursue a perspective of grace and gratitude... and enjoy the deep relationships and low blood pressure that are sure to follow.

Global Water Crisis

Check out these images - http://gigapica.geenstijl.nl/2009/05/mooi_milieu.html - A powerful photographic depiction of the water crisis facing the world’s poor.

Organizations like Healing Waters International are working hard to put a dent in the problem. You can support them through their e-tapestry page located here.

May we each continue to live with intentional compassion for those who do not have sufficient resources to insulate themselves from this critical issue.

Francie's Cabin - 11,264 ft

Ty and I had a lot of fun this weekend with our great friend Kim James and a fun group of new friends :) We skinned up a 2-mile trail to one of The 10th Mountain Division Huts in the Rocky Mts. What a beautiful place to relax, play, cook together and enjoy the pristine Colorado backcountry.

We got a few pics - uphill sweat not included...

One-piece Wonders

We brought out the big guns for our day on the hill today... slightly out of control. Yes, that is hot pink snow leopard print on Brent's outfit, in case you were wondering. If you're wearing rose-tinted goggles he fully disappears from view.

I apologize for wasting the 18 seconds it is taking you to read this and digest the disturbing scene depicted below.

Operation Smile - Amman, Jordan

Ne has been running around like crazy since returning from her recent trip to Amman, Jordan with Operation Smile.

The team performed a staggering quantity of reconstructive surgeries in a very short window of time. It is amazing to see the transformation in the children! I'm sure Renee will want to share more with you about her experience. For now, check out the pics below...

Thank you...

This November the 27th the Bishops and Clarks have loaded up pies, cookies, potatoes, and overnight gear as we head North for the holiday...Belle, Luke, Gloria, and the Nelson's have invited us for a good ol' fashioned party in Fort Collins to celebrate our many "thank you's!" It's easy to think of a few reasons to be thankful right away, but the ones that arrive at your back door, quite unexpectedly, are perhaps the most treasured. May your loves be near you, your neighbors warm, and your laughter plentiful.

Independence Pass | Labor Day

Hey all!

Thought we'd share a few photos from our recent camping/climbing/hammock-lounging adventure to Independence Pass which crosses the Continental Divide between Leadville & Aspen, CO.

As always, we had a blast out there with the Fishers... Enjoy the pics!

The way we think it should be...

I was working last night in the adult ER and I had a moment of sheer exasperation. As the soundtrack of the ER swirled quickly around me...intoxicated patients screaming obsenities to their nurse in the next room, tired babies howling on the laps of their mothers, techs pushing strechers filled with the carnage of Denvers midnight street crime...I had a second (okay a minute), the audacity to think that everyone should just quiet down so I could concentrate. Embarassingly, at 3am, I tapped my foot, crossed my arms, closed my eyes...and then it hit me. Or rather...she hit me. Literally. Paramedics rolled in with my new patient and clipped my smugness with their stretcher on the way back to the bed. (I'd like to think this was a sweet reminder from my very honest God ;)

I had to laugh to myself - or better at myself as I walked to greet this new woman in bed 8. Sweet "Grace" is as charming as they come. Crippled by a disease called MS, this patient and anxious woman looked at me with trusting eyes and the reality of my job came rushing back to me like a wide-lense close up on the big screen. I had a decision to make. My attitude and patience were to be choices that night as I helped this woman, for the next 4 hours, in and out of her diapers, stretching her stiff knees and elbows that caused her pain, and hanging bag after bag of fluids that would rehydrate the body that holds her captive. Last night was a very very busy night in the ER and caring for Grace made it tough to keep up with the rest of my sick patients. We have choices to make when we are at our worst. Grace's pleading eyes and gentle demeanor prodded me to make the right choice at 3am and at 4, 5, and 6.

What do we think the future looks like for us and the people we love the most? Grace has two twin boys - 14 years old. What would she have pictured today to look like 14years ago? Things are never the way they "should be." They forever remain the way they are and we make the choices that matter. Grace treated every person who entered her room with respect, kindness, and abundant patience. There was not a drop of bitter in her trusting eyes. What do we do with the life we live everyday? What we choose affects the people we share life with. In the end, I have to believe this is what we'll remember.

Purpose & Excellence

Renee shared this quote with me. I thought I would pass it along.

"I called you to live at your best, to pursue righteousness, to sustain a drive toward excellence. I called you to a life of purpose beyond what you think yourself capable of living and promised you adequate strength to fulfill your destiny." - eugene peterson

Pretty powerful! Being called to a life &/or purpose beyond what we can even dream or imagine. Sometimes, when immersed in meetings, task lists & spreadsheets it can be hard to pan out and see that God is at work in & through us!

Treasure Principle

It was a great weekend at the CO Clark’s house. I spent Friday evening running around town like a chicken with my head cut off with Papa Bish, searching for 1) a reasonably inexpensive battery for my Volkswagen (which caught a bad case of “can’t hold a charge for even 30 minutes”), and 2) a website which would teach a mechanically-challenged individual how to install it without resetting my car’s finicky internal computer. After some sweat, “Sanctuary” homebrews & sparks from careless jumper cable handling, the VW is back in action.

Saturday, Renee and I headed to Boulder Canyon for some climbing, only to get rained off of our first route. We quickly shifted gears and hit sushi happy hour in downtown Boulder with Dave & Brenda. Not a bad backup plan, all in all. A friend of a friend offered their place in Breck for the evening, so DB, BB, Renee & I bolted out of town Saturday evening for a late-launch adventure.

We headed to bed after the girls annihilated Dave & I in a fierce round of “Catch Phrase”. At 3:00am & again at 6:00am we awoke to the sound of someone trying to enter the condo. Some bleary-eyed words were exchanged only to realize that the malicious intruders were actually just two guys trying (*somewhat unsuccessfully) to find their own condo after a long stumble home from the bars. Sunday ended up being a long commute down the mountain in weekend warrior traffic.

I couldn’t fall back asleep Sunday morning after a second round of attempted communication with our inebriated neighbors. I trudged out to the living room hoping to divert my attention from the frustrating fact that I was somewhere other than curled up in bed next to my wife at 6am on a Sunday. I picked up a book titled “The Treasure Principle”, by Randy Alcorn. The tagline below the title reads “Unlocking the secret of joyful giving”. To this point, I had successfully avoided reading the book for fear of being confronted with the fact that my charitable giving falls somewhere between lackadaisical and pathetic. For some reason it feels like you’re giving all along, until it’s time to prepare your taxes and you compare the total of those little charitable contribution receipts to your gross income.

“There have to be more receipts around here... somewhere? Née, can you grab me the one for the… y’know… that donation we made.”

“You mean the grocery bag half-filled with old gym socks, cracked dishware & pog chips that you dropped off at Goodwill?”

Wow, this is embarrassing.

Though you may need to translate Alcorn’s book from Christianese to modern English (try Google Translate), the substance of the book is both valid and valuable. He writes:

“Five minutes after we die, we’ll know exactly how we should have lived. But God has given us His Word so we don’t have to wait to die to find out. And He’s given us His Spirit to empower us to live that way now. Ask yourself, Five minutes after I die, what will I wish I would have given away while I still had the chance? When you come up with an answer, why not give it away now? Why not spend the rest of our lives closing the gap between what we’ll wish we would have given and what we really are giving?

I’ve found that my giving never exceeds my comfort. But it is only in "the uncomfortable" that growth happens. Whether that is financial, cultural, relational, etc. It is impossible to build muscle by lifting weights only until you reach the fringe of your comfort level.

“Ooh. I think I’m… yep, that was definitely a drop of sweat. And Grey’s Anatomy starts in 7 minutes.”

“Congratulations, TC. You burned six calories… which will probably offset that ice cube you ate earlier.”

Strength is built by repetitive action well beyond our comfort zone.

Will you join me in:

1) doing something undeniably uncomfortable in the next week (whether that be a phone call, a gift, an introduction)

2) giving away something that is truly valuable in the next month?

I wonder if we won’t be truly surprised by the outcome! Feel free to post some comments here. We’ll all probably need the encouragement to make this happen!

My final thought in this rambling post is how will the world know? If we, as Christians, refuse selflessness & generosity in defense of our own comfort, how will the world know what this whole “Jesus” thing is about? If we talk about Jesus, will the world listen? Only if we’ve earned their ear.

Let's give. Let's get uncomfortable in action. Let's throw some ridiculous love at this world; love for which there could only be One explanation.

Republica Dominicana

We recently returned from an adventure in the beautiful Dominican Republic where our good friends Michelle & Luke tied the proverbial knot. Sun, sand & good conversation were enjoyed by all. Check out the photos below... and no making fun of my white thighs! - tc

Moab with the Fishers

Megs & Nee emerge from their mummy sleeping bags and find themselves in paradise.

TF & RL

Jack gettin pumped

Ty climbing a crack in The Ice Cream Parlor section of Moab

Nee taking a rest at the top

OK, I wouldn't use the word "cool" when referring to our posting. It's kind of like nees journal...revisited every other month or so. But, here we are in technicolor climbing the BEAUTIFUL rock in Utah. We had a blast, we love our Fishers (Jack & Megan) and thought you should know ("you" being the random few who still check this after our delinquency :)

Introducción...

Here's hoping that a peek into our life in Colorado will not only keep you updated...but prompt you to let us peek into yours as well. Being far from our family (not for long!) and friends (come visit!) is hard. We miss the daily chats and inevitable intimacy that comes with it... So, check back if you'd like...read a thought, leave a thought. We'd like to invite you to challenge us, and possibly be challenged as well.

So, truth is...this is where we'd rather be right about now. (Fantastic generosity of the Clark family made it possible for Ty and I to experience our dream of sailing under the sun and over the green ocean...) All this dreaming has prompted us to ask some serious questions. Like... Who are we? What do we stand for? What do we value and why? These questions can be risky. The simple fact is that you can't ask them and then do nothing about it. It will shape us if we let it. As ty and i enter this 2nd year together, it is our goal to seek answers together in order to live with intentionality. That can be a hard one on a day-to-day basis. Any hints?