Dear Aimery Keith Lewis #13
Healthy solo hobbies are wonderful!
Birthday week for Dada! My birthday was on Wednesday this year (the 30th of July). Another year older, another year wiser (hopefully). I had a wonderful week and a wonderful birthday. I hope that you have had a great week as well, Aimery. I know your birthday is coming up soon on the 19th. I hope it’s a blast! I hope you are able to eat lots of yummy foods and spend time with friends and family on your special day.
The week kicked off with the basics.
Feeding mangoes to Oscar, picking more and seeing cows along the way, media day with Second Star sailing (so we actually got out on the water!), and a friend of mine had her maiden voyage on her new boat Mozart! And then, it was hike day for my birthday!
The hike was beautiful! Started the day with a quick hello to Runt and picked up some salfish and dumplings from Linda’s in Jolly Harbour. Once you get to the end of the Carlisle Bay beach, there is a turn-off by a small body of water that leads you into the trail system. An hour and forty minutes later (I took it pretty slow), I was at the “campsite” at Rendezvous!
It generally takes between 60 and 90 minutes to get from the parking lot just before the Carlisle Bay hotel (at the beach) to the start of the Rendezvous Bay. There are a few hills, but there is a lot of coverage from vegetation, which is great for keeping somewhat cool on the hike. I got drenched in sweat either way, but that is what the beach is for post-hike! There seemed to have been a wedding at Rendezvous recently, so there were lots of additional chairs to sit on by the beach, and there was even a beach swing, which was really cute and enjoyable to sit on and just enjoy the view.
The rest of the week was quite enjoyable as well. On Thursday, I completed my RYA Day Skipper Theory Exam and I passed! Check out my beautiful estimated position triangle!
I also got a gig to dog sit for a few months. I got one good picture of Narla (pretty sure that is her name), but I will get more pics for next week’s post, God willing. I went to meet them for the first time on Saturday morning before heading to the Ripple x Tease “Raft Up” Carnival event that a couple of my friends were hosting.
I enjoy being on boats in general, so I had a great time. I am realizing, though, that I enjoy relaxing cruises more than party cruises/racing. The food was pretty yummy, and the music was enjoyable, but it was too loud to chat, and I was too tall for the dance floor. I still danced to the side of the bar and had a great time enjoying the views, wonderful day overall.
There were 4 or 5 boats as part of the Raft Up event, and they did a pretty good job organizing the food distribution and DJs. I would definitely attend again, but hopefully on the VIP boat next time so I have more headroom!
As I reflect back on the week, I find myself feeling grateful for the healthy hobbies that my lifestyle allows me to participate in and enjoy on a regular basis. I spend a lot of my time hiking, swimming, interacting with animals, sailing, learning, reading, and just generally enjoying a simple and healthy diet (I enjoy making soup every day). I definitely understand and appreciate the privileges that living in paradise provides me. I found/find it very difficult to fill my life with as many positive and healthy activities when I am in North America (landlocked and cold), but I am glad that I no longer seem to have that issue. A walk to the beach for a quick dip is a wonderful endeavour any time of day <3.
The week ahead should be a fun one. Dog feeding daily, another media day with the sailing school on Wednesday, and should be helping my friend with her new boat as well (we get Monday and Tuesday off for a holiday here, so perfect boat work time)!
Love you, BuhBah, I hope you have an epic birthday month. Love you and miss you every day.
If I can’t tell you how much I love you, know I think of you every day,
Love Dada