A weekend on water

I ventured out of my usual environment last week when Chris and I drove to Battery Park Marina in Sandusky Ohio to spend the weekend with a friend, Krazno, and his family (and their fantastic dog) on their sailboat. Chris, who is working for the family this summer, has spent many weekends at The Boat, but this was my first time aboard and the first time in years that I had been on any manner of watercraft. In addition to the 4o-some-footer used as living quarters, the family also owns a few smaller boats, including a Boston Whaler and a Hobie Cat (catamaran).

I was a bit nervous when Krazno asked if I wanted to go for a ride on the Hobie Cat, but the weather was nice and the wind not very strong, so I decided to go for it. The ride was great - probably a bit tame for Krazno's taste, but perfect for my first time out. The best part was using the trapeze, which allows you to literally hang off the side of the boat. A wire comes out from a high point on the mast and hooks onto a harness that you wear. You then lean back off the side of the hull keeping your feet planted on the side. This technique is used practically to balance the force of the wind in the sails, keeping the boat level. It felt amazing to just hang out there with the wind and water in my face.

At night we took the big sailboat across the lake to Put-in-Bay. The ride took about two hours and we all sat on deck and watched the sun set and the stars come out.

Below are some of the shots from the weekend.

Below deck on the sailboat


Sun setting on the ride to Put-in-Bay


Main sail


Chris doing something on the boat - a lot of my weekend was spent trying not to be in the way.




People parasailing on the lake


Lounging on the boat


Spinnaker (aka Spinny) taking a nap on the boat

Back Home

I've been living at home for two weeks and have been enjoying many comforts I was without while in Chicago - free laundry, closet space, counter space, just space in general, a stocked fridge, a bathtub, television (yup, never had TV in Chicago), and ice cubes (no ice trays either). But the nicest part about being at home is having other people around. After living at home and in college dorms, it was weird coming home to an empty apartment and I never grew accustomed to it. So it's nice to be able to hear signs of life in the house - my dad whistling, catching bits of conversation as my mom walks around the house while she talks loudly on the phone, the eclectic selection of music blasting from my brother's room.

I'm also really appreciating the aesthetics of the house and the surrounding neighborhood. I'm realizing how much I missed all the green - the wooded backyard and all the grass. There's been quite a lot of rain this past week and so everything is very lush and damp. One day while sitting around the house I decided to get out my camera and take some shots around our yard.

Back of the house

Remnants of an old swing set


Tree house - The tree on which the structure was built is a few hundred years old and its branches were cut when it began to die just a few years ago. Obscuring the view of the tree is bamboo, which was planted by the previous owners who donated it to the Columbus Zoo when it used to house pandas. Now it just takes over the yard.


Rock bed - runs across the backyard and catches rain water from the drainpipes


Trees in the backyard

Escape From Chicago

My move to Columbus from Chicago was a pretty slapdash operation - more like an escape than a move. It certainly felt that way. In one day my father rented a van, which he drove the 500 and some miles to my Chicago apartment, arriving late in the afternoon (preevening) ; With the help of my cousin who lives in the area, we loaded the van with all of my junk (some of which I was still frantically shoving into boxes) in a sort of real-life game of Tetris; I gave the apartment a good once-over with the vacuum cleaner and we hopped in the van, dropped the keys in my management's mailbox and hit the interstate. We pulled into the driveway at around 2:30 in the morning and had to unload everything right there so that we could return the van at 9 that morning and only pay for one day's use. I have to give props to my dad for his perseverance and ingenious packing skills.