Chapter 1, wherein our hero resettles a shower, takes a rowboat for a spin, jaunts around the woods and learns the true meaning of friendship.

Moved the shower curtain frame to a new location at the behest of my mother. Its basically a freestanding outside showering platform constructed by my grandparents. Anyway, mia madre had a good point... It was occupying a very nice spot and blocked the view of the ocean. The procedure was considerably more involved than planned, requiring new strips of tar paper, levelling, trench digging and a half dozen buckets of beach gravel. Hard to explain. Need photograph. But ima cheapskate so no camera "on board".

Rowboat was recomissioned and took it out for the better part of two hours. It doesn't seem as long as its sibling boats, is considerably lighter, lacks cleats (brace your feet against them while rowing) and the oarlocks jangle. So much for my plans to row across the san juan channel to friday harbour and back (about 6 mi?). The sisters to this boat (at least I assume they are all siblings... Lovely wooden row boats built by my uncle during his ship building "phase") are wonderful sleek machines with a lot of momenttum and good directional stability. This one turns quickly and is easy to get moving at "full speed" (light), but it also decelerates between strokes considerably, and I don't feel comfortable pulling my full wieght against the oars.... So it goes slower.

Water is very clear compared to the Sound around Bainbridge. Lots of starfish...mostly purple and orange. Also anenomes and large crabs. I want a wetsuit; water is C-O-L-D.

Woods are lovely... Followed dear little deer trails. The "woods" range from rocky cliffs covered in velvet golden-green moss to thick brown brush covered by a dark high canopy of trees. I looked like a caveman by the end becauseI have frizzy hair that combed the woods for every stray stick, spider and shrub. The dog barked at me. I'm wearing a ponytail through the rest of the week. Looks dumb with my shorter hair, but who's to see (and who'd care anyway? Not like I'm fighting off admirers as it is).

Please don't turn on me beloved reader, but that thing about the meaning of friendship was a ploy to draw you in.

Forgive my (charming?) abbrv. of grammar.