Back in the air! I’m headed for Seattle today! I’m very excited to see all my Lovelies in the Pacific Northwest. Can’t wait!!
Aunt Kay, you’re the bomb! It blows my mind what a reliable book club member you are. I heart you so hard. This is what Aunt Kay has to say about May’s Nautie Book selection The Orchardist:
I just have to say that I really enjoyed “The Orchardist”. Since my grandfather was a manger in the fruit warehouses and since I grew up in Yakima, I could “see” the places and events in the books. Although I was astonished at how the women were treated. It just never occurred to me – sometimes I feel so ignorant. Off topic, but there you go!!
My Ash & Anchor scarf is truly the best airport accessory ever. I needed to state that for the record. It’s jazzed up my outfit. Rolls into a tiny ball and is way more practical than a large pashmina. You can take that to the bank!
Go Cousin Rhiannon! Cousin Rhi begins her ride today. I’m here to let the interwebz know that our family is incredibly proud of you! I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line! xoxo. (Also, a little more shameless hustling…if you feel like donating its not too late! Click here to read about Rhiannon and donate online!!!!)
Nautie Friends, have an AMAZING weekend and don’t forget to treat your Father’s well!!!!
Every now and then we talk a little bit about feminism around here. This week I stumbled across some gems on the internet so, ready for a little more feminist talk? First of all, Happy 50th Birthday to the Equal Pay Act!
I stumbled across this TEDTalk that blew my mind because – Yes! This!
I often wonder why after women have had equal rights – and all the fighting women did for equal rights – women didn’t rise to the top quicker.
Why is it that in 8 years of sailing I’ve had one female captain (out of about 20)? Why have I had only one female pilot (out of more pilots than I could possibly count)? Why is it when I work in the office there are no women heading up operations (there are many women in the office but very few in vessel specific positions)? Why do I feel like I am either sailing with withering ovaries or quitting? Why don’t I think I can make it work?
Over a year ago I attended The Women on the Water Conference. It was held at one of the State Maritime Academies and it was designed to introduce female midshipmen to female professionals in the maritime industry. It was excellent. One of my friends was leading a discussion on appropriate shipboard conduct and tips for shipboard success but, at the end of her discussion she threw something in for the ladies who were already in the industry. She said: Don’t eat the young.
It really stuck with me because, she was right. We eat the young. Women have a tendency to be tough on each other. If there is one thing we can do as women in the maritime industry it’s to help each other achieve success.
Women are hard on each other but news flash – Men are hard on women too. We were talking about a Chic out on a Rig. A Dude says, ‘I don’t mind working with her – she’s okay’. Dear Lady Friend looks at me and says, ‘You know what that means right? She’s awesome.’.
I’m about to let the cat out of the bag. I feel like this is a secret I have guarded. My vessels nickname in the fleet is the Xyz Estrogen (xyz is my companies name…you understand…). We have all female officers: Chief Mate, Second Mate, Third Mate. We’ll all be going back for our third rotation together. Nautie Friends, let me tell you, this is unheard of. All female officers for multiple rotations?! Mind Blowing.
I haven’t said anything about it because it shouldn’t be a big deal. The first woman graduated from Maine Maritime Academy in 1975! It should blow no one’s mind that a ship could have multiple female deck officers…..but it does.It blows everyone’s mind.
As I have moved up in rank I have started to feel an overwhelming degree that I must be mindful of my obligation to mentor. If I don’t stop and take the time to mentor who will? If I don’t remind myself not to eat the young will they all be eaten? Most importantly, if I don’t recognize that I have something to teach – will I teach?
I’d also like to stop right here and reiterate that I think having a choice as a women is a powerful thing. I would never, ever presume to know what was best for someone’s family or child. I am in no way advocating that rising to the top of the leadership pyramid is the best choice for everyone!
Without further ado, I’d like to introduce June’s Nautie Books Selection:
Please join me in reading Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. I’ve already begun and have nodded my head and wanted to say, ‘amen sister!’ more than once.
When a girl tries to lead, she is often labeled bossy. Boys are seldom called bossy because a boy taking the role of a boss does not surprise or offend. As someone who was called this for much of my childhood, I know that it is not a compliment.
Oh.My.God.Yes. I have been called bossy my entire life…and have never once thought of it as a positive.
I was at a friends wedding with a gaggle of Maine Maritime and Coast Guard Academy Grads. We were all throwing out suggestions and getting wedding preparations underway. My dear lady friend said, ‘I love that there are so many natural leaders here!!!’. She wasn’t being facetious – she didn’t want us to quit bossing her around – she was honestly impressed! At that moment I was impressed. All I could think was, I’m not sure I’d like to be surrounded by so many bossypants for too much longer! I shouldn’t have been impressed – I should have embraced the bossy.
I’ll be reading this book for many reasons: I don’t want to eat the young…and, I want to become a better leader….and, I want to embrace the bossy…..and, I believe that there is a work / life balance that I can achieve….and, I want to promote other women in the industry….and because I’m tired of being so hard on myself!
I realize that Nautie Books is beginning to have a poor track record! I didn’t debriefed April or May’s book selection! What can I say – I’m struggling to find a work / life balance (*wink*)!
Do you know that my cousin Rhiannon has participated (as in rode a bike) in The Ride To Conquer Cancer three times and is gearing up for her fourth ride?! Two years ago I wrote about my cousin Rhiannon riding. The fact that she’s gearing up for her fourth ride leaves me awe struck.
Cancer means something in almost everyone’s lives. We all know someone who has been affected by cancer. In my family it means the loss of a Grandmother, Aunt, and Uncle. It means that my Dad is a survivor of Bad Ass proportions. For me, it means that sunscreen is no joke.
This year is extra special because I’m flying to Seattle and will be watching her cross the finish line this weekend! Yippee! It’s not lost on me that this year she’ll be crossing the finish line for her Dad on Fathers Day. (oh golly, I just teared up…) I’m just feel so honored to be there cheering her on!
I’m proud to announce that Rhiannon has reached 100% of her fundraising goal! That being said, I’m here to ask you to consider donating to such a noble cause. The cliche is true: Every Dollar Does Count.
After waking up on day two slightly “under the weather” (day one was a doozy ya’ll) we were moving rather slowly.
Seeing as we were in wine country we figured we’d continue visiting wineries…good plan, right? We didn’t have a tour scheduled which meant we were able to move at our own pace and pick out some wineries that particularly interested us.
This was a great spot. The views were stunning. They have caves which is cool (no pun intended) but, we didn’t stick around for a cave tour. Since this was our first tasting on our own it was a bit of a reality check. This place was high traffic. You basically sit down and select a flight and then a waiter brings it over. You’re not really learning about what you’re drinking other than the literature provided. It was borderline anti-climatic. I guess I left feeling like if I went back I’d want to go on a tour where we had a private tasting and a cave tour otherwise I wouldn’t really care to go back.
This was my favorite stop of they day. I loved it. It was similar to Gloria Ferrer in that you’re seated and then order a flight. The difference? Our waiter was engaged and interested in our tastes. He asked us questions and then brought us tastes that may or may not have been on our original order. The bubbly I ended up purchasing wasn’t on my ordered flight. Mumm Napa produces a Sparkling Pinot Noir and yes, it’s as fabulous as it sounds. I now know that if I want to look hoity-toity and show up at a gathering with some bubbly, I can’t go wrong with Mumm Napa. It’s delish.
After our stop at Mumm Napa I didn’t know where to go next so I made an emergency call to Ariel she said: You’ll Love St. Supery. She wasn’t wrong. When you walk up to this winery all you can think is, ‘wow. this is amazing.’. The gardens, and outdoor seating really set St. Supery apart. Its warm and inviting, quaint yet chic, stunning while casual. As I walked up the first thing I noticed was that a boules game was readily available. I can’t explain why but, it instantly warmed my heart. Once inside it was like being in an art gallery. There were so many visual appealing accents. Simply said: St. Supery is Gorgeous inside and out. Plus, they make a pretty tasty Moscato!
My Dear Friend Jenny said, ‘I’m going to be so mad at you if you don’t stop at Napa Cellars!’…so we did. Napa Cellars holds a few added bonuses: varietals from Folie a Deux and Menage a Trois. What I loved? I knew their name and had maybe had some before! Tip from Megan: If you’re going to a friends a bottle of Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon will be a hit. The winery itself was cute and they had a beautiful picnic area behind the tasting room.
White Flowers and Vines
Here’s what I learned about tooling about on our own:
If you are the driver: Be careful! Bubbly will sneak up on you! Be responsible!
Your car should have copious amounts of water available. Between stops you will need refreshing.
Pack snacks. You will be able to purchase snacks at some wineries. Crackers, spreads, nuts, dried fruit. Your car or purse could easily have some heartier snacks to keep you going.
Many wineries had amazing picnic spots. Dining al fresco in Napa? Ooh la la. Pack a gourmet picnic!
Take your time. Feel like hanging out under a shady tree between stops? Do it!
Share tastings! If you’re traveling with a friend buy one tasting. It’s more than enough and will help you save a substantial amount of change. (It will also help ‘keep you in check’ i.e. no one likes a sloppy wine taster!)
This is a no brainer: Have a budget. How much wine do you want to take home? Since coming home I’m sometimes hesitant to drink the wine I bought….because I don’t want to ‘waste’ my expensive bottle. That’s not good. How much money are you comfortable sipping away? Stay true to your tastes and style! (Also, use caution when you’re in your cups. Affordable becomes ‘relative’ as the day progresses!)
…wet my pants (or these days almost wet my pants)…
I really don’t remember what car I was in – or which parent I was with – but I distinctly remember wetting my pants in the car wash as a kid.
I remember the brushes came down and started doing their thing…but the car started to shake. This CRACKED me up. I started laughing hysterically and subsequently wet my pants.
(Mind you its not uncommon for me to laugh hysterically and then wet my pants.)
Except now that I’m an adult I find that I need to stay busy in the car wash. Otherwise, I immediately feel a bout of the giggles coming on.
If you asked me to pinpoint what I find funny about the entire thing I could NOT tell you. I have NO CLUE.
Yesterday, the sun was shining and my car wash turned into a disco light show. At times, it was colorful and sudsy at other times, dark and primordial oozy. Either way, it was a psychedelic experience.
I drove out of that car wash in a rush to get home because I had to pee really bad! Thank goodness I had my iPhone camera to help fend off the giggles and prevent pant wetting!
Between Mummikins being in town…and then my recovery from having Mummikins in town…I needed a bit of a blog break! Let me welcome myself back: Welcome Back Me!
My Mom and I drove from Houston to Austin yesterday.
I’m here to officially tell you (although, this will come as no surprise) Austin is WAY cooler than Houston.
Yesterday we took our time hitting the road at a leisurely pace. We had coffee and food truck snacks. So yummy.
The roadtrip wasn’t bad either. It was way more scenic than I imagined. Lots of wildflowers in fields. Lots if cool looking antique shops. Pleasant surprise.
Once the hugs and squeals were complete we went into town for some thrift shopping. Because obviously that’s the first thing that needs to happen when you have a friendship reunion!
There were patio drinks….on really cute patios. There was a healthful trendy dinner. There was also some bat watching. We’ll revisit that later.
Segue way to this morning. I’m drinking black coffee on a lovely breezy patio.
The coffee is black because I begin an intense food regimen this morning. It’s June First. So begins the sugar-detox and also the Whole30. Wish me luck for the next 30 days. I think I might need it.
Nautie Friends, Napa was beautiful. It was also travel / tourist friendly. The food choices were ah-may-zing. There was wine. Good wine. Lots of good wine.
Day One in Napa was my Girl Cousin’s Birthday. I know right, the day after mine! (It’s almost like we planned it…)
We had a big day planned….one that was to include a hot air balloon ride….and then it got windy. Like, as the balloons were filling up with hot air it got windy…and the balloons started behaving a little erratically. Wop wop. (There will be an entire post dedicated to balloon shenanigans, fear not.)
We skipped the ride and ate a hearty breakfast before meeting up with our wine tasting tour guide.
We signed up with Platypus Tours and it wasn’t a mistake. I mean, not only was it not a mistake it was a good idea. I know. Gotta love good ideas when you have no idea what the eff you’re doing!
By being with Platypus we were able to:
Not drink and drive. Win!
Have private tastings.
Not worry about hydrating between tastings….lots of water in the van.
Eat a yummy lunch. With a desert. In a pretty location.
Meet friends on the bus to go out to drunk dinner with!
I think I’m just going to inundate you with photos. Why tell you alllll about it? Check it out!
1st stop
First stop of the day: Laird Family Estate. Their wine was some of my favorite from the trip. Plus, their lanai was seriously where it was at!
2nd stop
Second stop of the day: Luna Vineyards. I enjoy their wines. Period. We also had lunch here so I was able to bond with their patio furniture.
3rd stop
Third stop: Hopper Creek. I realize that this photo doesn’t showcase the place itself. That being said, tasting is by appointment only here. The introvert in me loved this. Also, we spent a fair amount of time chatting on the lanai behind the tasting room. There were lovely views and it was so wonderfully casual. I’m sure you can appreciate that wine country can feel a bit uppity at times. You won’t feel that way here. It was hands down my favorite stop of the day. (Lastly, for some reason I love this photo. This check had on such a great wine tasting outfit! Ha!)
4th stop
Fourth and Last stop: Hagafen Cellars. The ambiance and charm at this place was unbeatable. I am also not the biggest Chardonnay fan however; I bought the best Chardonnay I’ve ever had in my whole life here.
My only word of caution when going wine tasting: HAVE A PLAN.
Are you interested in purchasing wine? yes? How much do you want to spend?! By the end of they day the likely hood of you being slightly willy nilly with your purse will undoubtably be an issue. HAVE A PLAN!
Get in my bell-yy!
Say you’re feeling slightly willy nilly after wine tasting – if you’re staying in Napa – Go to Norman Rose.
(Also, I’ve been linking to these businesses because I enjoyed them….in the off chance that some of you go to Napa and want to check them out I want to make sure you have all the tools necessary!)
I’m going to leave you with the tiniest photo gallery. There were hundreds (and I do mean hundreds) of photos from Napa Day One.
We were just finishing up dinner when I got her tweet that the interview was posted. I immediately ran and got my laptop to write this post. My Mom says, ‘what are you doing?’. I reply, ‘I have to blog so I can direct some traffic to her site!’. Hilarious. Callie, I’m officially directing alllll my traffic to your site. Heh heh.
This photo has zero to do with this post…but I HAVE been drinking a lot of wine lately…
I’m hitting the reset button up in here. I’m really tired of talking about all of the feelings. I want to show you the rest of my photos from Napa! I want to show a few pictures from Vegas….that I managed to take with my iPhone when I was semi-coherent! I want to talk about books! I want to recap some wickedly awesome 30×30 activities – and explain where I’m at with all that! No more time for feelings!
It’s been awhile since I shared some internet awesomeness.
First off, I’d like to invite you to a Mermaid Parade. Oh boy this looks sweet.
When I first started watching this I was stone faced. And then? ’I only like Pino Grigio!’. I’ve now watched it twice….majorly not safe for work!
This guy knows what limited space truly is. That’s why we should listen to his suggestions. I drool over everything he posts.
I lust and I mean lust after ash & anchor. Please tell me this isn’t one of the prettiest prints you’ve ever seen? (also, while I was writing this I clicked over and they’re offering 10 dollars off through tomorrow – Monday the 27th – do it…)
Everyone loves Anthropologie, right? When I saw this set today I wished I was a bazillionaire. (I also really enjoy their blog. They pick themes and then find pretty things that match it. Stellar.)
I had a completely unproductive weekend. I bought some wine, I folded some clothes, I lazed around with my kindle. It was splendid. I hope your weekend was splendid as well.
I’m strangely looking forward to Monday – and on Tuesday my Mom flies in – Yay!
On Sunday, I stood up in front of all the BiSCuits and cried. I had no idea why I was standing up to let out all of the feelings…..or why I was crying….until I was up there.
Somewhere between going into the ugly cry and starting to talk I knew.
I was lonely. I wanted to tell everyone how lonely I had been.
Here’s how it all began:
I had been following a particular blog for years…eventually I clicked through some of her links…and then I was following other blogs that I lurved. I mean, really and truly lurved. These blogs were the icing on my cake.
I’d stumble into my room late at night after cargo ops. I’d be wound up not able to sleep…knowing I needed to trust the Junior Mate on Watch….and I’d read these blogs until I could take a cat nap….knowing that I’d get at least one call before o’dark thirty and that my alarm would sound well before I was rested.
I learned things important like: Screaming Nicki Minaj was totally allowed or, who got kicked of The Bachelorette. I stayed in touch with the world. What was hip? What were people listening to on the radio? What everyone was eating.
As I read these other blogs I learned more about myself. I was capable, competent, and in Charge of My Reality. I started calling the shots at work – and in my own life.
Except, somewhere along the way…
I got tired of doing things by myself all the time.
I’m an only child. I’m programmed to do things solo. Going to the beach with friends? Megan’s packed her coloring book, crayons and, head phones. She would like to lie here in silence please… Between being a lady sailor, being on the go constantly and being naturally comfortable flying solo I was constantly on my own.
Things got a little more complicated when I promoted to Chief Mate. I hate to say something this cliche but, ‘it’s lonely at the top’.
People don’t really want to hang out with their boss. Not when they’re signing their overtime sheets. I don’t want to have to deal with the ramifications of becoming ‘overly friendly’. When I need someone to go do something I don’t want to explain myself – or be in a situation where I feel obligated to explain myself.
Plus, I’m standoffish.
Very. I really don’t mean to be. But listen, you can only stand so many midnight watches with weirdos…there comes a time where ‘polite chit-chat’ is no longer in your vocabulary. I have stood in complete silence other than to issue directions for hours. Hours. In awkward silence that I can 100% ignore. Tell me that doesn’t make you slightly jaded?
When I signed up for Bloggers in Sin City it was a whim. I was in the Middle of the Atlantic and I thought, ‘maybe they’ll be my friends…’. Seriously. That’s what I thought.
I was looking for something, and I didn’t know what it was.
Now I know. I now know that out on the interwebz exists a Community. a Tribe. a People….like me….or not like me…which makes it even better. Fuller – Warmer – More.
There were times where I wanted to silently slip away and hope no one noticed. There were times I was convinced no one would notice. I was nervous. Anxious. Cautious. I didn’t introduce myself to everyone. I didn’t talk to nearly as many people as I wanted to. I could have put myself out there a little more. Here’s the BUT. Every single person I had the pleasure of chatting with at BiSC blew my mind with their coolness. They were genuinely good people who want good things for other people. Sometimes I feel like I live in a dog eat dog world but, at BiSC I could slowly feel my guard get let down.
Thank you all for that. Big. HUGE. Mahalo’s.
I heard people say BiSC has changed their lives. I think for me it’s too soon to know. What I will say is that BiSC has heightened my awareness. It’s made me realize that a ‘more’ is there. I can do more, be more, share more, laugh more, cry more and love more. I am more of a Mermate than I ever have been before.
The next time loneliness sneaks up on me I’m going to say, ‘Don’t be such a mermaid!’….then I’m going to tweet some BiSCuits.
Don’t be a mermaid be a MerMate!!!!
I want to remember this moment for the rest of my life…
