The photo above was taken by Steve Earley and can be found on his site. I love it even though I don’t understand it. (A bon mot: Love without understanding is possible or marriage wouldn’t be.) I thank Steve for blanket permission to repost from The Log of SPARTINA.
Steve just posted another great photo there today. He’s getting pretty good at this photography stuff. Who knows what he might do with a little practice?
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Someone—undoubtedly a Moore 24 owner—said that the Moore 24 is the boat the J-24 would like to be.
From Larry comes this photo of a J-24 that has a ways to go.
I thank him for the photo and explanation.
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From Matt comes a link to an article about Patrick O’Brian, the author of the Aubrey-Maturin novels, of which I have now read the first six. Interestingly they are a triumph of intelligence and research rather than experience.
I do not agree with the claim that during his lifetime O’Brian was the finest author writing in the English language. Modesty forbids my saying who is.
I thank Matt for the link.
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Enough about other people. Me. Me. Me. If you can tear yourself away from Caitlyn Jenner.
In response to my observation that I am being cut down to size, two readers emailed that I will better fit in GANNET.
In addition to being whittled away—and I go back next week to have more of my head cut off—I am still reading DAVID COPPERFIELD alternately with a history of the Congo descriptively titled CONGO.
Inspired by the activity app on an Apple watch, ordered in April, arrived a few days ago, I am working my aged body harder than usual.
The activity app has three circles measuring calories burned from movement, thirty minutes of exercise, and standing for a minute an hour for each of twelve hours. You set the amount of calories. The other two standards are fixed.
At the start of the day the app looks like this:
As you progress the circles increase.
If you have been sitting all hour, the app taps your wrist at ten minutes before the hour and tells you to stand.
At various intervals the app also informs you of your progress.
A companion health app on the iPhone keeps your history and provides graphs, including one that accurately measures flights of stairs climbed.
Our building has an elevator, but I never use it except when I’m carrying packages. This is nominally a four story building, but starting at the lowest level and climbing to the roof deck is 102 steps, about six stories. I’ve set myself a goal of twelve stories a day. At the moment it is 1:18 p.m. and I haven’t done any.
Now that I can again do push-ups, I do my normal work-out of 153 push-ups, crunches etc. in sets of 73-40-40 three times a week, Monday-Wednesday-Friday. I have eighteen shoulder maintenance exercises provided by my physical therapist. Half are with an elastic band; half light weights. Three pound weights are recommended. I use five pound weights. On Tuesday I use the elastic band; on Thursday the weights.
In addition I bike ride and walk—not as fast as Steve Earley, who is Olympic caliber, but fast enough for my app to consider it exercise.
Yesterday was the first day I completed all three circles. My app gave me an award.
I wasn’t trying to, but I’ve lost two pounds this week and am down to 153.
Or maybe that was just flesh removed by the dermatologist.
