Randy, I have yet to wipe that smile from my face. There is something about the good sessions that lingers. 90 degrees, a cloudless sky and wound-up 4.7 in April is fine; the stoke of friends and family is many ways even finer.
In a rare moment of lucidity, I took the entire day off in order to sail. When I arrived at the lake Brian graciously returned my lost harness, which I had left at Cannon the Sunday before in a rush to head home and batten the hatches before the storm. I had discovered the harness missing the night before when loading up. Before bed, I called Sid's wife, Bev, and asked her if I could borrow Sid's harness in the event it was going to be windy, I had lost my harness, and Sid was on business in Europe. Bev graciously offered to leave Sid's harness on the porch where I could pick it up on my way to the lake. I then posted a note about the harness here, on the site Tighe graciously provides, and went to bed. In the morning I checked in and learned that Brian had found the harness and like me was headed to Cannon for the day. At the lake, I promptly locked my keys in my truck for the first time ever. Chalk it up to a typical wind frenzy fueled by the spirit of playing hooky from work. With gear and water in back I was good to sail for hours, and with a phone graciously loaned by Greg I called my wife, who most graciously said that when she got off work she would bring a spare key to the lake.
Such are the gifts of Community: Thank you, Bev. Thank you, Tighe. Thank you, Brian. Thank you, Greg.
A couple of sessions later in the afternoon, my wife arrived with the key, as well as my beloved daughter, dog, and a large chocolate DQ shake which she handed to me with a wry smile.
For this grace, I will be thanking my wife for some time.
As we hung out in the sunshine, fetched up the dog off the dock, and watched friends of a decade and more rip it up on the water, I have seldom felt so lucky in my entire life.
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