Are your Eyes Wide Open?

I heard this song, then read the lyrics, and then pondered the world we live in.

 

These lyrics are from the group Gotya and the song is Eyes Wide Open

 

I added a new verse as a question for all of you.

Question?
Do we need to worry?
Is this something for our mystery?
Is this our story?
Will this be our history?

Gotya - Eyes Wide Open

So this is the end of the story
Everything we had, everything we did
Is buried in dust
And this dust is all that's left of us

But only a few ever worried
Though the signs were clear, they had no idea
You just get used to living in fear
Or give up
When you can't even picture your future

We walk the plank with our eyes wide open...

Some people offered up answers
We made out like we heard, but they were only words
They didn't add up
To a change in the way we were living

And the saddest thing-
Is all of it could have been avoided
But it was like to stop consuming is to stop being human
And why would I make a change if you won't
We're all in the same boat, staying afloat
For the moment

And we walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we..
Walk the plank with our eyes wide open

With our eyes wide open we...
Walk the plank, we walk the plank

And that was the end of the story.

Key West to Galveston Texas - May 10, 2010

Note:Moved article from old blog to here 2/5/2012

Sailing from Key West Florida to Galveston Texas Single Handed.

This purpose of this trip was to move my newly purchased boat from Florida to my home in Texas. This boat was in the middle of a  complete refit when I purchased her so nothing electrical in the boat works and there is no plumbing. I spent several weeks in Florida just getting the items I absolutely had to have for an ocean crossing working and nothing else. This was a "roughing it" sailboat trip, none of the nice and comfortable things usually found in a yacht were in this boat. This trip with perfect winds should take 6 or 7 days but I was planning for a bit longer and was figuring on 8 to 10 days but I didnt step off the boat until 18 days later.

No Wind !! Nothing, nada, negative windspeed, zero,
no blow no go.

I was not prepared nor had it ever entered my mind that the wind would not blow at all in the Gulf of Mexico. I knew their might be some slow days but I was not ready for days and days of just sitting and baking in the sun. I didn't have any light air equipment on board. The Jib was only 100% size and 9 ounce cloth and just hung there like a big claw in the light air.


Adventure Tips
bring more wind next time!

• Edit Added: 2/5/2012 - The question I have been asked the most since my trip is "Were you scared" and/or "Were you afraid you were going to die" The answer to both is NO, although I thought I might die of boredom just sitting waiting for the wind to blow. 
• I had one little scare one evening when a minor little rain storm came through. I was at the mast putting in a reef and one large wave came through and rolled the boat really hard and I lost my grip on the mast. I went over backwards landing on my backside at the edge of the deck. My jack line and tether worked like it was supposed to and kept me from falling off the boat.

• Edit added: 2/5/2012 - Looking back: The worst part was after I entered the oil field and quit sleeping. You cant believe how much stuff is out there 300-400 miles from Galveston and I was afraid to sleep for fear of hitting something. I was suffering from sleep deprivation and  I really wanted to find a way to sleep so I contacted a rig tender workboat, hoping that I would be able to tie off to him and sleep. He was busy and couldn't really help but I must have sounded really bad to him over the radio and he contacted the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard met me about 100 miles from Galveston and towed me in. I slept hard for the 12 hour tow into Galveston. I only got up to close the hatch because we were in a strong storm with rain, winds, and lightning.
• I did know the storm was coming by listening to the radio, and  I was getting prepared for it. My plans were to reef and  heave-to, which slows the boat down to a slow drift and go to sleep while the sun was out and the weather was pretty. Then I would be awake and rested when the storm rolled in late that night. Luckily the Coast Guard showed up while I was getting ready so I didnt have to do anything but go to sleep.

• Edit Added: 2/5/2012 - The whole story is written in the map markers along with photos, so if you want to know what really happened you need to zoom in the map and read my notes on each marker.

You will really need to zoom the map in and move your mouse over each of the markers to read my notes about this trip. These markers on the map are my check-in "ok" markers from the satellite spot tracker device and some are really close together because I did not move very far due to NO WIND!!!!!!!!!!

Click here for a larger map

Key West to Galveston Texas

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Temperate Climate Permaculture: The Permaculture Movement Grows From Underground

Here is a link to a really nice article about Permaculture. This article will give you a brief insight into what permaculture is and how it is used.

This article did a good job of leaving out the "cultural" aspects of permaculture but it still had to allude to it a bit. Permaculture was early adopted by the hippie - tree hugger types that want to sit around and hold hands and sing songs and then think they are saving the world with permaculture. I dont buy into all that garbage, because there is "real science" behind permaculture principles and that is what I am interested in. 

Click the link below to read the article and then take a look around the tcpermaculture.com site for more info about the "science of permaculture".   

Temperate Climate Permaculture: The Permaculture Movement Grows From Underground: This is an interesting article from The New York Times "In The Garden" section. The Permaculture Movement Grows From Underground By M...