Why?! Because I am moving ashore and will be writing from land. I am flying to Texas soon and will be writing from there. Those of you that knew me when I was trucking, know Texas had a special place in my heart. From Paso Del Norte, to Eagle Pass, to Pecos and Abilene. Especially Laredo and South San Padre Island. Texas has it all, mountains, desert, big cities and small towns. Lakes, rivers (God Bless The Trinity River) woods, the Longhorns, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Why the sudden change? Its not really a change, I will still be drifting, I will always have my gypsy soul and sailors heart. Just the location is changing. I have been writing blogs and articles for a long time. It started as I drove from state to state. I will be still be writing, just not from my boat. I will still kayak every chance I get, only now it will be just for leisure and exercise and no longer as my transportation to and from shore. I will return to the Bay when I can, I mean come on, Urbanna has become a home, a haven for me. I stopped here for a night back in May and haven’t left yet. The people here have become family and friends to me, they know me by my real name, not just Emmanuelle.

So what name will I write under in Texas? Gypsea, Pyrate, Emmanuelle? I might just surprise everyone and write under my real name, only time will tell….

There is another group of Holy Days that aren’t as widely known about and the people who recognize these days aren’t allowed to celebrate them legally everywhere. Even here in the United States where we supposedly have the most accepting attitudes of different religious beliefs. So what are these Holy Days and what religion is it you ask.  the next Holy Day, or Grounation Day, in this religion is Monday, the 17th of August.

There are two types of ceremonies in this religion. One ceremony is called Reasoning. Which during this we would gather together while we discuss ethical, religious, and social issues while smoking ganja. Grounation is the other type of ceremony. The days of Grounation are a large celebration that can last for days and are marked by singing, feasting, dancing, and smoking ganja. According to US law and legal opinion of Janet Reno, former US Attorney General, when she stated “Rastafari do not have the religious right to smoke ganjah in violation of US Drug Laws.”  Ras Iyah Ben Makahna was arrested for possession of marijuana. He was charged with importing a controlled substance. The decision of the US 9th Circuit Court on this case was read in May 2002. The court decided that the practice of Rastafari sanctions the smoking of marijuana, but nowhere does the religion sanction importation of it. So how can Rasta’s practice their religion if its illegal to smoke the herb of the earth.

Some would argue that the Roman Catholic Church had the same problem during prohibition. But the religions that used alcohol in their sacraments were able to get a pass to get around the 18th Amendment which forbid the manufacture, sale, IMPORT or EXPORT of intoxicating liquor. The pass was called the Volstead Act which was also passed in 1919 exempted the medicinal and sacramental wine.  Section 29 of Volstead authorized the home production of fermented fruit juices.

Many Rasta’s feel the drug laws in many nations is nothing more than the persecution of Rastafari and their beliefs. Many non-Rasta’s feel the use of cannabis is just an excuse for Rasta’s to get high. But the ones who claim this have no understanding of the Rasta belief or history.

Rasta’s believe that the Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I was the incarnation of Jah on Earth.  His Imperial Majesty is a direct line back to King Solomon and The Queen of Sheba. But the purpose of this blog isn’t to try to legal ganja, its not to give you the background of the Lion of Judah, or to point out that certain government oppress peoples freedom to practice the faith of their choice. The purpose is just to say that the week after this there will be dancing, singing, feasting and partaking of the Herb of the Earth by a group over a million strong as we celebrate the birthday of a Prophet. The Prophet Marcus Garvey.

Some other important dates when Grounation takes place are :

17 Aug -  Marcus Garvey’s birthday
11 Sep  -  Ethiopian New Year
2   Nov -  The Coronation of Haile Selassie
7   Jan  -  Oriental Orthodox Christmas
6   Feb  -  Birthday of Robert “Bob’ Nesta Marley
11 May-   The Passing Of Bob Marley
21 Apr -  The anniversary of Emperor Haile Selassie visit to Jamaica
23 Jul  -   The Birthday of the Emperor Haile Selassie

If you know someone who will be celebrating any of these important holy days, be sure to tell them “Jah Live!” “ One Love, One World!!”

Be blessed Sistern and Brethern, One Love, Jah Live!

I climbed in the kayak pushed off from the dock, but didn’t paddle. I sat there and let the current take me where it wanted. The fish jumping, the wind across the water, the crickets and birds, and way off in the distance, faint but there its was, the sounds of the congas from up the street. I continued to drift away, not just on the water, but in the music as well. After a few minutes I couldn’t hear the drums anymore, I was too far away now. I listened to the sound of silence and nature. But for just a little I was completely lost in the music….

Damn I wish I knew the name of that band.

I was contracted to write some articles for a holistic wellness site, so I have been working on the ten pieces for them as well as working on an End of the World type story. Sort of like Stephen King’s The Stand, or a Zombie Apocalypse with out the Zombie’s.

The end of the world one is for a compilation book with about six different short stories in it, hopefully mine will be one of them.

Other than that, I have just been kayaking with a friend from town, laying on the deck of the boat, and enjoying an occasional coffee with The French Canadian.

I have been  having trouble seeing the beauty in things lately. A friend said use that in my writing, but I didn’t feel it. What I was feeling was confusion. What I was feeling, was not much like writing. Another friend said “you’re a writer, so write asshole.”

I was going to set out Saturday , but laying in bed staring out the hatch all night at the stars until the sun started to rise before I fell asleep, made it a little difficult. When I woke to a phone call, I stuck my head out the hatch and looked around. It was a nice day, sun was out, winds from the south about 10-15 knots. I wouldn’t have been able to sail down the river anyway with the winds on my nose. So I got in the kayak and went to shore. I stopped and talked to The French Canadian to see if all was okay, and all was fine, he just had to be somewhere he could get internet and a phone signal for work Monday, so he came back up to a spot he knew he could get both, Mayberry on the water. I went for coffee and met up with a friend, and we went for a ride out to Bailey Point and a walk on the beach with our feet in the water and toes in the sand.

Temps close to 95, good breeze, as we walked and talked, watching for jellyfish and crabs as we ventured in the knee high water and went around a clay mound protruding out into the water. Talking to some of the people out on the river today, watching the waves, and kids laughing and splashing. People young and old, enjoying the day, enjoying each other, enjoying the beauty around us. Sun flashing on the water, shining off the boats…

I looked at the people and wondered what they see beauty in. Do they see the beauty in the water or was it just the relaxation being on it and in it brings. The beauty is always around us,  its just can you see it when you look? One sailor I talked to said he saw the beauty in the quiet out here. The quiet in the sounds around us everyday. The quiet of the waves on the shore, the quiet of the birds wings as they fly overhead. The quiet in the noise of the wind through the sea grass of the salt marshes of the Bay.

As we walked down the beach and talked, I thought maybe drifting isn’t subjective, maybe its beauty that’s subjective…

I said hello and told her I didn’t recognize her in a dress. Normally when I see her, see is sitting on the deck of the marina wearing shorts, normally camo, and a tank top with her hair up. She laughed and said this was how she dressed for work, we talked for a few minutes before she had to leave. I told her about the excitement at the marina the night before. While she was there with her friend watching S/V Serenity come in there was a man from one of the boats worried about his lady friend. She had left the boat after drinking almost a twelve pack three hours earlier and still hadn’t returned. Her friend assured him that if they saw her, he would let her know he was worried. The Realtor and her friend left, and an hour later the other boaters lady friend returned. With another man. Both toasted. The fight was so loud someone ended up calling the law. The Sherriff left after everyone calmed down, and peace was restored. Temporarily. The fighting resumed and continued until after midnight. He was just a friend she said, what was wrong with bringing a friend to their boat, she asked. I heard all this from a hundred yards away, so  you can image how loud it was for the boat in the slip next to them.

The Realtor laughed and said it was to bad she missed that, most excitement in town since the oyster fest. It was quite a show. She left the coffee shop and went to work, I sat on the laptop and went to work. Looking at Google earth which has a new feature allowing you to see the water ways like a 3-D Nautical chart. Its f’n cool. Trying to figure where I will go when I leave here. It really is pointless to look at the chart and decide since it just matters on which way the wind is blowing when I leave here. After a few hours of sitting there writing, I was talking with the Red Ukrainian and was getting ready to go outside and smoke, when she said, “I have a customer getting ready to come in”. I looked up to see the Realtor standing in front of me “Hey, I stopped at the marina and they said you might still be here, I’m going across the river to see a friend’s band play tonight and thought you might want to go with.” I thanked her, but said no. telling her I needed to get my laundry done, pick up some fuel and get ready to head out in the morning, but I appreciated the offer. We walked outside to smoke, and we talked for a few more minutes.

I went back in to finish what I was working on, and as I walked over to refill my coffee the Red Ukrainian and The Jeweler were both staring at me in disbelief. “What?” I asked and the Red Ukrainian says “ A beautiful woman asks you to go out with her for a night on the town, not just any town, but she was wanting to take you across the river for a night of music and dancing, and you tell her ‘No, I gotta do laundry’, unbelievable. What were you thinking?” I shrug my shoulders and say, “Well, I gotta do laundry. I need to finish getting everything ready to sail out and head down the river.”

I sat there, staring at the laptop, thinking, “What the hell was I thinking?” and then it hit me…

The timing just isn’t right for dancing. But it’s always right for music, I think it’s time to put on my Bob Marley tape ….Get Jah Los in de Reggae Mon…and practice what I preach…

Like The French Canadian, he had intended on cruising down to Hampton, out of the Bay and into the Atlantic and up to Ocean City, his plan changed. He is still heading out tomorrow, but he will go were the winds take him.

The winds have been from the south today and tomorrow will be the same. A storm front sits on the coast of the mid Atlantic with a thirty percent chance of getting nasty.

I came ashore to plug in the laptop and let it charge, I sit here on the dock and watch the storm come down the river. A low hanging, long black cloud stretching across the width of the River, lightning strikes leaving that ozone smell in the air. You can see the waves of the river from here. Violent waves dancing on the stone jetty protruding out from the creek.  The wind feels good, refreshing. It works to clear my mind.

Like I said, I had intended on staying anchored here, where will I go? Only the winds and the tides know where I will end up…

Follow The French Canadian as he travels around aboard S/V Po Chang at http://pochang1.blogspot.com/

So  I think I will take a break from the blog. I hope everyone understands…

After dinner at Mojo’s with The Almighty Webmaster we went to see a band at one of the other restaurants. The band was supposed to start at nine pm. At half past nine, still no band playing, we left. He came down to the Marina to see The French Canadian. He is intending to sail north soon and he didn’t think he would see him next time he was in town. For the first time since I have met the French Canadian, he wasn’t smiling or joking.

He was in a foul mood on account of a drunk that came into the marina after hours to try and tie up next to Po Chang. The drunk left the dock and anchored out near Emmanuelle. When I went out to my boat, he was forward of my bow about 20 yards. I climbed aboard, went down below and took care of a few things before climbing back up above. As I sat in the cockpit I noticed the boat S/V Windwalker was no longer forward of me, she was even with Emmanuelle. As she swung on her anchor, she drifted closer to me. I tried to hail some one, but it seemed no one was aboard. After midnight I she was not only closer to me but she was in danger of running aground on the shore line before morning.

Around one am, I climbed over into the kayak and paddled to the other boat. I pound my hand against the hull about were the forward cabin is. I hear someone jump up and walk very fast to the cockpit.  “What the Hell?” he hollers before he is even out, I respond “Sorry to have to wake you…” was as far as I got before he interrupted me “Then why the hell did you?” I sat in the kayak and thought about just saying never mind, but thought better of it. “Well you are dragging anchor, you keep drifting closer to me, and in about another half hour your gonna be on the shore, just thought you might like to know before one of those stumps over there knocks a hole in boat. I’ll just let you go back to sleep. Night.” “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was drifting, I must have fallen asleep with the radio on.” I start to float back over to my boat, holding my tongue as best I could. But couldn’t hold it any longer, “I guess that’s what happens when you try boating when your drunk. Least you could do when you anchor is not anchor so close to others if you don’t have enough common sense to not boat under the influence.”  He stood in the cockpit and looked at me for a minute, “Uh, sorry…”  “Just move your F’n boat before you hit me.”

He moved  his boat as I watched from Emmanuelle, he didn’t even have enough sense to move to the side of the creek, he moved right in the middle of the channel and dropped anchor. I sat on deck and watched to make sure he didn’t drift towards me again before I went to bed.  Close to three I could see if he drifted again he was going to drift towards the river and not me.

I sent The French Canadian and the Red Ukrainian an email telling them what was going on and if wasn’t at the dock when the left out, they knew why. I finally went to bed, and like many other nights this week, sleep was hard to come for me. When I woke up, the drunk aboard S/V Windwalker was gone.