Doug Dotson wrote:

What does this have to do with boating?

It says to me do it NOW! Live for the moment! Who knows what next
season will bring.


"marley" wrote in message
news
Today I bumped into a casual acquaintance that I haven't seen since fall
(winter you know, everybody hides!).

He looked like pure ****.

Skin and bones, and one side of his face is horribly sunken in...skeletal
in appearance. It was absolutely shocking considering that he always
seemed to be on the portly side. Last time I saw him (fall) he was about
200 lbs. I am guessing maybe 120 now...tops.

Three months ago he was given three months.

This all happened since Novemeber 04 when I last saw him!

He was quite happy to "still be here" in spite of what was forecast.

Talk about a wake up call! Man that scares me FAR more than giving up the
income stream and sailing away ever could!

Just felt like sharing this... in the faint hope that it would somehow
make me feel better. It didn't.

**** that was hard to deal with!

In truth I don't much like the guy, but I sure to feel for him.

Son of a bitch! I am speechless.

M

"Jim," wrote in message ...
Doug Dotson wrote:

What does this have to do with boating?

It says to me do it NOW! Live for the moment! Who knows what next
season will bring.


There is one thing FOR CERTAIN next season will bring - another year of
Peggie Hall's boring sewage posts. That, alone, is reason enough to go cruising
NOW.

CN



"marley" wrote in message
news
Today I bumped into a casual acquaintance that I haven't seen since fall
(winter you know, everybody hides!).

He looked like pure ****.

Skin and bones, and one side of his face is horribly sunken in...skeletal
in appearance. It was absolutely shocking considering that he always
seemed to be on the portly side. Last time I saw him (fall) he was about
200 lbs. I am guessing maybe 120 now...tops.

Three months ago he was given three months.

This all happened since Novemeber 04 when I last saw him!

He was quite happy to "still be here" in spite of what was forecast.

Talk about a wake up call! Man that scares me FAR more than giving up the
income stream and sailing away ever could!

Just felt like sharing this... in the faint hope that it would somehow
make me feel better. It didn't.

**** that was hard to deal with!

In truth I don't much like the guy, but I sure to feel for him.

Son of a bitch! I am speechless.

M

I'll admit, my post says little about cruising but also a lot. The
original post got me all maudlin about my dead friends and the crazy
trips we all went on. Oddly, my friend who was the ultimate 'I did it
my way" person thought he was a failure. The rest of us cavers thought
he was a genius. His family thought he was the blacksheep pervert of
the family and prefferred to pretend his bizarre life did not exist.
They had no concept of his life so when 30 cavers showed up at the
church for his funeral dressed in muddy boots, caving helmets and muddy
coveralls, they didnt get it.
Since I am unable to do serious caving anymore( Age you know, I now get
dehydrated in hot humid places, getting old isnt for wimps) I try to
get some of the same feelings of discovery from being on the water. It
isnt quite the same but being waaaaay out at night has a little of the
feeling of an alternative universe.
It seems, the message is not to delay doing the things you really want
to do. For me, the hard part is deciding which is the most
interesting.
Capt. Neal=AE wrote:
"Jim," wrote in message
...
Doug Dotson wrote:

What does this have to do with boating?

It says to me do it NOW! Live for the moment! Who knows what
next
season will bring.


There is one thing FOR CERTAIN next season will bring - another year
of
Peggie Hall's boring sewage posts. That, alone, is reason enough to
go cruising
NOW.

CN



"marley" wrote in message
news
Today I bumped into a casual acquaintance that I haven't seen
since fall
(winter you know, everybody hides!).

He looked like pure ****.

Skin and bones, and one side of his face is horribly sunken
in...skeletal
in appearance. It was absolutely shocking considering that he
always
seemed to be on the portly side. Last time I saw him (fall) he was
about
200 lbs. I am guessing maybe 120 now...tops.

Three months ago he was given three months.

This all happened since Novemeber 04 when I last saw him!

He was quite happy to "still be here" in spite of what was
forecast.

Talk about a wake up call! Man that scares me FAR more than giving
up the
income stream and sailing away ever could!

Just felt like sharing this... in the faint hope that it would
somehow
make me feel better. It didn't.

**** that was hard to deal with!

In truth I don't much like the guy, but I sure to feel for him.

Son of a bitch! I am speechless.

M=20
=20
=20

I was a caver for over 20 years. Fellow of the NSS. Got married in my
caving boots with 50 of my muddiest friends. We probably know each
other at least indirectly. Drop me a private email.

Doug (NSS 16196)

wrote in message
oups.com...
I'll admit, my post says little about cruising but also a lot. The
original post got me all maudlin about my dead friends and the crazy
trips we all went on. Oddly, my friend who was the ultimate 'I did it
my way" person thought he was a failure. The rest of us cavers thought
he was a genius. His family thought he was the blacksheep pervert of
the family and prefferred to pretend his bizarre life did not exist.
They had no concept of his life so when 30 cavers showed up at the
church for his funeral dressed in muddy boots, caving helmets and muddy
coveralls, they didnt get it.
Since I am unable to do serious caving anymore( Age you know, I now get
dehydrated in hot humid places, getting old isnt for wimps) I try to
get some of the same feelings of discovery from being on the water. It
isnt quite the same but being waaaaay out at night has a little of the
feeling of an alternative universe.
It seems, the message is not to delay doing the things you really want
to do. For me, the hard part is deciding which is the most
interesting.
Capt. Neal® wrote:
"Jim," wrote in message
...
Doug Dotson wrote:

What does this have to do with boating?

It says to me do it NOW! Live for the moment! Who knows what
next
season will bring.


There is one thing FOR CERTAIN next season will bring - another year
of
Peggie Hall's boring sewage posts. That, alone, is reason enough to
go cruising
NOW.

CN



"marley" wrote in message
news
Today I bumped into a casual acquaintance that I haven't seen
since fall
(winter you know, everybody hides!).

He looked like pure ****.

Skin and bones, and one side of his face is horribly sunken
in...skeletal
in appearance. It was absolutely shocking considering that he
always
seemed to be on the portly side. Last time I saw him (fall) he was
about
200 lbs. I am guessing maybe 120 now...tops.

Three months ago he was given three months.

This all happened since Novemeber 04 when I last saw him!

He was quite happy to "still be here" in spite of what was
forecast.

Talk about a wake up call! Man that scares me FAR more than giving
up the
income stream and sailing away ever could!

Just felt like sharing this... in the faint hope that it would
somehow
make me feel better. It didn't.

**** that was hard to deal with!

In truth I don't much like the guy, but I sure to feel for him.

Son of a bitch! I am speechless.

M

In article .com,
wrote:

I'll admit, my post says little about cruising but also a lot. The
original post got me all maudlin about my dead friends and the crazy
trips we all went on. Oddly, my friend who was the ultimate 'I did it
my way" person thought he was a failure. The rest of us cavers thought
he was a genius. His family thought he was the blacksheep pervert of
the family and prefferred to pretend his bizarre life did not exist.
They had no concept of his life so when 30 cavers showed up at the
church for his funeral dressed in muddy boots, caving helmets and muddy
coveralls, they didnt get it.
Since I am unable to do serious caving anymore( Age you know, I now get
dehydrated in hot humid places, getting old isnt for wimps) I try to
get some of the same feelings of discovery from being on the water. It
isnt quite the same but being waaaaay out at night has a little of the
feeling of an alternative universe.
It seems, the message is not to delay doing the things you really want
to do. For me, the hard part is deciding which is the most
interesting.

This, in my mind, goes with the Twain quote. Yes, going and doing
something now makes it more difficult to doing other things (though not
impossible if you plan thoroughly), but if you don't do *ANY* of "those"
things, you will have much to regret at the end.

When I turned 30, I ran into a number of people, mostly cute women as it
happened, who had had near-death experiences. The recurring theme in
their commentary was their recognizing the number of things they'd
wanted to do that they wouldn't have been able to do had they died, and
that they were persuing. That generated my list, of which I've checked
off most of the major items: Skiing, sailing, flying, SCUBA and so
forth. Of them all, sailing has turned out to be the activity that can
also include "travel", a continuing item.

Another contribution to my personal list is that my Dad retired at 59
and died just under a year later, essentially from boredom. He had no
continuing activity beyond working for the same company for 45 years.
[Yes, he started at 14.]

My wife is now two years older than her Mom's survival; I'm approaching
my Dad's final age. Cruising is one of our possibilities, though it's
not our only one. We're not full-time but in our area with a 6 month
cruising season, we spend 30-40% of our season on the water as I
maintain a full-time job.

it could be said that your caver didn't contribute to society, that he
dropped out. I believe you don't believe that.

I also believe that cruisers can contribute at least as much as he.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

I'll admit, my post says little about cruising but also a lot.

As another former caver, I appreciated it.

Still use a self tied from webbing swiss seat and prusik knots to go up
my mast.

Been so long I don't remember my NSS #, but I think it was four digits.

(NSS ????)