Recruiting Extraordinary People for a Conscious Urban Eco-Community
Take part in an ADVENTURE of building a sustainable urban mini-eco community. If you are an intrepid soul with a purpose larger than your life at the moment … perhaps this is the springboard you have been hoping would come to your life. If it resonates with you, don’t second-guess it!
I am offering a beautiful harmonious venue for people of like mind to live and work together to demonstrate how living a green and eventually sustainable lifestyle can be accomplished in an old house within city limits not designed to have a low carbon footprint. The house and grounds with it’s unique amenities and qualities is an ideal place to develop an eco/organic/alternative health/fitness/spiritual business incubator for participants to monetize in partnership with me and one another.
It is a beautiful, elegant old house in a popular eclectic gentrified old neighborhood in lush and temperate Birmingham, Alabama. The house has 5 bedrooms, 5 baths, has two fireplaces, hardwood floors, 2 claw foot tubs, 4 showers, a huge well-equipped kitchen, two refrigerators, a free-weight gym, a great workshop, and organic garden in progress and much more. The neighborhood is quiet and beautiful and the backyard is adjacent to a recently renovated park.
I looking for entrepreneurial people with impetus and ideas who are enthusiastic about conceiving of and joining in the projects both with good old fashioned hard work. There is unlimited scope for creativity for POSITIVE, motivated, reliable and creative people.
With the right people to run it, the health/fitness retreat could be re-established. If you come with some experience in one or more holistic modalities, I am willing to teach/train. Investigate my background you will discover this is a unique educational opportunity.
I am certified in Living Foods Lifestyle and for many years hosted a weekly Organic Raw Food Supper Club that had a loyal following! I would love to resurrect it at least on a monthly basis.
Email and tell me about you and what you feel you have to bring to such a community as this. Please include your FaceBook page, LinkedIn or website. If I get a sense that it could be a fit for both of us and you are serious about pursuing a place in this adventure, we can set up a time to talk.
Take the Tour of the house and also check out the Hummingbird Magnet Tropical Paradise Tiki Hut.
Stop And Smell The Cosmos
“If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.”
~ Albert Einstein ~
Please click on the link below. There’s so much more to know about
The Cosmos Global Solution
Imagine
IMAGINE a world where we all work together. IMAGINE a world where we all THRIVE instead of strive.
My name is Jenifer Humming and I am an inventor. I never IMAGINED that I would become and inventor. It just happened.
Then it just just happened that I founded a crazy organization called The Global Rowing Club.
“We’re all in the same boat … so let’s all pull together!”
The purpose of The Global Rowing Club is to monetize my inventions, ideas and abilities … to privately generate the revenues to build a vast and all-encompassing Global Solution including a huge Renewable Energy Vision introduced in the presentation below. The profits from these Revenue Streams would fund and facilitate many inventors, innovators, companies and organizations that share the same vision for healing the world.
The key thing about this vision is it is a FOUNDATION I have laid in response to a powerful divine “download” that I describe briefly on my site under About Jenifer. The Cosmos drawings and presentations, the Revenue Streams page and the Flow Chart all represent a TEMPLATE to incorporate the dreams and accomplishments of MANY.
The best way I can explain it is that trying to build a vision starting with the first floor … or maybe even the second floor, forgetting that without a firm foundation, no building will stand for long, results in falling short of your goals — if not winding up fully in survival mode getting absolutely nowhere.
Most people, organizations and companies are operating under the old Piscean business model and the majority of individuals and organizations are not reaching their potential. Why? Because MONEY is still a factor … until it’s not anymore as we advance into the Aquarian Age. Inviting the funding from Venture Capitalists often, if not always, short-changes the visionary and corrupts the vision.
Are there deep pockets that are in sync with the New Business Paradigm? Fine. Let’s get them on board and still keep the mission pure.
IMAGINE what kind of world this would be if we supported each other in Love rather than competing in fear.
You may say that I’m a Dreamer, but I’m not the only one … I IMAGINE.
Please tell me if a harmonious healthy world is your dream too. Maybe we can help each other. Maybe we can pull together.
Tropical Paradise Hummingbird-Magnet Tiki Hut
This was a solo project I did with certain perameters. First, I wanted to use as much material I already had as possible and spend the least on new material. Second, it is essentially a tent, so I didn’t want to overbuild. My design was to create a mechanism of support that didn’t require heavy lumber. Third, I wanted to have total privacy from the street side without cutting off my view of the street or the breeze. Fourth, I wanted it to be completely dry so I could leave the rug down even in a tempest. And speaking of a tempest … the most important structural objective was to be impervious to high winds … short of hurrican-ish winds that I use my mental intentions to prevent as I have lost homes already to hurricanes. Then I wanted a slightly sheltered place for my Kalanchoes so they would not burn in the direct sunlight. But I wanted it to still be light so I used a heavy mil cream-colored tarp. This is the third generation. I did it right this time. It temporizes the passive solar heat of direct sunlight on the side of my house, making it possible to run the AC nearly not at all, which is wonderful as I can’t stand to be closed up winter or summer! I’ll stay out on the deck to 40 degrees at night. Best of all, this space in my house is positioned on a ley line and the energy here is irresistible. Just inside you will see my bedroom where I have a pyramid over my bed. Yeah … my interests are a bit esoteric.
Click Tiki Hut to go through the slide show.
Step Through The Mirror In 2012
December 21, 2012 — The End Of The World As we Know It!
One can hope.
Oops! That sounded negative, right? I don’t mean it in a negative way. Who out there isn’t ready for a change? Why can’t it be a GOOD change instead of disaster? Gracious evolution of mankind and gentle healing of our planet has MY vote.
The image we see in a mirror is always backwards.
I have always been backwards. I’m left-handed to start with and it goes on from there how completely my outlook is contrary to the status quo.
Contraries
I thought about this and Googled Contraries in the Native American culture. It’s worth a look. The Contraries were magical and powerful and shocked the people of their tribes into waking up and thinking by doing EVERYTHING backwards. People need to be reminded to do their own thinking. Contraries are, in fact, the origin of CLOWNS.
Nineteen Eighty-Four vs. Brave New World
In Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell predicted the people would be oppressed by Big Brother and deprived of information.
In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley predicted we would all be lulled into passivity by infinite distraction — too much information.
Well, as it turns out … I’d say TOO MUCH INFORMATION is filling our heads and keeping us from focusing on the simple essence of what is keeping our world from running smoothly and doing something about it.
It’s backwards people like me that instead of being heard … are considered a bit ridiculous by the people who are distracted and therefore do not do their own thinking.
I challenge everyone in the world to get quiet, clear your heads, hear the voice of your own thoughts and then have the courage to step through the mirror where the world isn’t backwards after all.
Red Pill vs. Blue Pill
Take the Red Pill. I think The Matrix had something … only backwards. The “blissful ignorance” of the blue pill is really enslavement and what keeps the world in a constant state of conflict from the our individual inner struggles, relationships … to Countries at war with each other. The awakening to reality from the red pill will show us the way to realizing we’re all in this together and it will become our very natures to turn away from the absurdity of being controlled and oppressed to working together to heal ourselves, each other and our planet.
You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
A New Website For New Paradigm Thinkers!
To alleviate the overwhelm of the vastness of The Global Rowing Club website and the wide spectrum of information presented here, we are finally caving-in to the repeated suggestion that the information be sectored into several websites to target specific interests.
So, if you’ve clicked on a link from Google search results only to find some posts and pages missing, it’s because they’ve been moved to another website for Jenifer’s personal writings and videos having to do with New Paradigm thinking. It is a site that will be expanded to include many more features. It is a crowdfunding site like this one that is still a part of The Global Rowing Cub.
Please visit the new website/blog, leave comments, send the link to everyone you know who would be interested and please support this important mission.
QuantumTRUMPS (www.quantumtrumps.wordpress.com)
Thank you!
100 Monkeys & Global Village Construction Set
My friend Eric Ray just told me to google Global Village Construction Set to have a look at to see what I thought.
I was overwhelmed with JOY to see what this brilliant man Marcin Jakubowski has come up with to give EVERYONE in the world, rich or poor, the tools to get off the costly-planned-obsolesence-techincal-go-round to be able to live a sustained lifestyle. It is NECESSARY, it is HAPPENING and it is something I want to incorporate into the nuts-and-bolts (literally) of what already exists in The Cosmos Global Solution. See the right leg of The Flow Chart and center section as well. In fact, why not take the time to understand the WHOLE plan and support it? It’s all mapped out on this website. It will all make sense if you stick with it.
Marcin Jakubowski and his company Open Source Ecology is exactly the kind of innovative thinking and proaction The Cosmos Global Solution is taking form to powerfully facilitate.
I told Eric it gave me chills and that I could even promote it in the A L B A countries if the Richest Country In America’s Back Yard and I come to terms on manufacturing my medical device there. They want me do a promotional tour (already in the plan) in all of those Third World Countries and have expressed interest in the rest of the inventions and strategies in the plan as well. There’s still time for Peter Thiel and Richard Branson to jump on board. There’s room for all of us! TED, why not take a look at what we’re doing too?
If a hundred of you monkeys out there would step up for The Cosmos Global Solution like so many people did for Marcin, we all could take part in freeing the world from the bondage of “The Grid” that is soooo precarious. We need to work together now, before the imperative is too urgent or the Collapse makes it impossible. Why not do it while it is easy?
Watch the video below. It is well worth a few minutes of your time.
Related articles
- Global Village Construction Set (bopdesigner.com)
Local Rowing or Global Rowing?
I haven’t written at all about sculling lately. There’s been nothing to write. I haven’t been out on my boat in a very long time. This is ok, I decided … after having too much angst about it for too long. I had to decide there was a reason beyond my wisdom to STOP me from pushing myself so hard physically for a season after too much injury.
Of course, I could blame it on treading in water instead of sculling on water (too much work and no play) and being fed a rich diet by a very good cook (my Venezuelan assistant who did not agree with my views on carbohydrates), but in the end, something just had to give — and for a while, it was my training.
I am supposed to be a health and fitness expert, which was great while I ran a retreat. Having all the time to do what it took to be healthy and fit then was easy. It was my “job.” I was simply monetizing my lifestyle by letting other people do it with me and pay me for it. It’s a bit more inconvenient as you all know when you have to fit it in around doing things to pay the bills that have nothing to do with preparing organic raw food, working out, doing sports and spa treatments all day long. That’s why I decided to turn my big house again into an “eco-community.” First to surround myself again with people who want to live the way I want to live and to have trustworthy people in the house to take care of it while I travel. And it looks like I’ll be doing a lot of that soon.
I have also been taking the time again to do for myself what I know I need to do to restore my adrenals, cleanse toxins (all you have to do in this world to be toxic is breathe) from my body, AND drop a few of those carbo-pounds that have turned me into a lightweight instead of a flyweight. My wonderful MAAS Flyweight rowing shell has a low weight-limit that I am slightly exceeding at the moment. 😦
There, I’ve admitted it.
But all is well and I am still strong and fit. The important thing is that I am healthier now that I have taken a break. I am completely injury free, my joints and adrenals are happy and I am ready to build up my training again wisely and gradually — while eating the healthy organic high percentage raw and low percentage carb diet my body wants.
Meanwhile the bread-pastry-cheese-rice-pasta-ice-cream nazi Trina (she did love sprouting though … and I do take responsibility for eating what she put in front of me) is cooking fattening arepas for her mother now in Valencia, Venezuela and taking care of her after several surgeries. Soon, in advance of my arrival to Caracas, she will be testifying about my medical invention before the Ministerio of her country. She is quite familiar with my device (that she misses sooooo much being able to use since she had to leave the USA because her visa ran out) that the government of her homeland began to pursue last summer through a former colleague of hers who is high up in the current administration.
I say my arrival … it has to do with whether they invite me. They want the device, yes, but we will have to come to terms. My caveat is that it not be distributed solely in A L B A Countries, but in First World Countries too. That’s a bit sticky with the political climate between Venezuela and the US at the moment, but people need it everywhere. It’s a latin telanovela. There is nothing boring about my life!
Tune in next week to see if the much maligned, misunderstood and now mysteriously ill leader of the richest country in America’s Backyard will ever forgive the ALL POWERFUL First World Country of the Americas that is still giving his best friend’s island the Cold Shoulder long past the Cold War and just get OVER all those assassination attempts by the all-pervasive intelligence agency whose name see I aaain’t gonna mention, that may well have it’s roots in the dark past of the Es Es.
¿Y quien es el padre de Elena en la verdad? ¿Miguel? ¿Guillermo? ¿Louis?
Even more mysterious is how have I been writing all those long emails in Spanish to my Power of Attorney (El Chino) in Venezuela and understanding the emails he is writing to me. Do I have a Spanish Angel? Well soon I will have an “in-house” Spanish translator/angel visiting this week (perfect timing Universe! Thank you!) named Juan Torres. As Trina always said, my Spanish is good enough that I wouldn’t starve, but I’m not ready to go have in-depth conversations about manufacturing and technical things in Spanish when I barely know the words in English. I joke (but it’s TRUE) that when I began the process of prototyping my medical device, the only technical works I knew to google to find the components I needed were do-hickie and thinga-ma-giggy! I know more now, but I had to put myself through my own personal “engineering school” the hard way.
Juan will be here just in time to be by my side for some Skype conference calls coming up as momentum is building in the matter of manufacturing my medical device in Latin America. There are other opportunities coming at me from several directions spanning many of my projects and inventions so I will be listening closely as I am still in Quantum Superposition — as to which position to snap into next. But just so you know, I AM UNLIMITED, all is easy, and I intend to do it ALL. I’ll be making some big decisions soon. But I’m completely calm about it since all I have to do is listen. ¡Todo es fácil!
So will I be Local Rowing or Global Rowing in the next few months?
I am fully prepared and ready to go for both! Either way it’s adventure … so if you’re also ready and feel CALLED to a life of magic and miracles and FUN, then join me!!
Jen’s and My Most Excellent Caribbean Adventure
Andrea Rose ~ Second Mate
As Jen has written, she, my dear friend Captain Butch and I spent eight wonderful days and nine lovely nights aboard the Chanticleer, a 43ft. sailing yacht, in the British Virgin Islands earlier this month. Since our return I’ve not had an opportunity to write about this epic adventure. Perhaps I’ve been in denial about being back and could not quite bring myself to admit that I am not going to wake up from the dream to find myself being gently rocked in my cabin aboard the good ship Chanticleer. Alas, it is true, I am indeed back in ‘real life’, on dry land. So, I shall soothe my land-locked psyche with reminiscences and observations about our delightful time together in Paradise.
The Adventure Begins
I impulsively invited Jenifer to join us on the trip before even meeting her in person. Her ad for a mini eco-community appeared right before my eyes on craigslist on a page I seldom visit. I went to her website and felt an instant affinity. I e-mailed her immediately to say, “I HAVE to meet you!” But later I e-mailed it would have to wait a couple of weeks since I was going on this cruise, that is, unless she wanted to come along. 
Amazingly, she accepted. She explained later she often receives invitations to join friends, all expenses paid, in wonderful destinations (Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Long Island …) and has turned them down to continue to work. But this time she said when she read the obviously casual invite…bells and whistles went off and she KNEW immediately she was going and that somehow all the logistics for making the arrangements in 48 hours would fall into place. She told me she had just made the decision that from now on in her life ‘all is easy.’ And easy it was.
Prior our departure…for a moment I was a wee bit (but only a wee bit) concerned about spending eight days on a boat with someone I’d only met a few days before. In spite of the fact that Jen and I connected very deeply immediately upon e-meeting, one never knows what may happen when one is traveling with folks, but my wispy concerns were quickly swept away on the Caribbean breeze and we deepened our new friendship to the point where I truly cannot remember when Jenifer was not in my life. It is as though we are long-lost sisters who reconnected (finally) in this life to continue walking our previously parallel paths together.
Butch and I planned the trip to be a vacation, and so it was. When Jen joined the crew as First Mate, however, we all agreed for the trip to become a “FreeWill” tour for The Global Rowing Club as well. I had been very deeply moved and intrigued by all I read on this website (though I still have much reading to do as I have only begun to scratch the surface) and I felt a resounding resonance with her purpose…it is congruent with mine, though I have been hesitant to publicize this fact to all but the few in my life who are of like-mind.
Yes, Jenifer seemed too good to be true. Butch had pronounced that she had saved our trip the first night we met in person, but we took her at her word that she knew how to sail and it remained to be seen. What I learned about Jenifer from discovering she is in fact an accomplished and knowledgeable sailor who far exceeded any expectations Butch even dared to have…is that nothing she says or writes about herself can even come close to the truth of who she is, let alone overstating or bragging. I did not find egoism in her. She delivered the goods and then some.
I had only been sailing a few times before with Butch, a couple times as a fledgling first-mate-in-training, but mostly as a novice deck hand / passenger. This trip was different; as the sailing lingo (much of it still Greek to me) flew between Butch and Jen, Jen would stop and explain the words and the geometry of sailing to me to keep me in the loop. She even spent several sessions to teach me a few ‘must know’ nautical knots. She apologized that she could only teach me a ‘left-handed’ bowline, the absolute ‘must know knot of all!’ Even Butch got into it. I graduated with flying colors when I could tie one in less than 5 seconds without looking!!! I learned a lot and advanced from novice deck hand and ‘galley wench’ to become quite a useful second mate. Now Butch is bragging to everyone he’s never had a better crew.
As we island-hopped along Sir Francis Drake Channel in the BVI, we saw many beautiful aspects of Mother Earth, taking hundreds of photos in efforts to capture the exquisitely pure beauty She offers. We also connected with several truly remarkable people along the way. All the while, the bond between we fellow mariners continued to grow in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, allowing for a very peaceful, drama-free (what is that???) experience. When one spends nine days on a boat with someone, one gets to know them quite well as closely confined quarters tend to engender familiarity, be that positive or not. I am happy that my excursion with a new, hitherto unknown friend was a very positive experience. I found Jenifer to be a deeply genuine person, consistently and vehemently true to and on point with her Purpose. She never misses an opportunity to share her visions, dreams, hopes and purpose with those who have ears to hear. She walks her talk. How extraordinarily refreshing and hope-inspiring…
At this point, I am still not clear about exactly where we were when, as we visited so many places. Jen called our trip: “If It’s Tuesday It’s Belgium.” But she is putting together a slideshow for this website and for Butch to present to his Yacht Club, and Butch will fill us in on what pictures were taken where so I can bring back into focus the blurry edges of my memories and put names to places. Or not…perhaps the magic of such a fabulous experience lies partly in the misty remembrances and all I truly need is to be able to close my eyes and have a soothing sense of brilliantly blue waters, lush green mountainsides, the gentle (and sometimes not-so-gentle) rocking of Mother Ocean underneath me, and delightful companions, to the soundtrack of Quito Rymer in the background, singing, “I’m going back to the islands….”
I now have no doubt I will be going back to the islands with Jen to assist with several projects our visit there may have catalyzed. I observed how she interacted with people: influential people as well as shop workers and waitresses who she treated the same…no difference in the high level of respect she showed everyone. She discussed the spectrum of possibilities encompassed in her plan according to the interests of the person with whom she chatted…with passion and compassion and was very well-received. I became even more convinced as I learned more and more of how much she is capable of co-creating with people and organizations to propel them forward in realizing their goals and dreams…as in every case, their projects are already on her flow chart of Revenue Streams. She truly is meant to facilitate people and organizations to be able to get beyond their present limitations. The biggest obstacle for Jen is exactly that she does seem too good to be true. Somehow, there has to be a way to get people to trust their first impressions of her and open up to how she can help them as “the benefactor of dreams.” I have the opportunity in person to experience Jen in the way she presents herself on this website…as a real person, strong and fragile, capable, enduring, unflagging in her optimism and infinitely willing to go anywhere and do whatever it takes. She has given everything she has to remaining true to her calling even to the point of being willing to lose everything. She is reaching out for help so that she can help. She is for real and my synchronistic discovery of her was a miraculous answer to my own prayers to be able to live and do my purpose. I will do whatever I can to promote and ultimately bring to fruition The Global Rowing Club’s vision of proliferating The Cosmos Renewable Off-Shore Energy Platforms in the seas and oceans of the world. This is a Big Dream, but I have always believed in my Heart of Hearts (if not always in my limited human understanding) that if it is indeed in line with the Universe, it will be.
Quantum TRUMPS. But Only If You Play The Card
Mornings are always my best time. Every morning the first thing I say when I wake up is: “I’m listening.” The Angels love it when you listen to them. They want to help. They need our permission to empower us to live the lives we were sent here to live … to do the mission we are on this planet to do. (I am a poet at heart. I could as easily say I wake up and am willing to receive crucial binary data: 1110000010010111000011101001100, but the notion of being whispered to by my Angels is far more magical!)
I wish I could act instantly on every divine inspiration I get in the morning. For now, I am patient and just do what I can. I say aloud: “all is easy” and refuse to put myself under pressure. By some miracle, I have been given the information, personal resources and relentless drive to lay a foundation. It is ready and it is solid. The outcome is assured: peace — one way or the other. Now it is the time, if ever there is to be a time, for my Soul Family to arrive and build upon this foundation. The hard part is done.
Have you been searching for YOUR Soul Family? Have you been searching for YOUR purpose? Assume for a moment you just found it. You have spent your entire life preparing for this moment. And so have I. I have been waiting for you. You’re here on this website for some reason. Everything happens for a reason, so calm yourself, pay attention and don’t close the page quite yet.
How can you know how much has been done to make a way for you to shape and share a glorious future for all (in space/time). You have to STOP, LISTEN and take the time to open the gift. There is a beautifully wrapped box with a gorgeous bow and a personal note to you acknowledging your value and the importance of your unique contribution just waiting patiently to be opened by you. Waiting inside that little box is the potential for the fulfillment of all of your longings and the potential to realize dreams you have never even dared to dream. Inside that box is ONE BELIEF that will replace every belief that has been programmed into you your entire life. If you open the box, suddenly all is easy because the NEW and TRUE belief is “You are UNLIMITED.”
If I have been sad most of my life (the reflection of joy) it is because I have observed a thousand souls who have Sacred Contracts to show up and accept the wonderful gift … fail to see it and open it. I have been sad because I know who I am and I know who they are and I know how it is meant to be.
Free will. (sigh)
But they will have other lifetimes and there are an infinity of universes and contingency plans. All I have to do is keep universe jumping until I find the one where the souls are ready for all to be easy and get on with having joy-filled lives.
Why do people hesitate?
I used to tell my retreat clients once they made the decision (and paid a non-refundable deposit) that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, there will suddenly be dozens of reasons why they can’t come do the program. The people and the circumstances in their life will play a tug-of-war to keep them from doing this thing that will result in them gaining the tools to reach their full power.
But, Newton’s Laws of Motion are only true if you believe they are true. Classical Mechanics of Physics are passé. For those in the know, Quantum TRUMPS … but only if you play the card. Gotta play the card.
Anything is possible. Everything is possible. It’s the leap-of-faith into the seeming void of the Quantum Field of Pure Potentiality that most people can’t make (yet). It’s because such a leap makes no sense if you stop and think it through with your habituated Piscean paradigm. 3rd dimension will never “GET” 5th. There’s going to be quite a bit of attrition.
And soon.
Why?
Because the time is now. Things are speeding up. If you look back on your life and realize you have spent the last 4-7 years in a bootcamp training to become stronger than you could have believed you could ever be before you went through all you have been through, and you now know things that you never could have imagined before you could know … then you are ready. Don’t second guess when the opportunity that makes it all worth it lands in your lap. Take the gift. It’s not really even a gift. It’s something you’ve earned. It would be foolish to ignore it or turn it down only to remain in the bog of “life is hard” that has been making you miserable.
If you haven’t been consciously preparing and don’t feel ready, but you’re offered the gift anyway … don’t panic. Accelerated training programs have recently been implemented and you get a free pass … if you act quickly.
What is inside the gift box? It’s your personal Quantum Trump Card to be an unlimited power-player in a campaign that will make all the difference in your life and in the lives of everyone on the planet. It’s your opportunity to MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.
Open the gift.
Play the card.
FreeWill Floatin’ In The Flow, Mon!
The Global Rowing Club FreeWill Cruise of The British Virgin Islands was great! Idyllic, really.
The day before we left, my quest was to get back in touch with my favorite friend from Tortola, Leona Wattley. Years before I had tried in vain to contact her when I read that her husband, Paul Wattley, the Tortola Minister of Communication and Works, had suddenly died. I was unsuccessful then, but was determined this time to track her down. My detective work yielded that her internet presence was under her first name Sylvia. I left messages for her on Facebook and LinkedIn asking if she were the Leona I knew from The Anne Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico in 2000. One of my messages reached her and she called me immediately from Tortola and we made a plan to get back together.
On the plane and the ferry on the way there and back I met quite a few other people with whom I had tons of things in common. The downside of that was all the talking over jet engines and ferry engines left me with a medium case of laryngitis. I could still speak softly, but even today, my voice is not fully recovered.
Originally it was supposed to be rainy the week or so we were going to be there. When I heard that, I said to Andrea: “Let me work on that.” (I have a knack for good weather.)
HENCE: the weather was perfect the entire time. There were a couple of showers that cooled things off at night, one during lunch while we were on land that cooled things off. I couldn’t have ordered a better scenario.
Having only met in person two days before the trip … Captain Butch, Andrea and I all got along delightfully well and worked together on the boat like a well-oiled machine as if we’d been sailing together for years. Captain Butch, who has been sailing in the BVI for 27 years showed Andrea and me all the wonders of nature and history — and took us every day to fabulous restaurants for lunch and dinner. We snorkeled all the reefs and saw all kinds of fish, huge starfish, conch (barracuda, stingrays too). Between our three phones and a camera we effortlessly took over 600 gorgeous pictures and some video.
We met and talked with many interesting locals and ex-pat transplants spreading the word about the Mission of The Global Rowing Club. I had a nice visit with Foxy, a BVI icon on Jost van Dyke — and afterwards met with his assistant Susan.
Upon hearing about my background and looking over the GRC website together, Foxy’s assistant Susan informed me that Foxy wants to open a health retreat on Jost van Dyke. Susan, a former long-distance swimmer, expressed particular interested in the Pro/Master’s Athlete health retreat as well as my plan to build the sport of LONG DISTANCE ROWING and the year-round rowing center and new boat design. She felt all the health/athletic-related plans would go over very well in the BVI as a high percentage of the cruisers visiting were adventure-oriented masters athletes like Butch — a retired marathon runner after ruining his knees running. Long-distance sculling for Butch would be, as it is for me, physical therapy in addition to being a superior full-body work-out.
She informed me that current British political policies were slowing down the development of renewable energy initiatives in the BVI. Richard Branson purchased Mosquito Island to establish a green community/resort. It doesn’t seem to be progressing rapidly, but the time is at hand to break through such barriers and we will be in the wings at the ready with The Cosmos Renewable Off-Shore Energy Platforms — just the sort of outlandish project that would capture the imagination of a man like Sir Richard. It certainly is Virgin territory!!!!
But hands down, of all of our adventures, the best was the wonderful evening with Leona our last night when we returned to the marina in Road Town. Leona’s and my connection was instantaneous. As we caught up over dinner at the marina, it came to light that she is on an accelerated path of spiritual awakening. My friends absolutely loved her too and she lamented over and over that she had not been able to meet us on our first day to join us for the whole cruise. We finished this magical evening over wine and cheese at her beautiful house on top of the mountain overlooking Road Town and the harbor.
Commit to Cruise the Caribbean!
How’s this for committing? Two recent Global Rowing Club joiners: Dr. Butch and Andrea, have invited me as part of their contribution — to transform their 9 day cruise on a 43 foot sailing yacht into the first Official Global Rowing Club FreeWill Cruise of the British Virgin Islands.
We are starting out from Tortola where, interestingly, I made friends with several lovely woman from there in 2000 while I was a guest practitioner at the Anne Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico for a few months. I promised them one day I would visit and now I will keep that promise!!
I’ll also come in handy for Dr. (Captain) Butch. Their plans were about to change when someone cancelled going. They were going to have to downsize to a smaller boat he could sail without experienced help. He needs an experienced first mate for a boat this size. And, yes, I have the “sailing gene”. I grew up spending my summers at our family beach house in Annapolis in Maryland, perhaps the sailing capital of the world! I’ve been fortunate to have opportunities to sail many wonderful places. I was on a racing team on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, I’ve sailed off of Costa Rica on the Pacific, I’ve sailed on the Valdez Arm on Prince William Sound in Valdez, Alaska, I’ve sailed a few times in Nashville … but most of my sailing has been extreme and thrilling catamaran sailing on the Gulf of Mexico and on the largest and most beautiful Bay in the word: The Chesapeake Bay!! This will be my first time on the Caribbean. Sailing is a passion for me and to combine it with a 9 day cruise with people who are COMMITTED to ACTIVELY be a part of The Global Rowing Club Campaign to save the world — is a spectacular gift and a dream come true!!! The Universe notices right away when you COMMIT 100%!
I want to also give credit to a several other GRC members who are contributing Sky Miles for the flight, spending money as well as house and Hannah sitting while I am away. Everything has come together to make this happen in less than 24 hours as if it had been planned for months. Actually, it feels like we planned it a long time ago (there’s that space and time conundrum again) and are just now remembering. We leave in less than 30 hours.
Guess what? I’m ready.
What makes it even better is the last thing Dr. (Captain) Butch said tonight after he went over the chart to give me an overview of how we will traverse the Islands and what activities he has already mapped out as a seasoned Caribbean sailor … was “You’ve saved our trip!” That’s an especially wonderful thing to say when it’s a gift! So in addition to enjoying great company while visiting spectacular destinations, we will be on a Treasure Hunt to find out how and with whom The Global Rowing Club is meant to offer ways to substantially make a difference in the world by partnering with like-minded people in the British Virgin Islands. Let’s see what magic and miracles await us as we voyage on our Ship of Dreams.
Everyone feel free to hop on board. We’re about to set sail!
Treading IN Water Instead of Sculling ON Water
Slow rowing summer? Why? I could say life gets in the way. But the truth is, I can’t devote a lot of time to training without outside support.
Just as the Levite tribe had to go back to working their fields because the other 11 tribes weren’t ponying up the dough to support the Levites to run the temple and attend to the spiritual needs ot the rest of the tribes (read The Book of Nehemiah to verify), I have to keep treading water bootstrapping with my inventions and can’t get to the business of saving the world or even trying to draw attention to The Cosmos by setting up spectacular rowing extravaganzas.
First my mother had a stroke, which took me out of town for nearly a month and completely broke my training routine! (She’s fully recovered.)
When I got back, for another month or longer it thunder-stormed every day.
I could probably still row a marathon tomorrow, but it would be SLOW and my hands would be scolding me for doing it for a week. Best to build up by increments when I get back out on the water.
Then I got too busy working with Trina working to translate all of my medical device info into Spanish for sudden intense interest expressed in manufacturing it in Latin America, and redesigning my self-loading boat roof rack to get into production to put on the market.
As for the radical new boat design: it is still the page that gets viewed the most. I suppose a lot of people keep checking back because I promised to prototype it and to take lots of pictures and videos of the process. But I haven’t started it yet because BILLS get in the way.
Seriously … if you are interested in seeing some of my projects get launched so that everything I have to offer the world will have a the chance to financially snowball into the funding it will take to make The Cosmos a reality … feel free to show up and come aboard.
Surfing The Piscean / Aquarian Cusp
I was bulldozed by many seasoned business experts to take the route of accepted business practices in developing my first invention, currently referred to on this web site enigmatically as “The Medical Device.” I had great fresh ideas when I started out, but in what I thought at the time was wise deference to their experience, I always ended up caving to the “good” ideas of experts that were more conventional (and more to their financial advantage). In retrospect, it is clear that my ideas were the good ideas, but I didn’t have the confidence at the time to stay with my mavericky (thank you Tina Fey) convictions. At the time I didn’t realize I was a pure Aquarian on a mission to exemplify a new way of conducting business and how to live life in general.
Running The Medical Device company all by myself almost killed me. What huge medical device companies informed me (when I attended The Future Medical Forum several years ago) was an astounding accomplishment for an individual to achieve, is not something I am that proud of right now in terms of the outcome — and I don’t want a repeat of it. I want to be as far away from the soul-stealing life-force-sucking struggle of “bootstrapping” in a sea of Piscean sharks as I can be. So I’ll steer clear of the sharks, be creative in my approach, do my own thinking and insist my ideas be implemented instead of discounted, trumped and thwarted. My modus operandi won’t appeal to the people who aren’t risk-takers (just takers) and adventurers. Good! I can no longer bear to surround myself with that energy — so just consider that the things I come up with that “savvy business men” advise me to toss out are the very things I deliberately keep to be sure to sort things out from the start. Also considering the conventional mind-set is what has gotten this planet in the shape it’s in and what keeps the majority of its inhabitants in denial, I am keen to find a new breed of thinkers to populate my foxhole.
It is TIME (Aquarian Age) to be creative and go out on limbs and think outside of stupid confining boxes. That’s just how I am wired. To diminish my integrity and compromise my ideals to force an agenda would be to negate the very essence of who I am. It would be over for me right there.
So I will be whimsical, insist on things being fun, off-beat, outlandish and look at everything from the fresh point-of-view of someone who has not been indoctrinated by how things are supposed to be done. I have no need to suppress myself to meet with the approval of conventional thinkers just to get their money. People either believe in me, the REAL me, or they don’t. I won’t “pose” for money!
My world-saving ideas will be just great ideas without substantiation until I can afford the engineers to flesh them out. I was in Costly Medical Device Manufacturing Hell for five years trying to reach the point where I could devote my time and funding to The Cosmos. It took total ruination of my health and finances to finally force me to release myself from that hell. The moment I finally became powerful was the moment I achieved two thirds of what my hero Nicola Tesla achieved on his final day on earth. I became penniless and alone. Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. It was only at that point people like me started to show up to support my newest freshest idea: The Global Rowing Club. ¡Olé!
So what if all I ever do from now on is travel and row and talk about a dream? I guess that makes me a happy person already living a dream. My best has to be good enough. Time will tell about the rest. I am just well-informed enough to know that the entire planet is entering a new age and it will be daring quixotic people like me who will pull our world out of this ever-accelerating nose dive if the old school will just step aside and admit they didn’t make the cut. Until then, egos will play a destructive and pointless tug-of-war. Don’t expect (or advise) me to pick up either of the rope.
The people I am manifesting to populate my reality to implement my/our Purpose — are dreamers who have a sense of humor and a consuming desire to heal our planet. I am not for everyone. But I do know (finally after too many years of resisting the pay-off from my expensive education) that from now on we are going to do it my way (according to the Aquarian paradigm) or not at all. My wagon to the stars is going to be a fun adventure or I’ll be the first to jump off. Maybe it will fly, maybe it won’t. It’s out of my hands. I am simply WILLING to do my part and am not invested in the outcome.
My only agenda is The Will Of Heaven. Que será será.
Feel free to join me all ye who dare to Surf The Cusp in critical times — for what I hope and pray will be a relatively painless shift into a bright, shiny and peaceful Future. Denial or a negative fatalistic attitude will only exacerbate an inevitability that will not go away no matter how much you are distracted by a vast sea of minutia. Decide something about the BIGGEST AND MOST OBVIOUS ISSUE ON EARTH. To not decide is to decide. Time (if you still believe in time) is running out.
Hummingbird Handling in Español & English, 101
Your Dream Is Willing (To Stay or Escape)
A visit from a baby hummingbird is just a usual day in the life of Jenifer Humming, but holding a hummingbird (colibrí, picaflor, tucusito) is a life-long dream come true for Trina Jacqueline — Jenifer’s talented, interesting well-traveled, multi-lingual buena amiga and assistant from Venezuela and a European resident. Trina is in the United States training to be el jefe of International Fundraising for The Global Rowing Club, promoting Jenifer’s inventions in South and Central America and learning to be an excellent sculler!
Watch our fun little pelicula … un poco en español, a little in English — but a picture is worth a thousand words in any language. If you suspect everything is a metaphor, you are probably right. Subtitles may be on the way so check back.
Climate Change and Sculling Challenge
I have to confess I am getting frustrated. I did better getting out to row all winter long in frigid temperatures than I am doing now that it is summer. There have been precious few days in the forecast that have not threatened thunderstorms. There were two days that were clear since Trina and I returned from over two weeks (of no rowing) in Maryland May 28th exhausted and depleted from the madness of the trip, but the wind was up to 14 mph. No thanks. Then there were two perfect days about two weeks ago but urgent matters prevented me from taking advantage of them. Mala suerte (I speak Spanish a lot more these days.) Last Friday I did 36 miles dodging the ominous clouds and threatening rumbles of thunder. But that was on a small lake and I was always within a 30 minute row to get back to the launch dock if things got crazy.
My situation is a little different from the rest of the rowing world. Normal rowers and scullers can get out to row in the morning when it is clear and be off the water by the time the storms usually start. The reason that doesn’t work for me is when I get in my boat, it’s not for an hour or two … it’s for 5 to 10 hours non-stop. That’s why I am being thwarted. Most of the nights after sunset have been clear and I don’t mind getting started late and rowing all night, but I can’t get in either of these lakes after dark because the ingress is closed until dawn. So what’s a girl to do?
I’m all set to go back out to Inland Lake so I won’t have to do a zillion laps at Lake Purdy, but a thirty minute drive to gamble on dodging storms on a much larger lake where I could get caught an hour and a half away from the launch area — is too much of a risk — especially when I am in the middle of so much going on here. If I worked as much as I check the weather I would be much more productive.
I don’t remember it ever being like this. Maybe I wasn’t paying such close attention before … or maybe the climate is changing. That’s one of the things I want to get around to fixing. But for now, all I know is this weather is taking a CHUNK out of my rowing. And even worse, I barely have a tan and I can’t keep the cushions out on my deck furniture.
Looks Like I will be rowing on Monday.
Why the Long Rowing Dry Spell Jen?
Very good question. I haven’t been keeping up with adding to this blog for a good while either. So here’s the condensed version:
If you have been following my rowing stories, you will recall in the winter I really smacked my left shin running into something in the dark, didn’t ice it right away and actually forgot it even happened. My next row was on February 20th. I rowed 45 miles and I wondered why my left shin began to hurt. Next thing you know, I could barely walk for weeks. I even went to have it ex-rayed because I thought I had fractured it.
I gave it a few weeks off and went out on March 12th. It began to hurt again at 20 miles, but I rowed 50 anyway.
The next time out was March 27th at Lake Purdy to test my leg on the smaller lake where the rowing club is located. I am glad I only did 8 miles that day, taking it easy rowing slowly chatting with my friend Bob.
I stayed at Lake Purdy from then on as the water levels were back up and worked my mileage back up to 34 miles by April 19th. I really meant to do 50 or 60 miles that night, but I got a call from my new volunteer intern/assistant who was flying in on April 21st from Venezuela and once stopped for more than a few minutes, I got way too chilled to keep going, was floating right by the dock, so it was too tempting to just call it a night and get warmed back up ASAP in a heated car.
Then upon my new assistant’s arrival, our time was taken up with getting her trained and adjusted to all the workings of my multi-faceted business, health, sports, save the world way of life. It was going great and we were having a blast. But my personal rowing time was taken up with training her to row in a double. It was great fun, but not my usual work-out.
Then just as we were hitting our stride and making tons of progress, I got a call from my brother that my mother had a stroke. Next thing you know I’m on my way up to Maryland. Thankfully Trina made the trip with me in the hopes that we could continue to get some work done, but the friend we were staying with had no internet access and the only time we could get online was at the hospital … a two hour drive in traffic both ways from where we were staying. We never got to bed before 4 am in the morning. The strain of the trip did us both in.
Thankfully, when the dust settled on my mother’s acute episode, the doctor explained to me that her blood pressure had simply spiked way too high, and the worst of her damage was just being kept in a hospital bed for two weeks losing all of her strength while they were trying to get her blood pressure medication adjusted. By the time we left, she was her old self again. But between the 15 hour drive there (Trina obviously could not help with the driving) and the 15 hour drive back … and the minimum of 4 hours of driving every day we were there, and no rowing to keep my joints pain free, my old right hip injury decided to kick up into a full blown bout of non-stop pain and barely being able to walk AGAIN.
I was so depleted by the over two week trip of non-stop impossible circumstances, it was a week before I was even close to being myself again emotionally and being in constant physical pain was not helping at all.
I knew the only way to get it under control was to get back out rowing and Trina and I made it out once in the double, but again … 8 miles is not sufficient physical therapy for my abused joints from a life-time of extreme sports.
Then all of a sudden, we started getting intense interest from South American about my medical device invention and Trina and I spent a couple of weeks writing, compiling and translating already existing information into Spanish for her connection there to submit for consideration.
Then to make matters simply impossible, the weather forecast for every week since our return from the Maryland trip has looked like this: And still does. This is from today:
Trina is off visiting family in Miami and trying to get a customs matter straightened out about some things she had shipped from the UK to Venezuela so I was determined to go rowing by myself again Friday. The weather as usual promised scattered thunderstorms so I called my chiropractor and made an appointment for 3:30 to get my hip adjusted. But I told him if it weren’t raining, I would go rowing to adjust it that way instead. He’s a Global Rowing Club supporter and knows me well. When I left having lunch with a friend, I called to say it wasn’t raining and rowed mind-numbing laps at Lake Purdy for 36 miles. I felt GREAT.
My hip is pain free again, but I still have to put in some more miles to get it completely back to normal.
I had my gear all ready to go back out to Inland Lake early this morning for some REAL mileage because the weather showed no signs of thunderstorms last night, but the big thunder claps started extra early and it has been dark and ominous all day. Tomorrow looks the same, but I will still try to get out early and hopefully dodge the scattered storms. When it is 95 degrees (35 Celsius) I don’t mind getting rained on. Getting hit by lightning might give me super human powers, so whatever happens, it’s a win win — the way I see it.
I just have to row again, darn it!
So there it is … why I have been conspicuously silent in my blog posting … and took a hiatus from rowing. Life got in the way.
Back from Sculling Haitus
36.1 Miles — 58.1 Kilometers
I only had 36.1 miles (58.1 K) in me today after not rowing in my boat Hummingbird since April 19 … nearly 7 weeks ago when I did only 34 miles. I was planning to row 60 miles that night. The conditions were ideal. A full moon was rising just as it got dark and while I was moving, the temperature was perfect. But I got a phone call and stopped to talk. Then I got too chilled and stiff to continue. This afternoon and evening, I didn’t answer the phone, text, or even take pictures. I just rowed non-stop except for a quick pull-over to switch my running lights on at twilight. Is mine the only scull in the world that has a lit dashboard and running lights? I think it might be.
Marsh Labyrinth Sculling, 101
18.2 Miles — 29.3 Kilometers
The wind was up and only going to get worse. Gary at Lake Purdy kept telling me, but I had checked and I already knew. I told him I could handle it. (Yeah, I’m so tough.)
When I got out … windy it was. I pulled out an elastic band immediately to put around my hat to keep it on. I had intended to head straight down to the Bald Eagle nest but decided to make a run for the new Marsh Labyrinth in hopes that the wind would in fact get calmer instead of worse by the time I ventured back out into the main lake.
Once I got back there, it was a sheltered paradise. As I was only out to test my leg and work on my tan (the only sunblock I ever use is sun … I’m strangely not as fair as a Scottish lass should be) I lingered in the maze amid the wildlife. I saw all three Bald Eagles there, countless herrings, ducks, geese and even chased after a surprisingly relaxed and friendly Water Moccasin lazily swimming with his head above the water and sticking his tongue out a lot. It was forked.
I took lots of pictures. I was in no hurry to leave. There are a couple of the snake … look for them.
I managed to get at least four miles out of the Marsh Labyrinth and went places no scull has gone before. Skegless sculling means being able to go over logs or almost anything. And after rowing so much in the dark, my balance in the daylight is effortless! I can pick my way through narrow passes by raising my blades high above all obstacles or pulling them inboard all the way. It has become uncanny! I can go anywhere!
Once I got back out into the main part of the lake … it was soooooooo windy. Oh my God was it windy. Up to 20 mph winds for the next hour. I just opened my bailer and left it open and struggled against the wind to keep up the 3 miles per hour it takes to keep the water going out as I was constantly swamped with swell after swell. There were times I was rowing as hard as I could and the Speed Coach read zero miles per hour! I tried like Jesus to talk the wind into calming down. I’m not as fast as Jesus, but it eventually worked. I kept going until dark mapping the perimeter and managed to get 18.2 miles in one lap. Now I have a GPS line to follow. When I got off the water and up to my car … this time there was a sticky note on my window with the combination to unlock the gate to get out. Thanks Gary.
He knows how I am. 🙂
Sculler in a Cage
I have been conspicuously silent lately in my blog posting. I have not worried about it as I still haven’t officially launched this blog. Nevertheless, it is getting traffic. And the most attention I am getting is for my new boat design still. That is an indicator I need to prototype it SOON.
I have been silent because I didn’t want to admit how I am. When I have space and time (when I am pretending either of those two things exist) I use all of it no matter what. In other words, my last row at Inland Lake … even though I thought my leg was healed and ready, it was not. At mile twenty it started to hurt and I rowed 50 miles anyway. That’s just how I am. So I have been nursing it back to health and promised myself not to push it again.
Therefore, I have to be contained. Knowing this about myself, last week I rowed at the smaller lake, Lake Purdy where the rowing club is located. It is sooooooo much easier to launch there. With all of the rain lately, it is not so little and treacherous anymore. There are new areas to explore and I spent my time (Bob joined me for half of it) exploring the new creeks where there was only marsh before, if that, while it was dry. If I hadn’t mapped it on my GPS, I would never have found my way back out. It is a labyrinth of glorious exotic beauty. I felt like I was in the marshes of Louisiana and I have never seen so much wildlife, even in the mangroves of Florida!
There is also a nesting pair of Bald Eagles there now with a baby. I am going to go see them today. As I must be contained, I am going to the little lake again that closes at 7 pm when the gates are locked. (I got locked in last week!) I will see how my leg does today with 15 or 20 miles. It hurt last week doing only 8! I am not going to train today, I am going to work on my tan. Yes, I will be “wearing my bikini of power.” They’re used to that there.
My down-time, however has been well spent corresponding, speaking on the phone, audio and video Skyping with Global Rowing Club supporters all over the country and Internationally. I have an assistant coming to work with me soon from South America and expect a visit from Michael in Germany.
Just checking in to say hi. 🙂 I will be back later to tell you about today’s adventure.
Sculler in a Cage
I have been conspicuously silent lately in my blog posting. I have not worried about it as I still haven’t officially launched this blog. Nevertheless, it is getting traffic. And the most attention I am getting is for my new boat design still. That is an indicator I need to prototype it SOON.
I have been silent because I didn’t want to admit how I am. When I have space and time (when I am pretending either of those two things exist) I use all of it no matter what. In other words, my last row at Inland Lake … even though I thought my leg was healed and ready, it was not. At mile twenty it started to hurt and I rowed 50 miles anyway. That’s just how I am. So I have been nursing it back to health and promised myself not to push it again.
Therefore, I have to be contained. Knowing this about myself, last week I rowed at the smaller lake, Lake Purdy where the rowing club is located. It is sooooooo much easier to launch there. With all of the rain lately, it is not so little and treacherous anymore. There are new areas to explore and I spent my time (Bob joined me for half of it) exploring the new creeks where there was only marsh before, if that, while it was dry. If I hadn’t mapped it on my GPS, I would never have found my way back out. It is a labyrinth of glorious exotic beauty. I felt like I was in the marshes of Louisiana and I have never seen so much wildlife, even in the mangroves of Florida!
There is also a nesting pair of Bald Eagles there now with a baby. I am going to go see them today. As I must be contained, I am going to the little lake again that closes at 7 pm when the gates are locked. (I got locked in last week!) I will see how my leg does today with 15 or 20 miles. It hurt last week doing only 8! I am not going to train today, I am going to work on my tan. Yes, I will be “wearing my bikini of power.” They’re used to that there.
My down-time, however has been well spent corresponding, speaking on the phone, audio and video Skyping with Global Rowing Club supporters all over the country and Internationally. I have an assistant coming to work with me soon from South America and expect a visit from Michael in Germany.
Just checking in to say hi. 🙂 I will be back later to tell you about today’s adventure.
Deluge Aftermath Pitch Dark Sculling, 101
50.5 Miles — 81.27 Kilometers
It was pure joy! It always is, no matter what I encounter. I just love to row.
It was going to be a sunny day as warm as 70º, but with winds up to 14 MPH. As far as I was concerned … that’s a rowing day. Did I get a later-than-I-wanted-start? Of course.
First, instead of getting up and getting right on the road, I did an impromptu photo shoot so I could post that picture everyone has been asking for of what I wear when I row such long distances. I think they were aiming at a picture of my Red Bikini of Power, which I will be wearing again when the temps get above 80º, but for today, it was the sleeveless cycling top and the biking shorts with suspenders I never used for cycling, but discovered is perfect for rowing. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my specific-for-rowing unisuit is spiffy, but has a seam at my waist, which defeats the purpose of having nothing binding me at my waste for long distance. It is just the thing for head races when I want to look like I am a real rower. Incidentally, I don’t use my high-tech long-distance seat-pad for real rower races as I was informed by Dave Lee, the Oklahoma boat dealer who sold me my Flyweight, that only yahoos use seat-pads. So … I know how to blend in if I need to once in a while.
The cycling bibs are perfect for colder weather rowing because as you can see in the picture, there is a panel covering the waist that anything I wear on top (additional long sleeve jerseys) can be tucked in to prevent any looseness of garments for a thumb to snag on at the finish (when the blades come out of the water at the end of the stroke). A good thumb snag could put you in the drink quick.
Then … another delay resulted from how powerful I am at manifesting my thoughts. Right before I left the house, I commented to myself: “Gee, I hope they don’t charge me today to launch. I don’t think I have enough cash.” I wish I had said: “Gee, I hope the deputy gives me a million dollars when I drive up to the lake.”
Sure as the world, for the first time, I was charged. I found out that they were just letting me in for free while the lake was closed. For both letting me in for free and just for letting me in, I am very grateful and am more than happy to pay my fee.
I proceeded with great determination and a little bit of denial to scrounge for every penny in my purse and in my car — and I came up with $4.78. I needed $5.00. I offered the deputy a check. I offered a credit card. I offered to pay the difference next time I came out. I was about to offer him a diamond ear ring … but decided to heed his suggestion and just go up the road and get some cash.
So I drove five miles further out to the closest store to buy some item with my bank card and get cash back. I bought a Double Shot with Ginseng to give to the deputy who had been so patient as I searched for way too long for that one last quarter that didn’t exist. I could not believe it wouldn’t be under a seat or SOMETHING! Anyway, everyone drinks coffee, right?
The little store charged for getting cash back, which was fine, but I commented that I only needed a quarter. So one of the girls behind the counter just gave me a quarter. Soooo sweet!
Mission accomplished, I went back and proudly counted out the three dollar bills I had and the rest in quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies for the patient deputy, to make a full $5.00 with 3 cents to spare! I offered him the conciliatory coffee drink, but … he wasn’t a coffee drinker. I should have bought him a beer (for when he got off duty). But, as it turns out, I was happy I had that double shot at about mile 35.
Now, here’s the most important thing I must mention: for a couple of days earlier in the week we had a typhoon-monsoon-deluge down-pouring of rain that all at once made up for having the driest year ever. I had the flooded basement to prove it! So the water level is almost at full pool, as they call it, and still rising.
This development provided a new challenge for placing my Little Red Dock. No more nice safe smallish rocks to tread upon. There are now only unstable tipsy boulders between me and the water. It took me a long time to get the Little Red Dock situated and stable. But I still had to deal with carrying the boat over the big rocky rocks. This was not so hard putting it in as it was 50 miles later — taking it out.
I decided that now that the water level is high enough, I am going to carry my boat the half mile or so on the nice safe flat catwalk out to the nice safe flat dock and put it in there next time.
So, here are the lessons learned in this epic adventure:
After a big storm and heavy rainfall … there is FLOATING DEBRIS … stuff floating everywhere … near the bank … out in the very middle of the lake … everywhere … like a mine field. I will go into more detail in a moment. First I have some good news and some good news … and some more good news. (And later on, even MORE good news!)
The first good news is: Bob’s boathouse floats! I sent him this picture and he got out there the next day to be sure it was securely anchored. Since the spark plugs on his boat are on the blink right now, he parked his car as close as he could on a near-by road and hiked three miles to the cabin to accomplish this necessary task. All is well, and I am proud of him.
The second good news is the lake is sooooo much bigger now. My too-close-to-the-bank-GPS-map-line is no longer too close to the bank. However, despite that wonderful fact, I discovered that Deluge Aftermath factors present new challenges.
The third good news is that I have become quite adept at a pretty slick “ALL-STOP-go-right-into-a-river-turn-(where you move both oars in opposite directions to turn the boat like a turn-table)-miss-the-new-obstacle-while-there-is-still-enough-light-to-see-it” maneuver. This came in really handy because along with the new challenge of Deluge Aftermath Floating Debris, there are scores of new dead trees that have fallen and extend quite far out from the bank, and in many cases, are just anywhere they please.
I got started shortly after 3 pm. However, as my leg injury took longer to heal than I had hoped (I even had it ex-rayed to be sure it wasn’t fractured), I had done nothing but sit with my leg up with an ice pack on it for three weeks. I didn’t even work out with weights after the first few days because doing anything exacerbated it — and I MEANT I was going to get it healed as fast as possible. I knew having a fractured left tibia would not change how I was treating it, but it would determine the time-frame before I could get back out in my boat as it would require 6-8 weeks to be in one piece again. I just needed to know. Thankfully, I just had a severe periosteal bruise from slamming into my rebounder (mini-trampoline) in the dark in my house. The rebounder is in my work-out room in the basement again where it belongs! (Now that the basement is dried out again.)
Oh, yeah … right … the rowing story …
Well, due to my long hiatus and from being preoccupied with some projects and forgetting to eat much for a few days prior, I spent the first 6 miles fiddling, taking pictures, reading and writing email and was a little too focused on eating my snacks. Plus, I had pretty much forgotten how to row. So I didn’t go as fast as I could have while there was daylight. And I didn’t really get into my rhythm until about 15 miles into it. Without any oomph in my stroke, I was cruising at an easy 6 MPH, but not for long because …
Then it got dark. At first, that was ok because there was a nice bright half-moon exactly overhead. There was still plenty of light from the moon for rowing on the lake I had rowed on three weeks before. But not for what I encountered that night. And since the moon was already high, it went down long before I finished rowing, leaving me in the pitch dark flying by instruments just following my GPS line.
Oh, more good news! When it got dark … the water was glass. It was pure joy, I tell you!
When I arrived at the leg of the lake where I first saw the Bald Eagle, I ran into a serious log-jam. What I mean is debris in the form of large branches, logs and even a few wood pilings (must have lost a few docks) were everywhere in huge patches and it was too dark to maneuver around or in between them. For miles … there WAS no in between. If I still rowed with a skeg, I would have lost it 40 times that night. I was in fear for my impeller (the little propeller attached to the bottom of the hull that tells the Speed Coach what it needs to know), but the impeller guard held up like a champ to the abuse. I had to keep it under 4 MPH in a lot of places just to get through. But I made it through and found another half mile or so of lake beyond the remote boat launch leading to a marsh I saw, but miscalculated how far away it was — and met it “up close and personal” as dimly shown in this picture:
I couldn’t help but hug the new bank and explore the many extensions of the fingers of the lake in my first lap out of sheer curiosity about what the mileage of the new perimeter was going to be. I had been getting 22.5 miles or less. That night, I got close to 29 miles! Wow, what a difference!
On my second lap, I made the decision to skip the log-jam section entirely. Wise choice.
I never laughed so much rowing in all my 20 years as I did that night on the second lap. Why? Because once it got REALLY dark, I was no longer able to use my suave stop and turn technique to miss new obstacles. It didn’t matter where I rowed … out from the bank or close. Since it became evident that in these conditions I could not go fast enough to stay warm, I put on long sleeves and decided to concentrate on good form. Just as I was speeding along at another effortless MPH from simply using my knowledge of correct sculling form, I would SLAM into a multi-branched bleached white dead tree extending out from the bank … or just anywhere it pleased to be. A few times I got so tangled it would take me five minutes, maybe more, to sea-saw my way out of it. I laughed big belly laughs every time in disbelief that I didn’t capsize. One time I ended up with my port blade (the tip of the oar in my right hand) stuck in a branch 4 feet above the water surface. That made for a few precarious moments as I balanced myself with the suddenly-imperative-didn’t-know-I-had expertise of a high-wire walker — until I could get my wrists back together and jimmy myself out of that awkward position. That was at least a five minute job. Keep in mind … the air temperature was in the low 50’s and the water temperature was still hypothermia-worthy and I was wearing the only long sleeved shirt I had on the boat — far far way from the dock, warmth and dry clothes.
Even if I had tried to keep count of how many times I ran into dead trees or slammed into floating debris, I would have lost count. I will estimate 20 times on the dead trees and at least 40 for the debris. Debris example here.
That evening I decided to install an abacus on my rigging and make a call to Maas Boat Works to ask if ANYONE has ever turned one of these things over. I can only surmise that Maas Flyweights DO NOT CAPSIZE. What a perfect boat for me to train in as I prepare to attain the Much Sought-After, Recognized, Publicized, Pinnacle of Rowing Glory … the Title of the World’s Longest Distance Sculling Record-Holder of all time! (Please don’t forget why I am doing this.)
Then disaster struck! I learned yet another valuable lesson: just because the battery in your iPod looks full, unless you JUST recharged it … it is not. My music quit at mile 35. I had no choice but to keep rowing as I was some distance from the dock. I kept hearing water rushing and wondered if I had punctured the hull and there was water inside. But then I realized it was just the boat going through the water. I hadn’t heard it all that much before. I spent the next 15 miles to try to think of how many times I had rowed without music … and realized I had a lot, like when I teach in a double or row along with a friend for a few miles and chat. And a couple of head races where music is not allowed and earphones would make me look like a yahoo. I got used to it and experienced a new kind of sheer joy.
After the music died (I am not referring to Elvis), I heard a lot of little water falls and even the sounds of wild life. Also … this was another new experience: the Loch Ness monster leapt out of the water a bunch of times near the boat! Or maybe it was the alligator following me around.
Even skipping the log-jam, I only had to row a small extra loop to reach my goal of 50 miles. By then, I was glad to be near the finish as the wind decided to kick up pretty strong.
The Little Red Dock was almost submerged when I got back to it with the water level still rising fast. It really was a trick to get my boat the few feet over the perilous boulders on my well-earned wobbly legs to load it on the car. I took my time.
I have always kept my car pristinely clean in my garage before this winter when I switched lakes and decided to keep the boat on the car. Having a boat on top is a determent to taking it through car washes. So thanks to that Double Shot with Ginseng I mentioned earlier, I took a little time while still parked on the ramp to use my wet rags and the dew on the car to give it a pretty convincing wash!
This was the most eventful and adventurous row yet. It also took me all night. I felt fine so I decided to stay up all day and write stuff in Spanish (or what I imagine is Spanish … no sé, but my multi-lingual International supporters have informed me that it doesn’t suck) … and just go to bed early Sunday night. I had a wonderful day.
By the way, I checked the US Rowing Rules for doping and Double Shots with Ginseng was nowhere on the list. Whew!
La Tragedia
Cuando la tierra está en dolor, ella entra en erupción. La energía negativa de todos el odio y la violencia y la deshonestidad y la codicia de los humanos hace sentir impotente. Cuando ellos también maltratan a ella ya todos los abusos de la generosidad preciosos de los animales y plantas que ofrece para nuestro sustento, que la hace enferma de sentirse no amado. Su dolor y los síntomas de la enfermedad muestran como los desastres naturales.
When the earth is in pain, she erupts. The negative energy from all of the hatred and violence and dishonestly and greed of the humans makes her feel helpless. When they also mistreat her and abuse all of the precious bounty of the animals and plants she provides to sustain us, it makes her sick from feeling unloved. Her pain and sickness show symptoms like natural disasters.
Las personas que murieron se han salvado. No es una tragedia para ellos. Son libres y en la felicidad. La tragedia es para los que se han quedado atrás a llorar y sufrir por la pérdida de sus seres queridos. La tragedia es que ni siquiera esto despertar el resto del mundo a actuar tan rápidamente como se debe para evitar futuras tragedias que afectan a todos sin excepción.
The people who died have been spared. It is not a tragedy for them. They are free and in bliss. The tragedy is for the ones who have been left behind to cry and suffer for losing the ones they love. The tragedy is that not even this will awaken the rest of the world to act as quickly as they must to prevent future tragedies that will affect everyone without exception.
La tragedia es que me siento solo en amarla tanto y no poder hacer lo suficiente porque la gente está demasiado asustada y no se unen para salvar a nuestra madre. Yo no soy más que un hilo de voz. Tengo que ser una gran voz. O tengo que ir sólo de distancia, porque me duele mucho no poder ayudar.
The tragedy is that I feel alone in loving her so much and not being able to do enough because people are too afraid and will not join together to save our mother. I am only a small voice. I need to become a big voice. Or I need to just go away, because it hurts me too much to not be able to help.
Voy a rezar por las víctimas de la tragedia, sus familias, para todas las personas en el mundo, y para el planeta bello que el amor. Siempre lo hago.
I will pray for the victims of the tragedy, their families, for everyone in the world, and for the beautiful planet I love. I always do.
Mostrarle Su Amor Para Ella
El deseo de mi corazón es para nuestro preciosa la tierra volver a sentir amada y respetada. Ella es tan hermosa. Ella nos alimenta. Ella es nuestra madre. Ella es nuestra hogar!
Hago un llamamiento a todos los que están en deuda con ella para su existencia, en este oasis de abundancia en medio de la nada inmensa – para mostrarle una vez más de lo que le debemos nuestra adoración y cuidar de ella con reverencia.
Yo nunca se apartará de ti, mi amada Gaia, mientras que respiro tu aliento. Usted es dueño de mi corazón. Tú eres mi amor y de vida. Todo lo que hago, lo hago por ti.
Mis hermanos y hermanas, que me ayude por favor. Nuestro viviendo, sentiendo, languideciendo planeta necesita nuestra ayuda y tenemos que unirnos.
Por favor, dime que no estoy solo en este amor. Usted debe ir más allá sentimiento amor por ella. Usted debe mostrar su amor por ella.
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The desire of my heart is for our precious Earth to feel loved and respected. She is so beautiful. She feeds us. She is our mother. She is our home!
I appeal to all who are indebted to her for their existence, in this oasis of abundance amid the vast nothingness — to show her once more than we owe her our adoration and to take care of her with reverence.
I will never turn away from you, my beloved Gaia, while I breathe your breath. You own my heart. You are my love and life. Everything I do, I do for you.
My brothers and sisters, help me please. Our living, feeling, languishing planet needs our help and we must unite.
Please tell me I’m not alone in this love. You must go beyond feeling love for her. You must show your love for her.
The Global Rowing Club 