You MUST Go Home Again!

 September 1, 2018 (244/365) • Marquette Alumni Regatta

They say, "You can't go home again," yet, I've always felt that home is a feeling more than a place. Ann Mah, states it perfectly in The Lost Vintage: “I had spent enough time in France to know that the words chez moi meant something a thousand times more profound than one's current home. Chez moi was the place your parents came from, or maybe even the region of your parents' parents. The food you ate at Christmas, your favorite kind of cheese, your best childhood memories of summer vacation -- all of these derived from chez moi. And even if you had never lived there, chez moi was knitted into your identity; it colored the way you viewed the world and the way the world viewed you.” (Mah, The Lost Vintage). I feel this way about Sturgeon Bay, about Paris, and about Marquette -- especially the Marquette University Sailing Team (MUST). Today's Alumni Regatta was almost rained out, but we got there in time to see the new fleet sail home. 

Mission

August 27, 2018 (239/365)

"Through a process grounded in reflection and feedback, the Pewaukee School District Learning Coaches are committed to collaboratively guiding and supporting adult learners in their quest to develop, refine, and hone instructional practices in order to maximize student engagement and achievement." - PSD Learning Coaches' Mission. This week, teachers return to school, I wish them smooth sailing, yet recognize that there will likely be rough seas as well as fair winds. As a coach, I strive to be a lighthouse rather than a lifeboat, reminding myself and others that my job is not to rescue, but instead, help others to find their own way to shore, guiding by example.

Sailing + Photography Lessons

 August 8, 2018 (220/365)

"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." ~  William Arthur Ward

...Or the pessimist complains that her iPhone can't capture the beauty of these little prams racing just off-shore. The optimists hopes she can edit her photos to make them clearer and brighter. The realist posts her photos anyway since sailing opties and a photo-a-day challenge are all about learning!

The X Factor

July 28, 2018 (209/365) • ILYA X Championship Regatta hosted by the Pewaukee Yacht Club

"Sailing a boat calls for quick action, a blending of feeling with the wind and water as well as with the very heart and soul of the boat itself. Sailing teaches alertness and courage, and gives in return a joyousness and peace that but few sports afford." ~ George Matthew Adams

Week 30 - Creative: Circles

July 26, 2018 (207/365) • Week 30 - Creative: Circles

"Life is sort of a circle. You come back to a lot of the interests that you had early in life." ~ Eric Kandel

[The circle is a universal symbol with extensive meaning; it represents the notions of totality.] #dogwoodweek30, #dogwood52, #dogwood2018

Imagination & Reflection

July 23, 2018 (204/365)

"A photograph must come from imagination and not be a reflection of what is." ~ Thierry Mugler

Week 29 - Technical: Twilight Zone

July 19, 2018 (200/365) • #dogwoodweek29, #dogwood52, #dogwood2018

[While golden and blue hours bring beautiful lighting, shooting in twilight opens up a new way of seeing the world.]

“The light is amber, the air still; the day lilies have folded in on themselves. Soon, the hooded blue of dusk will fall, followed by the darkness of night and the sky writing of the stars, indecipherable to us mortals, despite our attempts to force narrative upon them.” ~ Elizabeth Berg

Ships

 July 12, 2018 (193/365)

There are good ships and wood ships and ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships, and may they always be!

Harps

June 30, 2018 (181/365)

"And the wind plays on those great sonorous harps, the shrouds and masts..." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Midsummer Night

June 21, 2018 (172/365) • Midsummer

"The summer night is like a perfection of thought. " ~ Wallace Stevens

Week 24 - Composition: Contrast

June 13, 2018 (164/365) • Week 24 - Contrast: WIND vs. HORSEPOWER

[Introduce some form of stark contrast: liquid/solid, hard/soft, delicate/brash]

#dogwoodweek24, #dogwood52, #dogwood2018 • ƒ/7.1, 1/400, ISO100

French Friday: Les Voiliers du Luxembourg

 le 13 avril 2018 (103/365)

« Il n'y a rien - absolument rien - la moitié vaut vraiment la peine 

de se contenter de jouer dans les bateaux. » ~ Kenneth Grahame, Le Vent dans les saules

Marquette Alumni Regatta

September 16, 2017 (259/365)

"Sailing a boat calls for quick action, a blending of feeling with the wind and water 

as well as with the very heart and soul of the boat itself. Sailing teaches alertness and courage, 

and gives in return a joyousness and peace that but few sports afford." ~ George Matthew Adams

Learning the Ropes

August 22, 2017 (234/365)

This week, new teachers are joining us in Pewaukee to learn the ropes.

I wish them smooth sailing, yet there will likely be rough seas as well as fair winds.

As a coach and mentor, this is my philosophy:

"Be a lighthouse rather than a lifeboat. Do not rescue, but instead, 

help others to find their own way to shore, guiding them by your example." 

X Factor

 July 6, 2017 (187/365)

"On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open 

and the world is full of beauty." ~ Rumi

Prams

June 12, 2017 (163/365)

“Believe me, my young friend, 

there is nothing - absolutely nothing - 

half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” 

~ Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Where there's a will...

April 9, 2017 (099/365)

Just because the slips are empty doesn't mean you can't go sailing!

A Pirate Looks at Fifty

March 6, 2017 (065/365)

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island 

and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life.” ~ Walt Disney

My week in Paris was priceless. I treasured the time, the experiences, the beauty, the memories. One of my favorite moments was spent on Saturday afternoon watching the children sail little boats in the grand basin of the Luxembourg Gardens. Today, I must return to port, but I continue to have a trove of books, knowledge, ideas, friendships, and experiences ahead of me as this Pewaukee Pirate looks at fifty.

To All a Good Nite

December 30, 2016 (365/366) Sailing in December

"There are good ships and wood ships, ships that sail the sea, 

but the best ships are friendships, may they always be!" ~ Irish Proverb

Bowline

August 21, 2016 (234/366)

"We learn the ropes of life by untying its knots." ~  Jean Toomer