Actually Slowing Down...More

So I am slowing down even more, which 2 weeks ago I would have told you was an impossibility. But here's the catch up on what's been happening:

Went sailing on Sunday and it was fantastic. We competed in the sixty something annual HMS Perth regatta (celebrating the heroic sinking of the ship in WWII). There were 110 boats racing on the Swan River, which is the main body of water for Perth and it's suburbs. There are two 24-foot bridges leading to the ocean, so most boats in the Swan are quite small. We raced on a 22-foot E-Boat outfitted for racing, and it was one of the largest. Arriving at the Yacht Club was fantastic. Mostly dinghies and of every type you could image. A huge green lawn along the water covered with everything from 50 year old skiffs, Lasers, Hobie 16s, 29ers, 49ers, to even a hydrofoil sail boat which was amazing to see sail. As we started off with a crew of 5 the wind began to build. On the first test jibe of the spinnaker the "Doctor" came to town and we had to douse the kite for the day. (Now for full effect you have to imagine doctor pronounced with an Australian accent) The doctor is the seabreeze that kicks in around 2pm. Race started at 2:20 with sustained 35 knot winds and gusts to 45 - it was a blast. Especially fun watching the 49ers come screaming by double trapped, spinnaker flying on a broad reach.

Finished the day with Rum and Cokes at the awards ceremony, dinner at the hostel, and a sleep of the dead.

Monday was filled with... not really filled at all. Walked around Fremantle (I've been misspelling this and was corrected with "nothing’s free in Fremantle") Planned and invited folks for dinner and fixed the sound system in the TV room for the hostel. Then I went on to one of my 4 hour dinner preparations. I was in heaven, made grilled salmon (they have a Weber here!) , steamed broccoli, fettuccini with a sautéed garlic sauce, and bruchetta. This was complemented with 3 or 4 bottles of excellent Australian wine. My guests included Nanni an Italian (whose help with the pasta was invaluable), Jeroen from the Netherlands (my bunkmate), and the beautiful Anne-lise of France who could seduce me with her accent even if she was calling me a boar-faced toad. The dinner actually attracted photos and then more guests to enjoy more wine. First there was an Austrian chef proclaiming she was impressed with the salmon, and you could trust this chef. Then a German, a Swiss, an Irish, a British, and then a few hours later we finally repeated with a second German. (Thank God everyone speaks English)

Tuesday I went and finally invested in some running shoes and jogged a path along the coast which was phenomenally beautiful. The grounds are natural, but manicured. The beach is white and the water bright blues and greens (Indian Ocean is amazing). And top it off with 75 degrees and zero humidity. Upon return Anne-lise invited me back to the beach for a swim followed up by great conversation lounging on a pristine beach we had nearly to ourselves. Conversations I’m having with travelers tend to always include discussions of non-commitment. They don’t know where they want to live, how long they want to stay somewhere, but especially they don’t want to commit to any decision that stops perpetual movement. Then Nanni joined us for a trip in to Perth's Kings Park to toast sunset with a local Shiraz. Finally made dinner around 10 (chicken piccata) which again drew representation of at least 5 countries.

Today I am nursing a bit of a sunburn and think I'll try to pick up my reading again that has stopped since I left Indonesia. The hammocks in the backyard of this place look very inviting. Freo as it is called (all names are shorted in Australia), is fantastic. I am really treating myself like I'm just on vacation here, and I'm finally beginning to feel a little less guilty about it. Curious how this will effect my overall work ethic. The Europeans can't believe how little vacation we get in the States - and I'm starting to agree that taking 4 month vacations are a good idea.