weathered

"And he doesn't want for much for much, largely 

because he's smart enough to know that 

the only way to be rich is to want little."

That's an interesting thought from an essay in the NY Times the other day, written by a father about his indie musician son who lives a life that cannot be measured in the typical metrics of paychecks and promotions.  I hope I can learn something from the idea.

Above are Spartina's two flags, both gifts from my mother.  Thanks, Mom!  The one on the left has flown at the top of the main mast for seven years.  The sun, wind and rain have left their mark.  I suspect it has a few more seasons left in it before it begins to fray, maybe I'll get a decade of sailing with it.  But Mom had been asking what shape the flag was in, and wanted to make sure I had a new flag ready to go when needed.  The new flag arrived yesterday in the mail.

I designed the flag myself and they were both hand-sewn by The Sailbag Lady.  The flag has a couple of meanings for me.  For one, I wanted to capture the essence of the yawl rig that John Welsford uses on some of his best designs - hence the three sails and his initials.  More importantly, those initials are the same for my parents, Janice and Walter, who pushed me to pursue my dreams.  

When I'm out sailing I will glance up at the flag which tells me something about both the wind speed and direction, and at the same time reminds me of things I hold dear.

steve