Sitting on the Dock...

...on an island in the Sacramento Delta river, and it seems to be all by the graciousness of the people who have generously hosted me for the weekend.  I came to join friends to wakeboard (and a variety of other water sports), barbeque, and enjoy the landscape and company, and I feel so blessed and beyond lucky for my time here. 

After spending a week at the Pleasant Valley Sanctuary, an Ayurvedic yoga & meditation center, it was quite a change of pace to be at this social gathering of friends, family, summertime, and alcohol.  It wasn't too tough of a transition to make though, because I still found time to meditate and do yoga, and I was happy to feel like I could connect on some level with everyone there, without participating in the drinking.   

From the moment I arrived, I was excited to be there, and within a couple hours was spending time in a hammock swinging over the grass and water; have I mentioned before that hammocks are one of my favorite places in the world? Needless to say, I was excited about my newest location, and...

...when we went out on the boat Saturday morning, I decided I would wakeboard.  It's been quite a while since I've gone, but when I jumped in and got started, it felt like riding a bike.  Pretty quickly, I was feeling comfortable on the board again, perhaps even more so because I've learned how to snowboard in the time since I had gone last.  The rest of the day was spent wakeboarding/surfing, barbeque-ing, hanging out on the dock and patios, playing dominoes, and enjoying the company and feel of a hot summer weekend.  After a delicious dinner, and evening boat ride, the night was topped off with a fire, and I was able to try "doughboys" for the first time, which is essentially like a campfire churro.  

As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about how much I love the feeling you have after spending a day on the water and getting your work out in water sports... the rocking you feel from adjusting to your sea legs, that satisfying soreness from good, fun physical exertion; the combination kind of feels like satiation of your body and soul. I love that feeling so much that part of me would like to live on a boat for a while (future work exchange??), but that's another story.  

On Sunday, I had been so excited by my first day back on a wakeboard, and since I had been too cold to go out the night before, I decided to go one last time before I planned on leaving.  Despite the crazy winds that had blown in, we went to an area nicknamed "Tiny Dancer" and found smoother waters to ride in.  I could feel the fatigue in my body right away, and after an easy fall, I decided to get 'just one more run in.'  Ooops!  I might've known better than to push myself, but I went anyways and ended up taking a much rougher fall than I had the whole weekend.  Comically, earlier I had failed to catch the incoming handle of the rope that was aimed directly for my head! (kidding, kp! I forgive you), so by the time I took this fall, I was feeling pretty knocked around and dizzy.  I called it a day and just rode the waves until we got back to the house.  

When we returned, the other owners of the two houses we were occupying offered me aspirin, cold water, and an invitation to stay another night if needed.  Considering the time for me to get to my next destination, the almost certain prospect of setting up camp in the dark, and the waves of pain my body was starting to feel, with extreme gratitude, I took them up on their offer.  Waking up on Monday, I couldn't believe how sore I was in my neck and back from whiplashing, and my legs for pushing myself too hard.  Luckily, when I spoke to my hosts in the morning, they offered for me to stay another night to recover, and considering the near immobility of my neck, I painfully but happily obliged.  

Interestingly, the extra time spent here has given me the opportunity to observe the complete transformation of this area from weekends to weekdays.  What just this weekend felt like a buzzing hot weather hub of social energy just outside the Bay Area cities, has now become a cool, deserted island retreat in what feels like the middle of confused farm country (trucks, tractors, and helicopters are the interlopers whose sights and sounds have most regularly seeped into the awareness of my senses).  And though I'm not living on a boat (yet), or hanging out on one today, I still have the dock to rock my aches away, and the hammock to swing me peacefully.  

I am feeling so incredibly grateful for my trip thus far, and can only hope that I may continue to be blessed with connections to such kind, generous, and wonderful people.  To each of my hosts and participants in the weekend, thank you for being a part of such warm memories!  I head out in the morning for my next series of destinations, and invigorated by my recently beautiful experiences, am looking forward to what new experiences lie ahead... 
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While I was hanging out in the house alone, I listened to one of my new favorite artists Brad Mackeson.  The first song, Thousand Drums, on his 1945 album, feels like it captures the essence of summer rock and hanging out near the water (or maybe it just gets me happy for my trip!).  Either way, you can check it out along with the pictures and captions from the weekend...
Spotify Users - 
Brad Mackeson – Thousand Drums
Non-Spotify-ers, you can listen to a clip here - 
Brad Mackeson – Thousand Drums