Interstellar Voyages With Simon The Time Traveling Cat | IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is a place to share and encourage, where writers can express their doubts and concerns without appearing foolish or weak. It's a great place to mingle with like minded people each month during IWSG day.

Every month there's an optional question which may prompt folks to share advice, insights, a personal experience or story. Some folks answer the question in their IWSG blog post or let it inspire them if they're struggling with what to say.

This month's question is:

"Have you ever surprised yourself with your writing? For example, trying a new genre you didn't think you'd be comfortable in?"

Check out how people have answered this month's question, as well as the other insecurities and writing topics they may have shared by visiting the IWSG sign-up list here. If you want to see how I answered the question, have a look below.

****

"Jeez, lady, get a move on already," growled Simon the Time Traveling Cat. He swished his gray tail back and forth angrily. "We don't have all day."

"Simon, just hold your horses for a minute," I snapped. "I've got so much to do to get our sailboat ready for Hurricane Irma. She's headed our way in just a few days."

Simon jumped onto my lap and glared at me with those weird eyes of his, the ones that look like miniature clock faces.

"Enough hurricane talk. It's all you've been going on about lately. Irma this, Irma that." He reached up and swatted my nose with his paw, claws fully extended. "You even forgot to give me a saucer of milk this morning because you were busy looking at the weather forecasts."

"Ouch!" I screamed. "Why'd you go and do that?"

"Because you need to focus. You need to answer month's IWSG question, instead of worrying about that stupid Irma," Simon said. "Now, look into my eyes and count to ten. We're going to travel through time to another universe."

I felt myself drift off as he blinked his eyes slowly ten times.

"Wake up, lady. We're here."

"Here, where's here?" It felt like I had woken up from a deep sleep. I looked around and pointed at a woman sitting at a desk typing on a computer, completely unaware of us. "Wait a minute, that woman looks just like me." Her resemblance to me was uncanny, even down to the birthmark on her arm.

As I was freaking out a little about finding out that I have an identical twin that my mother completely forgot to tell me about, I looked out the window. That's when I noticed that there were two suns in the sky, instead of the normal single, solitary sun that I'm used to.

"Um, Simon. What's going on here? Why are there two suns?" I asked. There might have been a touch of hysteria in my voice. Just a touch, mind you. Not a complete nervous breakdown or anything. "And why does she seem completely oblivious to us? Are we dead? Are we ghosts or something?"

"Give me a break, lady. Not every planet just has one sun." Simon paused for a moment to wash space dust off of his tail with his pink tongue. "This isn't your universe, dummy. It's a parallel universe. And that isn't you exactly. It's a parallel you."

He paused again to clean behind his ears with his paws. "And she can't see us because of some laws of physics or something. Too complicated to explain. Plus I could care less. If it doesn't involve cat treats and belly rubs, I'm not interested."

"What's she typing, anyway?" I asked as I peered over her shoulder to look at her computer.

"Duh. The answer to this month's IWSG question."

I stared at Simon blankly.

"What? You didn't think they'd have IWSG in parallel universes? Jeez, lady, you're stupider than you look. And that isn't saying much." Simon nudged me with his nose. "Go on, read what she's typing. Then you can put that down as your answer and get back to that stupid Irma stuff. Plus, get me a saucer of milk."

Fair enough. I was short of time given all the hurricane prep we needed to do. It couldn't really hurt to copy down her answer, could it? After all, she's me. Or am I her? Who knows. In any event, here's the answer:

"Writing a fantasy short story for the IWSG anthology last year was a real surprise. Although, I love reading sci-fi and fantasy, the thought of writing something in that genre seemed really daunting. I was focused on writing a cozy mystery, which seems easier given that the genre has a certain formula and rules. But when it comes to sci-fi and fantasy, the rules seem less clear. But I went for it and made up my own rules. Who knows, maybe in a parallel universe somewhere, there's a parallel me who just writes sci-fi and fantasy and surprised herself by writing a cozy mystery for an anthology contest."

If you had a chance to travel to another planet, would you go? Do you think there's life on other planets? What writing or other insecurities have you been working through? Are you busy prepping for Hurricane Irma?


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Ouch, That Hurts! | Rock Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas

Note: Our blog lags reality by many, many weeks. So, while you're reading this post about our cruising adventures in the Bahamas, in reality we're back in Indiantown Marina for hurricane season working on dreary boat projects. Cruising in the Bahamas was far more fun. {Sigh}

****

Scott is rarely sick or feels pain. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen him take painkillers. Maybe it's that stoic North Dakotan nature of his or some sort of fabulous immune system. Whatever the reason, he rarely complains about not feeling well or being in pain. So when he told me that he hurt his back, I took him pretty seriously. And I panicked a little bit.

Not just because I care about him, but because his back is essential to the smooth operation of our sailboat. Scott is a lot stronger than I am, so he gets all the unpleasant jobs like lugging around 5-gallon jerry cans full of water and diesel, pulling up the anchor and grinding in that last little bit of the headsail after I've given up.

Most things can be worked around, but pulling up our anchor isn't one of them. I've tried and I'm just not strong enough to get it all the way up, especially when the winds are high. And that's where my panic came in.

What if we had a big storm and needed to move quickly? I'm guessing fear and adrenaline would kick in and I'd manage to get the anchor up. At least I'd hope so. Or Scott would get the anchor up, hurting his back even more. Not really a good solution. 

We do have a windlass (a contraption that pulls your anchor and chain up for you), but it hasn't been working. Fixing it has moved way up on the boat project list, let me tell you. Even up ahead of fixing the leaking portlights.

So, we ended up hanging around Rock Sound in Eleuthera for five days so that Scott could rest up. Turns out it's a pretty cool place to hang around at and they have the best grocery store we've seen since Marsh Harbour. That's when you know you've been cruising too long in the Bahamas - you get excited about well-stocked grocery stores.

We parked our dinghy on the dock by a restaurant nearby the store.

"Dis way to...where?" We saw this sign on the restaurant. I really want to know what they're pointing at. It looks like someone painted over the mystery location at some point.

Before hitting the grocery store, we checked out the two gas stations nearby to see what their prices were for diesel. I probably should have taken a picture of the grocery store. They had everything you could possibly want including Irish sausages in the freezer section. They were scrumptious.

On one of our other expeditions into Rock Sound, we walked up to the blue hole.

Blue holes are fascinating, especially when you find them inland in the middle of a town. We went swimming at the one at Hoffman Cay, but passed on swimming in this one.

I wonder if people go fishing there or if you're even allowed to.

The people were so friendly in Rock Sound, but then again I don't think I've ever met a Bahamian who wasn't friendly. We walked through town checking things out and noticed this sign. A fair - who doesn't like a fair?

So we went. Turns out the fair wasn't at the church itself, but at a community building up the road.

We had a great time people watching. And there were a lot of people to watch. I think everyone in Rock Sound showed up to get something to eat. There was a huge line outside of the door at one point.

We figured if this was where all of the locals we're eating, it had to be good. And it was. We rarely eat out in the Bahamas, preferring to cook our meals on board, but this was worth it. We split a chicken dinner ($10) which came with crab rice and two sides (we got two sides of Bahamian mac n'cheese). Scott loves conch fritters and since you could get 5 of them for $1, he did - twice. Add in a can of root beer ($1) and you have the perfect meal.

And, in case you're wondering, Scott's back got better after a few days rest and he was back to lugging jerry cans and pulling up the anchor in no time. He's a real trooper.

****

Cruising Log | Thursday, 29 June 2017 - Monday, 3 July 2017

29 JUNE
Anchor up at 7:00 AM at Little San Salvador Island (Half Moon Cay). Anchor down at 3:00 PM in Rock Sound. Motorsailed with the headsail. Only boat in the anchorage. Fridge stopped working. Panic set in. Turned out out to just be a short, which Scott fixed. Nautical Miles = 38. Engine = 8 hours. Spending = Nil.

30 JUNE
Went to the grocery store. Nicest one we've seen since Marsh Harbour. They even have butane cartridges, cheaper than in the States. Great hardware store nearby. Started grilling dinner, but propane line leaking. Had to finish up on the stove. Nautical Miles = Nil. Engine = Nil. Spending = $43.50 (groceries and butane).

1 JULY
Fixed leaky propane hose. Lots of annoying birds keep landing on our boat. Went for a walk to the blue hole then had chicken dinner at the Anglican church fair. Walked through town. Huge bump on Ellen's head after banging into the solar panel. Ouch, but not as ouchy as Scott's back. Nautical Miles = Nil. Engine - Nil. Spending = $13 (dinner at church fair)

2 JULY
Lazed about. Nautical Miles = Nil. Engine = Nil. Spending = Nil.

3 JULY
Got 10 gallons diesel at Dingle's. Went to the grocery store. Nautical Miles = Nil. Engine = Nil. Spending = $41.50 (diesel) and $45.70 (groceries).

Have you ever eaten at a church fair? What did you have? Ever hurt your back? How was your recovery?

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From "Holy Crap!" To "Ahh...So Relaxing" In One Day | Cat Island & Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Usually living and cruising on a sailboat is fun. Anchored off of a tropical island and sipping sundowners in the cockpit - what's not to enjoy?

But it isn't always like that. There are the days when it sucks. That's usually when something breaks. Those kind of days happen more often than you'd think.

Then there are the days when you scream, "Holy crap!" That's usually when you're afraid you're going to crash onto some rocks, lose your boat and everything in it, and then spend many hours on the phone trying to find out exactly how good your insurance is. Fortunately, those kind of days are quite rare.

We had had a pleasant night anchored in Fernandez Bay on Cat Island and sipping sundowners in the cockpit. Pretty view, huh?

 
We woke up early to the sound of howling wind (40+ knots) as a storm cell passed overhead. We rushed up on deck to find that our boat had turned 180 degrees and was pushing us towards a dodgy looking lee shore. Big breaking waves kept crashing into Tickety Boo as we tried to get the engine started.

Of course we couldn't get the engine started, which made me say, "Holy crap!" again. It wasn't really a surprise considering our battery bank doesn't hold a charge very well and it was too early for our solar panels to have kicked in (plus we have some questions about the effectiveness of our glow plugs). So we turned to our trusty Honda generator to start the engine, which isn't exactly a quick process.

Finally, we got the engine going and got the heck out of there. We thought about heading to Arthur's Town or anchoring elsewhere, but the weather conspired against us. So we said goodbye to Cat Island and headed off to Half Moon Cay instead.

Once we got there and dropped the hook, we sat down in the cockpit, took in the views and said, "Aah...so relaxing."

I bet you'd find it relaxing too. It's one of those cruise ship islands, where they drop off the punters for the day to enjoy the beach. The place is really called Little San Salvador Island, but the cruise line renamed it Half Moon Cay. I guess that sounds more tropical or sexier or something.

The cruise ship left around 5:00 PM and then we had the beach all to ourselves.

Somebody made a sandcastle that kind of looks like a cruise ship. I think a giant sand turtle is about to eat it.

There are colorful cabanas scattered along the beach.

There's even a pirate ship with a pretty cool looking bar inside. Captain Morgan's, of course.

They've got a little village with a "traditional" straw market and other little shops.

Just because the cruise ship left, doesn't mean there still isn't work for the folks who keep this place running to do.

Look how happy Tickety Boo looks in a peaceful anchorage, untroubled by storms and scary looking rocks that she might crash into.

****

Cruising Log | Wednesday, 28 June 2017

28 JUNE
Early morning nightmare when a storm cell passed over us and pinned us onto a dodgy looking lee shore. Anchor finally up at 6:30 AM. Thought about going to Arthur's Town, but wind much higher than forecast and from wrong direction. Checked out another anchorage, but it didn't look great. The sun came out, so decided to push on to Little San Salvador. Picked our way through the coral and rocks and dropped the hook at 2:00 PM. Cruise ship in port, but left at 5:00 PM. Went ashore for a peaceful walk. Nautical miles = 38. Engine = 7 hours 30 mins. Spending = nil.

Have you ever been on a cruise? What was your favorite part? Ever experienced a storm that made you fear for your life or property?

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Wordless Wednesday | Sailboat Racing At Black Point Settlement, Bahamas

 
Wordless Wednesday is supposed to be about posting a photo(s) without any words. But, I'm a rule breaker, so here are a few words:

1 - These guys would zip around racing each other in the evenings when we were anchored at Black Point settlement on Great Guana Cay in the Exumas.

2 - It was like having dinner and a show. Scott would grill something for our dinner and we'd eat it in the cockpit while we watched the racing.

3 - Scott really wanted to join in the fun. I thought it looked like fun too, until I saw how easily they capsized.

   
What words does this picture(s) bring to your mind when you look at it?

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, click here. 

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The Most Amazing Place In The Bahamas | Going For A Walk To The Hermitage, Cat Island

Note: Our blog lags reality by many, many weeks. So while you're reading about our cruising adventures in the Bahamas, in reality we're actually back at Indiantown Marina working on boat projects. Cruising in the Bahamas was much more fun. {Sigh}

**** 

I hate when people ask what our favorite place has been in our travels. That's such a hard question to answer. How can you pick just one place? There's usually something interesting about every place we've been to.  It's like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. How can she? Every child has lovable qualities.

But, if you force me to answer the question, "What was your favorite place in the Bahamas?" (and by force, I mean promise me a plate of chocolate chip cookies in exchange for the answer), I'll tell you - it's The Hermitage on Cat Island.

The Hermitage sits on top of Mt Alvernia (also known as Como Hill), the highest point in the Bahamas. It's 206 feet tall. That may not seem that high to you, but in Bahamian terms, it's like scaling Mt Everest. The Bahamas are flat, so when it comes to walking uphill, I'm terribly out of practice.

I paused to catch my breath here. I told Scott that we needed to stop so he could take a picture of this archway. In reality, it was my middle-aged, out-of-shape body screaming at me, "Why are we going on this stupid walk?! Let's go back to the boat and eat cookies instead."

After you walk a little ways, you have a choice - scramble up the hill through the Stations of the Cross or go around and walk up the more level path. I thought my mom would like to see pictures of the Stations of the Cross, so I scrambled up the hill, feeling muscles in my legs I had forgotten were there. See what a good daughter I am? I must be her favorite. Not that she'd ever pick a favorite.

Want to know why I like The Hermitage so much? It's tiny. Like a dollhouse that humans can just about squeeze into if they don't eat too many cookies. The priest who built The Hermitage, Father Jerome, used to be an architect, which is a handy background to have if you want to build a scaled down model of a European medieval monastery.

It has a tiny bell tower, a tiny bedroom, a tiny kitchen and a tiny chapel with one tiny pew.

Father Jerome built The Hermitage in 1939. He lived here, leading a contemplative life, until his death at the age of 80 in 1956. Supposedly, he's buried somewhere at the monastery, which seems fitting. It was definitely worth the hike up the hill to see such his extraordinary and adorably tiny creation.

****

Cruising Log | Monday, 26 June 2017 - Wednesday, 27 June 2017

26 JUNE
We finally left George Town! Anchor up at 8:30 AM. Anchor down at 6:00 PM at New Bight, Cat Island. Chartplotter went out multiple times while getting out of Elizabeth Harbour. Not good at all considering the many boat-destroying obstacles you need to avoid. Once we got through the cut, then of course it started working fine. Uneventful sail. Autohelm uncooperative. Lots of hand steering. Nautical miles = 53. Engine = 3 hours 15 mins. Spending = Nil.

27 JUNE
Left dinghy on the beach and visited The Hermitage. Checked on dinghy after walk, everything looked good. Walked down to the store. Met a nice lady who gave us some mangoes. Kind of disappointing selection at the store. Came back to find the dinghy swamped and getting more swamped by the minute. Yet again we don't have a bailer. When will we learn? Saved by the kindness of strangers who lent us one. Wind was kicking up so moved over to Fernandez Bay. Tried north side first. Anchor got stuck in the bow roller. Good times. Moved over to south side. Made bread and cake both of which were disappointing. Nautical miles = 8. Engine = 1 hour. Spending = $2 on two cans of pop.

Do you like tiny things? Did you ever have a dollhouse? What's your favorite place that you've traveled to?

If you're interested in more of our Going for a Walk posts, click on Walk underneath Labels on the right hand side of the blog.

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Going For A Walk In Search Of Hamburgers & Monuments | Stocking Island, Bahamas

Note: Our blog lags reality by many, many weeks. So while you're reading about our cruising adventures in the Bahamas, in reality we're back at Indiantown Marina working on boat projects. Cruising in the Bahamas is so much more fun. {Sigh}

****

We seriously spent way too much time at George Town. It's a place that draws cruisers in and never lets them leave. Some people call it Chicken Harbour because folks make it all the way to there but then chicken out when it comes to carrying on further down the Bahamas and onward to the Caribbean.

While we didn't have any plans to head to the Caribbean this season, we really, really wanted to get the heck out of George Town and explore more of the Bahamian islands further south, places like Long Island and Conception Island.

We waited and waited and waited for a decent weather window. {Spoiler alert - it never came and we eventually said, "Screw it, let's head to Cat Island instead."}

In general, we were complete and utter slugs while we waited except for the one day we decided to go for a walk on Stocking Island.

Because we were anchored off of Monument Beach, we figured we might was well go check out the monument on top of the hill.

The landscape on this side of the hill is pretty cool. From far away it kind of reminds me of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland if you squint just right, ignore the bright sunshine and pretend its drizzly and cold. Once you're up close and personal, it doesn't look anything like it.

Turns out there isn't a trail head on the south side of the hill, or at least one we could find, so we took our dinghy over to Hamburger Beach. There used to be a shack selling hamburgers there. Nowadays, it's all boarded up, which was a shame as I always get hungry when I go for a walk. A cheeseburger would have been nice to munch on along the way.

Looks like some cruisers might have painted this on one of the boards. Notice the ship peeking out from underneath her hair?

Cruisers like to leave signs everywhere to mark their visits to places.

Behind the old hamburger shack are some tumbled down outbuildings. Guess this one used to be the bathroom. See the toilet underneath?

We finally found the trail head and headed off in search of the monument.

It was a bit of a climb up the hill. Thankfully, the wonderful volunteers who maintain these trails, installed a rope to help pull yourself up the tricky bits. Once we got up to the top, we paused to take in the views. Look there's Tickety Boo!

There are a couple of well-protected holes that people leave their boats in during hurricane season. It's looking at things like this that remind me that we're cruising during hurricane season, which seems a bit crazy at times. But on the plus side, things are so much less crowded.

After checking out the monument, we walked back down the hill (always so much easier walking down than up) and headed over to the Atlantic side of the island to check out the tide pools.

We finally made our way back along the trail to Hamburger Beach. I might have whined again for a little bit about wanting a cheeseburger. Instead we settled for leftover spaghetti pie for dinner.

****

Cruising Log | Wednesday, 21 June 2017 - 25 June 2017

21 JUNE
Solstice party at Hamburger Beach. Cool people, guitar playing and fun chit-chat. Met a guy on a trimaran planning on heading to Indiantown Marina for hurricane season. Maybe we'll see him there. Nautical Miles = Nil. Engine Hours = Nil. Spending = Nil.

22 JUNE
Lazed about. Added a new recipe to my repertoire - spice cake. Nautical Miles = Nil. Engine Hours = Nil. Spending = Nil.

23 JUNE
Moved the boat to Kidd Cove and went into George Town. Got a 60-day extension on our visas. Got provisions at Exuma Markets. The mail boat with the fresh meat must have come in, but the one carrying dairy products appears to be lost at sea. Got 15 gallons of RO water. Went up to Fowl Cay, but didn't look good for anchoring so headed back to old spot at Monument Beach by Stocking Island. Nautical Miles = 8. Spending = $28.50 (groceries) and $3 (trash).

24 JUNE
Went for walk on Stocking Island. Nautical Miles = Nil. Engine Hours = Nil. Spending = Nil.

25 JUNE
Another lazy day. Nautical Miles = Nil. Engine Hours = Nil. Spending = Nil.

Have you ever been stuck someplace waiting for decent weather? What did you do to pass the time? Do you like hamburgers? 

If you're interested in more of our Going for a Walk posts, click on Walk under Labels on the right hand side.

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - we'd love for you to pop by and say hi!

Wordless Wednesday | Wind Scoop

Wordless Wednesday is supposed to be about posting a photo(s) without any words. But, I'm a rule breaker, so here are a few words:

1 - The winner of the Most Valuable Player award on our boat should probably go to our wind scoop. 

2 - When we're at anchor, the hatch over our aft cabin (where we sleep at night) faces the wrong way and we don't benefit from all of the lovely cooling sea breezes. And it gets hot. So hot. So very, very hot. Miserably hot. You get the idea.

3 - When we hang our wind scoop up, the wind blows into it and gets funneled down over our bed. So much nicer for sleeping.

4 - Of course, if it starts raining in the middle of the night, someone has to scramble up on deck and take it down, usually getting soaking wet in the process. For some reason, I usually get nominated for this task. Not sure why. Hmm.

What words does this picture(s) bring to your mind when you look at it?

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, click here. 

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - pop by and say hi!