being on the water and feeling that breeze on your face
feeling the power of the rushing wind propelling you forward
as well as the lull of tranquility produced by the bobbing of the boat and sounds of the breaking water
there is nothing quite like it
alas i have not yet learned to sail
not having my own boat may place a damper on such dreams
but i jumped at the chance to experience sailing after a
during the planning period for early exploration for social studies
i wondered if san diego had a program for young explorers
indeed they did,
aboard the Californian
a replica of a gold rush era revenue cutter and the official tall ship of the state of california
i was going to make my owen's dream a reality
the date was set for our sailing adventure
we boarded this breathtaking schooner
setting off for a four hour adventure sail
put on by the Maritime Museum of San Diego
owen and i were happily to have my mom accompany us for our field trip
class size of 3
once aboard the crew gave our instructions and we were off into the harbor
being an interactive experience i was able to help haul a line
to help raise the majestic sails
owen opted out and i was happy to take his place
what an exhilarating experience for those fearless crew members to climb high on the rigging above the sea below to set and furl her final sails
oh how i wished i could have been alongside us just for a moment to have witnessed her in all of her full splendor
it was in a way torturous to imagine what we must have looked like in full sail to the neighboring vessels, not to have seen it myself
but being aboard and experiencing the beauty of the experience surpassed my need to observe from afar
one of owen's favorite portions of our sailing adventure
was learning about the early explorations in san diego and the history of sailing
particularly about the gunnery
and that if you used the word 'cannon' to describe the guns, the crew would throw you overboard
he enjoyed the gun salute towards the end of our adventure
boy was it loud
being out on the open water brings a peace that i crave
one that transforms me into a state of relaxation
an extreme challenge for this mind and body that is constantly in motion
being able to experience this with my son and my mother will be one of those moments you strive to lock into the vault of your memory to never forget
at the conclusion of our incredible sailing adventure
owen asked me to go from experiencing one of my dreams
to suffering through one of my greatest nightmares
going on a submarine
lets just say i would die from hysteria and hyperventilation if i ever had to be on there for an extended period of time
this highly claustrophobic mama has refused to go on the finding nemo ride at disneyland
after being traumatized as a child when it was the plain old submarine ride
i can still remember the anxiety i felt being enclosed in that thing
i even go into sudden attacks when i get my arm stuck between furniture and the wall when i have to plug something in
mike thinks its hilarious and curiously seems to need my perfect sized arms to plug in his computer often
above water carried by the wind = dreamy perfection
below water encapsulated in a small space = absolute terror
well i toughed it out and ventured through its tight quarters
i think i held my breath the entire time
owen was in heaven with all of the equipment creating swirling imaginings in his mind of their purpose
...i wonder what this does...how does this work...why is this here...
the mind of my little engineer
we concluded with a tour of the vast star of india
this was by far the best field trip i had ever been on
how often are dreams fulfilled through a field trip
what are your dreams?
what has been the most exciting field trip you've been on?
