I can't believe that it has been almost two months since I have written in my blog.  That's a shame.  It's probably a sign that I am too busy.  But it is also self-censorship.  I have had some things to say, but then I keep thinking about who it is that might be reading this, and censor myself.  That makes for writers block.

But today I want to write about sailing again.  I took today (Tuesday) off again.  When I moved to Lexington, I decided to try to take Tuesday off.  I wasn't so serious about it in the winter.  I mean, what's there to do anyway on a Tuesday.  But once the weather started to warm, I have been pretty steady about it because I can go boating. 

I have my sailboat parked at Cave Run Lake at a place where I can leave it on the trailer with the mast up and then drive across the road to launch - no power lines.  Well, power lines is another story, but that's the theory.

I have been sailing just about every Tuesday for the past four or five weeks, and it has been glorious.  Today I once again spent over 8 hours on the water.  In fact, I think it was ten hours today.

And this was not the kind of day that you would expect to be a good day since the wind did not blow much.  But see, I got my outboard motor back from the shop yesterday, and this is the first time it has really run right in several years.  It would idle but not really throttle up.  Idling worked Okay, but it was giving me more and more trouble.  Finally, I bit the bullet and took it to the shop.  It cost an arm and a leg, but it was worth it, I guess.  The motor ran like a top today - for over forty miles!  I just puttered all over the lake.

I put up a tarp over the boom to make myself a shade, and it was quite comfortable under there.  I love exploring like that.  I went way up one of the rivers that feeds Cave Run Lake.

A day off is a glorious thing, you know.  I must admit that I have seldom had them.  Usually, I have tried to take Saturday off, but Saturday is too close to Sunday.  The stress begins to build up on Friday, and Saturday is usually just a miserable day for me.

But Tuesday is far enough from Sunday that I am not stressed about the sermon.  Hey, I still have five days for that.  So I am able to get away and not think so much about work. That's what a day off is supposed to be.

And if I am on the water, I think of nothing but the sheer joy of being on water.  I am a waterman to the core.  I am never happier than when on the water.  This morning, I jumped out of bed at 6 because I just couldn't wait to get there.

Well, it's been a good day - a very good day.  I love sailing.  I love being on the water.  I love getting away for a day off.  It felt like a real day off.  I am so glad.