It was a blustery day on the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix for the annual Ironworks Regatta. Sailing from Boyne City to East Jordan brought the boats with their spinnakers across the lake in front of our house around 3PM. With the nice northerly wind at our backs, we decided to join them. We hadn’t raised our spinnaker in almost 2 seasons, but what the heck, we got it out of the garage and gave it a try.
Leave a Comment August 2, 2011
I felt right at home on board the pseudo-Swedish boat, Helsing, that calls a slip in Boyne City home. It’s captain, Dennis, had placed an advertisement on the Boyne City Yacht Club‘s website for crew, and since I’m up on the lake without any particular daily schedule, I thought I might do a bit of sailboat racing.
The BCYC hosts its weekly race series on Tuesday evenings. A stiff wind was blowing all day down on my end of the lake and I was getting excited. The short drive from East Jordan was spectacular as I crossed the wide-open fields in the late afternoon sunshine, diving and rolling over the hilly landscape to the “big part” of the lake. Our house is on the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix, and though it’s over 10 miles long, it’s only a mile or so wide, dwarfing it in comparison to the main basin. Stretching from Charlevoix to Boyne City, in some sections it’s more than five miles wide and up to 122 feet deep. The winds there normally blow harder and longer, the waves several feet high. Owing to the size of the waves and the length of the trip from our house, we rarely sail on that side, and I was looking forward to the change of place.
1 Comment July 27, 2011
Evening in Christchurch along the Avon river
There are ducks in New Zealand—I don’t remember their name—that mate for life. The female has a white head, and the male a black one and we first saw them while kayaking in Milford Sound. In Christchurch, they stroll through the Botanic Gardens in pairs, resting in the sun on the banks of the Avon River.
1 Comment July 22, 2011
Sailing is like cycling in the sense that one climbs a mountain for the pleasure of the steep descent down the other side. The work that goes into a sailboat to prepare for a sail is rewarded by a windy day and the chance to heel the boat over so far its sails and sheets are nearly dragging in the water. And like on a road bike, there is a fine line between exhilarating and terrifying: I’m peddling like I’m in the Tour de France peloton at 43mph, and hitting the breaks at 44.
To say that it was gusty today would be a bit of an understatement. Black water spotted the lake like a dirty Dalmatian—gusts of wind broken up only by even stronger gusts. I was running with a beam reach, my preferred point of sail, and the best for heeling the boat over, but especially today, I had my limit of what was fun, which quickly became frightening. Though I’d like to lose 15lbs, my weight was barely enough to keep the boat upright (any and all bodies are invited to come up and add some weight to my boat, just give me a call!). With one hand on the genoa sheet and the other on the tiller, I hiked out as far as I could to hold my course. It was like doing yoga to save my life. Two hours of that every day and I’ll have my six-pack in no time.
Leave a Comment July 22, 2011
It is a luxury for most people to quit their job and spend a summer on the lake reading, writing, painting and of course, honing their sailing skills. Indeed, I count myself among those people—but that is exactly what I’m doing this summer.
It was a calm afternoon when I arrived at my family’s cottage on Lake Charlevoix in Northern Michigan. Without any wind to tempt me towards the water, I spent the time unpacking and setting up my workspace. The next morning was equally calm, and so after fixing a hearty Sunday breakfast, I sat myself down in front of the computer, anxious to start crossing things off my To Do list.
3 Comments July 18, 2011
My most recent article to appear in Lithuanian Heritage magazine: An interview with sailor and skier Karolis Janulionis. 
Follow this link to read the full article.
Leave a Comment July 17, 2011
A second whole winter away from Lithuania, but somehow Kalnų Ereliai lives on, if not exactly in practice (most of the kids are now part of the national ski team and train with those coaches), but always in spirit. One of my skiers, Ieva Urbonavičiūtė, again took it upon herself to create the 2011 team video. Enjoy!
Leave a Comment July 17, 2011
After the rain stops, September is the most beautiful month of the year in Lithuania. Temperatures are normally in the high 60′s in the sun, the skies as blue as Christmas Day in Aspen. The trees begin to turn yellow, orange and red, so that even the slightest breeze has them sparkling in the sunlight. It also turns out, that despite how small Vilnius is, it actually is possible to spend all afternoon people watching and not see a single person you know.
On such a day, I love to fill my backpack with my book, a couple notebooks, my newest Harper’s and my journal, and set out to find a nice table in the sunshine to pass the afternoon…
Continue Leave a Comment September 18, 2010
Sostinės dienos (Capitol Days) is a good time of year to be in Vilnius. Always the first weekend of September, the city is alive as students and families return from the seaside, sodyba (countryside garden) or grandmother’s house in the village. The tourists have mostly gone home, and Vilnius is left for its Vilnečiai.
For three days, the full length of Gedimino prospektas is taken over by stalls of artisans selling their wares, local restaurants grilling sašlykiai (sishkebabs), griddles frying enormous bulviniai blynai (potato pancakes) and serving troškinys (stew) bubbling hot in large cast-iron pots. To drink there is alus (beer) and karštas punčas (hot wine punch). Near the Parliament building games and activities fill the street with children, a DJ spins favorite teenage tunes while a group of boys plays 3-on-3 basketball in front of the national library.
Lidija Rasutis was singing with her women’s ensemble, Eglė, on a stage set up on Lukiskių aikštė, with the sun setting behind them. Though they were all dressed alike, Lidija still stood out as the most fashionable, dancing and swaying while she sung. The music was old-fashioned, but the crowed enjoyed it.
There were all types strolling along, eating, dancing, listening to music and buying fresh breads and sweets; young families, elderly couples, rebellious teenagers and even a few angels. Life can be hard in this small country on the Baltic Sea, but from the smiles along Gedimino prospektas in September, Vilnius seems to be the happiest, most carefree city around.
Leave a Comment September 15, 2010
Sitting in Aspen, Colorado I silently hum John Denver’s Back Home Again…. “Hey it’s good to be back home again, yes it is…..” until I remember that the “home” I’m thinking of is Vilnius, Lithuania, and suddenly the the song in my head switches to InCulto’s Welcome to Lithuania!
I left Vilnius one year, one month and eight days ago today, but less than a month from now I’ll land once again at VNO, get my bags, and walk through the dozens of people waiting outside of baggage claim with huge bouquets of flowers for friends and loved ones. Hopefully, some of those people will be waiting for me! Sadly, this time I will not be arriving on a one-way ticket, I do have a job to return to in Aspen. I will however pack as much into the 10 days I have there, visiting friends, family, colleagues, and of course my Kalnu Ereliai ski racers! And for my readers, I’ll attempt to gather enough new information, pictures, tips and trips to fill this website until my return.
Stay tuned, as I’ll be posting plans and lists of things to do, and places to go until my departure. But for now, check out one of my favorite Inculto videos, and as always, Welcome to Lithuania!!!
Leave a Comment July 29, 2010