One Day and Counting

Five or six months ago I asked my dad, Bruce, to help me with this project. It had been over one year since my first visit to Kodiak and several months since I had written anything. I was a little stuck. So I asked him. Dad has been writing for over sixty years. His career dates back to Whittier College in the late 40's where he was sports editor of the school newspaper. Now, six decades later he's helping me write my book. How cool is that?

Back in Cheney, Bruce was what we called a 'gym rat'. Thirty or forty years of daily basketball kept his mind alert and his body fit. It also magnanimously earned him the moniker, Doc. Thousands of EWU gym rats will certainly remember an old hooper named Doc. Noon ball was a religion for Dad; noon ball and writing. Growing up he would stay up writing for hours after my sisters and I were in bed.

When Doc came aboard for this project, the first thing we did was to spend two nights camping at Lake Casitas near Ojai, California. We lived in my 1977 Class C motor home affectionately known as, The Leprechaun. Together, we read through the whole book (about 100 pages at the time) out loud. We added some things and subtracted others and by the time we finished there I was revitalized and ready to get back to it. A big thanks to Pops for all the help with this book.

Next came the summer: Three cheers for teacher hours! Over the summer, I've been able to add another 100 or so pages and just have the final chapter left to write.

This trip will be the culminating event of a very productive summer, but I'm glum that my partner won't be joining me. We worked on doing this trip together, but for various reasons, I will be going solo.

I have one more day here in sunny southern California. The air temperature here in the high desert is 101 degrees. The water temperature in the pool is about 82 degrees. That's 35 degrees or so warmer than it was in the Shelikof Strait in June of 2007. I think I'll jump in this nice warm pool one last time for good measure.

To those here in the lower 48, I'll see you soon. The next several days in Kodiak are projected to be in the high 50's. This desert dweller cannot wait!


-Anchors Aweigh