Rainbows on the Beach

I can't deal with this stupid awful neverending rain.

It rained today.

I stayed in.

Until I couldn't anymore, so I went to the beach.

I did get rained on while walking the beach... but there were a lot of rainbows and it was worth it.

5.5 miles walking the shore at Rockaway tonight!

The sea was glowing green under the stormy sky.

I could never live anywhere that isn't by water.

These birds were sharing a bagel.

Terrible AI Transformations with Deck Boats

Friday paddling for volunteers at the boathouse has finally started!

I signed up as keyholder for tonight's shift, and discovered MY KEY ISN'T WOKING!

It worked a couple weeks ago!

I should have 24/7 boathouse access, and I feel so sad and a bit lost without it!

Like I can't get into my apartment or something!

Wow, what a bummer...... we are checking into it... apparently a whole batch of the new keys and a few older keys aren't working either. 

It's so good to end the week on the water.

Well, except when there is thunder... we had to wait it out.

Jenny and I were wishful paddling...

Hannah turned this into an AI portrait...

It's terrible but also fun!

As you can clearly see, AI is terrible with hands and we don't really know how the kayak grew one.  Creepy!

We finally made it on the water.

I took a deck boat out tonight, which was a nice change.

An update

Unbelievably, Daya's aunt seems to have come through after all.

This morning I found an email with info for an Italy to SA flight!

I don't know when she's coming home but that's ok.

Just Now and Now Now

Daya went to Italy yesterday. She's doing the same dance program she did last year.

The problem with this trip- and I somehow seem to be the only one who thinks this is troubling- is that Daya does not have a return ticket booked.

*******

Back in November I wrote about her aunts in South Africa coming out of the woodwork, and a June trip for both of us to South Africa was proposed. Her Aunt J works for the government and said she could take care of the flights from her end because she gets diplomatic discount or something like that. 

Daya was supposed to go to SA right from Italy. I was supposed to join.

First it was We'll talk at the end of January. Nothing but ok.

I brought it up again end of Feb.

Oh, there is still time, I'll get back to you last week of March/first week of April.

Nothing.

I said to Daya, if this is happening I need to know how to plan.

Daya reached out and the response was sorry, sorry, I promise I'll be ready to talk on April 7th.

On April 8th I wrote the whole thing off as a fake invite that isn't happening. Whatever.

*******

Well, Daya has been in touch with them and they keep telling her they'll take care of it.

LAST WEEK they asked for her passport info. LAST WEEK!!!!

Also last week Daya still thought she was going to SA after Italy.

I asked do you have a flight? No.

Where are you staying? I don't know.

THIS IS TROUBLING.

Now the story is she can't come into SA from Italy, she has to come back to the US first and something about it being a problem getting her a visa.

That one is especially good because....

AMERICAN PASSPORTS DO NOT NEED A VISA TO GO TO SOUTH AFRICA.

It's right there on the SA Consulate page. Less than 90 days, no visa. Just go.

Also government officials can book travel and make arrangements very easily.

This is something her aunt should have done months ago and it's nothing for her to do it.

So Daya is in Italy with no ticket out of Italy because her aunt has told her she'll take care if it but absolutely nothing has happened. Daya isn't upset in the slightest. Says I shouldn't be either.

I told her she's not being treated well and she got upset with me and told me it isn't my situation and her Aunt J knows what she's doing.

....Except it will be my situation if her aunt doesn't come through getting her out of Italy and I'm the one who has to get my stranded daughter back to the United States.

Also I don't like people who lie to my child and give her a bullshit runaround.

I had a chat with my internationally- versed friend about this and she told me I need to prepare to get Daya out of Italy.

I guess we'll know in 2 weeks.

*********

This morning I went down to the boathouse for a little while.

It was cold and slow.

Spelling clearly doesnt matter anymore....

31 Days Finally Done

I am so ready for May to be over.

This month has been dumb and long and ridiculous.

It has been April Part 2.

Today Janae and I had a painting date.

Of course there was rain and wind in the morning forecast.

I thought the afternoon would be ok to paint outside but maybe a little cold.

As it turned out, it was a perfect day to be outside and it wasn't too cold at all!

We went to Green-Wood Cemetery and painted over by the koi pond.

Overall I feel successful with practicing simplification.

I have painted lily pads before and wanted to take a different approach.

Specifically, I wanted to see the lily pads as masses, not render every single one. I kind of got to an ok point with it but I'll have to try again in another painting.

8x10 oil

There was a flappy duck who came to play with the fish:

And some good clouds and tree stumps:

I Cannot.

Right now it is after work and I was going to go out and paint until I looked at the weather.

Rockaway- FEELS LIKE 54.

54 is actually quite cold to paint in, and it is the end of May and I just can't bring myself to bring out my wool underlayers. Yes I love my subzero painting and 54 is much warmer than that but I am not in that space mentally. I was in Feb/March/April.  Not the end of May.

No. 

I just don't feel like being cold on the beach tonight.

And to add insult to injury...

Good Encounters

Today is Memorial Day, and that means a boathouse potluck.

Sometimes they are good and sometimes they aren't.

I headed out a bit late and stopped at Trader Joes on Spring Street to get some Boathouse Food.

Derek the cashier rang up my order.

I was wearing my boathouse shirt and he knows the boathouse and has been there before, but it's been a while. He wants to go back with his son and husband. 

It was one of those good-person-energy encounters that just makes you feel good all over.

Just strangers connecting for a moment in a positive way.

A reminder there are some wonderful people in the world, and right here in NYC.

Derek took a pin off his shirt and gave it to me.

It's a love button!

It is one of those small things that just had a lot of very good energy, and it really made my day.

*******

Our boathouse potluck was small this year but all the right people were there and it was a good time.

Seedy & Nutty

I didn't get any sleep last night. None. Not even a little.

But I still went to the boathouse right after the overnight to help open.

Mark always brings wonderful fresh bagels from the place in his neighborhood in Brooklyn.

They really are on another level.

It's still way too cold for memorial day weekend.

I thought I would stay at the boathouse longer, but a lot of volunteers showed up so I took off.

The no-sleep was starting to hit.

On the First Day of Kayak Season.......

4 hours on patrol with wicked wind

3 people towed (quite the workout!)

1 empty double towed (the people in it fell out, they were fine)

1 possibly intoxicated person

1 phone in the river for the river gods

It was COLD out and I got RAINED ON TWICE

Great clouds tho...

There was a small opening day celebration after.

I was COLD.

I was DAMP.

I knew I might be sore tomorrow.

So, I decided to go home and soak in a steaming hot epsom salt bath.

7:30pm: While I was waiting for the E train at Canal St, I got a phone call from the hotline.... any way I could do the overnight RIGHT NOW TONIGHT?

Well, I was just there on Thursday and shifts are always spaced out more than that, but I said yes.

Sure, why not? No reason I can't, they really need help, and I was on for the overnight on Tuesday anyhow.

Now I'm not, I get my night back which is nice.

So, no epsom salt bath for me (or sleep) but I will bring my foam roller to the hotline.

Freezing on the Beach

Finally we have one night of no rain before it starts up again.

I had to get out so I went to the beach to catch the sunset.

This is a one hour painting and it was freezing cold, even though I thought I dressed properly.

8x10 oil, Rockaway around Beach 118th

The weather isn't getting any nicer this week.

We do it for fun, we do it for free!

Today was a work day to prep for season opening.

Everton made a custom Pier 26 boathouse song...... the first version refrain says "We do it for fun, we do it for free"... if your mind isn't in the gutter, or you are 6 years old, it's innocent enough.

The second version says 'We paddle for fun, we paddle for free"... I like the first one better.

There may or may not have been a dance choreographed on the dock, and there may or may not be a rather epic dance video starring me.... this video definitely qualifies me to teach the boathouse Safe Space class.  It will end up in the end of year video.

The world is not ready for my dance video, it's too epic and I didn't even have to go to Juilliard.  

We dropped buoys and had to bring some back in because they weren't anchored enough and they were floating away!

We also have 4 new deck boats...they are good, I like them.

Bitz also doing it for fun and for free....

The Boathouse Trash Panda.  Literally.