It seems as if Mother Nature has lost her mind!! For the past couple of nights the news has been full of tornado coverage from the midwestern United States (79 tornado reports covering 10 states at one point) where the devastation from these monstrous storms has been beyond belief. My heart goes out to the families who have lost their homes and even family members in some cases. I see the images on the TV, but I can’t imagine what it must feel like to stand in the middle of a street totally flattened by the tornado’s wrath and realize that you have lost absolutely everything, including a loved one!!
This has been one of the most unusual winters on record in Ontario where we hang our hats, and last night was no exception. We generally have snow until at least the end of March, if not into April, but all day yesterday we were warned of an approaching storm system with wind gusts possibly exceeding 100 km/h as well as thunderstorm activity. Thunderstorms at the beginning of March?? What the heck?? I sure didn’t get much sleep last night with the wind whipping against the house. It was crazy!!
Anyway, while watching the tornado coverage last night and monitoring our approaching storm system, I started thinking about wind and how we rely on it (when it is behaving itself that is). I thought back to my childhood summers spent on our sailboat and how much we depended on wind. You see, we were a sailing family which meant that even though our boat had an engine, it was only used if absolutely necessary. We weren’t “stinkpotters” as we referred to powerboats. I can tell you there is absolutely nothing more peaceful than sailing down the lake with no sounds other than the wind in the sails and the water rushing by the hull of the boat. Then there is the pure adrenaline rush as everyone scrambles around trimming the sails to take advantage of a good wind while trying to hold on as the boat heels over and the lower edge of the deck dips into the water. I realize that powerboats can go much, much faster, but you couldn’t have paid me to switch places.
As I mentioned in my Memories of Childhood post in November, a couple of years ago my husband, sons, and I spent a weekend sailing in the 1000 Islands near Kingston, Ontario with my parents. We had an amazing time, and it brought back so many wonderful memories for me. I was so happy to be able to share the experience with my kids. As usual, I took pictures non-stop, and on our way back to Kingston I was able to get a couple of action shots of boats sailing ahead of us. Obviously, the wind was the sailor’s friend that day. Hope you like it :). Hmm, I’m feeling a series on wind coming on.
photos from the loonybin 
Bring it on, Cindy!
Trust me, it won’t be hard to write about wind with the howling that is going on outside my house today!! My husband had to drive 1 1/2 hours south to Toronto this morning, and it was a hellish drive – blowing snow, roads closed, and jackknifed tractor trailors. He stopped at Tim Horton’s for a coffee and could barely open the car door to get out! I am quite happy staying inside today working on my blog and my family tree 🙂 🙂
Excellent composition. Our thoughts also are with those who have suffered in the tornados.
Thank you David, and yes, what they are going through makes any problems I think I have very insignificant!!
Lovely shot.
I feel for those who have been affected by the tornadoes.
I’m glad you liked it :). What really concerns me about these tornadoes is that this is only the beginning of the season for them, and look at how many they have had already. It seems to be getting worse every year!
We are so lucky n the Uk not to have any real extremes of weather!
Yes, you are. Although those recent snowstorms in parts of Europe were very unusual weren’t they? The weather seems to be changing everywhere. I hope you get to keep your non-extreme weather there 🙂
I loved you blog. I was born in Galt, then my parents came to California. So I can read and weep about all the lovely things I missed. Thank you.
The only boat memory I have is on some small lake with my dad and uncle in a old leaking row boat. It was my job to bail out the water with a can. I had to be around five. Thanks again for the stories.
Thank you so much. I’m glad you are enjoying my stories. Your comment made me chuckle because I remember many days being put on bailing duty too! 🙂
Beautiful photo. Beautiful post. Wind and weather. Pain and pleasure. Am I getting poetic? Trying to say I love your post.
Why thank you my friend! Glad you liked it. 🙂