My New Base of Operations

Glen Ellen, California


I've been busy outfitting my little house to make it homey. A critical component of my new living arrangement is my office.

The office is up and running. Looks pretty nice. Oh? What's that? That's right, that is a new 21 inch iMac sitting on my new Ikea desk with my Apple TV connected to my flatscreen. Hopefully I can be productive with all my gizmos so near at hand.


CC

A Reason I've Moved Into A House

San Rafael, California

 This semester past I took a required course call Humanities Seminar that required a great deal of reading. It is best described as a class based upon the Great Books model of learning. The student reads a spattering of books that are judged to be great works that have shaped the foundations of western society. A reading is assigned for the week, then the class meets in a circular fashion, and the professor facilitates a discussion based upon students interpretation of the reading. I loved it! Here is a list of some of the authors I had to read. Thoreau, Marx, Martin Luther, The Bible, Freud, Whitman, Woolf, Darwin, and Plato. 

From Google Images

My charge for my last paper of the class was to pick a reading that "moved me" and write about ways that it made me think a little differently or some new insights. Also, to discuss the value of the humanities, and suggest further research I may pursue in the future.

From Google Images

I was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" so much, and choose to write about her piece. I thought for sure that I would choose to furiously attack Marx, as his writings did more than move me. In fact, one of the Marx writings called "Wage Labor and Capital" was the best economics 101 explanation I have ever read. He understood free markets. But his works "On the Jewish Question" was so revolting to me, I had trouble getting through it. If you want to know how World War 2 culminated in the Holocaust, just go back to 1843 and read what Marx wrote. Crazy. Anyway, below is the paper I wrote for the class.

Generally, I learned how important a sense of "place" is for a person to think creatively and thrive. "A Room of One's Own" is a metaphor for a great many things. Living aboard Christa since I started school has become difficult because of lack of space. I'm a spreader outer, and was unable to build an adequate room of my own. Thus, I've decided to give shore side living a long-term go. Interpret what you will! Enjoy!

Humanities Sem Reflective Essay Final

CC

Well It's Official, Christa is No Longer My Primary Home

Glen Ellen, CA
Weather=Not Good

 I've moved into my house in Glen Ellen, north of San Francisco in the wine country. Here is the deal. Like many, I had a pretty tough spring. With the exception of school, which continues to be a real blessing, I had some challenges in the real estate world creating a few stressful weeks. Simultaneously, I had an attorney default on a note that I hold for a piece of land I sold in 2005, and the renters in my house turned into a true nightmare. Needless to say, I was owed a truck load of money, and now have to spend to repossess the property. The lot is worth a fraction of what I was owed. The details of the renters is not something I should publish, but labeling them scumbags is accurate.

 Wood Stove Test Sat

I've grown weary of living aboard Christa. This is not a reflection of Christa or boats in general, but is an acknowledgement that I'm in my forties, I've been living aboard Christa for nearly 13 years, and I simply want to live more normally. I'm also running low on space aboard ship. Living the way I do these days surely would have precluded any sailing, as stowing for sea would be nearly impossible now. 


Some back story. I bought this little ugly 1000 square foot cottage in Glen Ellen in 2003 with the intention of knocking it down someday, and building nice little gem on the lot. Now the house is a bit of an ugly duckling, but it has a charm that is difficult to explain. It is a unique little place built sometime during the 1930's. It sits a few hundred feet behind a bigger refurbished home that used to be a Greyhound Bus Station in the 30's & 40's. My house was the caretakers home. 


I was stationed in California for a number of years, completing 3 tours back to back in California. I assumed I'd be able to finish out my Coast Guard career in California. I was wrong. The Coast Guard gave me orders to the east coast in July of 2005, and had a deep impact on many things, including my house situation. This is one of the rigors of military life. I turned the place over to a management company who didn't screen the tenants very well, culminating in the nightmare I just endured. 


So, here we are now in 2011. The housing market is totally in the tank, and not a prudent time to sell. I've not the stomach to be a landlord again, at least not for a long time, and coupled with the fact I don't want to live aboard anymore. It makes sense for me to move into my house. Seems like a no brainer ehhh???

A couple of downsides. I give up my high use status on Christa, and remove the option of moving back aboard. I simply can't afford to float a house mortgage and the high use fee.  Glen Ellen is 33 miles north of Dominican U of C, an expensive commute given today's gas prices. More importantly is, I've established a community of folks in San Rafael, and now that gets jiggered up a bit. 


The great news is that since I started staying in the house I've started to grow fond of the place again. It needs a ton of TLC. Sonoma county is really beautiful. Country living. It's nice. I now can begin to do some work aboard Christa as I have room to maneuver, and I will still be spending two night per week aboard Christa on the days I have class at Dominican. These are my rationalizations!


In my next post I'm going to write about California's Gestapo like tactics that give me serious pause about settling permanently here in the Golden State.

Blast From the Past 

Pennsylvania Circa 1990. Layover Transferring from Seattle to Point Judith Rhode Island

Capt Chris

Recent Trip to Sonoma

San Rafael Yacht Harbor, Marin County California

I recently slipped north to my little diamond in the rough located in Glen Ellen to re-sign my renters for a few more months. It really is a beautiful part of our country. Here are some pictures of the surrounding countryside.

Enjoy!
Capt Chris