"The Blackfeather Convergence"

I have been a rover, I have walked alone

I trusted that when I hit the bottom that there would be some spiritual answers. It was a fucking "leap of faith" trying to find the truth. I can logically explain it away as the brain having to grasp at anything close to logic. The Sophists are the society we should most immulate. If you have a certain belief it is my duty to support your belief as it is yours to support mine.

I must learn to argue from your viewpoint, equal to mine before I can judge.

Their culture did not have the technology for "sound bites". Somewhat a pity, we could have destroyed ourselves years ago. We could have learned it is all pointless, years ago.

"Some enchanted evening......." Rogers and Hammerstien

Freddie Prinze

Freddie was the first person that got me to realize that I had depression. I did not know it at the time, but when he died I was not sad. I was happy for him, he got out. He was no longer bound to all this sadness. And I really did not know what sadness I was talking about, everything in my life was fine. Everything in his life must have been relatively fine.

But I miss him, he was one of the greats.

Catalina Eddy

I was out THERE when I met Catalina Eddy. I was out past my limits in Newport and was looking at the bigger set way the Hell out there wishing I could swim well enough to try them, but I also knew I may not make it back from where I was.

Then I saw this blond Tarzan looking dude body surfing on one of them. He rode it for a while and it dumped him off about 30' from me.

"Awesome! Totally awesome" I said to him.

"Yeah! Sometimes I just like to leave my board at the beach and body the big ones just to be into it more."

"Yeah cool."

We talked a little bit and I could see him looking very curiously at me and finally he said, "You really aren't a good swimmer are you?"

"Not really," I said.

"Are you going to need some help getting back in?"

"No, I will be fine."

"Well why don't you swim back on in and I"ll just watch in case you need some help. I am a lifeguard, I'm not trying to pick you up, and he turned his head back and laughed."

"Yeah, thanks."

He kept laughing and pointed to the beach at a yellow and white board and said, "Stop by and have a beer when you get your lungs back."

"Thanks, cool"

"Oh and try getting in about 20 yards over there."

"Cool thanks."

I was out there

I enjoyed body surfing but I did not swim well. I was as fast as anyone but I could not get the breathing down. I could beat anyone as far as I did not need to take another breath. But I regress.

I would go in with my buddies at Newport and ride a few shallow waves but I always found myself going further out. Often there would be a shallow place out there, often times not. But those were the fun waves. The ones "out there".

Unfortunately I did this maybe once a week at the most and treading water uses muscles that I rarely used, plus I was not a good swimmer so it was harder for me. Eventually I would get tired but I was out there and there was a huge current coming back out at me.

I would try to fight my way in, trying to catch as wave in, sometimes I did but sometimes I would get into the zone where the big waves just crush you. I would then remember that it is best to ride the current so I would. About 5 seconds of riding the current would drop me off way the hell out there where my journey began!

Sometimes I'd catch a big wave in only to find that due to the current coming out that I had gained maybe 8' towards shore. But when you are going under in order to push yourself up to breath you greatly appreciate those 8'. I would do under and push myself off towards shore while trying to catch the next wave from below.

Often I would think I had no hope, often I was afraid. Often the lifeguard had his binoculars on me and start to rise from his chair.

But the next time I would come out and I would do it all over again, and each time I would get to a place where once again I questioned if I would ever make it back in. But when I was safely back on the beach I could look out and say, "I was out THERE!"

Story of Bill

I was in Lahaina at BJs overlooking Front Street. If you go to Maui and do not spend a night on Front Street, well then you are missing an awesome place.

I was up there when this cute little red head bumps into me and says she is sorry.

I said my day hasn't been that good but if she bumps into me again it will have been above average. She laughs and then takes her drinks back.

The bartender tells me that was a cool line. A moment later she reenters the bar and smashes into me. Everyone died laughing, well they did not die, there is more.

She then said, "Well how about now?"

I said, "Above average, but we can set a record!"

She looks at me and sticks her tongue down my throat. To be polite I reciprocate.

She then looks at me while still kissing and asks, "Well is this the best night of your life?"

Everyone is listening as I say, "Well I have had sex before?" One of the bartenders fell to the floor laughing, she let out this huge laughing scream and hugged me. Everyone laughed hysterically. It was one of my funniest comments ever.

She returned to the dining room and the bartender's came over the bar to give me a hug for being their favorite customer ever. It gets better.

About a half hour later she comes up to me and asks if I'd like to go for a walk. Of course I said sure.

So we walk down the stairs and she puts her hand in mine and tells me she needed to get away from the wedding party for a while. So we walk, hand in hand, sneaking little kisses as we walk down Front Street. We go into the little boutiques and she makes fun of everything with a shell on it. But during that time, in that one corner of the Universe it was perfect. We were in love.

We spent about two hours, my friend that I left at BJs said. We kissed and hugged and totally enjoyed each other. We were coming out of the Fish House when this slightly angry man is walking towards us. I thought it was her boyfriend, it was her dad. He was younger than I and I really wanted to call him, "Skippy".

He said that they had already made the toast and everyone was looking for her and they left.