Adventures in Wonderland

M. and I were driving down Pacific Coast Highway yesterday. "Are we in Santa Cruz County yet?" he asked. Just then we passed a man standing by the side of the road. He had a white rabbit sitting on top of his head.

"Yes," I said. "I believe we are."

Ornitholapology

Dear mockingbird who used to sing all night outside my window in Santa Cruz:

I am sorry for all the terrible things I said about you. I take it all back. I was such a fool! I would rather be

awakened by a thousand mockingbirds than by a single freight train. I hope we can be friends someday.

Sincerely,

The nitwit from 7th Avenue

Who Knows Which Way the Wind Is Blowing?

My friend Doug Cleckner, who was a great sailor and a great human being, once gave me sailing lessons in exchange for some writing I did for him. Before we ever went out on the water, Doug taught me about the wind. He showed me the wind line and the different ways the wind leaves its footprint on the water (pretty). He taught me about true wind and apparent wind (confusing). And he tried to teach me where the wind was coming from, but this was a lesson I just could not grasp.

I remember the two of us standing on the breakwater in Santa Cruz, gusts of wind blowing our hair into our eyes. "Point in the direction of the wind," Doug would say, and I'd point obediently toward the wind, or where I thought the wind was. He'd always take my finger and move it a fraction to the left or the right. I could tell generally where the wind was coming from; just not precisely. And he'd laugh because that fraction of an inch mattered a lot if you wanted to be a good sailor, which, despite Doug's heroic efforts, I never was.

Tai Moses was the managing editor of Metro Santa Cruz from October 2000 to April 2002. She blogs at www.aerophant.com.

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