Spring, or Humboldt’s Gift

Position: 35°10’37.9″N 106°27’59.9″W Besides a penguin and a current, Alexander von Humboldt gave the world the Naturgemälde, a theory of ecology based on altitudes. Over five years, Humboldt and his buddy Aimé Bonpland explored and measured every square centimetre of …

April Fools

Position: HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE I’m going to tell you a story about the most brilliant April Fool’s prank I ever played. I promise it’s a good one. Especially if you grew up in a household with a telephone wired …

Dali vs. Aleta

Position: 39°13’00.9″N 76°31’40.1″W A bit of maritime history was made this week when the appropriately named bulk cargo carrier MV Dali crashed surreally into the Francis Scott Key bridge just outside Baltimore Harbour. Unless you were living under a rock, …

Commuting Sentences

Position: 39°18’10.3″N 77°01’10.6″W “On the road of life there are passengers and there are drivers. Drivers wanted” That slogan is from 1995. A vintage similar to a 30-year-old bottle of Macallan’s Single Malt Whiskey. A bottle of which will set …

On Being Thrifty

Position: PENURIOUS When it comes to saving money, I’m all for it. As a nearly Old Age Pensioner I am thoroughly looking forward to my birthday when a surfeit of discounts will fall my way. Among the benefits I will …

Westward Ho!

Position: 47°50’54.1″N 120°46’40.8″W We left Albuquerque and Carol’s Dad Bob in the capable hands of her older brother, Chris. Our departure met with a little trepidation on all sides, but we were confident that Bob would train Chris quickly and …

Eurotrash

Position: 41°12’58.4″N 13°34’23.4″E Like all things on Aleta, we try and right-size our waste management for the available space. Our ability to sail for weeks at a time and not look like a fully laden, seagull baiting scow was borne …