Wow, Wisconsin has been fantastic!  Deb Baker (Berkley Prime Crime doll collector mysteries & Midnight Ink Yooper mysteries) and I had great signings last week.  Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ococonomoc,  Madison, Cedarberg.  We finished up with a short trip up into the peninsula that juts out into Green Bay (off Lake Michigan) to a great little lakeside resort town of Fish Creek in Door County.  Beautiful. 

 But the highlight of the weekend was Saturday evening, after Deb and I met Deb’s husband, Jim, in Milwaukee and had dinner then went to the sailing club and harbor where they keep their racing sloop, the Scurvy Dog.  <g>    Oh-what-fun!!  I’ve never had a chance to sail before on a small boat.  Every small boat I’ve been on has been a motorboat and the “owner and captain” never let anyone else touch the wheel. 

Well, not so, Jim and Deb.  Jim handed me the tiller (which steers the boat) and said “the helm is yours” while they went to handle the sails.  Boy, they were dancing all over that deck.  Meanwhile, I was in heaven.  Really.  I’ve NEVER had anyone give me an opportunity like that.  I took to it like a duck to water.  They said to “just point the boat” at a spot in the distance (across the lake–Lake Michigan).  Well, I did just that.  I “sighted” where we wanted to go and the amazing thing was my hand upon the tiller just moved automatically.  I didn’t even think about it.  I just kept looking where we were headed.  The lake was smooth as glass.  Too  cool.

Of course, now I’m hooked.  I have GOT to do this again.  Now, all I have to do is figure out how.  Sailing clubs?  Sailing classes?  Problem is I don’t have a boat. Not even a rowboat.  <g>   Maybe I should hang around a Merchant Marine hall and look for single sailors who have boats and would like an eager first-mate-in-training.   Hmmmm.  I don’t think we have a Merchant Marine hall in Colorado.   I have to think about this.

Sailing stories, anyone?  Suggestions?