Le chat a la Chalet

Oh la la, ski cottages have so many options to have fun!

Planning for the Xmas Theme 2013

What is the first mate up to? She piles some unrelated stuff and takes pictures? Oh, she is collecting ideas for this year's Xmas decorations. I believe this is one of the ways to alleviate symptoms of moving to land routines and adjusting to the increasing darkness before the snow is here to stay. I had to help her with my own proposal, can you guess which one is mine?

The inspiration source of the theme is Jardin Francais. I believe that kind of garden must have a lot of mice, birds, insects and other inspirational elements in addition to usage of symmetry and perspective, color scale of frosty pastel pinks and delicate details. I support this idea!

Where it all started

This is final stop on our summer adventure of year 2013. After five weeks of adventures we were back to our starting point in Mustakari marina in Kokkola. 

I had to release all the excitement and energy I had collected during the two days on trains and one night in a ship. I explored the beach vegetation and checked out the beautiful wooden boats that all had returned home for approaching fall. Mustakari has its lovely view to the open sea. This view, the view with a very strong symbolism of freedom and being a gate to the world of adventures without limits, we had looked at every day we spent in the marina preparing the vessel. Now the look over the vista made us a bit sad and in a way a little bit proud - we had to leave the sea adventures for a full winter of life on land but still the vessel is now in Kalmar that means we had achieved our target we had dreamed about. And also there was sense of a new start waiting us in upcoming Spring in the new seas.  

After this I had the most restful Kokkola-Oulu ride I ever had; after the long outing in Mustakari I just fell asleep in my car travel compartment and woke up in my lair on land well rested. 

PS It is worth of mentioning that the crew's state was opposite to mine. They were exhausted on all the planning, predicting and execution the sailing required. Exhausted but still super happy. The cognitive load of the journey was high for them; new routes, new harbors, new towns and cities, all the time finer and finer experiences and views. Oh, that can be loading for a crew that spends their winters on land in land routines. But I still need to say that after this demanding sailing of 700 nautical miles they have been remarkably more happy and more creative. This makes me think that suitable amounts of positively demanding activity is good for a human. Stretch yourselves, have your crews to stretch themselves! Fortunately I, as a chief of a vessel has to have, own more advanced mental and physical capacities and can handle changing levels of streams of new experices and places calmly ;-)  

Uncaged and energized.

Mustakari boats have returned from their Summer sailings.

This is where is all started, the view to the freedom and the world of seas.

Family news

My brother Tuiskutassun Hulivili, http://sipsun.net/urokset/tuiskutassun-hulivili/,  has started a family. Congratulations!

I plan to concentrate to my career as a sea cat for now. But who knows, some day I may meet a lovely lady who changes my mind ;-)

October Storm

Turku - Kokkola

The last leg from Kalmar to Kokkola. I think my new soft travel compartment is quite comfortable. By the time we were back to Finland I had collected enough confidence to leave it and relax on the first mate's lap and enjoy the changing views. 

The Snow is here!

Last night we got the snow that has stayed all the day. How could the crew sleep until 8 am in this kind of important morning? How ignorant of them... The snow inspired the first mate to start think about Xmas. I believe this year too I have to post some Xmas preparation and decoration stuff to keep her happy. 

I will return to the mountain weekend when I have finished posting about the last legs from Kalmar to Oulu; some more train traveling and returning to Mustakari marina where it all started.