Back home and busy...

I've been home from the Caribbean for a month now. The trip was magnificent - truly one of the loveliest adventures I've ever been on - and if you're inclined you can read all about it on my charter-cruising log.

Meanwhile, the month home has been jam packed with activity. First, I'm in contract on a townhouse in Mountain View, which closes in mid-May. I was lucky to find it in just a couple of weeks of hunting, and the market was just right for me. I'll be getting packed up and tossing a lot of stuff I've been keeping for no good reason over the next couple of months, and finally getting moved in by mid-June.

Second, I had surgery to repair a torn tendon in my left ankle two weeks ago, which also involved fusing two bones in my foot so that the tendon tear won't occur again. A good thing in the long run, but in the short run really a pain. I'm in a non-weight-bearing cast for six weeks (four more to go), then a walking cast for six more weeks, followed by a soft removable boot for perhaps four more, plus - of course - physical therapy. This explains why my moving can't be complete until mid-June, and for my sailor friends, why you won't be seeing me around the yacht club or on the docks for a while.

But since I've got a lot of time on my hands, I'm back to writing some historical essays, doing some reading, and also posting on my community blog, "Messing about on boats..." at SFGate.com.