On the spectrum...

General Aviation flying has created a community around me like nothing I ever experienced in a lifetime of sailing. Sailing seemed more solitary after a decades and thousands of miles at sea... but aviation is a series of short and sweet adventures.

The pilot community, who really won't drink before or during a flight, seems to buzz with the excitement of the art of aviation; technology, nature's dictates, skill, and the constant debates of how, why and who.

And then they drink . LOL

And flying around the San Juan Islands... that's a joy all its own. From up there, the islands unfold in layers of green, with little coves and rocky shorelines tucked into all that beautiful water. I love watching the light change as I go—a stretch of deep blue turns silver in the sun, a cloud shadow drifts across an island, and suddenly the whole view feels new again. After so many years seeing the water from a sailboat, there's something especially wonderful about seeing it from this angle. I feel that sense of freedom every time: room to breathe, a horizon that keeps opening up, and the simple happiness of being in the air. Add a good flying pal in the other seat, and it's hard to imagine a better way to spend a little time. I feel pretty lucky to fly here.