Ron Alexander
About thirty something years ago, I had learned
about the art and technique of visualization. They were using it a lot in sports, where the athlete would picture successful plays in their minds. It was found that their performance would increase sometimes dramatically. They still use this technique today.
I was lonely living out on "Kayoss" in Taylor Creek at Beaufort, N.C.(wild horses on other bank). So, I decided to visualize a woman I wanted in my life. At that time, hair color meant a lot to me, so I pictured a strawberry blonde with a slender but shapely body. Back then, I weighed considerably less.
Forgot why, but I had a trip to Oriental(another sailboat-oriented town named after shipwrecked Chinese who settled there) going on a few days, after starting this "picturing what you want" process. Driving on the ferry, I noticed this very happy looking black-faced golden puppy greeting everyone coming out of their cars. I got out and she came bounding up to me. It was love at first sight. I asked the crew aboard the vessel - "who owns this puppy?" The mate answered: "Don't know but we got to get rid of her, as this is state property." I replied that I would take her to Oriental with me, and when I came back to the ferry in a few hours, that if I still liked her and nobody had coming looking for her, I would keep her."
Honey became a great boat companion. I have never seen a dog who liked boats so much. Sometimes, she would lie down in the sailing dinghy until I took her sailing. And Dolphins, they appeared to be really interested in her and her high-pitched yelp. This was good for my charter business, as these waterborne mammals seemed to be bored with us humans. I would always asked the boat guests if Honey was welcomed, and the few times that she was denied a sunset gourmet cruise, she would run up and down Taylor Creek following our journey from land yelping all the time. She was also known for being one of six dogs that followed the postman around. She would disappear for a few hours one day every week. Near the end of our time here, I ran into this young woman, finding out that Honey was my dog, told me that she took her home for steak once every week. Honey was doing a lot better than me.
Honey sailed West with me, and ended up working with life-threatened kids, as she had that "dog spelled backwards" unconditional love and sensitivity that was soothing and healing. When in a circle with these kids, she would wait out in the middle, until she somehow figured the kid in the most grief, and she went to them to lie not at their feet but on their feet.
They loved it and her.
Honey was with me for twelve years, dying in my arms peacefully in California. I hauled her carcass up to the top of a sacred mountain overlooking San Francisco Bay. She is buried where we used to go howl at the moon and marvel at the sight. She has never left my heart however, and many others say the same. She is crossing her paws in the photo looking like the regal canine that she was... I will always be sailing with Honey in my heart. If you have not figured it out yet, she was the "strawberry blonde" that I was visualizing. I found out you have to be very specific in the picturing process. Glad I did not know that then!
Honey on the Bow sailing Taylor Creek with wild horses on Carrot I. opposite
