Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.
Today's project was to go through my drawers of remaining T-shirts and get rid of them. I have culled the collection over the years but saved some of the most meaningful ones. I will not wear them again, so I was going to photograph the logos for memories, and then send them on to Goodwill. I got rid of two. How could I ever part with some of these? Perhaps by writing this blog post it will preserve the memories, and I can free up some space. What would you do? Keep them or let them go? Which ones? In some cases I have photos, but in other cases I have only memories and a T-shirt. What T-shirts await me in the future (even though I don't wear them)?
Some of my past life as told by T-shirts.
Some of you know that I used to sail and race. This was a hobby for about ten plus years while I was working. While I raced on several different boats, some of my favorite times were when I was just learning. I worked the bow on a two or three person crew on a Santana 20. This was 'one-design'. All the boats in the class were the same. We had many local wins for which there were many T-shirts, but the only one I kept was for 1994 Nationals in Colorado. Lake sailing was very different from the Southern California Coast. We were proud to come in 4th.
In 2011 my husband and I, along with another couple, crewed for Jean and Scott Adams on the Marina del Rey to Puerto Vallarta Race in the cruising class on their 58' sloop. The details are a little fuzzy now, but I know we sailed for several days and nights stopping in Turtle Bay, Magdalena Bay, Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta. It was an amazing trip with dolphin and whales along the way. I don't remember how we finished. This was one leg of a round the world cruise for Scott and Jean. Unfortunately it ended tragically off the coast of Somalia. We only joined them for this leg. The memories of Jean and Scott will last a lifetime.
My husband and I had our own boat for a while, a Morgan 27'. First we had it in Marina del Rey and then we moved it to San Pedro. We had it painted, changed the hardware and some rigging. We bought new cushions and a new engine. We sailed it some with friends and sometimes just the two of us. She moved beautifully even with light wind. But for me, more into racing, and my husband, more into tall ships, rigging, and knots, we ultimately sold it after I retired.
In 2006 my husband and I went on an adventure. We joined an Earthwatch Expedition off the southern coast of Spain. We spent about a week counting Dolphin and Whales. As a bonus, a historical Norwegian fishing vessel named Toftevaag was the research vessel. The first day we boarded, we looked at each other with trepidation. My husband asked the captain if we could tighten the rigging. He said, "have at it". The rest of the crew went off to dinner and drinks in town, and we worked for hours without a break until we set sail the next day. The Captain was delighted and said this was the first time he could climb aloft without the mast wobbling. A very memorable trip. We saw dolphins, Sperm Whales, and my favorite, Pilot Whales.
My husband loves tall ships and knotwork. I enjoyed it too, to an extent. While he has dedicated decades to it, I did the work to sail on the Brigantines out of San Pedro in 2009 and the Brig Pilgrim out of Dana Point in 2013. I got to explore the Channel Islands under sail. That was a wonderful experience. I also attended several international conferences with the Guild of Knot Tyers. I started sketching rather than knot tying. And of course, I got the T-shirts.
I have always had an interest in nature, but particularly stepped it up while working. I volunteered at the Aquarium of the Pacific from the time it opened for ten years, until I retired.
I then moved my interests from the ocean to the land. I volunteered at the Nature Center until the pandemic. I even helped conduct a multi-year insect inventory for them.
I took some classes in entomology, joined the Lorquin Entomological Society, and started to explore other areas of Southern California. In 2012 and 2013 I participated in Bioblitz's in Joshua Tree National Park. It was great fun, and I photographed lots of desert wildlife.
I took several classes in botanical illustration. One trip was to ZZYZX in the Mojave desert. My interest in art and nature deepened.
In 2015 I signed up for The California Master Naturalist Program. On the first day of class, another student asked If I wanted to go to Baja the next morning on a five day trip to pat the whales. I said yes and met her at 5am the next morning for a wonderful trip to Scammon's Lagoon and San Ignacio Lagoon. The Gray Whales and their calves were very friendly and came up to the boat to be petted. What an experience!
It was in the Master Naturalist class that I was introduced to iNaturalist and I have been posting photos on the site ever since.
My most precious T-shirt is this one I got on the first of several sailing trips I took to the British Virgin Islands in the 80s and 90s. Many of them blend together but I love the area. I took some sailing lessons there and also learned to dive. But the T-shirt is not precious for the memories of the islands, but this is the T-shirt I chose to wear when painting the ceiling of my new house. I was up on a ladder, with paint dripping down on me, when my husband decided it was the right moment to propose. I was annoyed at first, not knowing why he wanted me to come down from the ladder, but then he proposed. I said yes, and then got on with the painting. We have made many wonderful memories together since then.
I wish I had photographed some of the other T-shirts before I got rid of them. I know there were some for the Transpac race and other races. I don't think I had any from my years of working, nor from many family occasions. I had one that promoted me to Grandma, but can't find that one just now. As for the future, I will be going there, doing that, and might get the T-shirt.
