Self has many thoughts about the sea because … well, she comes from one of the 7,100 islands of the Philippines.
When she visited Venice, some years back, she encountered the Maritime Museum (off San Marco Plaza), and first encountered the Venetian expression “married to the sea.”
In the writings about the sea, the sea is referred to as feminine. Also, mercurial.
Perhaps this is why she chose to write her novel. It’s about the sea, of course. And she’s been reading about seafarers ever since.
Two years ago, she was teaching in Mendocino. One of her favorite hangouts was Gallery Bookshop, corner of Albion and Kasten in Mendocino Village (the most fabulous bookstore, with its own resident cat). She found a book written by a retired US Admiral.
She just started reading it (thank you, Corona Virus). Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World’s Oceans
The Introductory Chapter is called The Sea Is One:
It is worth remembering that each of us is, essentially, largely made of water. When a human baby is born, it is composed of roughly 70 percent water. It has always fascinated me that roughly the same proportion of the globe is covered by water — just over 70 percent. Both our planet and our bodies are dominated by the liquid world, and anyone who has sailed extensively at sea will understand instinctively the primordial tug of the oceans upon each of us when we look upon the sea.
Stay safe, dear blog readers. Stay safe.
Kanlaon 