Archive for November, 2007

 A little extra time this weekend let me update my wallpaper images.  You can go here to view them and download any you wish.  There is a mix of kayaks and scenery. I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for something new to put on my desktop.  Luckily I have a billion photos to choose from. For now I put up a dozen images all cropped to 1600×1200 which should cover most desktop set ups quite well.  Enjoy!

You’d
better to be good.
Don’t ya understand ?
Raise your hand.
I said, raise your hand,
Right here, right now, c’mon!!
Whoaaaaah, oh yeah!!
- joplin

While those of us in up here in the great white north dream of liquid water, many folks in Israel are attending the first annual Optimist Club Symposium which is going on now. The event has been organized by Hadas Feldman, Ehud & Avigail (sorry guys didn’t get your last names) and features Justine Curgenven and Jeff Allan as guests. Looks like they are having a good time. I like the idea of an Optimist Club Symposium. . . ( “You can do it!”, “I know I can!”) For more info and photos just visit Steve Gordon’s blog here.

* photo by steve gordon. used by permission

Yeah well, when I was taking French 101 in High school I aways thought, “What will I ever use this for??”. Little did I know that had I paid more attention I could have better understood Steve Martin’s jokes and of course been able to read Charles’s website. Wait, does that say Pacific Horizons?? Apparently the phrase, “Rock On!” is the same in any language! If by chance you speak French you might enjoy this website at www.soireesaventures.com.

I could have been a sailor, could have been a cook
A real live lover, could have been a book.
I could have been a signpost, could have been a clock
As simple as a kettle, steady as a rock.
I could be Here and now
I would be, I should be
But how?
I could have been One of these things first
I could have been One of these things first.
- nick drake

On the last day of our Chasing the Ana trip in Puerto Rico, Taino and I road the last wave into the shore. About 20 yard from the shore I held back and waited as Taino paddled onto the beach. Once he was into the shore I followed. Being a native of Puerto Rico I truly felt he deserved that symbolic first. Of course when I saw the trip added to Wikipedia and reported in PR as if I was never there at all, I was a bit put off. Still my partner had nothing to do with those choices and I am happy concede that “first”.

First is not a win, but it is in some ways unique. The first person to complete a task or expedition is not better of course, yet they do face a unique set of circumstances. They will not have a history to reach back to. Paul Caffyn could not call “Paul Caffyn” and ask about the conditions in that out of the way bay. Being first, he had to wing it much more than anyone else who would follow. As each successive person does a journey, more knowledge is gained which those who follow can benefit from. Being first robs you of a certain level of knowledge. In our CTA trip we contacted a variety of people who had paddled sections of the trip. However, there were some areas that no one had done by sea kayak. Fisherman could share information about some sections, yet at times their perspective did not quite relate to the challenges of a sea kayak. Fisherman for example knew very little of landing conditions outside of where their boats could harbor. In sections that were done before us, we had good knowledge of what to expect. Then we can add our experiences on top of past experiences to build a better picture. In sections where we were the first to paddle (well at least in a few hundred years) we can help others not to face some of the errors or problems we faced. (Such as crash landing near Isabela). The first to circumnavigate a lake or island, the first to climb a mountain, the first to do anything will in some sense do something in a way that no one else can quite do the same way. In that sense a first is a distinction.

I’m not convinced that “sex” is any great distinction sea kayaking, being the first woman to do something has had it’s value in encouraging more women to participate. Of course these days we are starting to see woman just be the first “person” to achieve something which to me is a very good sign. Rotem Ron being the first person to circumnavigate Iceland solo or as I mentioned before Jen Keck being the first person from the US to pass the BCU 5* coaching award. We credit their firsts since they were the first to face their unique set of circumstances and succeed. Again, being first is a distinction, not a “win” over others.

Winning is different of course. Winning a race is a competitive first. We give the laurels to the brightest and fastest. Giving credit to the first in a race is simple enough to understand. In kayaking we have plenty of races for competitive paddlers to win. Expedition paddling can again get a bit convoluted here. Sometimes after a trip is done first, the next goal is to do it fastest. That would work of course, IF the paddlers before you actually knew it was a race. I don’t think there is much of a win in being fastest, when you were the only one who thought you were racing. In expeditioning it’s shooting fish in a barrel to beat someone who’s priority was exploration. They were taking their time after all.

Life is not a race. Being first does not make you better than anyone else. It does not belittle those who come next. That said, I don’t think it’s fair to say ‘first’ is meaningless. It is a distinction of which each person can freely determine it’s value. However, it is a distinction none the less.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Ev’rywhere you go;
Take a look in the five-and-ten, glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.

Wheat he gave to rich folk, millet to the poor, Broken scraps for holy men that beg from door to door; Battle to the tiger, carrion to the kite, And rags and bones to wicked wolves without the wall at night. – kipling

I’m in a mood. This morning I watched the sun come up over the thin white layer of snow that covered the last green blades of summer grass. I miss summer. Summer of course is freedom. Summer is self-determination. You can just walk out the door if you want to. Summer does not tell you to stop and find cold weather clothes. It does not freeze the lakes to stop you from paddling. Winter is oppression. We find ways in life to adapt of course, but we are not natural creatures of short days and bitter cold.

Over the years societies created all sorts of ways to overcome the cloistered life that winter can bring. We created a long string of holidays to get us through. A good plan. Gather together many times over to remind ourselves all that is good in life. From Halloween through Easter we have many dates set aside to gather ourselves together.

These days of course those reasons for gathering are lost on society as a whole. We do our best to keep the human side alive in a battle of consumer politics that invade our every breath. In time we’ve been conditioned to get up early and push and shove our neighbors to save a few dollars on gizmos we don’t need. “thanks-giving” is after all of little importance. Gift buying must press it down. From now until Christmas our retail economy is in life or death mode. If you don’t buy for Christmas we face an apocalypse of. . well, biblical proportions. Get out there and shop. It’s good for you, it’s good for the economy, it’s good for our country. The sad bit is, our economy is depending on it. In this system it becomes imperative that we are manipulated to purchase. Thus the screaming din we face every year. “Doorbuster Deals” become the mantra of the day. Run! Shop! Go! What’s worse to me is how our children are manipulated into feelings of need, that any loving parent would have a hard time not satisfying. Without locking them away from every other child and media outlet, there is little we can do but to feed the monster or seem evil or mean. The holidays are upon us and it’s often hard to separate the ugly from the good. The good bits about family and “peace on earth”, are only traditions after all and hardly reinforced by our modern culture beyond the background music of a box store advertisement. Each year around this time I bounce from the warm joy of decorating a tree and watching Big Crosby to anger at advertising saying dad needs an HDTV. Dad, by the way does NOT need an HDTV. Mom does not need a diamond for that matter. In fact millions of us couldn’t afford an annual Christmas diamond for mom and that certainly does not mean she’s any less loved. For what it’s worth, I am poor by American standards and still I want for nothing.

On top of this pressure we have elections afoot. Long articles in the news express the politicians quandary when faced with a shorter season before the primaries in January. Is a negative ad acceptable on Thanksgiving day? What time can the calls begin again? Will you take a call from Hillary Clinton on Christmas eve? The interesting thing is that between the lines you easily understand that they would ignore all the holidays and continue with business as usual. The only concern they have of course is that the person they want to vote for them may be offended. Funny thing, just knowing that they would do it if they could should be offensive enough. I mean if they don’t care personally about their own families or faith during the holidays, are they the people we want in power? Apparently they are.

I know in the world there are many good people. Yet sometimes their dim light in our weary world grows ever more faint.

This late, dark afternoon as I write this snow is flying through the air and melting against my window.  For the first time in many years it seems we will have snow on the ground this Thanksgiving day.  We are under a snow advisory now and could have up to 3 inches by morning.  Wonderful.  I’ll be sick of the snow soon enough, but for now I’m enjoying it.

Tomorrow I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving day. If you don’t have Thanksgiving on your calendars, you are allowed to enjoy your day as well!! Of course life is not always perfect. These coming holidays can often be harsh reminders of our hardships as well as all that is good.  Like most of you I come into this holiday season with a mixed bag of goods and bads. Still, I have much to be thankful for and will for the moment concentrate on those things.  The fact that we can sit and read or write online is a good a sign that we have things fairly good.  There are so many others out in our world who cannot even imagine the life that we live each day.  They would probably laugh at our concepts of hardship.  Maybe just be disgusted. Most of us are pretty spoiled when it comes down to it.  It’s always good to keep that in mind this time of year.  Give when you can, forgive if you can, do the best you can. Let’s just do our best to be. . . simply good.

 Enjoy!

WE’RE GONNA GET THERE WHEN WE GET THERE
AND HAVE A GREAT TIME WHEN WE DO
BUT HALF THE FUN OF
GETTING WHERE WE’RE GOIN’
IS GOING THERE WITH YOU
- from jay jay the jet plane

Congratulations to Jen Kleck who is now the first Level 5 BCU sea kayak coach in the States and just one of 4 woman on the planet to archive this goal. Earlier in the year Jen had taken the assessment and had not passed. Listening to her then, you knew it would come. She was quick to review how she had prepared and what she needed to do differently. She was jazzed up to iron out the rough spots and to give it another go. The great thing about Jen of course is that she has a perfect personality for a coach. She’s warm, funny, confident but modest, and takes real joy in watching her students succeed. Which of course is why we all take such joy in watching her suceed. Great one Jen! We knew you’d do it. . . . (eventually. . . LOL!)

- Aqua Adventures Kayak Center – Jen’s shop in San Diego CA