Chicago Sans Kayaks
Published February 28, 2009 | 
With chill mists swirling / like petticoats in motion
sighted on horizons / for ten thousand years
the lady of the ice sounds / a deathly distant rumble
to Titanic-breaking children lost / in melting crystal tears. – tull
Yesterday at 4am we were on the road and heading south to Chicago. Within about 3 hours we were standing on the beach all ready for the 2009 Windy City Sea Kayaking Symposium. Well, a few months early actually. The wind was howling and the air temperature was a comforting 30F. Not exactly a teaching day. Well, maybe. . . Continue reading
Who do you love?
Published February 26, 2009 | 
Have you ever went to a trade show and waved at that sales guy you know, then as you walked by realized that they were at the wrong booth? What’s worse, they are at the booth of company he told you sucked last year?? WTF!? Well, there is loyalty and then there is “brand loyalty”. . .
the price of fame
Published February 25, 2009 | 
Want a horse, i want a sheep,
I wanna get me a good night’s sleep,
Livin’ in a home in the heart of the country.
-mccartney
Freya Hoffmeister has found that she needs to put a delay on some public information about her trip just to help her retain a bit of privacy during her expedition. It’s not hard to imagine why “all live, all the time” could create problems. Well, for Freya anyway. I, like most paddlers I dare say, could post 24 hour exact GPS coordinates and still not be interupped by the passing of a tumble weed . . Fame of course is a fleeting thing and you should enjoy it when you’re in the eye of the bubble. . . on the other hand sometimes you just need some sleep. ( I think Madeline Kahn sang something about that once. . .)
CaulkU
Published February 23, 2009 | 
A flow as subtle as a summer breeze. / Like the whispering winds and
The talking trees. / To big to be boxed in, it bobs and weaves.
It evolves, it solves, it gives and receives.
And everything I say is / calculated appropriated
Written and arranged in Feng Shui!
– gnarls barkly
The weekend came and went as weekends often do, beginning at the end of a week and ending at the beginning of another. This weekend I set about doing the final repair on that bulkhead. One had to wonder what caused me to have such a collection of items stacked on a bit of cardboard. There was a plastic knife, a caulking gun, a rubber glove and a mirror, a pencil and a jack knife and a cup of coffee just to keep the nerves up.
Atlantis?
Published February 20, 2009 | 
Well, it’s certainly an interesting find even if it’s not the lost city of Atlantis. Whether it’s man made or some natural geological formation is yet to be seen. Anyone with Google Earth can find it quickly by just going west off the African coast. I’m not sure why, but this thing reminds me a bit of the face on Mars story. Maybe because I read it in the Sun!
passing of time
Published February 19, 2009 | 
Floating down the stream of time, of life to life with me
Makes no difference where you are or where you’d like to be
– the beatles
For those of you that have followed along for a few years now, you will know that this is the time of year where I get crazy busy with “real” life. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately my work tends to be un-affected by economic downturns. . (knock on wood). So the last couple weeks it’s been a challenge find the time to swim in the world of kayaking as much as I’d like. On the other hand, since when has this blog ever been just about kayaking??
Chicago is home to some amazing museums and attractions including the Field Museum, Alder Planetarium, Shedd’s Aquarium and of course the Museum of Science and Industry which we visited for the first time yesterday. I’m not sure why, but even living nearby we always choose repeat visits to the Field Museum or the Aquarium over a first visit to world of planes, trains and CEOs. Continue reading →