The Risks of Skylarking
Published February 16, 2009 | 
Compose with trumpeting shell / From lines across their hands
A song as new as new moon / As old as all the sands
Shrank to stagnant from Atlantic wild
Lost that child
’til mermaid smiled
- XTC
I remember when I first watched the movie Red October many years back and wondering what would happen if submarines really were able to block sonar. Suddenly you’d have submarines bouncing off one another at the bottom of the deep blue sea. Well, it is a big big blue sea but still. . .
Love is a Battlefield
Published February 16, 2009 | 
I saw this in my email this morning – “Kayak For Sale! – My wife won’t let me get a new boat at Canoecopia unless I sell this one!” By the way, Canoecopia by the way is just 25 days off. . . how’s that for promotion?
the fix is on
Published February 15, 2009 | 
We’ve gone deep, deep down into the bowels of the ship. Well, on the inside of a kayak anyway. You have to take a bit of pity on the poor guys who spend their days with their heads jammed inside a hull breathing fumes and bending every which way to seal a seam or a bulkhead. What a job. It reminds me of that bit about knowing what’s in a hot dog.
So yesterday I continued on my self taught kayak repair course. Continue reading
Scouting is good
Published February 14, 2009 | 
There is a strong temptation this time of year to jump in your kayak and rip down the recently opened river. of course you’d be fool not to scout the whole section of the river you plan to paddle. Ice dams, downed trees, and high water are just some of the hazards that early season river paddlers face.
Children & Puppies
Published February 11, 2009 | 
Gag! Gag! Sorry for the title, but it was appropriate. Today I took our new hell-hound out hiking on a local nature trail. This was the first time she’d ever seen. . or sniffed the natural world. You can’t help but be excited for children or puppies when they are just overwhelmed by life. When each flower, rock, stick or breeze is simply amazing. Those moments go by so quickly. In time most of use simply become jaded and numb. It becomes to easy to catagorize things around us and walk on by. I always hope that I’m self-aware enough to not allow myself to become to bored with nature. I’m happy for Simple acts like taking a puppy out for a walk that can serve to remind us how freaking amazing life really is. Even when it’s cold, wet and dreary grey. . . It’s wonderful!
out with the old
Published February 10, 2009 | 
Finally a warm day! In late winter you often get these little teasing blasts of spring-like weather. They don’t last, but they keep your spirits up and give you a chance to get all the old stale air out of your home and exchange it for some of the fresh stuff.
Summer is certainly coming. The trick this time of year is to be sure to look at your calendar closely before making commitments. Cabin fever has a way of making you want to agree to anything that has to do with summer! So far I’ve committed to 2 symposiums & 2 other paddle gigs. I happened to see that Chicago Kayaks is coming here to Baraboo on May29-31st for a skills clinic. I may just have to sit on a rock and spy on them! Oh, and I also have to ask them what the deal is about the Skokie Lagoons. . .
By the way, did you read that bit about Freya Hoffmeister paddling topless? I wonder what the bounty on that shot is in Australian dollars?
If I’m down in a Honky-Tonk
Some ol’ slicks tryin to give me corrections
I’ll say leave me alone
I’m singin all night long
it’s a family tradition
– hank williams jr
So there he was 10 miles off shore in a kayak calling for a coast guard rescue. Riding back in the helicopter he was thinking of all the crap he would take when he got back to shore. The press, the accusations of irresponsibility, the suggestions of what a bad parent he was, the calls to send him the bill. . . but then he remembered how to avoid it all. . When the first reporter asked him what he was doing out there he simply said, “I was just fishing.”
Continue reading →