Unification Theory
Published October 13, 2009 | 
Baraboo Interactive Services is now Skillet Creek Media.
When I started my business in 1996 I really had no idea what I was doing. I was just asked to build websites for a couple folks who heard I knew how. Well, sort of. I mean I bought a cheap Packard Bell computer at Wal-Mart because even though we were very poor then, I didn’t want my kids to fall behind the future that I thought was coming. Of course what I ended up using that first computer for was drawing pictures, editing photographs and generally learning to make things. Along the way, I learned HTML, later Flash, and so on… Over a dozen years later I’m still just doing whatever I do. Only now am I really starting to see a theme. At 44 it’s about time, eh!?
Sea, The Falling Leaves
Published October 11, 2009 | 
And just like the first time / We’re just strangers again
I might have grown out of style / In the place I’ve been
– alice cooper
A lot of sea kayaking goes down in October. BCU Week in Tybee Island Georgia will be hosted by Sea Kayak Georgia from October 21st through the 25th, the Optimist Symposium in Sdot Yam, Israel will be held on Oct 29th-Nov 1st and I’m sure there are more. It’s always hard to wrap my tiny brain around sea kayaking in October. Here in the heart of the Great Lakes region it’s cold. 25F right now as a matter of fact. It’s that time of the year when we’re visiting apple orchards, stumbling around the local wineries, and taking our families out to enjoy a candle lit Halloween hike. As for kayakers the winter is closing in, and luckily the pools are opening up!
Posted in , Events & Symposia, Paddling, Random Thoughts | 
bcu week, lendal, optimist symposium, Sea Kayak GeorgiaDelmarva Picture Book
Published October 10, 2009 | 
He say “I know you, you know me”
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together right now
over me
– the beatles
Our friend Dominique was kind enough to share with us some of his pictures from this year’s Delmarva Paddler’s Retreat. Delmarva was founded in 1988 by Charlie and Cindy Cole and is the unrivaled Mecca of Greenland style paddling. (This side of Greenland of course!!) The annual event held in Lewes, Delaware is considered the place where Greenland style really kicked off here in the states. Attendees learn traditional paddling skills, attend lectures & workshops, and of course spend a lot of time rolling! Most paddlers with a passion for G-Style make it a goal to at least once be able to attend Delmarva.
Walking The Wisconsin
Published October 7, 2009 | 
Taking a break from walking our kayaks down the Wisconsin River…
Paddling down the Lower Wisconsin River is one of the most popular trips in our area. Walking down the river is another less popular option. Of course most people, most sane people, run the Wisconsin in early summer. Earlier in the year the water is higher, the current is faster and the hot summer sun makes an occasional wade across a sand bar a joy. I on the other hand, am simply horrid at doing things the way they’re normally done. For good and bad, this personal defect usually sets me up for some unique experiences. The reward is simply being right there in the moment which is often harder to achieve than one might think.
28 Days
Published October 7, 2009 | 
http://www.valleyseakayaks.com/
“28 Days” is that one where Sandra Bullock goes into rehab. “28 Days Later” is sort of post apocalyptic horror flick where an incurable virus ravages the UK. (Just in case you were getting the two flicks confused). Sometime in less than 28 days, Valley will introduce their new website. I think they should have done one of those cool countdown clocks with some foreboding music loop playing in the background… Maybe even embed a heart-pounding trailer staring Gillan Anderson…
I’ve got like 3 posts I want to get done by Friday and here I am winding up Valley Sea Kayaks! Sorry..
Wet Feet
Published October 5, 2009 | 
i can’t walk on water with these dirty feet – Stephen Speaks
Every so often your Monday goes nuclear and you just have to do other more pressing things than blog. Still I thought I’d break away for a moment to share a picture from our little adventure down the Wisconsin River. The funny thing about the trip was that we really spent almost as much time walking as we did paddling. Have you ever walked your kayak down a shallow river in the middle of nowhere while the rain poured down on you and the wind howled around the trees? Cool isn’t it?! More later…
You got no place to be / Still you wonder where youre goin
And why I had to leave / I hear a voice and it says to me
Find your way back
– Starship
I won’t re-write the story here. You can read my full post by clicking here. Even though it does happen every couple of years around here, it still amazes me that folks can get lost out in the “wilds” of Wisconsin. For those of us who have spent plenty of time in the outdoor world it seems sort of obvious to be prepared for, and thereby often simply avoid danger. Yet like all things in the world, we had to learn it from somewhere. We weren’t just born knowing how to start a fire in the woods for instance. In sea kayaking or all outdoor activities it’s so important that we don’t become survival snobs. We have to simply keep sharing our knowledge in hopes that those who need it, will seek it out. (And those who don’t will just stay on the trails!)