New Shoes!
Published May 31, 2011 | 
I always take it as a compliment when a company seeks me out to give a review of their products. Recently Columbia Sportswear asked me to take a look at their new Drainmakers. These funky shoes arrived over the weekend. (Along with a reminder to tell all of you that they sent them to me at no charge..) The selling point with the Drainmakers is that they are watershoes that they tell me feel just like a running shoe. I said I’d be happy to give the Drainmakers trial run, fill out a survey, and do a review for you all right here. Columbia Drainmakers retail around $80. Of course I always ask if things come in black.. (Didn’t expect the bowling shoe vibe! LOL!) I’m going to put a couple of weeks wear on ‘em and then I’ll let you know what I think. Continue reading
Posted in More Gear Reviews, Outdoor Recreation, Paddling, Reviews | 
columbia, Drainmakers, watershoesReturn of the Dragon
Published May 31, 2011 | 
On Saturday morning I paddled around Big Blue Lake, the site of the WMCKA kayak symposium early in the morning while a heavy fog shrouded the distant shoreline. My eye caught upon a log that looked amazingly like a dragon straight from the imagination of Terry Gilliam. I didn’t take a camera with me, but I had to get the shot. I carefully pulled my iPhone from the drybag and fiddled to get the camera up and working. Just as I was about to snap the shot, a heron burst from the shoreline toward me calling wildly, then just as suddenly it turned and began to fly away. I recovered from the surprise just in time to take this shot. Continue reading
I Love WMCKA!
Published May 26, 2011 | 
As if you couldn’t guess, I’m really excited to be heading off to the West Michigan Coastal Kayak Association’s annual symposium. ( Called WMCKA or WimKa for short.) Not only does WMCKA kick of the summer symposium season here in the Great Lakes region, but it’s also one of the top symposiums for beginners due to the calm warm water of Big Blue Lake and the world-class instruction. What’s more WMCKA has a strong contingent of traditional paddling & rolling instructors featuring the man, the legend himself, Doug Van Doren. After looking at my teaching schedule for the event, I can see I’ll be spending a good amount of time with Doug this weekend. 
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Posted in Events & Symposia, Paddling | doug van doren, justine curgenven, keith wikle, ken fink, WMCKAHaving Been Restrung
Published May 26, 2011 | 
If you’ve been following along in earlier posts as I worked on putting leather lines on the skinboat, you’ve not seen the finished product. Here it is. Now I need to get back to work. Only one workday left before I head out to Michigan by way of Chicago for the West Michigan Coastal Kayaker’s Symposium. You know what the hardest part of preparing for a symposium is? Well, deciding what kayak to take of course! More on that later… IF i find the time.
The Groove Engine
Published May 24, 2011 | 
Last week I posted a picture of a singer and asked if anyone knew who the woman in the image was. The answer is Betsie Anderson. Betsie and Al Anderson are the owners and creators of the finely crafted Betsie Bay kayaks of Frankfort Michigan. Continue reading
Was that a parable, or a very subtle joke?
Published May 20, 2011 | 
I’m sorry, but there will be no blog today. I’m am being held against my will at a secret U.S. Army base somewhere deep in America’s heartland. One moment I was driving down a broken and overgrown road, and the next I was being dragged from my car through a field and into an ragged forest. If my captors ever allow me to leave I will be back to blogging as usual. I have no reason to believe they will do that however… For now I only have time to post these music videos in recognition of tomorrow’s great event.. (Which by the way, is my number 1 plan of escape…) Continue reading
Oh, I declare a change of heart – My Latest Novel
It’s all about content. In our world these days it seems we all must write and record most everything we do. There’s plenty of hay being made out there about our society’s social media addictions, some of it justified and some of it not. For my part, social blabbery or as the pros say, “content creation”, is not simply (just…? only…?)an ego-driven addiction. It’s how I pay for groceries and put gas in the car. The downside of all this technological craziness is that it’s hard to just put the camera down. The world never sleeps. Yesterday, for a couple of hours at least, I declared a ceasefire… Continue reading →