Complex Problem Solving
Published July 21, 2011 | 
Yeah we’re playing those mind games together
Projecting our images in space and in time
Yes is the answer and you know that for sure
Yes is surrender you got to let it go
- Lennon
I know many of you expect me to post photos from the various great lakes symposiums each year. Well, I finally have 107 Door County Sea Kayak Symposium pictures ready. This was an interesting symposium season for me personally this year, especially the last two where I actually only did one class with one student. No kidding. At Door I spent the whole of the event doing day trips. Not a bad way to spend your time actually. In the course of three days I paddled each side of the peninsula and the tip from Death’s Door to Washington Island. Suffice to say, out of the 107 pics, very few are from the actual symposium!! Continue reading
UP
Published July 20, 2011 | 
All the while the world is turning to noise
Oh the more that it’s surrounding us
The more that it destroys
Turn up the signal
Wipe out the noise – p. gabriel
Talking about rolling and body position can be a challenge on land. Inevitably we find ourselves standing there, reaching far over our heads to practice (or demonstrate) paddle placement on the surface of the water, sweeping the paddle, and recovering over the kayak. It doesn’t work, mind you. In fact, the more you ingrain the reaching over your head movements on land, the more you or your students will be reaching toward the bottom of the lake once they get out in the water. Still, there is just something in our crazy brains that makes us want to always reach UP. Continue reading
The Mission
Published July 19, 2011 | 
Those of us who are into kayak rolling always say that one advantage of rolling is that when we get too hot we can just roll and cool off. Well, not always. Sometimes the water and the air are both thick and hot, so much so that you can hardly tell where one stops and the other begins. I went out rolling yesterday to get some relief from this crazy heat wave and within a half hour I was zonked. The water wasn’t cooling me down, while the heat, humidity and the rolling was just leaving me dizzy. . . dizzier. For a while I found myself just lying there on the back deck of my boat, arms wide in a jet black replication of that poor priest in the waterfall scene from The Mission… Oh, a nice cool water fall… That would be sweet! (Well, not like in the movie of course!)
Fish or Cut Rope
Published July 18, 2011 | 
A couple of days back I posted a bit about my new NRS Pilot Knife. A reader mentioned that he had read a review that said the Mini Pilot knife took forever to cut rope. He asked if anyone had actually practiced cutting rope with this knife. Well, today that’s just what I did and I even posted a short video. Now maybe I don’t know how to use a knife or a rope hook properly. Could be. But I have to say, my other knives would have cut this rope instantly with one pull across the blade. Will it work? Yeah, but not instantly. Sure seems like it should be easier.. Continue reading
Highway 41
Published July 17, 2011 | 
A lot of things can cross your mind when you’re sitting on a the corner of hwy 67 and 41 in Trenary, Michigan on your way to Escanaba any many miles beyond ’til home. Thoughts like, “Where the hell am I?” for one. As soon as we left Grand Marais and the cool grip of Lake Superior, the air became hot, humid and oppressive. Standing beside the car while my pup took care of business, I was filled with many wandering thoughts about the past 10 days, 2 symposiums, 4 campgrounds, trips, classes, gear, mosquitos, boats, blogging and why I couldn’t seem to drink enough water. I’ve got a bunch of thoughts, pictures and more to share. Today though, I think I’m going to just find some shade and sip a margarita.. oh, and maybe go rolling.. We’ll talk soon.. Oh, did I mention that gas station with all the bear hides? No? Well, that’ll have to wait.. It’s just too bloody hot to type at the moment..
A Windy Morning
Published July 16, 2011 | 
Saturday morning here at the Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Symposium. Looks to be another fun, but windy day. The wind is coming out of the South-East which means that the water will remain pretty still on the big lake right along the coast. Classes in the bay will be again doing their best to tuck into a wind shadow along the south end to avoid being blown around while teaching strokes and braces. Others will be heading out into the wind to spend some time teach folks how to handle it. Wind can be a lot of fun, but sometimes it’s just a pain the bum. Whether you enjoy the wind or not, everyone can agree that the scenery around here is just fantastic… It’s really worth taking the time to look… as you’re being blown past it…
Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise.
If I don’t stand my own ground, how can I find my own way out of this maze ? – floyd
Blogs have changed a lot since I started blogging 3 PCs and 22 kayaks ago… Well, that was how I was going to start off this blog, until I thought a bit more about it. Not ALL blogging has changed, but for some it has. It used to be that a blog was simply an online journal. While what we wrote back in the day was certainly available for anyone to read, it wasn’t primarily written to be read. It wasn’t a business an online publication or an e-zine. It was simply an outlet. Anyone who’s ever visited a therapist in their lives knows the value of keeping a bedside journal and the extended value of sharing it. Of course the whole exercise begins to get distorted when you become overly mindful of the audience.
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