Archive for the ‘Loch Ness’ Category

Sometimes you simply roll with it.  Like today, when the cat died.  It’s not the way one would normally expect to start a day.  Sunlight rising on the eastern horizon can portend a lot of things but rarely is it the death of a cat.  One would hope you would get your coffee before the sad discovery, but life often does not work like that. On the  other hand cats probably die each day, in which case every sunrise portends the death of a feline and we should simply expect it…like today… and roll with it.

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It was nice to see Justine again. On Tuesday she flew over from Manchester to Chicago, then hopped in a rental car and drove straight up to Wausau for the Open Boat Nationals that begin tomorrow. On the way she stopped in at the house for a quick chat.  My hope is that we’ll get a chance for another quick chat when I get over to the UK in September.  It’s a very weird thing how we make friends at such distances, stay in touch by email, blog and twitter and then only stand in the same room once or twice a year.  Speaking of distant friends, I’m twisting one distant friends arm to come and paddle a bit of the west coast of Scotland with me. Lord knows he’s done it enough.. Someone’s got to keep the silly mid-westerner safe in those tides!

Many miles away there’s a shadow on a door
Of a cottage by the shore
Of a dark Scottish lake
– the police

A new day, a new bowl of Haggis! Well, something like that anyway.  Thanks to everyone for their emails and encouragements. It’s hard sometimes to translate emotions to print but I’m certainly not down or out. Speaking with Kelly last evening I’m sure he’s more disappointed than I am, at least in the fact that I can still get my stuff together continue my Nessie hunt. The only real change comes in that I have to pick up on some logistics and at this point, maybe even those original plans will still go through. Plus there are lots of good folks around that I’m sure I can pester someone to give me a ride to the water’s edge.

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You either run or you hide
Now you slip now you slide
You say you will, but you won’t
You either do or you don’t
– buckingham

Things come up and things change.  That’s the nature of life.  Unfortunately things did come up and Kelly let me know today he won’t be able to make the Scotland trip.  That’s too bad too, I’m sure we’d have had a flippin’ good time.  Ok then, we rearrange the pieces on the chess board and have another look.   Can I do this solo?  Why not?  Maybe another crazy paddler would jump in and join me, if only on the slightly open water bits. We’ll see.

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Save, save, ohhhhhh, save me
Don’t let me face my life alone
Save, save, ooh…
I’m naked and I’m far from home
Queen

I’ve read that the Royal National Lifeboat Institution rescues on average 22 people a day in the UK.  I certainly don’t want to be one of them.  If I’m going to visit with those brave (and possibly a bit crazy) volunteers of the RNLI I’d rather do it while warm and dry.  With that in mind I’m checking in with the life boat stations along our route to let them know what we are planning and also to arrange a visit or two so we can share some of their stories with you along the way.  The crew at Loch Ness Life Boat have welcomed  Kelly and I to drop in already.  I’m looking forward to that!

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I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment’s gone
All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity
– kansas

It’s that time again.  The time where I can’t let another day go by without making one decision or another about my upcoming paddling adventure. This time of course,  it’s Scotland.  Some of it is easy enough.  Buy this, buy that, read this, read that.. take notes!  What is different is that with a little experience I’m trying to travel as lightly as I possibly can.  Traveling light is harder than you may think given my past BCU training.  You come to believe that anything less than everything is irresponsible. I still remember the days when I carried practically 2 weeks worth of gear just to teach a class because that’s what a “hard core” coach did. Or at least I thought so.  Read the rest of this entry »

Here comes the super copter
Here comes the noise it makes
The demon was an idea
The demon is awake
– soul coughing

If you stare at the skies long enough you are bound to see something.  If you stare at a computer screen long enough you stop seeing anything.  I’m getting there.  My deadline for Scotland is not all that far off anymore…Just like the last time I planned a trip overseas time is starting to compress a bit.  It’s not the trip mind you, that’s the easy part. (Well almost, but let’s save that shall we!?)  In time you realize as more experienced paddlers once told me, that you simply can’t plan too much.  Regardless of what madness you conspire, reality will put your  “plan” in a potato sack and kicks the hell out of it. At the end you open the bag and realize your plans have become unrecognizable.  No, what becomes compressed and hyper-stressed are the demands of the “real” world.

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