Paddling A Thin Line
Published May 18, 2011 | 
This is major Tom to ground control, I’m stepping through the door
And I’m floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today
Here am I floatin’ ’round my tin can far above the world
Planet Earth is blue and there’s nothing I can do – bowie
I was flipping through a copy of CanoeRoots Magazine a few days back and I came across this Old Town Canoes & Kayaks ad. Actually, I’ve scanned over it a few times. Something was buzzing away in the back of my crazy mind, but it wasn’t until this morning when it finally came into focus. The ad shows dad (?) and daughter canoeing. Above it says, ” Your stock as a parent just skyrocketed. In an age of electronic gadgetry and instant-connectedness, it’s the real moments you spend with your kids that make a lasting connection. Like your outings in…” and it goes on to sell the product. Later it continues, “…Back on shore, It’s a return to nonstop texting and emailing, but for now, it’s just the two of you creating endless memories.” O.K. I get that. Now let’s look at the bottom of the ad… Continue reading
Posted in advertising, Commentary & Rants, Outdoor Recreation, Paddling, Quixotica, Random Thoughts | 
Facebook, social media, technology, twitterAngels Wept
Published April 14, 2011 | 
Old man take a look at my life / I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me / the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes / and you can tell that’s true. – neil young
Yeah, it’s time for another rant!… Must be spring. I can tell. You see, I can read the signs. I know when spring has a arrived and summer is coming because I get to start pulling rubbish from the lakes again. OK, so let me do my best Red Green here, “We’re all in this together!” If there is one thing old white guys love to do it’s complain, right? It’s how we validate our quickly passing existence. So let me do a bit of “validatin’ of my own: What the hell is wrong with these people!!?!?!?! Continue reading
Good Day
Published April 5, 2011 | 
My day hasn’t even started yet, but I could go back to bed right now and call it a good day. You see, one of the amazing things about our home is the abundance of wildlife. It wasn’t always that way of course. I’m sure you’ve all seen those yellow, dingy and lifeless films from the 1970′s right? I’d bet you’ve always assumed that the lack of vibrance was due to the aging film… Well, no. It actually looked that way! The 70s was ugly, really. Thankfully a lot of people have done a lot of work since then and fought hard against those who think the environment is simply a place to own, pillage, kill, pollute and profit from. Continue reading
Trade you an Environmentalist for a Sociologist
Published April 2, 2011 | 
this is your blind spot, blind spot
it should be obvious, but it’s not
- radiohead
According to the 2009 Documentary, Blind Spot, we’re toast. Well, that’s not exactly what they say, but if you do a bit of between-the-lines listening to their experts and especially the sociologists it’s pretty clear. The world uses too much energy, the US more than anyone. Our consumer based economy relies on cheap energy. An economy based on consumerism is not sustainable. The world population is out-of-hand. Oil, coal, natural gas exist in a finite supply. Neither government, corporations, nor consumers have the ability to think beyond the end of cheap energy. We simply will not do enough to prevent or prepare for a nightmare correction. That’s well, very nearly a fact. Continue reading
On The Ground
Published April 1, 2011 | 
Every Night I Just Wanna Go / Out, Get Out Of My Head
Every Day I Don’t Want To Get / Up, Get Out Of My Bed
Every Night I Want To Play Out / And Every Day I Want To Do ooh ooh oh oh
But Tonight I Just Want To Stay In /And Be With You – mccartney
Years ago I was having problems drawing still life images. Luckily I had a great instructor with some good ideas. Once, when I was having trouble sketching a tree from a photograph that he had placed on my desk, he told me to turn the photo upside-down. Silly idea. But from that day onward I became better at seeing the world around me. You see, by turning the image upside down, it stopped being a “tree” in my mind and became a series of lines, shapes and contrasts. I couldn’t draw the tree in the photograph because my brain was full of preconceived notions about what a “tree” is. I had created a sort of mental caricature that made it impossible for me to actually see the real image. Turning the photo over, freed my mind from prejudice. (I can’t tell you how much that lesson effected my coaching style.) Suffice to say, I am much better at drawing still life images these days. Not THAT good however, that’s why I carry a camera. Continue reading
Therein lies the rub!
Published January 25, 2011 | 
Look at your children / See their faces in golden rays
Don’t kid yourself they belong to you / They’re the start of a coming race
The earth is a bitch / We’ve finished our news / Homosapiens have outgrown their use
All the strangers came today / And it looks as though they’re here to stay
– bowie
If you’ve been following along you’ll know that paddlers Justine Curgenven & Barry Shaw have had to take a few days of RR from their attempt to circumnavigate Tierra del Fuego on the southern tip of South America. The reason? Barry has been suffering some painful tendinitis due to overly tight drysuit seals around his wrists. Now I can guess that “off-the-grid” they’ve received all sorts of advice from the folks who made Barry’s drysuit. I also think they got a little covert commentary from a rep or two. Now what I was wondering was, that with all the emphasis on social media these days, wouldn’t you think various reps or manufacturers would have jumped in and offered some thoughts and ideas on their blog or Facebook as well? Continue reading
Posted in advertising, Commentary & Rants, Expeditions, Paddle Gear, Paddling, Random Thoughts, Web Stuff | social media
I gave the doctor my description / I’ve tried to stick to my prescription
Someday I’ll have a disappearing hairline /Someday I’ll wear pyjamas in the daytime
Afternoons will be measured out /Measured out, measured with
Coffee-spoons and T.S. Eliot –
I’m sorry I’m old. Really. I didn’t start out this way. I used to be much younger but then the sun came up and went down a bunch of times and I got older. Now I’m 45 for some reason. I’ll be 46 in about a month. I’m sorry for myself too. I’m sorry that there are probably fewer years ahead than behind. I’m also sorry that I’m pretty much on the young side of your average sea kayaker. I didn’t even start in the sport until I was in my late 30s. By then I had a business that was doing OK and the ability to buy the stuff necessary to get into sea kayaking. (Well, barely!!). Come to think of it, I’m sorry we’re all old. What will become of us? Continue reading →