sugarplums

"while visions of sugarplums danced through her head"

xc skiing with son Taylor was enjoyable on a holiday weekend while my lake is frozen and only the river lies ahead for the winter.



wrinkles

"character is the result of two things: mental attitude and the way we spend our time." -- elbert hubbard

getting older doesn't have to also mean less active, but the wrinkles come and the hair goes... as do the seasons with growth and renewal always ahead.. these cliffs at cordova reflect the wrinkled transition of time and provide a quiet point for meditation on the lake.  now the snow will decorate them for Christmas.

great expectations

"i have always found when i was worrying, that the best thing to do was put my mind upon something, work hard and forget what was troubling me." -- thomas edison

i'm not sure our cat, schnitzel, has to "work hard" when worrying about something but considering what is in her package might qualify as that.  as one author was quoted, "work is the noblest word in the dictionary."

surf's up

"he that embarks on the voyage of life will always wish to advance rather by the impulse of the wind than the strokes of the oar; and many fold in their passage while they lie waiting for the gale." --samuel johnson

a memorable meeting with couchsurfer justin from omaha afforded us the opportunity to share in the joys of exploration and adventure.  he spent a night with us on his way, first to fairfield and then on to texas.  after a tour and a taste at peacetree i tucked my desire to travel into his already overweight backpack.  thanks justin for choosing to stay with us and sharing your energy!

gone fishin'

"the ocean teems with life, we know.  of the four elements of the old philosophers - fire, earth, air, and water - perhaps the sea most of all abounds with living creatures." -- matthew fontaine maury

fishermen and fishing pelicans abounded on a breezy saturday afternoon, as evidenced by my trip from elk rock to the marina and back.  the nicer day of the weekend, sunday, was devoted to manicuring bushes in preparation for next weekends possible snow.  perhaps i should be taking advantage of warm weather as much as possible... for the right activities (i'd rather be paddling).

mocking the sky

"it plays with the clouds, it mocks the skies, or like a cradled creature lies." -- barry cornwell, the sea

a cold quiet sunday evening at sunset at the cordova ramp.. ready for a new week.  my drysuit was warm along with neoprene pogies and a stocking cap.  it's supposed to warm back up but the cold temps will simply continue on until the lake is iced over and hopefully there is enough water in the river to keep paddling.  you'd know i left my camera in the van when the sky was beautiful pink and orange...

winged air

"what is lovely never dies, but passes into other loveliness, star-dust, or sea-foam, flower or winged air." -- t.b. aldrich, 'a shadow of the night'

 this poor traveler became a semi-permanent resident of lake red rock and with limited lift to his wings had to be content w/ foot-propelled movement.  he must have stopped too close to the "peace tree" to get a picture for a free beer; probably a double ipa (impaired pelican aircraft).

my "orange rush" made three hours on the lake easy on a beautiful south wind thanksgiving day.  i'm thankful for the solitude of a day when i was the only boat on the lake, and the energy of loved ones close and far away.  today the wind shifted around to the west nw and hopefully tomorrow, albeit cold, will be another day of exploration.

left or right?

"we always have time enough, if we but use it aright." -- goethe

with the fiscal cliff approaching our elected leaders are having to make choices based on not only public opinion, but ideology.  sometimes it seems that the choices are just illogical.  where is the middle water? 

presidential

 "do not look outside yourself for a leader." -- hopi elders

i must have walked miles and miles canvassing for the election, but now it all seems to have a purpose.  now is not the time though to celebrate or gloat, but a time to refocus on the tasks at hand and decide what we each can do to continue the progress and improve this troubled world.  we each can be presidential in improving the environment, conserving resources, healing old and new wounds, and helping the less fortunate. 

orange rush

 "and the sunlight clasps the earth and the moonbeams kiss the sea." -- percy bysshe shelley, ' love's philosophy'

finally the boat i've always wanted is a reality and my QCC700X now rests on top of my van with my thrice repainted dagger latitude "rogue wave".  we made a long trial run yesterday and it didn't take long to make out the check after finding out how stable and fast it was.  this "orange rush" now is firmly a part of my paddling future.  thanks professor dave oliver for your generosity and friendship on the water!  this will be a nice addition to the red rock armada. 

accessible

"to reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it.  but we must not drift or lie at anchor (armchair)." -- oliver wendell holmes

where will we all be when economics takes over for reasonable people and regard for ecology and nature and all the aesthetic things that make life worth living well.  we live life as if there is no tomorrow and then tomorrow we complain about the lack of things we just might have been better off doing without.

 it's drysuit weather with sub freezing temps in the am here but it is still better than a perfect storm.

 it's sometimes difficult to rest in a kayak but adaptation is the answer.  my "garbage barge" still plys the water smoothly with the anchor retracted.

all is quiet on the western, painted rock, front now with leaves gone.  new houses are peeking through the trees on the cliffs and the lake was relatively free of anyone else early on a saturday morning.  soon we will retreat to below the dam and only hope for enough water to paddle in this extended drought time.

from four years ago.... we are still trying to make a difference... it does matter! vote early, i did.

lighthouses

"the sea has never been friendly to man. at most it has been the accomplice of human restlessness." -- joseph conrad

the cape hatteras lighthouse on the outer banks was being moved from the lower level to high ground last time we were there.  it now sits high on the dunes and was a challenge in its run to the top of the stairs.  freya hoffmeister commented on the black and white markings of a peruvian lighthouse she has encountered in her journey around south america.  this is to let her see a north carolina version of the sailor's warning lights.  i hope it brings her good fortune in her pursuit of the western coast on her way to guyana and ultimately the return to rio.  safe travels Freya! Gutes Fahren!

wondering

"men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering." -- st. augustine

i've helped with the local high school auditorium project for the past year and now we're seeing the fruits of labor with erection of the precast walls upon the footings.  since august only the base work was being done and now they have crane in place and progress moving quickly.  we are hoping they will be finished by august 2013 before school starts.  i am working on a series of alumni productions for fundraisers and have come to appreciate the quality of talent that began at knoxville schools.  just floating through YouTube and the amazing performers out there gives promise to future recruitment of entertainment for the 700 seat facility.  there can be so much, close to home, that we never realize to be enhancement of quality of life.  taking care of a football player with a concussion last night reminded me how important music should be to everyone as they grow older. i'd give my college football career now to just play the piano...

a fall coat

"neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope." -- epictetus

the passing of seasons now sees this familiar beacon donning her yellow fall coat, to signal the transition of energy from one form to another, always everpresent and comforting.

a tired boat

"who well lives, long lives: for this age of ours should not be numbered by years, daies and hours." -- guillaume de salluste dubartas,  divine weekes and workes

it was great to take a leisurely two hour journey this morning to shake off the dust and return to "home".  carrying a "spare tire" for emergencies tends to slow one down.  i'm not nearly as tired as i might have expected after our race.  it is the "journey" and not the finish that is most important.

 
there was a "light" at the end of the elk rock tunnel this morning.  now if only i could do this every day...

joyous

"joyous we too launch out on trackless seas." -- walt whitman, passage to india

the start of the north carolina challenge, a 100 mile race around from cedar island ferry terminal to beaufort and back, found a beautiful sunrise highlighting the combination of kayaks and sailboats.

out of 55 boats and 66 racers we managed to finish in 19 hours cutting 10 hours off the existing record for the 100 miles.  we won our class and placed 4th overall.  with only a 20 minute break at the checkpoint in beaufort my rear end will probably never be the same.  the watertribe is a great group of people.

"stripbuilder" was all i could see from the back seat most of the time and my instructions were simple, "shut up and paddle!"

"stripbuilder" and "paddletothesea"

life with a porpoise can be sweet.

clear sailing

"i can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. the problem is that i can't find anybody who can tell me what they want." -- mark twain

life isn't always a bed of roses but today is special.  a PT just moved to town and is now an ATS employee to work part time. (i can get back on the road again!) also the winds for the NCC100 (i leave tomorrow) are forecast ESE 8 which should be as good as it gets!  now hopefully clear sailing (or paddling).

countdown

"enjoy the day, trusting very little to the morrow." -- horace, carmina

can you find the hummingbird feasting on the blooms in this chicago botanical center garden?  their high speed quest for nutrition before a long trip south was fascinating to watch.  the incans of peru carved pictures of hummingbirds into the nazca lines above lima.  now if only i could shift into high gear to finish our race without a long drawn out journey.  the countdown has begun... t minus 7 days and approaching quickly.  

golden moments

"the golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, and we are nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone. -- george eliot

 the japanese garden of the chicago botanical center showed that the pathway of two can become one.  the wonderful view of nature was stunning and the work of experienced hands brought it into clear focus.

 gerd and anja came all the way from deutschland to test our german language skills and spend a delightful two days with a side trip to the chicago botanical gardens. 

morning paddles on prairie creek reservoir during last week's ctp reminded me, as did a session with a grieving child, that we are not alone.  our departed loved ones follow us daily in our contribution to this troubled world, and can be found in the morning sunrise.

red rock without roll

"a smooth sea never made a skillful mariner." -- english proverb

 saturday six hours of paddling on rough seas was a test, but good preparation for the NCC100 on 9/28.  sunday was lighter but still rolling from the west.  taking a break in a favorite cove found myriads of monarchs floating in and out of the flowers fed by an elk rock stream.

this poor creature stood sentinel over the beach, almost like something out of Lord of the Flies.