skillful mariner

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

completing the weekend pas de deux, so to speak, involved a late afternoon trip from elk rock ramp to the sea cave and back down to the milelong bridge, before surrendering to darkness and a satisfying feeling of new beginnings....... a new year on the lake starting much earlier than anticipated.

bi-polar weekend

"Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." -- Leonard Cohen

there was Light in my world this weekend with a chance to ski on saturday and today headed out to paddle on a newly opened lake. two hours of skiing at the golf course substituted for a wilderness journey and the snow was perfect for a solo morning on the hills. it feels so good to gain strength both physically and emotionally.

winter epilogue

"one of these days is none of these days" -- english proverb

stripbuilder and i had a glorious sunny, albeit cold, day for a run to the dollar bridge and with the lake opening maybe the last day on the river. he leaves tuesday for the everglade challenge, a 300 mile race from tampa to key largo. i meanwhile will remain lazy and "unchallenged" at home awaiting the opportunity to follow his "spot locator" as it quickly moves down the gulf coast to florida bay. at least i'll have company on the water as my friends above attest.

open water

"do what you can, with what you have, where you are." -- theodore roosevelt

last weekend paddling was true iowa winter w/ wind chills at -15 degrees f but wednesday gray's lake in dsm was open and beckoning, except for nature's art work in the ice.

scofflaws

"rest is not quitting the busy career, rest is the fitting of self to it's sphere." -- goethe

these pelicans need remedial reading because they obviously were closer to the spillway than i was last weekend. a brisk headwind was no problem with a late afternoon journey to the dollar bridge and back.

rust

"iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses it's purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind." -- leonardo da vinci, notebooks

even squirrels go nuts when the weather is inclement. with light winds and cool temps yesterday i finally found my way back to the river and ended a two hour paddle in the dark of a quiet evening - alone 'cept for nature.

dull tame shore

"i never was on the dull, tame shore, but i loved the great sea more and more." -- barry cornwall, the sea