reverie

sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind. --henry wadsworth longfellow

glee club

with winter weather subsiding i'm reminded there are those that really like the cold climate. i'm sure these residents of southern climes were gathered for an "icecapela" program.

st. valentine

where else would someone want to be on valentine's day than next to some tropical atoll sipping on a cool drink...... or maybe paddling along with the dolphins. "valens" means "worthy, strong, or powerful" so gaining strength and worth could be a goal for the day. happy valentine's day!

double feature

flowing water never goes bad... --chinese proverb

a snowy saturday afternoon turned into a double feature of sorts with a couple hours kayaking on the river and an hour of cutting trail xc skiing at whitebreast park's kuyper trail. the ramp at howell station was iced over so stripbuilder and i put in at the south tailwater below the dam, and by the time i changed for skiing the snow was sticky and more of a hike than a glide.

undiscovered

a leisurely late afternoon paddle on the des moines river yesterday afforded me a chance to commune with the eagles, geese, and a pair of swans. nature continues to amaze me in all that she provides for our eyes to behold. i never tire of the solitude.

To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me. --Sir Isaac Newton

preserved from a past year

nature does nothing uselessly. --Aristotle

(ornamental cabbage-Brassica oleracea)

tradition

braving sub-zero temps has become a tradition on new year's day and this year didn't disappoint. a solo paddle with 20 mph winds out of the west kept the bare skin covered, but a turnaround on sunday brought out the northern contingent as stripbuilder joined me for a trip to the dollar bridge and back.