what i saw July 24, 2019 at 10:16AM
Jul. 24th, 2019 05:55 pmI can't grudge paying taxes for this.
last Sunday i finally got to a kayak club pool play session, and i was able to successfully do a heel hook self-rescue. this in spite of having had very little opportunity to work on conditioning - it's that much of a mechanical improvement for my particular body shape and composition. (in the process i also managed to break another of the rubber thingies that substitute for real decklines and bungies.) as i was unloading at home i got the message that my father-in-law had died, so my feeling of triumph was short-lived.
yesterday i figured out how to replace the broken rubber bit on the back deck, and hit up Seattle Fabrics for cordage and fittings to upgrade my decklines and get rid of the rubber once and for all. Seattle Fabrics is a dreamy candy store of all the things you never knew you wanted to be able to make yourself, packaged up as some blend of an old-school outfitter, a neighborhood hardware store, and a theatrical supply shop. somehow a pretty new building still feels like a grotty warehouse inside, with ceiling-high racks of technical fabric, spools of all sorts of cording and webbing mounted on pipes (complete with yardstick and scissors for cutting your own), and wooden drawers of various plastic and metal snaps and clips and other findings (all with an example taped to the front of the drawer). i never knew there were three colors of glotape! and there are patterns to MAKE ALL THE THINGS. i only bought the items that i came for, but i want to get C in there, he will love it.
in the afternoon i did my first solo paddle with the Oru. i still marvel that it's ten minutes from door to water.
photo above is the view coming back in to the boat launch. in the distance is the stop light at 28th and Market; 28th Ave runs directly into the ship canal.
once i got past the end of the marina, i discovered that the boat launch is behind the breakwater for the entrance to the locks. there were two Corps of Engineers barges piled high with storm debris - mostly tree parts, but a variety of junk including several boats (eep). boat traffic was low, but i decided i wasn't ready to find out how much of a current there was around the dam and the lock entrances, so i headed east toward Ballard bridge.
it's always interesting to see the city from the water. it's backstage and inside out from the familiar. there's a marina behind Ballard Ave that's as big or bigger than any on Lake Union, with picnic tables by the water at land end of each set of docks - they're hidden from public view by Pacific Studio. there's a sign that only someone in a small boat could read. there's a floating home completely covered in murals that has a dinghy with a matching paint-job. i looked inside an empty dry dock. i was dwarfed by a trawler. i startled a cormorant. due to darkening skies, i only went to the bridge and back, but i got close enough to Fisherman's Terminal to get a feel for just how huge the Alaska fleet ships really are. i look at them every day on the way to work and they don't seem like they're that much larger than pleasure craft, but that's just forced perspective, they make the helipad-sized yachts look dinky.
i know that exercise generally is good for mood, but the effect that paddling has on me is still remarkable. i assume that it's the combination of exercise and exploration (and i have always loved the water). i found myself singing as i went, and i stayed bubbly all the way through packing up and going home and unpacking and showering and meeting the knittas for a movie.
this was probably my last chance to go out before i go to see my parents, but i feel like i'm set now to build my stamina and work my strokes on the ship canal though the winter.
yesterday i figured out how to replace the broken rubber bit on the back deck, and hit up Seattle Fabrics for cordage and fittings to upgrade my decklines and get rid of the rubber once and for all. Seattle Fabrics is a dreamy candy store of all the things you never knew you wanted to be able to make yourself, packaged up as some blend of an old-school outfitter, a neighborhood hardware store, and a theatrical supply shop. somehow a pretty new building still feels like a grotty warehouse inside, with ceiling-high racks of technical fabric, spools of all sorts of cording and webbing mounted on pipes (complete with yardstick and scissors for cutting your own), and wooden drawers of various plastic and metal snaps and clips and other findings (all with an example taped to the front of the drawer). i never knew there were three colors of glotape! and there are patterns to MAKE ALL THE THINGS. i only bought the items that i came for, but i want to get C in there, he will love it.
in the afternoon i did my first solo paddle with the Oru. i still marvel that it's ten minutes from door to water.
photo above is the view coming back in to the boat launch. in the distance is the stop light at 28th and Market; 28th Ave runs directly into the ship canal.
once i got past the end of the marina, i discovered that the boat launch is behind the breakwater for the entrance to the locks. there were two Corps of Engineers barges piled high with storm debris - mostly tree parts, but a variety of junk including several boats (eep). boat traffic was low, but i decided i wasn't ready to find out how much of a current there was around the dam and the lock entrances, so i headed east toward Ballard bridge.
it's always interesting to see the city from the water. it's backstage and inside out from the familiar. there's a marina behind Ballard Ave that's as big or bigger than any on Lake Union, with picnic tables by the water at land end of each set of docks - they're hidden from public view by Pacific Studio. there's a sign that only someone in a small boat could read. there's a floating home completely covered in murals that has a dinghy with a matching paint-job. i looked inside an empty dry dock. i was dwarfed by a trawler. i startled a cormorant. due to darkening skies, i only went to the bridge and back, but i got close enough to Fisherman's Terminal to get a feel for just how huge the Alaska fleet ships really are. i look at them every day on the way to work and they don't seem like they're that much larger than pleasure craft, but that's just forced perspective, they make the helipad-sized yachts look dinky.
i know that exercise generally is good for mood, but the effect that paddling has on me is still remarkable. i assume that it's the combination of exercise and exploration (and i have always loved the water). i found myself singing as i went, and i stayed bubbly all the way through packing up and going home and unpacking and showering and meeting the knittas for a movie.
this was probably my last chance to go out before i go to see my parents, but i feel like i'm set now to build my stamina and work my strokes on the ship canal though the winter.
Thankful Thursday
Oct. 11th, 2018 03:31 pm- i have a hot tub in my courtyard. i often forget to go because it's a whole two floors away and it's outside and...it's so nice. last night i put my kindle in a ziploc, popped downstairs and did one cycle of jets while i read and it was lovely. i need to go more often.
- my cousin D has been visiting Dad on the regular and sending out email updates. she's been a wonderful support and cheerleader.
- new stationary is delightful. i started a new box of cards today and it is a pleasure to see how ink flows on the new surface. (they came from Kinokuniya and man, the Japanese bookstore has all the best pens and paper goods.)
- Ritter Sport bars were on sale at Bartells. the cornflakes bar has already been consumed, but there might still be a few squares of marzipan when i get home.
- my membership in the Washington Kayak Club fb group was approved, and it looks like a deal of casual planning for practice and trips happens there. yay for chances to kayak more.
cardboard to plastic
Aug. 26th, 2018 10:06 pmi have a giant novelty Shivan Dragon card on my desk at work.* it started a conversation that led to me doing an inventory of our Magic cards in order to build some decks and get back into playing more regularly. we have a lot of cards; enough that they inspired the purchase of our Alexandria Codex.** when i started to check to see if we had anything of value, C planted the idea of using them to buy a kayak.
the long-story-short is that with a bit of research and some legwork i turned 80 cards (an invisible loss from the collection) into kayak money. my goal was to be completely budget-neutral and only spend from the card proceeds. mischief managed.
a deck worth of Magic cards buys:
i'll have all of it in my possession in time for the long weekend. very excited.
* which came from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
the_monkey_king cleaning out his basement mumble-mumble years ago. i missed hanging out with him at a potluck today due to the craigslist thing mentioned below :/
** RIP GeekChic
***![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
philotera hooked me up with Sailor J, who was looking to trade it in for a model with a larger cockpit. for my lifestyle it has to be a packable boat due to lack of storage and lack of vehicle. i could get a regular kayak cheaper, but then i would make the cost up rapidly in paying for marina rack space, and that doesn't even take into account paying for a car to move it anywhere else.
**** today's drama involved the paddle. i was going to buy a Camano (a model up from the Skagit) and safety gear from a craigslist guy, but someone bought it out from under me. dude contacted me after i had already booked a zipcar to go to his house and it was too late to cancel. but i now i had this car to use for 90 minutes...so i took my money to the REI Labor Day sale and got the paddle that i could afford new instead. which is still very nice and made in Washington. the safety stuff and the dry bag were also on sale.
the long-story-short is that with a bit of research and some legwork i turned 80 cards (an invisible loss from the collection) into kayak money. my goal was to be completely budget-neutral and only spend from the card proceeds. mischief managed.
a deck worth of Magic cards buys:
- a used Oru Bay+***
- float bags (no bulkheads in the Oru, this keeps the hull buoyant in a capsize)
- spray skirt
- safety kit (paddle float, bilge pump, really loud whistle)
- a Werner Skagit paddle****
- a 15L dry bag
i'll have all of it in my possession in time for the long weekend. very excited.
* which came from
the_monkey_king cleaning out his basement mumble-mumble years ago. i missed hanging out with him at a potluck today due to the craigslist thing mentioned below :/** RIP GeekChic
***
philotera hooked me up with Sailor J, who was looking to trade it in for a model with a larger cockpit. for my lifestyle it has to be a packable boat due to lack of storage and lack of vehicle. i could get a regular kayak cheaper, but then i would make the cost up rapidly in paying for marina rack space, and that doesn't even take into account paying for a car to move it anywhere else.**** today's drama involved the paddle. i was going to buy a Camano (a model up from the Skagit) and safety gear from a craigslist guy, but someone bought it out from under me. dude contacted me after i had already booked a zipcar to go to his house and it was too late to cancel. but i now i had this car to use for 90 minutes...so i took my money to the REI Labor Day sale and got the paddle that i could afford new instead. which is still very nice and made in Washington. the safety stuff and the dry bag were also on sale.
waving not drowning
Jul. 16th, 2018 08:54 amI have so much to write about, but I have a release. I'm alive, both Dads are alive (for now) and I got to go paddling on Saturday. More later.
spending time with my mermaid tail
Jun. 17th, 2018 08:01 pmi took a daylong kayak touring class yesterday. morning was skills evaluation and practice, afternoon was rescue skills. i was there for moar rescue time, since i am still trying to master self-rescue.
due to life stuff, this was my first time on the water in 2018. the good news is that i had no trouble launching or landing and all my strokes came back to me effortlessly. i could go pretty darn fast and was tracking well (going straight ahead in a line instead of snaking left and right). assisted rescue came back easily, and i swear that i'm more able to lift a swamped boat than i was in the fall (and this was a heavier boat).
self-rescue was better too, but still not good enough. now i can get my body onto the boat, then capsize again while attempting to get my legs into the cockpit. i am sad about this, but OTOH this is without any of the conditioning that i planned to do this year, after doing the first paddling i had done in over six months.* i need to practice. and it's pretty ridiculous for me to imagine that any physical skill would come to me without the hours of repetition that has been required for every other physical skill i've ever learned. in doing more research today on the subject, the most "serious" of the local outdoor schools won't even take you if you can't haul your body out of a swimming pool without a ladder--i'm not sure i could do that when i was a lithe tween who was swimming several hours a day--but that's what i need to work on. so that's the next thing - conditioning, swimming, finding out if NWOC might let me practice wet exit and self-rescue by their dock.
( class notes, mostly for me )
my pfd with aftermarket crotch straps was great. i also ran out the wetsuit in the afternoon. it was comfy in the water but sweaty for paddling so i'd say this one is definitely just for colder weather. getting it on and off requires quite a bit of strength and flexibility. (i can see myself adding a lighter Farmer Jane to my quiver in the future.) the nice thing about the full wetsuit was that it kept most of me out of the sun. unfortunately i forgot to renew the sunscreen on my hands after i pulled it on.
***
there was a point where one of the instructors was talking about moving the boat with your hips and referred to it as "your mermaid tail". that's very much how it feels when everything is adjusted correctly, that it's an extension of my body. yes please, more of that sensation of flying through the water.
*they intentionally have you paddle for several hours before you do the rescue practice, since it's pretty much going to happen when you're tired.
due to life stuff, this was my first time on the water in 2018. the good news is that i had no trouble launching or landing and all my strokes came back to me effortlessly. i could go pretty darn fast and was tracking well (going straight ahead in a line instead of snaking left and right). assisted rescue came back easily, and i swear that i'm more able to lift a swamped boat than i was in the fall (and this was a heavier boat).
self-rescue was better too, but still not good enough. now i can get my body onto the boat, then capsize again while attempting to get my legs into the cockpit. i am sad about this, but OTOH this is without any of the conditioning that i planned to do this year, after doing the first paddling i had done in over six months.* i need to practice. and it's pretty ridiculous for me to imagine that any physical skill would come to me without the hours of repetition that has been required for every other physical skill i've ever learned. in doing more research today on the subject, the most "serious" of the local outdoor schools won't even take you if you can't haul your body out of a swimming pool without a ladder--i'm not sure i could do that when i was a lithe tween who was swimming several hours a day--but that's what i need to work on. so that's the next thing - conditioning, swimming, finding out if NWOC might let me practice wet exit and self-rescue by their dock.
( class notes, mostly for me )
my pfd with aftermarket crotch straps was great. i also ran out the wetsuit in the afternoon. it was comfy in the water but sweaty for paddling so i'd say this one is definitely just for colder weather. getting it on and off requires quite a bit of strength and flexibility. (i can see myself adding a lighter Farmer Jane to my quiver in the future.) the nice thing about the full wetsuit was that it kept most of me out of the sun. unfortunately i forgot to renew the sunscreen on my hands after i pulled it on.
***
there was a point where one of the instructors was talking about moving the boat with your hips and referred to it as "your mermaid tail". that's very much how it feels when everything is adjusted correctly, that it's an extension of my body. yes please, more of that sensation of flying through the water.
*they intentionally have you paddle for several hours before you do the rescue practice, since it's pretty much going to happen when you're tired.
i have so many weird bruises
Oct. 26th, 2017 05:02 pmi took a kayak rescue and recovery class last night (in a pool, anything else would be insane this time of year).
i'm very glad to have done it. it didn't go as well as i would have liked, but i now feel like i could definitely assist someone else, and re-enter with an assist probably 8/10 times. theory pretty well understood, more practice required.
self-rescue? nope. i almost got it once, but capsized while shifting into the cockpit even with the paddle-float as an outrigger. the method they were teaching (which, if i understand correctly is the ACA standard) involves heaving your body perpendicularly across the stern of the kayak far enough that your hips are on the deck. you can't successfully pull over with your arms, you have to kick your legs and flop up like a seal. i guess that's fine if you're a dude, or flat-chested like the instructors. i mostly got caught up on the hatches and rigging badly enough that it nearly tore off my PFD. (it was very well fitted and didn't ride up before we started, but it had a center zip that peeled open from all the pulling. i don't own my own yet, but it certainly put a side closure at the top of my buy list.)
learnings:
i did not weep when we ran out of pool time and i still hadn't self-rescued, but it was a close thing. i was quivering with exhaustion, and my dreams of solo winter paddling in Lake Union and the ship canal were crashing down.
* * *
it was great to go withphilotera and Sailor J. J was the real hero of the revolution, doing extra stints on the boat side of assisted rescue and driving us home when we were all thoroughly exhausted.
i am now the new owner ofphilotera's neoprene paddling shoes. apparently they were always too large for her, but they fit me perfectly. they're very nice. beats the heck out of my heavy sandals.
today we've been swapping videos of alternate self-rescue techniques. i think i would have more success with the heel-hook method, or maybe a stirrup assist.
i think i need to get serious about doing the kayak routine from Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness. and maybe look into what synchronized swimmers do to lift their bodies out of the water. (doing more swimming wouldn't hurt. my muscle memory is strong but my conditioning is gone.)
i'm very glad to have done it. it didn't go as well as i would have liked, but i now feel like i could definitely assist someone else, and re-enter with an assist probably 8/10 times. theory pretty well understood, more practice required.
self-rescue? nope. i almost got it once, but capsized while shifting into the cockpit even with the paddle-float as an outrigger. the method they were teaching (which, if i understand correctly is the ACA standard) involves heaving your body perpendicularly across the stern of the kayak far enough that your hips are on the deck. you can't successfully pull over with your arms, you have to kick your legs and flop up like a seal. i guess that's fine if you're a dude, or flat-chested like the instructors. i mostly got caught up on the hatches and rigging badly enough that it nearly tore off my PFD. (it was very well fitted and didn't ride up before we started, but it had a center zip that peeled open from all the pulling. i don't own my own yet, but it certainly put a side closure at the top of my buy list.)
learnings:
- your PFD isn't tight enough. no really, tighter. again. cinch that fucker. also, easy removal is not a good thing.
- swimming while wearing my usual paddling clothes is not a problem.
- i always wondered why i saw more inflatable than foam paddle floats. (inflation being a pain and puncture being a fear.) i assumed portability and cost, but it turns out the foam ones don't have as much buoyancy as a two-chamber inflatable.
- when i buy a paddle it will be the strongest fucking paddle. there were points where i had my full weight balanced on the shaft.
- lean toward the float.
- Eddyline kayaks are pretty sweet.
i did not weep when we ran out of pool time and i still hadn't self-rescued, but it was a close thing. i was quivering with exhaustion, and my dreams of solo winter paddling in Lake Union and the ship canal were crashing down.
* * *
it was great to go with
philotera and Sailor J. J was the real hero of the revolution, doing extra stints on the boat side of assisted rescue and driving us home when we were all thoroughly exhausted.i am now the new owner of
philotera's neoprene paddling shoes. apparently they were always too large for her, but they fit me perfectly. they're very nice. beats the heck out of my heavy sandals.today we've been swapping videos of alternate self-rescue techniques. i think i would have more success with the heel-hook method, or maybe a stirrup assist.
i think i need to get serious about doing the kayak routine from Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness. and maybe look into what synchronized swimmers do to lift their bodies out of the water. (doing more swimming wouldn't hurt. my muscle memory is strong but my conditioning is gone.)
(no subject)
Aug. 28th, 2017 08:15 pmC agreed to go paddling with me on Saturday morning. this time we tried the rental place that is closer to home and has a better pass program.* thumbs up.
( paddling and pictures )
( paddling and pictures )
not everything has gone to plan this week: some stuff i talked about in a couple locked posts, and then there's the way Powerball didn't draw my numbers*.
and oh yeah, there was an eclipse. we had something like 92% here. that was enough to see twilight and feel a rush of cold. it was delightful to be in a group and hear the waves of reaction as new people stepped onto the deck and put on their glasses for the first time.
*say what you want about the lottery, but when there's a draw in the hundreds of millions, we buy tickets, and for me they're worth their cost just for the fun we have building castles in the sky about what we would do with the money.
- i got C to go kayaking with me on Saturday. that was nice, even when he was being a butt.
he's agreed to go out with me again tomorrow. - i did some stuff that was hard for me, and fell on my face, but i'm better for it.
- i finally went to see The Big Sick with Knitta D. it was a good day to talk with her, and i was glad to see it with someone who wouldn't be triggered by all the medical stuff in it. i think that helped me keep from being upset myself. (that said, philotera and scarlettina and probably C are not allowed to watch it.) ultimately i liked it, although i felt it had been oversold by the time i saw it. Holly Hunter is brilliant, as pretty much always.
- the latest episode of Restaurant to Another World has a mermaid!
- i decided to give Kesha's Rainbow album a try. it's good, and benefits from being listened to as an album - stylistically it ranges from country to get-up-and-shake-yo-ass dance tunes. pop goodness.
and oh yeah, there was an eclipse. we had something like 92% here. that was enough to see twilight and feel a rush of cold. it was delightful to be in a group and hear the waves of reaction as new people stepped onto the deck and put on their glasses for the first time.
*say what you want about the lottery, but when there's a draw in the hundreds of millions, we buy tickets, and for me they're worth their cost just for the fun we have building castles in the sky about what we would do with the money.
mistakes were made
Aug. 13th, 2017 11:04 amit is beautiful today. the air is misty and cool, the smoke has blown away, and the sky is pearlescent gray. i never know how much i miss these days until i get my first one.
as i write this, C is taking the same intro to kayak class that i took last month. i was worried that it was going to be rainy and windy today, but when i dropped him off the lake looked like a sheet of glass, just perfectly dreamy. at 9am on a gray Sunday everything was quiet on the water; it looks like they'll have the lake to themselves (with no wind for the sailing people and too early for the motorized people). i envy him today. i want to GO.
i walked him to the staging area and kissed him goodbye.* then i made the mistake of turning on the radio on the way home, and had to fight back tears in order to drive.**
i feel so sick and so ashamed and so disappointed. i have tea and food and the dog and this weather that i love, but no wonder i can't stop looking at little boats and planning imaginary trips.
*he gave me some shit about mom walking him to the bus, but he's been wound up about this ever since he agreed to do it. it's mostly my fault since i am trying to be neutral but i can't hide my enthusiasm and my hope that he will like it too. really, if he doesn't like it i want to know soonest so that i can stop imagining us going out together.
**for posterity, and anyone who isn't soaking in it, there's some filthy racist shit going down in the US this week, and the chief executive is being inexcusably soft about it because he's a garbage person and those Nazi and KKK fuckers are part of his base.
as i write this, C is taking the same intro to kayak class that i took last month. i was worried that it was going to be rainy and windy today, but when i dropped him off the lake looked like a sheet of glass, just perfectly dreamy. at 9am on a gray Sunday everything was quiet on the water; it looks like they'll have the lake to themselves (with no wind for the sailing people and too early for the motorized people). i envy him today. i want to GO.
i walked him to the staging area and kissed him goodbye.* then i made the mistake of turning on the radio on the way home, and had to fight back tears in order to drive.**
i feel so sick and so ashamed and so disappointed. i have tea and food and the dog and this weather that i love, but no wonder i can't stop looking at little boats and planning imaginary trips.
*he gave me some shit about mom walking him to the bus, but he's been wound up about this ever since he agreed to do it. it's mostly my fault since i am trying to be neutral but i can't hide my enthusiasm and my hope that he will like it too. really, if he doesn't like it i want to know soonest so that i can stop imagining us going out together.
**for posterity, and anyone who isn't soaking in it, there's some filthy racist shit going down in the US this week, and the chief executive is being inexcusably soft about it because he's a garbage person and those Nazi and KKK fuckers are part of his base.
Monday Night Paddling
Aug. 3rd, 2017 05:26 pmtoday, the smoke from the wildfires in BC has made the air quality here worse than Beijing. it's creepy and getting uncomfortable. the haze makes it cooler than was forecast, but the nights are warmer, and the air is starting to hurt my throat :/
Monday, it was sparking clear and hot but not too hot. it was the second Monday in a row that i went kayaking on Lake Union; hopefully that will get to be a really regular thing before it gets icky outside. we're busing in, renting, and busing out. perfect urban adventure.
last week was windy and there was a lot of chop; they gavephilotera and i rec kayaks (i think they were Rip 12s) that were okaaay. we struggled to travel up the east side of the lake. it was nice to look at the houseboats but any time i stopped paddling the wind blew me all over the place.
this week, we went again (with the welcome addition of Sailor J) and bothphilotera and Sailor J brought their carbon fiber paddles along. i'm not saying that definitely changed things, but this time we got real sea kayaks with rudders. (now that i know there are choices, i will express a preference.) based on our prior experience, we nosed around the calm south end of the lake and up the west side past the float planes and up to the working boat moorage at the north end, then a long diagonal back to the the rental dock.
( more about the trip, with pictures )
i think my favorite bit was on the way back to the dock, when we were directly below the flight path of a float plane that had just taken off. it was breathtaking.* i am sad that i don't have a picture, but glad that i didn't waste such a stunning moment fumbling with my phone.
I'm still trying to figure out my best transit path/timing (traffic in South Lake Union is hellish) but the lake hasn't been super-busy, so in general Monday night looks like a good time to go.
Monday Night Paddling. it might be a thing.
*the underside was painted with a local tv station's colors; for all i know we could have been b-roll on Evening Magazine.
Monday, it was sparking clear and hot but not too hot. it was the second Monday in a row that i went kayaking on Lake Union; hopefully that will get to be a really regular thing before it gets icky outside. we're busing in, renting, and busing out. perfect urban adventure.
last week was windy and there was a lot of chop; they gave
philotera and i rec kayaks (i think they were Rip 12s) that were okaaay. we struggled to travel up the east side of the lake. it was nice to look at the houseboats but any time i stopped paddling the wind blew me all over the place.this week, we went again (with the welcome addition of Sailor J) and both
philotera and Sailor J brought their carbon fiber paddles along. i'm not saying that definitely changed things, but this time we got real sea kayaks with rudders. (now that i know there are choices, i will express a preference.) based on our prior experience, we nosed around the calm south end of the lake and up the west side past the float planes and up to the working boat moorage at the north end, then a long diagonal back to the the rental dock.( more about the trip, with pictures )
i think my favorite bit was on the way back to the dock, when we were directly below the flight path of a float plane that had just taken off. it was breathtaking.* i am sad that i don't have a picture, but glad that i didn't waste such a stunning moment fumbling with my phone.
I'm still trying to figure out my best transit path/timing (traffic in South Lake Union is hellish) but the lake hasn't been super-busy, so in general Monday night looks like a good time to go.
Monday Night Paddling. it might be a thing.
*the underside was painted with a local tv station's colors; for all i know we could have been b-roll on Evening Magazine.
i've been longing to be on/in/near water recently. i live within a few minutes' walk of a public launch and i see people out enjoying the water, coming and going, literally walking from their house towing their kayak on little wheels. waaaaant.
after chatting withphilotera (who has been kayaking for a few years now), i signed up for a kayak class to not-so-metaphorically get my feet wet. i was looking to get some paddling technique training, and see how it all felt vs canoeing. would being so low in the water be scary? would my legs go to sleep? would the paddling exhaust me?
oh, i liked it. pretty much all of it.
( about the class )
at the end of it all, i came home and realized that i had lived for years near a lazy river (and while growing up near fast-flowing but not-rough creeks) and could have been paddling nearly year-round. where i grew up, the word kayak meant whitewater and helmets and eskimo rolls.* oh well.
my legs did not go to sleep. nor was i crippled with pain the next day, although i definitely felt the work in my abs and i had a little sunburn on the backs of my shoulders.
i'm dreaming of boat-in camping now. but that means getting C on board. (and probably going without Leela, which makes me sad...okay, i was trying to figure out if she could sit between my legs as long as i skipped a spray skirt.)
*and perhaps if i had grown up here i would have thought of kayaking as waves and drysuits and hypothermia, rather than puttering about in a lake.
after chatting with
philotera (who has been kayaking for a few years now), i signed up for a kayak class to not-so-metaphorically get my feet wet. i was looking to get some paddling technique training, and see how it all felt vs canoeing. would being so low in the water be scary? would my legs go to sleep? would the paddling exhaust me?oh, i liked it. pretty much all of it.
( about the class )
at the end of it all, i came home and realized that i had lived for years near a lazy river (and while growing up near fast-flowing but not-rough creeks) and could have been paddling nearly year-round. where i grew up, the word kayak meant whitewater and helmets and eskimo rolls.* oh well.
my legs did not go to sleep. nor was i crippled with pain the next day, although i definitely felt the work in my abs and i had a little sunburn on the backs of my shoulders.
i'm dreaming of boat-in camping now. but that means getting C on board. (and probably going without Leela, which makes me sad...okay, i was trying to figure out if she could sit between my legs as long as i skipped a spray skirt.)
*and perhaps if i had grown up here i would have thought of kayaking as waves and drysuits and hypothermia, rather than puttering about in a lake.
