Sold my Sirocco and bought, drum roll please, an NDK Romany Surf!

I say that with an exclamation as I am really excited by the boat. Some pictures...

Out with friends Friday 5-2-14. Credit R Dennis Green

Kat in her n-used NDK Explorer, Becky, and myself. Credit R Dennis Green

House shopping from the water. This is the one! On Massey Creek Fairfax County, VA. Credit R Dennis Green

Just for comparison: My Surf is supposed to be 16' 3" and Kat's Explorer 17' 8". While the size difference looks obvious in this photo it eluded us in person. I think the Explorer was trying to bamboozle us into thinking "she" was fun-sized, rather than the stately lady "she" is. One can also see the difference in the key hole cockpit size. While I find the entrance to my Surf roomy, the Explorer is more cozy, aka, tight getting in and out.

Here the silky slack waters at high tide beckon us out from Leesylvania to cross to Mattawoman Creek. Once there we practiced bracing and turns. James's CD Gulfstream is still pretty new to him as he doesn't get out as often as I do.

Charmed by the new boat

Selfie 5-3-14

James tried out the Surf and declared the seat more comfortable, and cockpit more roomy, than his Gulfstream. This, despite the fact that the Gulfstream is a full two inches wider (23.75") than the Surf (21.75"). I believe the issue with the Gulfie is the plastic stabilizers that run from the cockpit coaming down to the seat at the hip area. While my CD Solstice GTS has the same kind of arrangement, it is not tight while the Gulfstream is. As a matter of fact I cannot sit in the Gulfstream for more than a handful of minutes before I am threatened with severe hip pain. My hips are crap, that's a given, but I find it odd the seat area is so tight when my Solstice is not.

Why so serious? He says, "Meh, my Gulfstream turns more easily." He and I never agree on boats. This is good as we will likely never share a boat. This is bad for the same reason. We will eventually run out of room.

I hope my CD Sirocco suits her new owner better than me. She was just too big. The gal who bought her found she fit just right. Every one deserves some new boat joy!

I am awake and a bit afraid

I wrote this post during the night some time ago when I couldn't sleep. It's sat around in the queue for some few weeks. I am not sure if it sounds wimpy or whiny. But I finally decided I would post it. Yeah, I am engaged in a battle to be healthy. I do not want to be taking handfuls of pills for the rest of my life. Palliating my problems with medications only masks the symptoms, not cures the underlying problem.

So here it is, almost the "full Monty," the details of what haunts my nights:

I wake up in pain and having weird tremors and other symptoms fairly regularly. Sometimes I lay awake for hours with sheets of fire running down my arms.

Bad shit has been going down for years but I never really have had the opportunity to talk about it. The broken neck, hysterectomy, and hip surgeries were just incidental to a well-worn body of a woman, mother, and stick fighter. It's the creeping neurological symptoms that terrify me. I don't need sympathy, because I'm pretty tough, but finding myself accepted by the ladies in my old reenactment unit was heart-warming. Sometimes I need shelter.

My bad stuff, you don't have to read further but I feel the need to say it:

My original symptoms started with my colon and bladder. They were getting mixed signals, and eventually my colon just stopped doing its job. It doesn't receive signals from my nervous system anymore. I'll spare you the details. My bladder is still getting signals but they are crazy mixed up. These two issues resulted in a massive tear in the tissue between my colon and vagina. The side of my colon fell through my vagina and... I can draw you a diagram in person if you are that interested. Of course, my coworkers were so interested, right after the doctors diagnosed the rectocele, there I was in the treatment area drawing diagrams for them on the white board. Veterinary people are a funny breed.

Oh, and jokes on me: the mesh they used to repair the tear is the one that's been recalled. My surgeon still won't give me my records. I'm sure he is fearing a lawsuit but in his favor, I have other worries.

Sometimes, like right now, I am scared. My newest symptoms relate to my ability to talk. I will have trouble talking suddenly, episodes that last 30 minutes or so. These are typically preceded by distinct paresthesis in my tongue. Knowing I am waiting until December to see my neurologist is just ramping up my anxiety.

(Update: Amazing to me but the "wait list" paid off in my neurologist's office and I got a call one evening for a mid-day opening the next day. Great luck! Turns out my doctor thinks the "marble mouth" thing is caused by nerve entrapment, possibly scar tissue from either the broken neck or the surgery to fuse and plate the neck. Ah. Okay, now I have a forming plan to go back to Dr Chow, my sports chiropractor, and see if we can do Active Release Therapy on my shoulders and neck. Maybe I can get this one thing fixed. And so now I find myself less afraid, better armed against this new enemy.)

Hey, I can type and I can paddle, and paint. At least for now. I have already lost some ability to do fine detail on my paintings so my style is evolving to "Impressionism." No one needs to know it's because I can't do the detailing anymore. I have thought of drafting my son to do some detailing for me. It's worth revisiting if he ever recovers from his own problems. And I might regain some abilities that were lost. It seems nothing is certain and I have no firm diagnosis. Peripheral neuropathy, interstitial cystitis, dis-functional colon, foot dropsy (don't remember the correct term), degenerative disc disease... maybe there won't ever be one name or over all diagnosis. (Update, I got a new one to add to the list: Myofacial Pain Syndrome. In reading up on it I understand it is more of a symptom than a disease in and of itself. I think, in the end, that my body makes a lot of scar tissue anytime it is challenged with a physical assault. Unfortunately the scar tissue can be a problem in and of itself.)

And here I am today. Editing photos and blogging and wishing I was paddling instead. See, sh*t ain't so bad!

Canes as fashion accessories

I need a cane. I can't walk very well anymore. This is a tragedy. Ok, a personal tragedy, not like an-epic-tsunami-that-ate-Japan-tragedy, more like a well-this-sucks tragedy. It's no big deal to anyone except myself, maybe my family, and on a more limited basis, my co-workers and clients.

Luckily, I don't think it will affect my kayaking friends at all. They don't give a damn whether I can walk as long as I can paddle, and perform an adequate self-rescue. And of course, lift a beer at the end of the day. They won't help me with that. We are a self-sufficient crowd when it comes to consumables.

I can still get my boats out of the garage and on to my newly christened "handicapped accessible Thule Hullavator" installed on my Outback. I can still walk a few steps with my boat. So I can still paddle, which is of the most importance for my quality of life. Because, let's be honest, when I can't paddle anymore I am hanging this crap up.

Walking any distance early in the morning, is possible. I typically walk with my dogs a couple of miles near dawn. Towards the end of the second mile I begin to limp. By noon I can barely walk down the hall at the clinic to the staff area in the back of the facility. Both my hips are uncooperative. Lately both legs are just in knots, like cramps but less painful, really stiff.

I am seeing a chiropractor my orthopedic surgeon recommended. He is trying myofacial release from my knees through the hip areas. It's really painful, and I wasn't really seeing any improvement until this week. This week on Wednesday I felt great, before my appointment. After my appointment, maybe less so. And then I missed my Friday appointment. It's getting hard to drive an hour, get an hour long treatment and then drive an hour back, three times a week. I think I'm going to scale back to just Mondays and Fridays.

When I saw my surgeon on Monday, after another session with the "mangler," he said my hips had the best rotation they've had since he's been caring for me (over a year). Man, I have two different dudes regularly groping me in the hip area, and both are swell to look at, might I add. And then I get home and am too exhausted to function, aka: take care of the hubby. Sad.

So I ordered my first cane. Hopefully not one of a series. But if I do need more than one I am getting this one next: http://www.fashionablecanes.com/3456.html
Don't worry, it's work safe and all. Just a carbon fiber cane with FLAMES!!! Did I say that with enough emphasis? FLAMES MOFOS!! Because it's so hot it's on fire! Yeah. Plus, it folds so it will be easy to store on the deck of my boat. I think I'll make a little padded bag for it to protect it if I flip and have to slide the boat over my buddy's deck to dump the water before I slither back in. Also, I think it will be fun at work. I can accidentally crush coworkers' toes with it. Oops, did I say that out loud? Yeah.

Let me leave you with some recent photos:

Water lily on the Mattawoman

Cool little catamaran leaving the canal in Avon NC

My Kona Bee

Kat on the Mattawoman

Spring forward, and I will!

I have climbed the last surgical hump. I put my great fears aside and went for the pelvic organ surgery to deal with the bit of mesh, or suture, that had been causing me such pain and misery for the last year. Today. And now, a week of bed rest more or less, and I will finish PT for my hips and I'm free.

Release me into the world! I'm ready for the spring's muddy trails. (note to self-get new rims on the Tri-Cross) And the rivers all around the DC area are calling me on to the water.

This year I start the year with a full quiver of boats well matched to my needs and abilities: A Wilderness Tsunami 120 for those playful days in the shallow rivers with rocks, and branches; my beloved Current Designs Solstice GTS for those long days on the bigger waters, rivers, bays, sounds, and long point-to-point paddles; and my new Necky Elias, perfect for playing in surf, moving between rocks, and navigating some of the closer waterways in the area.

Each boat has its pros and cons. I have considered selling the Tsunami. I am interested in taking some white water classes this year and could be talked into getting a more appropriate river boat. There's only room for three so the Tsunami would be the logical boat to sell. I am supremely confident in the boat. Its primary stability, large cockpit, and thick poly layup make it practical and practically indestructible. It makes a great loaner for visiting friends and family. It's also the heaviest boat I own pretty much guaranteeing that I can't get it out of the garage by myself. And being a shorter wider boat means I pay a hefty price when out with the big boats.

The Solstice, well, I could sing its praises all day. Its beauty, incredibly fine finish, and very comfy fit make it ideal for me. It's light enough for me to move in and out of the garage by myself and with the help of the Thule Hullivator it's no struggle to load it on the Subie and take off. Its composite glass/kevlar layup has held up very well to 6 months of non-stop paddling. I'm in boat-love. It's also, true to Greenland style, tricky in choppy water with swirling currents. I busted plenty of sweat in Cobscook Bay in Maine last June. I wasn't yet fully familiar with the boat, mostly my own fault. By the end of the paddling season, when the doctor kicked me out of my boats and off my bike, I had come to a sure place with it. My comfort zone had expanded. But much like with my female Aussie pup, I can never fully let my guard down. Or I will find out why "they" say : a sea kayak is a long, thin, elegant paddle-driven boat with a cockpit on the underside.

My Necky Elias, well, just one paddle old is a charming poly boat with a ton of rocker. It will turn with just the paddler's turn of the hips. Its plastic layup is thinner than the Tsunami, but this means it's lighter. Again a boat that I can get to the water without help. There's a lot to like about it. Its down side is simply that on a long paddle, point to point, the rudder is a necessity to reduce fatigue piled on by the need to correct its course. I'm good with that. Not a big issue. I was already used to the Eliza having the exact same characteristics and I got an entire year of paddling, a whole twelve months, before I sold it.

I am not a prayer, I don't have any belief that the universe operates that way. But I am thankful to whatever mechanisms operate this complex bio-physical machine we inhabit. I've been handed some very tough lessons and had my down-and-outs. But I am also lucky, very very lucky. For my lessons, my growth, and my happiness and joy, for this I am grateful. Good night mates, see you on the water soon!

Our club getting ready to clean up a little local lake called Lake Accotink in April 2012. Catching the trash here means less trash flowing into the Potomac. That's me on the far right in the white hat.

A Full Moon paddle on the Potomac near Old Town Alexandria. What a gorgeous night!

Oh yeah, the pleasurable feeling of nearly spring

Mid-February here and I have that spring feeling going on. Wild birds start screaming outside my window in the big cedar tree about 5 am. This leads to a last hour of uneasy sleep punctuated by odd wild life dreams. When I wake up my first thought is either "I need to get new rims" on my 'cross bike or "is it too cold to kayak?"

There are a few hardy souls paddling right now. Some claim to go out daily, or nearly. Hardy fellows. The husband and myself, we feel like it might be necessary to paddle this time of year if we had to leave our island of warmth for supplies or maybe if we were running from suburban zombies. But aside from those two instances, we really don't venture on to the water much this time of year.

We have wet suits, booties, hats, gloves... Not really a lack of equipment, more a lack of desire. Plus, the pros recommend you "swim" your equipment before each paddle. Now, if I bought a dry suit, and I might, then I wouldn't mind venturing into the water before paddling. But I have to say, NAY, I am not interested in soaking my wet suit etc, and then paddling on the windy river for a few hours. Utter lack of interest here.

Oh, and then the self rescue. Essentially, for my equipment to be valid I need to practice rescues in it, under the conditions I would be using it for. Mmmm, hypothermia here I come. Oh so sexy all that shivering. But that's the point. You want to figure out if your kit will prevent hypothermia or not. And whether you can get back into your boat with all that movement-stifling-gear on. I suspect the answer for me would be "NAY."

I'd hate to put the husband on the spot. You know, that place where he's doing the "Hand of God" rescue on me and then towing my unhappy self back to land because I am too shivery (or whatever) to take care of myself. So I will likely not see the water until April or so. Once the water hits 50 I have much more confidence in my wet suit etc. Also, I need less gear overall.

Don't get me wrong, I admire the guys that ARE paddling in the weather. I just know better than to place myself, and potentially others, in a place were I am less than confident.

So this is the place I find myself: I had the second hip surgery. I potentially pushed hip replacement back 10, 20, forever, years. BEST DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE. One of the worst decisions, tearing the hip sockets in January 2012 and putting off seeing a surgeon until August because I didn't want to lose the whole season recovering. Stupid stupid stupid. I caused lingering damage waiting, now have arthritis in the right hip I didn't have before and created all this inflammatory tissue. Dumb.

I figured out as I rehabbed from the left hip, working the still-torn right hip in rehab, that I could be in a better place for the second surgery. And it worked. Now, the second surgery is 9 days post and I am walking normally, no limp no sh*t!!! Yeah, I still have some post-surgical pain and am banned from real biking for the next month at least. But I got my walk back. I am so stunningly happy with the outcome. This surgeon, his whole career is dedicated to hips, he must have amazing job satisfaction. Labral tears and their treatment is a fairly new in medicine. The smart guys think the tears were always there in patients who had hip pain and couldn't walk. But before, they couldn't see them and didn't even know they were there. If cortisone injections didn't help next potential step was hip replacement. Now the specialist goes in laproscopically and cleans up the place. Wow.

So cheers! Spring is around the corner. Rise and stretch, the time for movement and big things is almost here. And I'll be ready.

More surgery. Yay.

Talked to the surgeon, that's that, my right labrum has a full-thickness tear. It's as shredded as the other was before surgery. I also picked up a good case of bilateral bursitis as well, just to mix things up. No wonder nothing feels right down there. More surgery. Great. Can you hear the lack of enthusiasm just dripping?

As you might imagine, I am having a really tough time holding it together now. Things like paddling trips and bike rides are high points in an otherwise miserable pain-soaked existence. I am even having a hard time finding funny cat memes to post on my employer's facebook page, which I maintain as part of my job. I think my sense of humor crawled out back and died. It's rotting away in the mulch pile with the summer grass clippings as I type.

None the less, I am digging around for something funny to say. Oh, hey! The Lorax quit drinking around Christmas. He hasn't slept well in years and I swear a couple of drinks will give me insomnia. So he stopped and actually started sleeping better. Anyway, we were at our outdoor club's happy hour and he told the waitress not to bring him a beer. So she didn't. Later he ordered one and she said "oh, have you quit quitting already?" with a big smile. And it was funny. Yeah, okay, that was a stretch. Maybe I'll come up with something funny later.

OMFG, what other medical horrors are hiding around the corner?

Have you seen those scary lawyer commercials? The dreadful ones that go something like "have you or your loved one been a victim of pelvic surgery using vaginal mesh," aka "been eaten alive by the mesh monster?" I feel distinctly as though I am going to toss my cookies every time I see one. Not only are they creepy ads themselves but I can identify with the "victims."

Every doctor who ever used mesh on a woman's pelvis is probably living under a big dark cloud, waiting for the subpenas to roll in. Ack. I do feel bad for the doctors. My GP/Internal Med doctor said the other day,"yeah, we used to think silicone breast implants were a good idea, too." And medical knowledge marches on.

I do and don't have problems such as those mentioned in the scary ads. I can say that short of dying from the mesh, I won't be likely to join in the frenzy of suing. It's a waste of my time, energy, and good karma. I want to have whatever issues arise repaired and simply move on. I recognize this isn't always possible but that's my plan.

Moving right along, I haven't kayaked recently but generally the Lorax and I put our paddling stuff away in the cold weather. We break out the bikes and hiking stuff and plan other kinds of adventure. I don't live and breathe paddling like some of my club buddies. I like to think of myself as generally well-rounded. (or generally round, one or the other, maybe both.)

So biking, yes! My second and sometimes most favorite activity. I especially love the mud and speed.

The most important thing about biking in the cold is wearing the right amount of layers. Not too hot, not too cold, the Goldilocks middle. Over the years I have found that dedicated bike clothing isn't mostly necessary. Hiking or other athletic stuff translates fine. Wicking really is good, wet sweaty cotton in the cold really can be bad.

In my experience one of the most useful items is: a fleece neck gaiter. If you don't have one and live north of Georgia, get one. They are cheap and ever useful. I usually start any ride below 45 degrees with a gaiter on. I can pull it up on to my chin or all the way over my nose depending on the wind/cold. It also blocks the warm air from escaping from my jacket collar and also keeps my neck itself warm. Above 50 degrees I don't need it. Sometimes I start the ride with it on and pull it off halfway through. It's a small item and easy to stash in a pocket somewhere. It can be used as a hat, ear warmer, bandana, snot rag, no-okay-not the last one, it doesn't absorb snot very well. Anyway, yay for the neck gaiter.

I also own wind pants. Besides my shoes and helmet this is the other piece of "bike costume" that works well, is functional, and kind of necessary. I don't dig tight bike gear (see the round comment above). Looking like a brightly colored Lycra sausage is not appealing. As a matter of fact, the very thought is enough to make me park my bike back in the garage. But the wind pants are a great item. I prefer the REI brand, I have owned two pairs so far over the last 5 years and generally they are superior because a) they are black and b) they are not form fitting; roomy but not baggy, just right. And they do stop the wind. For example it was 34 degrees and had steady 10-15 mph winds yesterday, but with the wind pants and a layer of light weight tights underneath my legs were toasty.

Did I mention wool socks? Those are good too. Again I don't generally own "biking socks," but instead shorter mid-weight wool hiking socks. I dig the Smart Wool ones. Very toasty and durable.

Specifically biking stuff I do own? I have a Bell Metro helmet that has some cool attachments such as a rain/wind cover and ear flaps. During the winter I leave the wind cover on it. I have a pair of older Specialized Tahoe shoes that are one European size bigger than I usually wear, to accommodate the wool socks. And that's about it. Everything else I bike in I can use for some other pursuit, like hiking or paddling. Even the gloves are used for paddling.

So I am recovering nicely from the first hip surgery. I may need a second hip surgery, but I am popping off the physical therapy exercises, eating right, getting exercise, and generally doing well. I know I am doing well when I can bike 10 miles 2 days in a row now. A small achievement but huge in comparison to where I was two months ago. This other problem will be dealt with in due time, and I am not letting it concern me, too much. I am back to practicing yoga 3 to 4 times a week. Between the yoga (critical) and the biking (varied with walking) I think my progress is satisfactory.

The New Year will start in a week and I am ready to put this year behind me. I will be putting my "best foot forward."

I have surprised myself

I am actually glad that I had the labral tear fixed. I have had many days since the surgery where I can mostly walk well. It has been less than thirty days and the benefits of the surgery are obvious. For example: I can get out of my office chair and walk like the biped I am! Before it was an ordeal just to get out of my office chair and navigate the obstacles in my office.

People take this walking shit way too casually. Sure, it's something you do every day and you pay absolutely no mind to it. Until you can't walk, then the shit hits the proverbial fan I say! Yeah, I can see you are impressed. Try not being able to move because it felt like your butt tendons are tied too tight. Say, try that for about a year. Then, magically, some thing loosens said bun strings and voila! you can walk.

Now I am in physical therapy twice a week and the therapist I got this time was a lucky draw. He's great! Say that like Tony the Tiger! He stretches my hips and pelvis out (sounds dirty but it ain't) every visit and has begun adding balancing and strength exercises to my home practice.

At the same time as I was lame, my puppy went lame as well. She is only 14 months old but has barely been able to use her front leg now for 4 months. That's nearly 1/3 of her life. So my limp has nothing on hers. It's all very mysterious, this limp. We found a jagged hole in the third metatarsal of the lame leg. We have run every test possible on this dog, short of anesthetizing her and sending her into the MRI tube. During these four months the foot has occasionally developed an abscess between the affected and adjoining toes. Last week we sedated her, flushed out the abscess and x-rayed the leg again. No real improvement. In desperation, I finally asked my cats's homeopathic vet for a "Hail Mary" remedy. Can't hurt, might help.

The homeopath also asked me to re-evaluate what I am feeding my dogs. She suggested substituting 50% of their commercial diet with real home cooked food. First up, they started getting scrambled eggs and spinach for dinner. This weekend I will be making my first people-edible happy-dog stew. My husband loves beef stew. I myself don't care much for it. The husband says he will eat all of the stew himself before the dogs even get a bite. I am cooking a gallon or more, so he has his work cut out for him.

Soon I will be able to bike and hike again. Soon I will be able to paddle. Soon I hope my Kona Bean will be able to ramble on long walks with me (my favorite!) But for right now I will spend my time reading, crafting, researching, and cooking. It is really no surprise I have gained 15 pounds and she has gained 5. We will lose it together when we are healed. Finger crossed!

Maybe I will paddle this weekend?

Eerily, it turns out there are people looking at my blog? Nah, robots. Robots ate my baby? No wait, dingos, dingos ate my baby? It's too late at night to edit my blog, apparently.

Returning to the question of robots: How did that happen? And why? When I saw my stats going up I thought maybe real live humans were looking at the thing. But it is not to be. Which is probably ok as I really am fine thinking about this thing hanging in cyber space unread. But since I am already asking questions: Maybe I can put the racks back on my Subaru? Maybe my hip will let me sit in my boat for a few hours? This is my online inner monologue.

I buckled down and had the hip surgitated two weeks ago. Operated on, that is. The surgeon told me afterwards that the joint was packed with inflammatory tissue. He cut sanded vacuumed the whole mess out. No idea if it fixed my problem.

The weekend before the surgery I bolted out the door with some die-hard club members to go for a late-season paddle on the Patuxent at Jug Bay. I hadn't taken my new boat out yet and was really climbing the walls after six weeks off the water. I was glad to get out. The Elias turns with maybe two sweeps of the paddle and a push on the rudder. Fancy. But I have trouble saying the word "Elias" and just call it the Eli, easier that way.

Did I mention we ran into some paddle boarders? This I do not get. Balancing = good, balancing for hours when the water is cold = not so good. At least in  my mind. Plus I am skeptical of anything that's being labeled a "craze."

I dressed for the water temp, like a good paddler who's listened to her gnarly boat elders. In the photo above you'll note the fellow beside my husband is sleeveless. He's a good chap, very congenial. But always sleeveless. He came up in conversation at Happy Hour the other day as well. Someone said they think he is "genetically sleeveless" as no one can ever remember seeing this fellow in sleeves of any kind while on the water.

Any way, back to the Eli: That's me in it above. The boat is a really nice paddle, like its sister the Eliza. It paddles and handles exactly the same way so I am liking it a lot. Amazing what raising he front deck two inches and going from 1.2 to 1.4 in volume will do. Both my sea kayaks are 1.4's now so I can use the same skirts with them.

However, my hip hurt so bad while paddling that I literally wanted to claw my way out of the boat. And I couldn't stand up on my own when we stopped a couple of times. My husband literally had to lift me up. How humiliating. It drove home the point that I should go ahead with the hip surgery.

So now I am fixed. Maybe this Saturday I can paddle. I will let you know.

Fall is almost here

I love the fall, my favorite time of years. Sweaters and pashminas, mmm. I also like gearing up for cold water paddles. The trees from the water are so lovely, and the air so crisp. The water becomes more challenging. The choking water weeds die back too, allowing us to paddle back into the marshlands. Love, heart, fall paddling.

But then, we haven't paddled the last two weekends, we got caught up in real life.

I am not biking right now either. My hip is killing me. The orthopedic surgeon says I need surgery for a labral tear. It is certainly painful but I am not ready to go under the knife again. At this rate, if I let them keep cutting away the malfunctioning parts I will be missing a quarter of my body in 10 years.

So I am seeing a chiropractor instead. I was really dreading the first visit. When I see them on tv cracking and popping joints, I cringe. That stuff isn't good for your joints long term. Don't let anyone tell you different.

This fellow came highly recommended so I took the plunge and went. First visit he sounded like he didn't even want my case. This wasn't a surprise, I am a medical disaster, I get it. Second visit, and I was pleasantly surprised. So far so good. He wants me to change my diet, no problem. I'd cut anything out if it will help.

He said to give it a month. If he can't help me feel more comfortable in a month, then he can't help me. Sounds reasonable. I hate to be hopeful, but am.

The Lorax is tired...

He announced the other day that he "is done with Meetup." He says he will still paddle with me, hike with me, but he is tired of the newbies that show up on our paddles. During the winter he was tired of the young and out of shape hikers that showed up on our hikes. This is the "thing" about Meetup.

If you don't know about Meetup, go find out; especially if you are bored, bike or paddle alone, and wish you had some one to go with. Meetup isn't about dating, or at least it wasn't designed that way. It is about going out in the real world and doing "stuff" with others.

So I have a Meetup group, I am the Organizer, the website is paid for by me and I design most of the outings. This is my third year organizing. I don't mind the newbies at all. Generally, they pay attention and don't show up on tough stuff they shouldn't have gone on in the first place. But once every 3rd or 4th event, we will get someone who didn't read the description all the way, or who just didn't care.

I get that it is a pain in the neck to have to shepherd slow paddlers or hikers. I, myself, have been guilty of showing up on another group's bike ride and been over-matched by the hilly terrain; unprepared. The thing about that ride was there were a few other cyclists who were over baked as well so we were the "red lantern" at the tail end of 40 riders. While I shared my shame with several others, I lived, they lived, the Organizer didn't strangle us because there'd be too many bodies to hide.

My last two events went off great. My friend Kat came out and the three of us paddled the wildlife reserves off Leesylvania State Park two weekends ago. The water was a choppy and filled with big, slapping waves. We had gusts of wind as well. She is a very skilled paddler, and we had a wonderful paddle back in the fingers of marsh land edging the Potomac:

And then Kat, who owns the orange boat in the back ground tried out my boat, in the fore ground:

Mine and Kat's boats on the beach at Leesylvania

   
She didn't enjoy it. The cockpit fits her great but the boat is a tricksy little vixen. My last  sea           kayak, a Necky Eliza, I call my "dragon boat" because it always seemed like she was ready to bite me. It challenged me to rise to a new level as a paddler. I learned to control the boat with my hips and pay much more attention to my body language. I dearly love that boat but its tight cockpit puts pressure on my (old fart) legs, so sadly will part with it soon. I am having a really hard time letting it go. It handles nicely in chop and big water as well as paddling smoothly and tracking cleanly through calm quiet water as well.


  

credit: Kat 2012

Last weekend we paddled the Potomac above the city (WDC). We put in at Algonkian Regional Park. We had paddled past this park numerous times but never put in there before. The boat ramp is wide and shallow, although concrete, which can be tough on boat bottoms. The river is quite filled with non-native flora at this time of year.

We spotted bald eagles, great blue herons, and snowy egrets a plenty. It was a peaceful paddle and we stopped on a pebble beach on an island that has primitive camping spots on it. I snapped the above pic while leaving the island to show the trail through the "sea grass."

We had a brand new paddler show up on his "maiden voyage" with his new boat. This is a good location for a new paddler as the flora keeps the power boats to nearly none and the river is wide and flat here. We all enjoyed ourselves.

So the husband doesn't like Meetup. I still do. Now, if he would just make some outrageous proclamation about it, the whole thing will turn funny. Funny is where it's at!