Here are 3 of the most spoiled children in the world. Kids, bless them. The furry one still lives at home and shows no signs of getting work and moving out. It's okay, he runs the place any way.
The smiley one on your left lives away and soon will be moving to Illinois. She and Lady Linda are busy planning her October wedding (can you say bankruptcy...but I digress). She does fine, but she sometimes visits and brings two more fur balls with her when she does.
It's the one on the right that is my main concern...and why I've been up all night. She's the one in Ohio, and she's in the hospital...with her husband at her side. If the doctor does his/her thing and all goes well, I will be a grandpa before this day is over. How cool is that?
Paddle safe...
DS
There is an old joke in which you are given a scenario in which you arrive home to find you have left the bath water running and the stopper in the drain. The house is flooded to knee level, and you are asked to choose between two actions. You can either pull out the plug or run around and open all the doors to let the water out. It is, of course, a trick question since your first action should be to turn off the water. That is, stop the cause before applying the cures.
It has, it appears, finally dawned on some folks (environmental groups) that the house (environment) is flooded with water (pollutants and life forms) and that we ought to turn off the tap. In this case, the house is our Great Lakes and the tap is the St. Lawrence Seaway. It is, it seems, ballast water from the bowels of ocean going ships that has brought so much havoc to our area. The Zebra Mussels are one of their "gifts.
Now, it remains to be seen if we are up to taking this medication and whether or not our Neighbors to the north will agree (Canada has a similar investment in all this). Meanwhile, shipping companies are telling us that they would welcome laws mandating treatment of their bilge water...if only they all had to do it. That is, I can't do it if he doesn't because it would put me at a financial disadvantage.
If someone doesn't do something soon, we will have to replace our dry suits with Haz Med suits in our basic paddling kit. It is getting harder and harder to...
Paddle safe...
DS
Anyway, I thought of this as I came ashore from yesterday's paddle on Lake Michigan and discovered one family feeding junk food to another...six feet from the "Do not feed the wild birds" sign. At least that wasn't fear based.
Congratulations to Sherri Mertz for another well run Paddle Fest. Sherri, a well known paddler and instructor around the Milwaukee area, is the force behind this annual project. It consists of a big sale in the main store, seminars, a film festival and demo boats that attract the largest contingent of arm-paddlers ever assembled. 
Safety boats were manned through out the test paddle period by smartly dressed and handsome young-at-heart men.
Now, on to the Symposiums (and, I didn't digress...even once).
Garbage!
To me, force requires strength. So, a stronger person can generate more force than a weaker one. Translated into sports (like paddling and, especially, Judo), stronger individuals often do well at the beginning because they can use their force (strength) to over come poor technique. Heck, any stroke if applied with enough force will get a boat moving (maybe not well, but moving...but I digress).
As one acquires wisdom and technique, they learn to apply a minimum amount of force with a maximum amount of efficiency and technique. The results is something awesome and, well, powerful. When carried to the ideal, no amount of force can overcome full blown power.
In judo, if you can generate the force of 10 and I can only generate 5, I am going to lose to a head to head show of force. If, on the other hand, you push with your 10 and I pull with my 5, I will generate a power of 15 against which you will be helpless. So it is with paddling, so it is with life.
I often see people trying to force their way through life in an effort to fill a mold of someone else's design (pleasers). How sad. This only serves to bleed off their power which lies in following their true calling. On a more mundane level, I see paddlers who actually think that it is the force of the paddle on the water that rolls a boat when, in fact, the paddle has very little to do with coming upright. In fact, as I tell them, a look at the physics involved will quickly tell you that it is not possible to roll up.
The power comes in relaxing and, while upside down, falling upside down-up. Or to put it simply, let the boat roll under you and pick you up. That's power and requires little force.
As I tell my Judo and kayak students, alike, if you are working hard you are doing it wrong.
Paddle safe...
DS
Silbs' first law of weather forecasts is to ignore them. Like stockbrokers, climatologist/meteorologists are wonderful at telling you why something happened...after it happens. As far as predicting events goes, they don't do so well. In spite of all their fancy radars and soft ware programs, most of their "forecasts" would be more accurate if they just used common sense. Around here, that means getting a clear view of the north western sky.
I've always believed that they predict the worst case scenario so as not to bring on our wrath should a good day go bad. In doing so, however, they threaten to reduce the paddling days around here to about 10% of what they should be (I know, I've written about this before...but I digress).
The photo above was taken yesterday around noon,on the Milwaukee River, just north of Mequon during the storms that were predicted, pushed back and never happened. I wasn't going to paddle for fear of being caught out in it, then remembered the many times I'd needlessly canceled going sailing over the years based on one of these BS predictions. Oh, by the way, there was nothing...nothing...on radar to our west when I shoved off.
Paddle safe...
DS
I swear, it's for the anatomy and physiology course I teach.
I've shown you this picture before. It tells you which fish in the Milwaukee River should not be eaten or eaten only in limited amounts. The river, it seems, has been polluted with all sorts of industrial and agricultural stuffs. Turns out, there was even a refinery not far from my house, and one arm of the river is filthy with PCB's. The same is true, to a lesser degree, of Lake Michigan. The belly fat of the large Coho Salmon are noted to be full of PCB's and other stuff as well. Pregnant women are advised not to eat fish from the lake. In my medical (and humble) opinion, only someone with a death wish or a desire to work in a side show at a carnival would eat anything that has lived in the local waters.
Some of our problems stem from foreign life being brought in by ballast water pumped from trans oceanic ships. Now, there is talk of closing the seaway into the Great Lakes to avoid future disasters. This after the introduction of the Zebra Muscle. This little fellow eats up the particulate matter in the water and has, in fact, made the water of Lake Michigan clearer than it has been in years. Turns out it is too clear. The sun can now penetrate further down into the water which has resulted in an over growth of some "plant" life. In addition, the little muscles seem to like to populate intake pipes and have reeked havoc by plugging some of them up.
Well, in case we thought there would be nothing to worry about, along comes this headline in the local rag:
I won't even go into the Asian Carp that are huge and have no natural predators and are working their way towards us as I write. Is this going to end up the way it did when the lake was infested with the Lamprey Eels? Back then, all the streams were poisoned, and the eels killed off. Of course, so were the lake trout. That's why the Coho were introduced (and fostered a sports fishing industry here...but I digress). Maybe next time, we can introduce Puff The Magic Dragon. It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature.
Paddle safe...
DS
Among the fine pleasures I had at Canoecopia this year was the opportunity to meet and talk with Wayne Horodowich of the University of Sea Kayaking (USK). Many of you will be familiar with their DVD series on most of the things that most of us sea kayakers want to learn and know. Much of what you see on these presentations is narrated by Wayne.
The first thing that impressed me when I saw him on a DVD and, again, in person, was his size. Well over 6 feet, I'd watch as he folded himself into a cockpit and effortlessly demonstrated strokes and rescues. When he spoke, however, he was concise and deliberate and, yes, soft spoken. A good teacher.
Recognizing him at the show, I introduced myself and immediately used his friendliness and the opportunity to pick his brains on some of his rescue techniques. And, it turns out, they are techniques, not applications of the brute strength I suspect Wayne possesses. He was generous with his time and accommodating when I asked him and his lady to pose for a picture. My only disappointment was that I didn't get a better quality shot. I hope they (and I) are there in 2008.
Paddle safe...
DS
First time in years, but I have a head cold. Some invisible, microscopic virus has turned me into a very efficient snot machine. Buy stock in Kleenex. Maybe now I will shed those 10 pounds I've been trying to lose. Meanwhile, I have a great raspy voice that would go over big on radio.
Gave a private lesson yesterday, and what a joy. Teaching is my passion, and a coordinated, quick learning student is heaven. Andy is a physical therapist with a PhD. in engineering. Enough said?
Derrick has arrived safely in the Mother Land and reports that he is "hanging out". I swear, his words. I suspect an arrest will take place soon :)
It is official, spring has been reported as being over due and missing. It is cloudy and drizzling. I wore a dry suit for the lesson yesterday and was quite comfortable doing the rescues. The first week in May is almost gone and the only thing that has happened on schedule is the dance around the May pole (don't they do that in Russia?)
The Shadow goes with me (and JB) to Madison tomorrow where I plan to leave it for sale on consignment. It is like letting go of a family member as it was my first boat.
Now, I have to go and ponder whether I take some whiskey to fight the cold and raise my HDl cholesterol or I keep all of my cerebral cortex from shrinking faster than it already is.
Paddle safe...
DS
There is actually little to say. The headline in our daily rag, yesterday, says it all. All those brewskies being downed after a hard day (usually two hours...but I digress) on the water have been quietly taking their toll. This explains not only the mysterious enlarging of our helmets but some of the behavior seen on the water (and in blogs).
One has to wonder how this new information will change the sociological reference's now in use. Having a big head, for instance, may actually mean one is devoid of OH radicals in the blood stream. If this all generates enough fear, being called hung over will only refer to the stomach over the belt phenomena (the so-called Milwaukee tumor) evident in non-exercisers. Finally, one has to wonder if, by serendipity, we've finally unlocked the mysteries of the head hunters and how they shrunk those heads. All in all, not a bad way to go.
So, next time your paddling partner can't seem to remember port-left, starboard-right; or if they start low bracing with the power face of the blade; or if they pack that metal pot in the forward hatch right under the compass; just get out the tape measure and see if their hat size has shrunk.
Paddle safe...
DS
Maybe it's due to the way I was raised. My mother was born in Russia (came here at age 8...but I digress) and neither parent went beyond high school. It was made clear to me that my job was to get an education, and it was clear that teachers were high up in the pecking order of respect. To this day, I hold in high esteem all who have taught me. To this day, my passion is to teach. So, I was honored when JB asked me to do the local REI demo out at Pewaukee lake last Saturday (JB, of course, was busy doing...what else...teaching an IDW).
The interest in learning was amazing, and the questions were excellent as folks of all ages gathered for what was, for most of them, their first paddling experience. What kind of boat do I get? (One that tracks well,turns and rolls easily and costs under $100). What is that funny thing (a Greenland stick)? What is the difference between a sea kayak and a recreational one? (About $1000).What is the meaning of life? (You get that in the advanced course).
Interested students and good questions are a wonderful stimulus for any teacher. I was pumped (but cool and sophisticated...it's a gift). I even pulled on a neoprene hood and did some sculling and rolling for the group. I only hope that they got as much from encounter as did I.
Paddle safe...
DS
