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Merry Christmas

2009-12-13T14:02:00.002-05:00

Sunset

2009-11-11T23:04:00.002-05:00

The view out the front window.

2009-11-09T00:09:00.004-05:00

Leaves

2009-11-01T23:15:00.004-05:00

Here is a Fall Family Photo. My kids will not stand still for a second.

This is what I did all day. Taken with my camera phone LG enV3.

Paddle in the Rain

2009-10-30T22:50:00.004-05:00

Had a great paddle this morning on a stretch of the upper River Raisin. I joined three guys from the Wolf Pack Kayaking Club. We spotted a car in Manchester, Michigan and then we put in at Sharon Mills park. It took us about two and a half hours to drift to Manchester. Only had a single portage around a big tree that fell into the river, had to duck a few limbs and slide over a few logs, but otherwise the river was pretty clear. I definitely want to do this trip again.

Saturday Morning Paddle

2009-08-06T23:45:00.001-05:00

I am going to be paddling a chain of lakes that are very close to my home
(walking distance with a kayak cart) on Saturday morning the 8th of August. If
anyone would like to meet-up and paddle along, just send me an email to pick a
time. Here is a link to a map of the Michigan Center chain of lakes:
http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=42.22923&lon=-84.29139&zoom=13&q1=7641%20Napole\
\
on%20Rd,%20Jackson%20MI%2049201
(You may have to zoom out.)

The flag with the letter "A" is where I plan to put in and then paddle to the
west toward Center lake. This is a totally unorganized event, and if nobody
wants to go, I will go by myself.

Company Holiday Party

2008-12-13T22:40:00.002-05:00

My wife and I finally got a chance to get out of the house for a couple of hours without the kids. They stayed home with Granny and Papa while we went to the company holiday party.

Louis Ventre a Terre

2008-10-18T13:32:00.002-05:00

Rest in peace old friend.

Ribbit!

2008-10-08T14:21:00.001-05:00

Posie Pictures

2008-08-04T20:21:00.003-05:00

Here is a photo. It's what I have been doing mostly when I can get out.

Maddie and Daddy

2008-07-27T21:36:00.004-05:00

This is a better picture of me. That other pic from the sleep test has been up long enough. I do in fact have sleep apnea, and the new little CPAP machine is working wonders for my sleep as well as my wife's sleep. She says that I no longer snore. Not enough kayaking going on, but lots of other worthwhile times spent with my kids.

Sleep testing doesn't actually involve sleeping.

2008-06-15T20:25:00.004-05:00

(really ugly photo of author deleted)

I may be the poster child for sleep apnea. What a miserable night.

My wife complains that I snore very loudly.

My cardiologist wants to know if it is causing me problems with my heart.

All those little electrodes stuck on my head created little hot spots that started hurting about 4:00am. The CPAP (a little nose mask that provides pressurized air to keep my airway open) started squeezing my head to the point that it felt like it was in a vise. at 5:00am they had enough info that we could stop the test, and I could go home. I was glad to get outta there.

I hate hospitals.

WMCKA

2008-05-26T22:16:00.003-05:00

Just got back and settled in from the West Michigan Coastal Kayaker's Association Symposium. Here is a link to a few of my photos. Above is Derrick, describing how big......something was. Getting late, gotta go, enjoy the photos, I plan to add some in the days to come.

First Time Out

2008-05-06T11:20:00.007-05:00

This season anyway. Last night was perfect paddling weather. I paddled on the little lakes near the house for about an hour and a half. Drifted a lot too, just listening to the geese. Almost had the lake to myself, just a little fishing boat way off to the southwest. Found a tick while I was paddling. The big brown kind, some call em dog ticks or wood ticks, anyway not the little deer ones with lime disease. He hadn't dug in yet, so I flicked him out into the water, fish food I hope. I hate the things, every time I find one, they give me the creepy crawlies for the next day or two. Speaking of itches. Silbs has a good post today. Every time I read about rolling, I get the itch. It always sounds so simple when you read about rolling. Then when you try it, you seem to forget everything that you were thinking was going to work. I have plans to clean up my extended paddle sweep roll at the WMCKA symposium over Memorial weekend. Lots of great talent and knowledge there to draw upon. May have to see if my roll still works this month before I go. It was dependable but ugly the last time I rolled, and it has been awhile. There's that itch again.

Symposium Time

2008-05-01T20:57:00.006-05:00

I made it onto the front page of The West Michigan Coastal Kayaker Association's web page. This is a picture that was taken at the 2006 symposium. I'm the good looking guy in the middle with the blue ball cap and sun glasses. That's Simon Osborne on the right.

I just got the OK from my wife yesterday to go again this year. She was scheduled to work on Sunday night to Monday, but was over-staffed. I don't know how many times I will get to go in the next few years with the little ones under foot, so I am going to make the best of this year. The kids program at this symposium is one of the best, but only for kids between 7 and 12 years of age, so it will be at least six years before Maddie is ready, and seven before Claire is ready. I say under foot with tongue in cheek, I do love my kids and really enjoy spending time with them.

Here is a photo of Maddie and myself on the bike tonight. Finally got the seat, and a helmet that fits, and then some warm temps, so that we could try it out. Now all we need is a small kayak and a short paddle.

Falling Waters Trail

2008-03-15T22:37:00.006-05:00

I got outside on the Big Bad Kona Hoss today for a few hours. I rode a total of nine miles along a new Rails-to-trails project called the Falling Waters Trail in Jackson County, Michigan. Yippie! the snow is melting, the air is warmer, the days are longer....I made it through another long Michigan winter. It's not kayaking, but it was good to get out of the house.

No GORP for you!

2008-03-09T20:51:00.007-05:00

There is only one real way to find out if a kid is allergic to peanuts. Just make sure you have benadryl on hand and several hours available to spend at the local ER. Ah... the joys and terror of being a parent.

The sample next to the "N" (for nuts) is a positive for peanut allergy.

Finally Home

2008-01-06T22:18:00.001-05:00

This is Claire just before we loaded-up to go home. She sure is a lot cuter without all of the wires and tubes.

Ready for her first car ride. It's good to have everybody home together.

Claire Elise

2007-12-31T19:13:00.001-05:00

OK, here is some good news. This is our new baby Claire Elise. She was born 29 December 2007. She is 18.5 inches long, and 6lbs 5oz. She wasn't doing very well inside mommy, so she needed to come out about a month early. Because she was born early, her breathing is not as good as the doctors would like on her own, so she is spending a few days in the NICU on O2. Otherwise, she and mommy are doing great, and we hope to bring Claire home soon.

So turning 40 really sucks.

2007-12-15T14:38:00.000-05:00

I have spent the last three weeks fighting Mononucleosis. The problem, is that until a week ago, we didn't know that. Between visits to the doctor's office and the ER, it took several procedures to eliminate all of the other possibilities, that included Leukemia, Meningitis, and some other long named virus that could put our unborn baby a risk. Oh yeah, and one of my first lab cultures got contaminated first thing, so they though I may have had a staph infection as well, bring on the antibiotics. The good news is that all I have is Mono. That's all that I ever had. I was presenting classic Flu-like symptoms, except that my fevers had been going on for more than ten days and they were getting worse, in the 102-103F range. The only way to rule out Meningitis, is with a spinal tap. I don't ever want another one. It took two different people five tries to finally get it. The average person requires a 3 1/2 " needle for a spinal tap. They had to get a longer one for me. I had eight chest x-rays, four sinus x-rays, and a CT scan. Even when I left the hospital on Monday night, Mono wasn't guaranteed, it was the only thing left. The University of Michigan is probably the best possible place to be for something like this, but it is a learning institution, and I really hate being a guinea pig.

Update: What I really have is Mono's evil twin: Cytomegalovirus. Just like Mono, only named different. It turns out that I was exposed at some point to mono, but not CMV, and CMV is what I really have. The same syptoms, the same treatment, the same duration, they are even from the same group of virus': Epstein-Barr.

Fever 40

2007-11-29T21:13:00.001-05:00

I turned 40 today.

I have been running a low grade fever all day.

Bummer.

I got a remote switch "shutter release" for my camera, the DVD Ratatouille, and a book: The Photographer's Eye, by Michael Freeman.

Now I need to get to bed.

Daddy and Maddie Day

2007-11-10T22:09:00.000-05:00

Mommy had to work today, so it was a stay at home, and do nothing kind of day.

Lots of Fall Color

2007-11-03T14:01:00.001-05:00

Mostly really busy right now, that's the reason for my lack of kayaking and blogging. I have been able to get away for a couple of hours here and there, and usually just take my camera. This photo was taken on a Photowalk in Northville Michigan on the 28th of October. I met up with five other hobbyist photographers and we walked around a little historical museum, village type of park, taking pictures of whatever we liked. You can see more of those pictures here and here.

Chicken Little

2007-11-02T21:44:00.000-05:00

I took this just before we left to go to the grandparents houses for Trick-or-Treat.

Not much kayaking being done.

2007-10-17T21:24:00.000-05:00

Claire

2007-10-06T22:14:00.001-05:00

It's a girl. We are going to call her Claire Elise when she is born sometime in January.

Dragonfly

2007-09-24T19:47:00.000-05:00

Flutterby

2007-09-16T21:07:00.000-05:00

Another Zoo pic. Haven't been out paddling in a long while. The baby is keeping me busy.

The Toledo Zoo

2007-09-13T20:21:00.000-05:00

Anywhere is better than being at work.

Long Overdue Update

2007-08-04T21:04:00.000-05:00

Short list:
New baby on the way.
Just got back from vacation.
Photography is not a substitute for kayaking.
Zooomr rocks.

Details:
Yep, we have a new baby on the way. Due in January.
More details to follow as they become available. I know it is quick after the last baby, but we aren't getting any younger, we want two kids only, and might as well get through the diaper changing stage as quick as possible.

Vacation was a learning experience. We chose to rent a cottage for a week, only a couple of hours drive away, to make it as easy as possible with a little one. The cottage was a quaint little affair.Clean with lots of great amenities, short walk to the beach, access to an association swimming pool, what more could you ask for? How about air conditioning on the hottest week of the year. Temps every day were in the low 90F. This made for a very cranky baby. She did better than we expected at the pool. She didn't freak out, but was still only good for about twenty minutes tops. Probably just as well, we wouldn't want to have to deal with her getting sun-burnt.

I just got a new super-wide lens for my Canon 10D. A Sigma 10-20mm. I have been learning how to take some wide angle shots, and finding it to be a real challenge sometimes.

I did get out an paddle a little bit on vacation as well.

I think that I have made up my mind on the Zooomr vs Flickr debate. I like Zooomr a lot. I have formed a large group of contacts and some of my photos have found a little notoriety.

Zooomr is Winning

2007-07-05T22:30:00.001-05:00

Sorry, I haven't been kayaking much. The whole family has been fighting a cold. Just photography lately. Zooomr still has some bugs, but I like the member community better than Flickr. Check out some of my latest work here.

OK, I Think Zooomr is Working Pretty Good Now

2007-06-09T21:34:00.000-05:00

I have uploaded several photos and figured out what I have been doing wrong as well. If I rework a photo in Photoshop, I need to remember to re-save the file in the original RGB format. That should be no big deal, but the uploader was hanging up on every file that I switched to Black and White. The Zooomr team has been adding features back in a little at a time as well, so Zooomr is getting back to normal finally.

Zooomr MkIII Upload Troubles

2007-06-08T22:11:00.001-05:00

I am still struggling with Zooomr. :(

Zooomr is Back Up

2007-06-03T12:52:00.001-05:00

Yvette, originally uploaded by rjsteih.

Zooomr may be back up, but its kinda finicky. I have also started a Flickr account, but I have maxed out my upload for this month. So in the next few months, I plan to evaluate both services, and try to decide which I like better. I have placed a link in the column to the right. Look them over and feel free to let me know which you like better.

Zooomr is Down....Still

2007-05-30T21:54:00.000-05:00

Zooomr is down and I am bummed. I don't know when it will be back up, and I am considering switching to Flickr. It seems like everybody with photos on the web has a Flickr account, but I like Thomas and Kris, the guys that run Zooomr. I like their photographic style, and general "coolness", but even they have Flickr acounts, which doesn't say too much for Zooomr. I guess I'm going to hold my breath for a couple more days and see what happens.

Holiday Paddle

2007-05-28T21:37:00.000-05:00

I got out of the house finally this evening, and paddled to the east, down to the yacht club. I spent about two hours total on the water tonight. It was much more subdued on this little cottage lake than I had expected. I could hear a lot of powerboat traffic all weekend long. Must be everybody packed up and went home earlier today. It was good to get out of the house for a little while. Being a holiday weekend, my wife was scheduled to work, and the baby has been feeling a little under the weather, so I spent the last four days taking care of her, so mommy could get plenty of sleep. This is a nice picture of the small sailboats at the yacht club.

I Saw My Father in my Reflection

2007-05-28T09:12:00.001-05:00

I was standing in the back yard, and I caught a glimpse of my father in my reflection in the sliding glass window. I had been mowing the lawn, a job that I don't particularly like, when my wife yelled at me that she needed some help. So then she handed me the leash with the dog attached and I got to do another little job that I dislike. As I was standing by the dog's favorite tree, I felt a little like the fool that closes the barn door after the horse has gotten out. Anyway, my wife was in the house cleaning up the dog's "deliberate", lately they have not been accidents, but deliberates, because he is jealous of the baby. So its hot and humid, I'm sweaty and tired, I have a grumpy scowl on my face, wearing my tired old worn-out boots, my jeans that are baggy in the butt, and my denim shirt is untucked, and the blurry reflection in the sliding glass door looks just like my dad, twenty five years ago. Only difference is he had a smart-alack teenager to put up with, I on the other hand have a teenage dog to put up with.

Jackson Area Paddle and Wildlife Viewing Session

2007-05-20T21:35:00.001-05:00

Beautiful weather this morning on my paddle to the west on my local lakes. I was on the water by 10am and spent about three hours total. I paddled to the west toward the less developed lakes, so as to hopefully find more wildlife to view. I was rewarded well for my choice.

Mute Swans: Several pairs, some with signets swimming along with the adults.

Canada Geese: Can't walk without stepping in their "leavins".

Red Tailed Hawks: Chased everywhere by crows and red-winged blackbirds.

Blue Herons: They go unnoticed until they jump into the air.

Sand Hill Cranes: Huge birds with almost silent flight, but a real alarm klaxon for a voice.

Muskrats: Lazily swimming in tight circles, completely aloof to my presence.

A little snake: I don't know what kind, but it liked swimming around my kayak when I took a break at the halfway point.

Tom Turkey: I didn't see him, but I heard him and by the location I believe him to be wild.

Rooster Pheasant: Didn't see him either, but could not miss his crow.

Total distance today was only about five miles, for three hours, a very leisure pace.

See My Feet

2007-05-19T22:47:00.001-05:00

I have been taking more pictures lately than kayaking, so check out my Zooomr pics to see what I've been up to.

After Dinner Walk

2007-05-02T19:41:00.000-05:00

Paddle Season has Begun!

2007-04-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

Well for me at least. The water temp was about 60 deg F...too cold to go for a swim, but survivable, if I did. I had a chance to try out my new NRS Mambas. They work really well. My hands stayed very warm. So warm in fact, I took them off after a while.

I paddled for about three and a half hours total today. I didn't break any speed records, but I did paddle further than I had originally planned. I investigated a part of Michigan Center lake that I have not paddled before. It was like paddling at a totally new lake for me. I almost had the entire place to myself today. I saw a couple of fishermen, a small family out in a little Zodiac, and two teenagers in kayaks. Of course the teenagers were dressed for the air temp and not the water. I remember being young and stupid....how did I survive?

I felt pretty good today. My back didn't start hurting, and the kayak didn't feel unstable to me either. Both were concerns when I planned earlier this week to go paddle today. The kayak did however feel very tight. The back band and foot pegs were still in the same locations that I had left them in from last fall. Like Alex, I felt very slow and heavy, after a long cold winter.

I did see a lot of wild life today. Spring is in full swing and there were a lot of birds on nests. I saw a Sand Hill Crane sitting a nest...a first for me. There were also Mute Swans and Canada Geese sitting nests as well. While paddling I had to be very careful not to get too close to them.

First Ride

2007-04-20T22:08:00.000-05:00

Last night was my first ride this year. The weather was perfect. The weather wasn't really holding me back until now, but with all of the back problems that I had this winter, I figured that I would just take it easy. This happens to be the put-in that I use when I paddle near home. I just had to stop and dip my fingers in the water. It is still pretty cold. We had snow flurries just last week, and we haven't had any warm rain to warm up the lakes yet. The back feels good now, and this weekend is forecast to be warm and sunny.....Finally.

Lily

2007-04-08T19:18:00.000-05:00

Mambas

2007-04-07T17:38:00.000-05:00

My wife is pretty cool. I got these in my Easter basket this year. With the weather being as cold as it is so far this spring, I am probably going to get a lot of good use out of them too. Thanks, dear.

April?

2007-04-05T10:17:00.000-05:00

Jeez, ya just gotta love Michigan in the spring time.
Snow on the ground.

Black ice on the road. It is gonna get warm some day isn't it?

Spring Sunset

2007-04-03T20:13:00.001-05:00

Bright Eyes

2007-04-02T20:32:00.000-05:00

Another picture for granny.

First Flower of Spring

2007-03-30T21:38:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo! The first flower of spring. This little beauty is growing in the flower bed in front of the house. Its been warm outside too. The ice melted off the lakes last week. The water is still cold, but it won't be long until I can go paddle.

T-shirt

2007-03-24T23:02:00.000-05:00

Look at this! I just might have to order one of these.

On My Desk

2007-03-20T21:08:00.000-05:00

I found a blog (via boing boing) where creative people submit photos of their workspaces. It's kind of funny to see what kind of stuff other people collect. All three of these are of my desk at work. Clearly we creative people function best in a slightly cluttered environment.

Friday Funny

2007-03-16T15:32:00.000-05:00

MISSING WIFE:
The day after his wife disappeared in a kayaking accident, an Anchorage man answered his door to find two grim-faced Alaska State Troopers. "We're sorry Mr. Wilkens, but we have some information about your wife," said one trooper. "Tell me! Did you find her?" Wilkens shouted. The troopers looked at each other. One said, "We have some bad news, some good news, and some really great news. Which do you want to hear first?" Fearing the worst, an ashen Mr. Wilkens said, "Give me the bad news first." The trooper said, "I'm sorry to tell you, sir, but this morning we found your wife's body inKachemak Bay ." "Oh my God!" exclaimed Wilkens. Swallowing hard, he asked, "What's the good news?" The trooper continued, "When we pulled her up, she had 12 twenty-five pound king crabs and 6 good-size Dungeness crabs clinging to her." Stunned, Mr. Wilkens demanded, "If that's the good news, what's the great news?" The trooper said, "We're going to pull her up again tomorrow."

Cabin Fever and Muscle Atrophy

2007-03-06T18:58:00.000-05:00

The month of February was a tough one for me. The baby is getting heavier, and I was too. My back just couldn't take it any more. My sciatic nerve was the worst part. My whole leg would cramp up and my right foot felt a little numb. In the middle of February, I had my wife take me to the emergency room, because I couldn't take the pain any more. I was in pain for four weeks straight, but I only missed two days of work. Now I am in physical therapy, and I am doing much better. I don't think that I like the traction though....think medieval rack.

Winter in the mid-west is terrible...at least I think so now. When I was a kid, we used to go outside and play in the snow all the time. Now that I am getting older, I just worry about slipping on the ice and breaking something. It is cold and dark outside when I am not at work, so getting good physical activity is hard to find. I really hate exercise equipment, the view never changes.

Sunday is the time change. The change to Daylight Savings Time means that it will still be light out at 7:30 pm. This glorious little event is going to happen 3 weeks sooner this year. My only worry is that it will still be too cold to ride the bike. I am looking forward to getting out of this house that I have been cooped-up in all winter long.

I want to feel the warm sun on my face again.

Quiet Water Symposium

2007-03-05T12:29:00.000-05:00

Unlike the much heralded "kayak show" in Wisconsin. The Quiet Water Symposium is a much smaller, more intimite setting. I attended the show this year on March 3rd on the MSU campus in East Lansing, Michigan. I had intended it to help relieve some of my cabin fever, but I think it had the opposite effect. I purchased the video Greenland Rolling with Dubside, and I have viewed it only once so far. I plan to study it much more closely in the near future. I really enjoyed the shot of Dubside rolling the huge triple cockpit kayak. It looked like he really had to "put his *ss into" the task of dumping it over to begin.

There were many booths this year with water conservancy groups, and artists, photographers, writers,instructors, and clubs that all have one thing in common. They all enjoy the lakes and rivers in there own unique way - they don't use motors. Kayaks, canoes, dog sleds, ice boats, snowshoes, fly fishing, there were even some hiking and mountain climbing groups there.

I really want to get outside now. It was 5 degrees F outside this morning. Only three more weeks till April.

Baptism

2007-03-01T22:19:00.000-05:00

Maddie was baptised on 25 Feb 2007 at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Aunt Cindy (my sister) and Uncle Josh (Yvette's brother) were sponsors. Family photo...look at that red hair and those blue eyes.

Photo with Granny and Papa.

Photo with Grandma and Grandpa.

I have been busy with lots of non-kayaking aspects to life. Good thing too, it has been cold and nasty outside this winter, and the lakes are frozen over, so no kayaking. I get to look at my lonesome Gulfstream hang on the garage wall every day as leave for work, and then again when I return. About one month to go with the cold weather yet. April is always better, although today is March 1st, and it came in like a lion, with thunder and lightening even, so maybe March will go out like a lamb. Keeping my hopes up for an early spring.

Big City

2007-01-21T22:51:00.000-05:00

My first time in New York. A business trip. Did a little site seeing. It was a great opportunity for this packaging designer to see some great inspirations. Toured the Museum of Modern Art, 5th Ave window "shopping", the Empire State Building, a couple of big design firms, the Paramount Hotel, Times Square, Moss, Karim Rashid, FAO Schwartz, the Apple store, St. Peters Cathedral. Lots of walking, more than I am used to anyway. I rode a subway, and hailed a cab, all by myself.

Ice Storm

2007-01-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

We got a pretty serious ice storm last week. Cable was out for several days, therefore Internet service was as well, so I couldn't post, or even surf. I've been trying to catch up on my reading of blogs. Still...it could have been a lot worse. We didn't lose power, but last Tuesday, I was outside letting my dog relieve himself at about 3:00 am, and it was dead calm and only 16 degrees F. I could hear a generator running down the road a little ways. Some of my neighbors were without power for three days. That would have really sucked, No power, a new baby, and cold enough to freeze the......well you know what I mean.

Here's Looking at You, Kid

2007-01-11T10:47:00.000-05:00

Sorry that I have not posted very much lately. The water is much too cold to kayak, frozen in places. My daughter is now taking up much of my free time.

You'll shoot your eye out!

2006-12-26T22:03:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite holiday movies was running for 24 hours straight on TBS yesterday: A Christmas Story. The really cool part is the Christmas gift that my parents gave me yesterday. A .36 caliber flint-lock muzzle-loader rifle. One of the first things my mom said to me was: "You be careful with that." I had to laugh.

You see, the cool part is that about 17 years ago, I purchased all of the required parts to build this little beauty myself. The problem only became apparent to me after I attempted and subsiquently broke the "high figure curly maple stock with tiger-stripes" It was then that my stomach became upset, and my energy level for this task took a nose dive. I put all the parts back into the box and slid it back between the floor joists at my parents house just above the basement work bench. I had thought about the rifle a few times since, but recently it had faded from memory.

My father sought out the expertise and craftsmanship of a local muzzle-loader builder, and had him finish the job for me. In retrospect, I could not have done this rifle justice. It now is a real work of art, that I am told performs wonderfully.

Just like in the movie, my parents let everyone open all of the gifts, and then after the last one was opened, they said that there was still one gift left, and sent me around the corner to get it. I was really surprised. I had not expected to ever see this rifle finished, let alone get it for a gift this Christmas. It is a really special gift for me.

Tummy Time

2006-11-27T23:02:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture for granny.

Small World

2006-11-21T22:22:00.000-05:00

It seems that videos of kayak rolling are in high demand. Here is a video of Alex Pak, I believe, unless I am mistaken, from across the Atlantic. I have found that the Internet is very useful for someone like myself who only reads, writes, and speaks a single language. So long as there is an online translator, I can read blogs from all over the world. It is continuing to become smaller and smaller every day. Here is the translated "kayak of sea: The kayak-blog of Oli". Here is the translated "The Life is to Whistle" blog of Carlos. Each of these blogs are viewed better in their native language, as the pictures, the grammar, and the page formats are much more pleasing to the eye. I only use the translator after I have viewed the pics first. Here are the links to the blogs in there native languages: kayak de mer: Le kayak-blog d'Oli and La vida es silbar.

I'm Getting Better with My Digital Camera

2006-11-20T21:54:00.002-05:00

Mommy and Maddie went to a baby shower on Sunday, and I had a couple of hours to go spend as I pleased. So I took my Canon 10D, as well as my Canon Elan II loaded with B/W film, and drove a little ways down the road to a small cross roads called Sharon Hollow. Here are some of the better digital pictures from my short trip. You'll have to wait a little longer for the film photos.

Who's Your Daddy?

2006-11-06T22:42:00.000-05:00

Here is a little side-by-side comparison of baby pictures. That's me on the left in 1967, and my new baby girl is on the right.

I Like to Watch the Discovery Channel

2006-10-28T07:55:00.000-05:00

This totally fascinated me.

A more sublime picture of Mommy and Maddie.
Madeline Fay, born by caesarian-section, 24 October 2006 at 4:35pm, 8 lbs 10 1/2 oz, 20 1/4 inches long. Everyone is doing great.

Fall Paddle on Hudson Lake

2006-10-22T14:27:00.000-05:00

I made it out paddling again. The colder weather and water hasn't chased me indoors yet. I met up with some friends from Indiana and paddled an old familiar lake again. Before I moved to my new house, I used to paddle Hudson Lake quite often. It used to be close to my old home, and its a PWC free, no-wake lake that is surrounded by state owned woods. This is the lake that Wes Boyd paddled very often, and wrote about on his web site Kayak Place. I have paddled with Wes numerous times in the past, but he was not there yesterday.
The fall colors are fading fast.
It started out as a gray day with a few rain drops, but we were all dressed for the occation. There were nine of us all together. We circumnavigated the entire lake, but took a break in the middle to heat up some chili and have a hot lunch.
This is a picture of my friend Barry. I met Barry in the summer of 2002, when a group of six of us took a trip to Drummond Island in northern Michigan. I also met up with Barry again in 2004 at Drummond.The sun did come out later in the day and warmed us up nicely. It was a great paddle day. I don't often get to paddle with others, and yesterday was a great change of pace for me. I think I am going to have to find some paddlers closer to home that I can meet up with more often....maybe start a club.

Pull the Trigger, Quick!

2006-10-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you can screw everything up taking the picture, and it still comes out kinda cool.

Digital Photo Help

2006-10-12T21:56:00.000-05:00

Wayfarer has a good post on Digital SLR picture taking. I'm linking to his links. I watched the Thomas Hawk videos, and found them to be very informative. I have some new things to try out with my Canon 10D soon. Oh yeah, Thomas' online photos are awesome as well.

Last Paddle?

2006-10-08T20:56:00.000-05:00

I hope today is not the last paddle for the season. The air was cool, but the sun was hot. The water was not unbearable to wade in, but I don't want to go swimming in it. Thermometer read 65 deg F water temp. There has already been a little frost on the pumpkins on a couple of mornings.

Our baby Madeline, is on the way, only five more weeks to go. Winter is just around the corner. I had better make the most of every day like today.

New Wheels

2006-10-01T20:52:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't make it through the season before my cart broke. I had to fix it so that I could go paddle. Here is a picture of the new and improved version. I was able to reuse some of the old parts, and the new wheels make a lot more sense. They don't weigh as much, they don't need to be inflated, and they don't take up as much space. I simplified the design a little as well. The first test run today, worked out real nice.
Here are some pictures from my paddle today.

Saturdays

2006-09-30T20:55:00.000-05:00

Saturdays.......I love Saturdays.
It was cold and rainy this morning.
My wife didn't want me to go paddling alone - she was worried about me.:)
So I grabbed my cameras, and when for a drive.
Flowers beside the trail.

The trail.

Sand Hill Cranes.

The Grand River flowing through downtown Jackson, Mi. (Hint:You have to try very hard to keep the "urban" out of the frame.)

Fall color.

The old state prison.

Freak

2006-09-17T12:10:00.000-05:00

Paddle by your refuge.

Yeah, I set the alarm and got up early on my day off.

Yep, loaded the boat and drove an hour and a half, one way.

It was all going really well, until I showed up at the registration desk. That's when it hit me. There were about four times as many people as I had expected, and it looked like a three ring circus in the staging area and launch site. I don't do well with crowds, and I started feeling really anxious. I stepped back, and then went for a walk around the park, trying to calm down, and to let the crush at the desk let up a bit.

Big water spooks me as well, and the wind kept building.

Paddling with strangers kinda scares me too.

I know, they are all just excuses, but I freaked out anyway. I kept telling myself, that these are my kinda people, but sometimes it is easier to just hide behind the camera.

At least the pictures turned out well.

No. I didn't go paddle.

Hunting Season

2006-09-06T21:30:00.000-05:00

My dad found some old pictures, and had my brother scan them. We can only identify a few people in some of them though. My dad's uncle Charlie (my great-uncle) is the one on the left. He lived to be an old man, 91 or 92. He passed away in December of 2003.

I can remember the stories that various family members used to tell. It seems Charlie was the one who had to be the dog, when they went hunting without a dog. He would always be the one who had to slog through all of the dense cover to jump the birds out, so everyone else got to do the shooting. It would appear by this photo that he did infact get a bird once in awhile too. Dad told me that one time, when he was hunting with uncle Charlie, that they jumped a rooster pheasant, and my dad shot too quickly and missed, leaving him with an empty shotgun requiring reloading. He watched uncle Charlie take his time turning, and then carefully mount the shotgun to his shoulder, and then take careful aim and swing the correct amount of "lead", and only after my dad was sure that the rooster was too far out of range did uncle Charlie fire. Dad said it was so far away, that it took a second for the shot to cover the distance, before the pheasant was knocked end for end to the ground.

The last year of uncle Charlie's life he spent in a nursing home. It was a very nice nursing home, with no more than eight patients at the facility, the patient to staff ratio was never more than 3 to 1. Good old fashioned home cooking for meals, he said the food was his favorite part, and he even gained a few pounds while he was there. The family used to spread out our visit times, so he got a visitor almost every day. My day was Saturday mornings. We used to watch the hunting shows on cable TV, and he would ask me if I saw any pheasants or deer in the past week. Of course I always had a wildlife report for him each week.

I saw a 6-point buck running next to Fisher's cornfield along Wellsville hwy last Saturday. Not a big buck, but a "shooter".

Dental Work Update

2006-09-01T20:09:00.000-05:00

Hey, it only took eight months. I am finally done with my extensive dental work. It turns out that I was able to leave the lower wisdom teeth in. They are not causing me any problems, and removing them now may introduce new problems. All of my cavities, and old silver fillings that were deteriorating have been fixed. My upper wisdom teeth have been removed, without complications.

What you see above is my new crown, just before it was cemented in. The crown was the last item, and it still feels a little funny yet, but I am getting used to it. This tooth has been broken for several years now, and I lost a large chunk off of it about a year ago, so having a full tooth back again, is a strange sensation. My dentist referred to the root as being viable. That means that I still have a hot nerve, and that the tooth was not a total loss. What it also means is that it hurt like hell when she put the crown with cement on the post on the final time. It feels a lot better now.

Just prior to having my upper wisdom teeth pulled a month ago, I broke a decayed chunk off one of them as well, and it tore my cheek up for a couple of days, until I got tired of it and started wiggling it a bunch with my finger. I was actually out paddling in my kayak, when I had decided that I had had enough, so while sitting in my kayak, in the middle of the lake, I started pushing on that wisdom tooth with my finger again, hard enough this time to break the offending jagged piece off, further gaining me a lot of relief. I guess in retrospect, doing this on shore may have been at least a little more intelligent.

I think I am going to be a lot more diligent about seeing the dentist on a frequent and regular basis.

Live and learn.

Paddlin' in the Rain

2006-08-29T20:54:00.000-05:00

This post is a day late, because Blogger was being persnickety yesterday.

My wife thinks I'm nuts for paddling in the cold rain, but I told her that I was no more wet, than if I had rolled the kayak only once. I went paddling in the rain mostly because of the post that Bonnie had about her day in the rain. It was really enjoyable. I never heard a single boat motor for the entire three hours that I was out. I only saw three people, the whole time. I had the whole lake to myself.

When I got home I was treated to a fantastic post by Keith Wikle about his trip to Qajaq Training Camp. As a new father-to-be, I was particularly interested in what Keith said about family. For a long time I used to be the guy that was single and going where ever I wanted, and spending money on what ever I wanted, while all of my friends were at home with the kids. Now its my turn, and frankly, I am really excited about being a daddy. All of those bachelor years seem really hollow when I look back at them today. What did I accomplish? Being married and expecting a child feels like a much more rewarding way to live. Let's face it, even when I was single, I wasn't going to go paddle around South Georgia Island, or Newfoundland, or Madagascar. All of my paddling is a lot closer to home, and that's the way it will stay. As for my wife, she doesn't paddle, but she knows that I need to paddle, and provides me with plenty of opportunities to do so. I look forward to one day taking my daughter paddling with me. The hardest part will be leaving a nervous mommy on shore. =8^}

Thunderstorm Racing

2006-08-24T21:51:00.000-05:00

I paddled a leisurely three miles on my local lake tonight. I stopped at the county park and used the porta-can. After I stowed my sunglasses and hat, I donned my goggles and nose plugs and performed three extended paddle rolls just outside of the swimming buoys. I think that I have reached a plateau in my pursuit of rolling excellence. I need to seek out some expert advice on how to improve my rolling. I'm positive my rolls are not pretty, but they work. To steal a line from the movie "The Firm"- "It ain't sexy, but its got teeth." Oh well, I can work with teeth.

The total distance tonight was six miles however, and the return trip home was not so relaxing. After the rolling, I heard a "Thunder-dunder" off to the west. So I took a big swig from my water bottle and got down to a serious forward stroke. Heading westward, straight into the dark sky, I concentrated hard on a loose grip and lots of torso rotation, the good kind of torso rotation, from the core, below my navel. I covered the last three miles tonight in 35 minutes. That's a sustained average speed over 5mph. I even got a blister on the ball of my foot, from "peddling" the kayak, trying to fully transfer all of my forward motion to the hull. The cool part is I don't even feel sore now. I must have been doing it right!

I made it home before the bad stuff arrived. Just a few sprinkles, and the worst of the storm pasted to the north anyway. It was a good workout.

Wildlife

2006-08-13T20:58:00.000-05:00

A nice picture of a turtle. He held still for me to get real close...highly unusual. He only scrambled off the log, after I bumped the log gently with my bow.
A "stick bug" waiting for me when I got home. I don't know what they are really called, but it looks just like a twig. I had never seen one before this one, and then I saw two different ones, five minutes apart. I grew up in a small town, and I used to live in a highly farmed rural area, but now I live closer to the woods, and I get to see all kinds of wild critters.

Going...Going...Gone.

2006-08-09T23:39:00.000-05:00

Hey go check out Kayak Place. It won't be around for very much longer. My friend Wes is going to let the lease run out on the site. Makes me kinda sad.