adventures of a canoelover

It has been a glorious fall, but a rotten winter. Just last week it was in the 50s and gorgeous for cycling, paddling, etc. etc. For skiing, not so much. This is the first snow that actually stuck, but I would say it is as much like snow as the stuff on the top of my head is like hair; it might be the facts, but it sure ain’t the truth.

Still, it is lovely. I went outside to take the pumpkin picture and there was a downy woodpecker honking his way up and down the silver maple, but he was so backlit I couldn’t get a shot of him, so I just stood there and enjoyed his or her honking and poking. The simple life of a woodpecker…sounds good sometimes.

We’re also watching a few neighbor dogs for the Thanksgiving weekend. There’s Abbi, a regular around here, and a relative newcomer, Ziti. She lives next door but hasn’t stayed overnight yet. She had a relatively quiet night, and is still trying to figure out why she’s not 75 feet to the west on her own couch, looking out her picture window. Still, she’s enjoying the attention she’s getting. I do NOT want two dogs, but I can see how some people would.

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank on November 10, 1975. In honor of this, Split Rock Lighthouse on the north shore of Superior was illuminated. It is a glorious sight, captured by my friend Dave “Beaglefur” Morlock. To see more of his great photography, check out his sites here or here.

…and the weather was nice. The board meeting went well, people seem energized and ready to get some work done. We have a way to go, and I was elected to the executive committee so now we can do nefarious things behind close doors (not).

There were butterflies and dragonflies, usually both are long gone by this time in Wisconsin. It was fun to see them this late in the year.

The weirdest thing about Florida is that it was gorgeous outside (70s and sunny) and there was no way to open windows, and the air conditioners were running at full tilt. One of my presentation rooms was set at 66 degrees. I asked one of the hotel staff if they always keep meeting rooms cold enough to be meat lockers, and she said, “Yes sir, it gets awfully hot down here in Florida.” “But not today,” said I. “Yes, but it does get hot down here.”

I gave up after that. I did sleep on the balcony of my hotel room one night. It was the best night sleep I got all week.

One of the advantages of living so close to the Arboretum is the chance to drop by on the way to work in the morning for a few minutes of breathing and checking out the local flora and fauna. It’s especially lovely in the fall, and the turkeys are fearless because there’s a no hunting zone in the Arb.

Sometimes the turkeys follow the runners and do a little turkey fitness. They’re smart birds, and know just how close you can get before you’re a threat. Apparently they don’t think much of my stalking skills; I could have plucked a tail feather.

So my friend Elizabeth quit her high-powered job with a major manufacturer of outdoor equipment to move to Cambodia and do non-profit volunteer work. The charity she is working with is called Cambodia Tomorrow, which provides resources to help underprivileged youth who are working hard to get an education despite their circumstances.

L to R: Prum Rim, Chhiev Kim Hak, Sok Neardey, Um Vanndeth and Kim Srouch.

The University Boys are a group of young men who are attending University in Phnom Penh, all orphans who were befriended by Elizabeth and her partner while they were in High School. These five young men needed only the most basic necessities, and for a few dollars they are easily provided. I donated funds to purchase a water cooler to provide them potable water, something that we all take for granted. It warms my heart to see these boys so happy about something we all think is an entitlement.

If you want to donate to Cambodia Tomorrow, you can go to their website here and donate. Specify your donations to the UNIVERSITY PROGRAM. They take Paypal.

http://optimus.transformersmovie.com/

It’s so stupid it’s cool.

…and all I can say is that Christina, our editor, can make even me look good. She has put together some lovely footage. I can’t wait to get it all finalized…hopefully by Christmas.

This weather is causing me to go a bit nuts. It feels like Spring, not Fall, so I am fighting the impulses to clean everything in site. I am doing the standard maintenance work on my canoes (oiling the gunwales, getting them ready for bed, repairing gelcoat chips or tightening loose hardware), but I’m trying to do just that.

It is not working. I bought a bunch of clear 12 gallon containers yesterday at Staples and I’m starting to reorganize the gear. After a couple of decades in the outdoor business, I’m embarrassed to see how much stuff I have that I didn’t know about, even after giving away a substantial pile of gear. Maybe it is time to get some clean-up done.

One thing I learned for sure this iteration…I need clear containers. Some folks don’t like the visual clutter that comes from clear containers, but I’m Mr. Visual Guy so I need the ability to see through containers. Labels are all well and good, but when I’m looking for a dry bag, I want to see the dry bags.

Time to go offer some oil to the gunwale gods. D

I really like fingerpainting. If you screw up, you’ve wasted a sheet of paper worth less than a penny and a few cents worth of tempera paint. I bought a bunch of fingerpaint at the factory outlet for $12.50 (six bottles – red, yellow, blue, green, black and white) and 100 sheets of glossy fingerpainting paper.

This last one I don’t like so much…it came out sorta muddy but it was an experiment. It failed, but it’s still sorta cool.

Forgot to post this before…I was on a walk and saw a Black Saddlebags swooping around. They’re cool beasties…Tramea lacinata sounds sorta like an Italian actress from a Visconti film. No more odonates this year, we’re down to flies and the occasional slow mosquito.