kulows

Meet the Kulow family.

I know David through mutual participation on an outdoor industry board of directors.  He has always been a man I greatly admire, having built a business from scratch and made it a quite successful venture, creating a line of natural outdoor products, like bug dope that doesn’t contain DEET, sunscreen that won’t give you cancer, and ingredients that don’t trash the environment or your body.  This is my favorite sunscreen ever.  Seriously good stuff.

David and family were to be in town for a wedding, but had a spare day, so I created a spare day ex nihilo so I could take them paddling.

I’m glad I did.

We needed a short-ish paddle for the sake of time and family obligations, which means the Upper Sugar River just south of town about ten minutes.  It has the benefit of both being close and having easy parking and a great little ice cream store at the takeout.   David took Marianne and followed me in his car for the shuttle, and I took the mini-Kulows with me.  They liked Van Halen better than Jethro Tull.

Everybody helped.  That is a rare thing these days, when kids are content to sit in the car and play PSP or SPS or whatever one calls those little boxes soul-sucking brain-damaging pieces of brain crack.  Parents do the work, kids sit.  Shame on the parents, really.  Toss the LBOS-SB-DPOBC in the river and get the kids to work.

The mini-Kulows are great people.  Not great kids…great people.  Sure, they’re kids, but they’re polite, respectful (they called me Mr. Canoelover until I gave them permission to drop the Mr.), and best of all,they take correction in the spirit in which it is offered.  For example:

CL: “[—-], will you please hand me your paddle?”

M-K2.0: [hands me his paddle]

[time passes]

M-K2.0: “Can I have my paddle back?”

CL: “Are you going to use it like I asked you to use it?”

M-K2.0: “Yes.”

CL: “Here ya go.”

Problem solved.

Later that afternoon…

Canoelover:  “Hey, you really really don’t want to get in a splashing contest with me…”

Mini-Kulow 1.0:  [impish grin] [half-hearted attempt at splashing]

CL:  “No, really…”  [deluge of Biblical proportions]

Mini-Kulow 2.0:  “Hey!  You splashed me too!”

CL: “Yes, I did.  You should keep better company.”

Mini-Kulow 2.0: [giggles, turns around with paddle poised, then thinks better of it.]

Meanwhile, David and Marianne paddled the little 15′ Curtis Companion, one of my favorite boats. They had a rough start (there are a few trees at first) and they had to work things out, but it didn’t take long because they communicated.  Seriously.  You can tell a lot about a couple when they paddle together.  This is a marriage with staying power.  They know how to talk to each other.  I’ve been on trips when a couple fought the whole way down the river. Total buzzkill.  Harshes my mellow, dude.

Related to and possibly because of this, they didn’t jump down my throat for me giving feedback/discipline /correction/love to their progeny.  I haven’t a mean bone in my body, but I do insist on listening, especially in a river environment.  It’s just a creek, but it’s still water and I still want their attention.

Kids want consistency and need consistency.  Interestingly, being well-bred kids, they responded with a combination of respect and teasing, which is perfect, which means they know their limits but aren’t broken.  A horse that is broken is suitable only for stable rides.  You want a horse that’s tamed, maybe channeled, but not broken.  Always hated that term.

I really enjoyed paddling with them.  They learned the draw stroke quickly and used it well, and after a few tests, I’d just warn them before an obstacle and say, “Okay, what are you going to do?”

At first, the brain gears would grind a bit, but Mini-Kulow 1.0 would snap into action first.  “You need to draw!  Again…AGAIN…”  Mini-Kulow 2.0 would execute without question because he knew if he didn’t he’d get a face-full of willow branches and a few spiders. I just sat back and enjoyed it.

Thanks for a great day to all the Kulows, regular and minis alike.

Respectfully submitted,

Canoelover

P.S.  Don’t use kid names in my posts unless I get permission from parents.  I didn’t ask so I’m not using them.