Findley Lake 6/21/09

Perfect night to be on the water and perfect way to complete Fathers Day. Again chasing the Blue Herons and turtles with a mixing of Green Herons and a few unidentified birds. And the rudders performed fine so my fixes worked. The state must have stocked the lake as the herons were eating aplenty and the little fish were hopping in the water near the shore. No owls tonight. A great sunset.

Findley Lake 6/16/09

Nice evening on Findley Lake. Lots and lots of Great Blue Herons. One owl being chased by a crow. One Green Heron that I swear had only one leg but Nicki has photos that show he had two. And one Great Blue that preened and preened and didn't mind our camera clicks at all - and we take a lot of photos when we get going and have the neck aches to prove it.

The only odd event was when both of our rudders fell apart in the first few moments on the water - almost like sabotage (are there opposing camps in kayaking willing to do secret battle? Should we be wary when approached by rudderless kayakers?). We spent most of evening without that little bit of extra control that we have learned to prefer. I'll do a repair job tomorrow.

Findley Lake 6/7/09 (with owls)

The season has finally begun. Kayaks hit old faithful Findley Lake today. Transported to and fro on our new trailer (much less shoulder strain). Were met at the dock by a Park Ranger who did a full safety inspection which we passed - no problem. We had the right equipment and the right papers. Our goal was to just get our technique back but we sparred with several blue herons and then we entered a cove where we had encountered an owl previously and this time we found three bard owls - we think it might have been a parent with one almost mature owl (or the other parent) and one very new owl (still a lot of baby fluff). All in all a very successful start to the season (despite the slightly awkward dunking I took as I was getting out of my boat - a question of confidence at the least best moment). The water was warm and I always have a change of clothes.

Let the season begin...

I have been cleared for kayaking - the shoulder is good enough - therapy is over. As long as we use the new trailer and paddle in moderation. And since retirement is finally here, why not?