Early Morning Storm

I saw this storm building Wednesday morning before 6:00am. Called Mom to see if she could see it from the bay. She saw the storm building and a little later saw this waterspout in the gulf in the picture below.

There are a lot of thunderstorms these days. Last night I paddled the 8 miles to the gulf from Graveline Bay. There were storms in the area but none too close. Just enough to keep most boaters home; only one boat passed me the whole time. It was quiet and calm... the usual jumping mullet in the water... birds fished the shoreline... rumbling thunder in the distance... air temperature was perfect and the water was nice. Most amazing --- absolutely NO BUGS! Not one single mosquito or gnat. What in the world were those bugs thinking, missing a night like that?


Every now and then I think about a new boat. I want to get an optimum glide through the water... to be ONE with the boat. Smaller cockpit, good thigh braces, long and sleek design for fast and smooth travel. Something with good gas mileage : -). I've been happy with mine, but you know, life is short! I've had it for 3 years now. Might be time to try something new.

Summer Thunderstorms

It's raining intermittently again today and I've filled up the day with other things, so unfortunately another weekend goes by without paddling. But, no worries, I will go a day or two after work this week, if the weather cooperates. Today we had the proud parent moment of dropping the kid off at camp! I sure hope he has a good time. I know we will. Anyway, for lack of a paddling trip from this weekend, I've uploaded some pictures from an evening paddle a few days ago. Never assume it's too late in the day, just because the sun is on its way down. There is still time! Especially on the bay where there is no boat traffic after dark.

I went out by myself this particular evening and the water was perfect, the sky was beautiful, and the frogs were loud.

Another evening I went out with Mom, and we watched the sky turn all its different shades of orange after the sun went down. We wondered, "Where's the moon?", knowing it was due to rise as a full moon. We were headed west back to the dock and I looked back at the most amazing sight -- a RED full moon rising over the water. It slowly changed from red to deep orange to orange to yellow, and finally white as it got a little higher in the sky. I've never seen such a thing. It was awesome. Didn't have the camera with us though.

I love these shades of blue and pink on the water when it looks like polished metal.

I thought as I always do how much BETTER it is to be 1) outside and 2) mildly exercising, than sitting at home on the computer (like I am now) or watching TV. The body craves that, the mind craves it, it's what we are supposed to do. Unnatural things happen when we don't live the life we are biologically meant to live - a life filled with frequent activity, fresh air, rhymic movement, physical labor, exposure to the elements, natural light, and sounds of nature. Then we spend our time addressing the problems that come from the symptoms of this unnatural state we tend to create for ourselves. I think that regular doses of the things that made up the life of our ancestors for thousands and thousands of years would do us all a lot of good. And speaking of that, what makes people these days think that we have the right to drill up, and USE UP, all of the oil in this earth? What's so special about US, NOW, that makes it all ours to use? That's about as close to political as I'll get here, and generally I don't even take it into politics -- I just see it from a historical perspective and marvel at how narrow of a view some people have of our dependence on oil and lack of any inclination to reduce it. I'm not radical, but I a willing to suffer a little pain at the gas pump to get me thinking about how to use up less gas, and I'm glad to see everyone else thinking about it.

Since I'm on the subject, let me add one more FASCINATING thing I saw in the newspaper. When thinking about a fuel-efficient vehicle, don't just look at MPG. It's more important to think about gallons per mile. For example, 2 families driving 10,000 miles per year go out a buy a more fuel efficient vehicle. Family A goes from 25 mpg to 50 mpg (Prius, or whatever). Family B goes from 10 mpg (Excursion?) to 15 mpg. Who saves more -- Family A by increasing mpg by 25? Or Family B by increasing mpg by 5? You sure would think it's A, but no....

10,000 miles/25 mpg = 400 gallons
10,000 miles/50 mpg = 200 gallons; Family A saves 200 gallons per year.

10,000 miles/10 mpg = 1,000 gallons
10,000 miles/15 mpg = 666 gallons; Family B saves 333 gallons per year.

That sure makes you think.

Happy paddling...

Magnet

Why do some things in life just draw you in? My left brain tries to make an equation out of it; you are drawn to something, you add up the benefits (fitness, relaxation, learning about your environment, gaining experience), subtract the costs (minimally or nothing in money, costs to relationships, work, etc.), decide if it's worthwhile in terms of what you gain. My left brain is in overdrive right now; a sign of over-efficient mode induced by continuous drive and too many hours at work. Even in this mode, the time on the water brings me relief and happiness. It's really neat how those right things in life just fit in, no matter what your mood or mode, and bring you positives. So kayaking is a no-brainer and definitely deemed worthwhile no matter what the equation. I like the "Life is good" motto on all the T-shirts and stuff:

DO WHAT YOU LIKE.

LIKE WHAT YOU DO.

Finding that balance is key. It's very difficult in mid-life when so many things are competing for your attention. What do you do? Cover the basics, let time work in your favor, build your foundations, keep the essential elements strong... and give yourself time for what you enjoy. I guess that's my self-help book.

So, kayaking trips... When you set out without a plan, it gives your mind a chance to make decisions along the way based on many input factors, but mostly just what you feel like doing. That's a nice exercise in itself.

But anyway, besides all the philosophy, I had a nice kayak trip Sunday evening that ended with the sun going down and the moon coming up. I love it when that happens! I have had a few other good trips lately. One was at high tide, going through the marsh trails to Old Shell Landing. Another few trips with the dog on the Hobie. Several times I've been out with wind and waves that were sort of fun.

Also biked a few nice trips, including the wonderful new Ocean Springs-Biloxi bridge with its pedestrian and bike path. That's about the best thing to happen around here in a long time!

Spring Green

It's 76 degrees and beautiful! I aimed to to spend the whole day outside today, and came pretty close to it. My to-do list didn't get any shorter, but it will have to wait... Spring doesn't last long.

Rode the bike around OS and over to the kayak. Kayaked to the gulf, a trip I haven't done in a while. I was going against both the wind and the tide going out, so going back was easy. As you can see the azaleas are in bloom. The trees have the young green leaves out and there are new shades of green everywhere.

5 miles or so

A strange hazy-humid and very warm day yesterday invited me out to stretch my paddling muscles (in need of more exercise) and visit the bayou as it goes into springtime. The water is still cool, but the birds are making a lot more noise, and the air feels great.

The tide was high and I was able to explore a new place in the bayou, in past what I call redfish cove, branching out from the fishing hole, which is a big open spot in the bayou as it goes out to the gulf where you often see several boats. It's amazing how many new places there are to find! I came back after sunset, not even noticing the partial moon straight above my head. I thought it was the glow in the western sky that provided the small bit of light that I needed.

Once again I noticed how un-scary the water is, in daylight and in dark. But I need to remind myself to be prepared for any circumstance, such as always having all supplies (paddle float, pump, flashlight, small spare paddle, etc.) with me. It is definitely nice to have full storage facilities back where the kayak lives. I should keep a set of shorts/t-shirt available so EVERYTHING is there to go by on a whim and paddle at any time... after work, morning, evening... the days are much longer now and there is more time available. Yesterday was a gloriously long day! I feel like today is a bonus day for the weekend.

Quest

I went out today in trusty blue
On a quest for creatures (that remain nameless)
Like the water sparkles that adorn the shorline
They linger and lie, sunning and swimming
Steadfastly sticking with their choice of location
Never thinking of buying up to a better neighborhood
They quietly enjoy their place on earth.


Sometimes social, sometimes solitary
The old and the young
The wise and the foolhardy
They often have friends that accompany them
And occasionally, a serious challenge to take on
Chipping at their armor and implicit integrity
But they stand fast, still, against all invaders.
They know they are well protected.



When partaken, they offer variety and intrigue
A pleasant and mild salty tenderness
And endless ways to be enjoyed.

Pause to appreicate that they did their job so well.
They had purpose. They had pride.
They did not write this last chapter of life.
But in the end, we realize, at that end
We all will serve some final purpose,
Just likely not one of our own choosing.

Rather be Kayaking

I'm blogging these pictures and outing from last weekend because I have to work this weekend and this is what I'd RATHER be doing. I wonder where I can get an "I'd rather be kayaking" bumper sticker for my car. Or my forehead. I did receive a great pair of kayak earrings for Christmas that look very nice and seem fitting. I've also been taken with Jake, the "Life is Good" character, and his representations on T-shirts and other attire. Yes, life is good. Campfire, kayak, dog... what more do you need?


The oysters practically begged us to take them back and eat them on this Saturday outing. MMM...

I want to get back to a kayak routine, and challenge myself to some distance runs. Seems there's never enough time...