Gifts for the paddler, part 2
What’s the next best thing to paddling? OK, the next best thing to paddling or watching paddling DVDs, but something you can do at the same time as either of those activities?Wearing paddling jewelry, of course!R.…
read moreGifts for the paddler, part 1
Ho, ho, ho. Or is it tow, tow, tow?What do you buy for the paddler who has everything–or the paddler who only wants things that are out of your budget?For the next couple of weeks, we’ll highlight some gift ideas in the low- to mid-price range, in no particular order, including some you can make yourself.First up:
A gift certificate to a local open pool sessionHere in the Chicago area, several pools are open to kayakers for instruction or just for practice.…
read moreThe power of a dramatic cloud
On Friday, we found an “It’s a bird; it’s a plane; no….”-type situation in a store parking lot. People were standing in the cold, looking up, pointing and muttering odd things about crop circles and alien invasions.We had no camera, but Alec was able to get this photo with his iPhone, which doesn’t quite do justice to how dramatic it looked to the naked eye.…
read moreWhat’s wrong with this picture?
Here in Chicago, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is charged, in its own words, with “protecting our water environment.”
How reassuring, then, to find this sign on the north branch of the Chicago River.… read moreReview: "Waves and Beaches"
Marooned by a combination of a healing arm (Sharon) and a malingering cold (Alec), we haven’t been able to paddle lately. That hasn’t kept us from reading about the waves we’re missing, however.…
read moreBlack Friday paddle
The stores opened early today for holiday shopping madness. The lake was open all night, so we didn’t have to wait in line. And we had the place to ourselves!Sharon stayed home to eat leftover stuffing.…
read moreA bad day paddling beats a good day recycling
For those who question the safety of kayaking, we have evidence that staying at home can be far more dangerous. Yesterday, while carrying a bin of recyclables to the alley, Sharon had a close encounter of the sutcherable kind with the top of an aluminum can.…
read moreWho says calm days can’t be fun?
Sharon paddles along a breakwall east of Navy Pier.“You wouldn’t want to go paddling today,” a friend said in a message on our voice mail. “The wind is light and the water is flat.”We missed her message because we were out on the lake.…
read moreReview: "Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown"
Gordon Brown, photographed by Simon Willis. When Gordon Brown’s book, “Sea Kayak: A Manual for Intermediate and Advanced Sea Kayakers,” came out in December 2006, it was one of the few books not aimed at beginners.…
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