I live in the southern Puget Sound. I like to paddle around Fox Island. It is about 12 miles and takes me between 2:15 and 2:30 depending on the weather and tides/ It is generally nice and peaceful but can get nasty on the south side sometimes. This is a pic of Gibson point on the SE side of the Island.


This one is looking back SE toward McNeil Island which has the state pen

And looking NW along the south side of fox Isl. On a nice day the southern Olympics are all lined up to see. Today we only get the Navy undersea warfare center where they train dolphins. Middle right

And finally on the way home heading NE through Hales passage. The tides get rocking through here I canusually get the kayak up to 7 or 8 mph. Got to love Rainier in the background.

RVG, Aaron, Maria and I have been spending our Friday nights learning how to roll our kayaks. I would say the RVG is the best so far. We have been having a great time learning with the Outdoor Adventure Center instructors. And it is great to know how we will all react when we roll in the real deal.

These are the guys to call when you want to improve your kayak skills or you want to take your less adventureous friends and family out on an adventure. They lead guided sea kayak tours up in the san Juan Islands, whitewater rafting trips down the Skykomish and many other great adventures.

Jen was commenting on RVG's new found growth. Apparently, it has gotten a bit thicker since Jen got Pregnant.

Practicing our form before we go over and then replicating it once under.

The boys had the benefit of a practice session the week before the lesson so Maria was at a disadvantage. Below is aaron's first successful roll. Good form except for his upturned head.

I'm am getting some sweep practice before being turned loose on my own. Below is my solo try. I am not sure if the splashing is bubbles or just thrashing about

We had Bucky there to give us a hand when we couldn't make it.

















Happy face when I actually got er done. Too bad I couldn't repeat with any consistancy

Found this old pic from last Halloween. not sure who it is but he clearly put alot of effort into his nacho libra outfit (including the extra bulge around the middle)

If you are like me and have lots of stockings to fill every year. Every year I struggle to get good gifts that are inexpensive, good for the environment, and make a difference. This year I think that I have found the best gift of all. Really inexpensive carbon offsets. Since they are such a great deal, I got 10,000 for each of my kids, 100,000 for my wife, 5,000 for my extended family, and 1,000 for each of my neighbors. Yes even the crappy new neighbors that are putting in the heat pump right on the property line. It is Christmas after all. Have a look here

http://freecarbonoffsets.com/home.do

Forget about global warming. At 1:45,000 we should all do our part to avert this catastrophy. It really doesn't matter how much we have to spend because if we don't do it, well, you know the rest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings-nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run-
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!
-Rudyard Kipling

Now take a deep breath and read it again slowly this time. I enjoy writing it because it forces me to read it slow and anticipate what will come next. This is one of my favority poems. It says it all. How many of you can find part of your lives in the words of this poem. And once found, how do you measure up? Are you a man or have you fallen short.

Lord Cromwell

I give up. I am facing the fact that I can't deal with it anymore. It is going to be hard to believe but I just can't stand it. Most of you know that I have dail-up. I have had it forever. I still have my first and only email address that my wife got in the 90's. I am not good with change and I am a cheap ass bastard. The problem is that I just don't know how to make the conversion. Frankly, I don't want to know how. I just want it to happen without me knowing anything, or seeing anything, or costing anything. I just want my computer to work faster.

I asked prodigy once why it is so slow sometimes, like every sunday night and at random points throughout the week. Their explanation is that they are only allowed one phone number in my area for their servers. I am not sure if this is true or they just don't want to invest in dial-up. my alternative would be to program in a long distance number to another server or something like that.

So want is a person who is completely ignorant to do. We don't have cable. I don't want cable TV. Do I need to get cable hooked up? Would I then have to pay an additional fee? Would I have a choice of cable or is there some governmet granted monopoly that limits my choice. Would I need to change my long held and loved email address. Somebody who knows please help. I know that some of my friends are or were microsoft geeks and most surely should know this.

I am real good with written instructions. If somebody would write it all out for me in easy to follow steps I would be most grateful. I might even throw in a jar of this year's blackberry jelly. I would offer salmonberry but it is much too good. Maybe I would follow up with a jar of salmonberry next year when we make twice as much.

Michelle, I am working on the tag thing. I have been trying to sort out my facts.


Lord Cromwell