Sunday, November 30, 2008

Still out there paddling...

Note the difference between the following picture of me and the previous picture of Alex. The two pictures were taken about 24 hours apart. Sunday morning dropped a bit of snow on us, and the winds began to blow. Nonetheless, I had committed to going kayaking with Matt, and so around noon I found myself on West River Road near Boom Island unloading my kayak.


We had decided to do the full distance this time, going from the upper lock to 694 and back. Once we got going, it wasn't bad - only my feet were cold. I had brought my pogies this time (things that are on top of your gloves to keep them warmer), and noticed a huge difference in how warm my hands were. I am still working on the footwear issue, though. Neoprene booties with a pair of wool socks are marginal - cold feet, but not as numb as last time. (Progress!) On the educational side, there was a LOT more icing this time. I ran into problems getting my rudder up/down because of icing, and discovered it's almost impossible to put something under a deck bungy when there is ice and I am wearing gloves. (Temps were in the mid-20's, with a brisk north wind. Not sure of the exact amount, but the flags we saw were fully extended, so I would guess 10+ mph).

Here is a picture of Matt paddling upstream, about a mile south of where 694 crosses the Mississippi river:


We miscalculated (again!) the amount of time required for our trip. Part of this stemmed from the fact that it was very annoying to check the time, since it involved removing a pogie to gain access to my wrist to see the time. The upside was that we were finally headed back downstream around 4:30, and so were treated to a view of downtown as the lights were all coming on. It occurred to me that this would be a cool trip in the spring when it's a bit warmer, but it still gets dark fairly early.



All told, we ended up paddling 14 miles. We got out of the boats once to heed the call of nature, but other than that decided that the boats were the warm place to be! A highlight of the trip for me was when Matt shared some coffee out of his thermos with me - I had not thought to bring anything warm, so this was very, very tasty! We'll see if we are able to get out for another paddle in December - it will all depend on how iced up our potential launch zones are at that time.

Saturday in the Park

We had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend. The day itself was spent with our neighbors, the Johnson family. Even though we started with a large turkey, there was little left by the end of the day. The downside (for me) was accidently (versus intentionally?) cutting myself with a knife as I was sharpening it. This led to us learning that a) Alex knows that a bandaid means that I had an "Ow-ie", and b) Alex brought out a bandaid for me to put on him (if I have an "ow-ie", he should have one too). He was quite proud of his band-aid, and made it a point to show it to mama on several occassions.

On Saturday, we decided to go for a drive in Alex's car. My original intent was to go around the block (which is about a mile). But, Alex decided it was a nice day, so we continued onward to the park where he enjoying running around and swinging. I fully expected I would be carrying him home, but he was happy to get back in his car around noon for the long "drive" home. (I installed a footrest for him, so he can keep his feet up as I push him along.)



The weather was nice and sunny, with temps in the low 30's. Sunday marked a dramatic change in conditions!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Another lap around the sun...

Sunday marked another lap around the sun for me, and I did things I enjoy to celebrate the day. In the morning I kayaked with SKOAC. We rent a pool once per month during the winter season, and it's a good chance to practice rolling techniques and things like that. My rolls are getting pretty consistent - I'm now shifting from being happy about just being able to do a roll to focusing on building up the muscle memory to make it more "solid". Still a ways to go.

In the afternoon, Pam and I headed in Minneapolis to attend a talk given by Dr. John Francis (founder of Planetwalk). He spent 17 years not talking, and shared his experiences and what he learned. Originally he started out by being quiet for a day, then decided to go a whole year. It was his gift to others - apparently he was quite chatty before the silence thing. His goal was to draw attention to the environment (he started in the early 70s). In addition to not talking, he decided he would not travel in any motorized vehicle.

I was amazed to hear how during his silent period, he completed a BS in Oregon, then walked over to Montana for his MS, then walked over to Madison, WI to complete his Ph.D. He was doing his Ph.D. on oil spills in the late 80's for no particular reason - he was just interested in the topic. Then, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez dumped its load of oil, and all of a sudden he was in high demand. In turns out that he was the only person in the US studying oil spills at a Ph.D. level, and the government was eager to tap into his knowledge.

For me, the most interesting part of the talk came at the end. He described a series of experiences that made him realize it was time to shift his thinking, since he had evolved a value system that was at odds with his beliefs. His original goal was to draw attention to pollution and the environment by walking and not talking. But, when he became a highly sought after expert in key areas, he realized that asking folks to wait 3-6 months for him to walk or bike somewhere was not going to help him be more effective. Thus, he agreed to start driving and flying, since it would be a more effective way to get his message out.

This got me to thinking. What set of habits have I adopted that are actually at odds with my current situation and underlying belief system? We all have contradictions in our lives - which ones are keeping us from being the people we would like to be, or even imagine ourselves to be today. I don't expect to take a vow of silence of 17 years, but this is definitely a question worth pondering.

Saturday w/ Alex

We had a good weekend.

On Saturday, we returned to the Children's Science Museum in St. Paul. It was a family outing this time - all three of us. It was clear that Alex remembered the place, as he had formed very strong opinions as to where he wanted to go first. He headed straight for the crane, though I suspect the main attraction there for him is the "big truck" that the operator of the crane is attempting to load. He was more interested in watching that than he was in playing with the controls.



After that, we headed over to the boats, where he remembered how that whole process worked. The Museum is interesting, since a particular exhibit can be packed with a dozen kids (not good for a wee little one like Alex), but if you wait 5 minutes, they all leave and you have the place to yourself. In any case, he enjoyed playing with the boats and other water stuff.


After that, we headed upstairs to the "Hobi-tot" - a special play area for kids up to 4 years old. This tends to be less crowded than some other areas, and the kids are young enough that they are still ok with sharing. Alex likes running around there, and playing hide-and-seek with Mom & Dad.


Thursday, November 20, 2008

Big Truck in our Front Yard

It's been an interesting 24 hours for Alex. Last night he woke up at 12:30 and was having problems breathing (croup). Fortunately, he responded well the the recommended 20 minute steam bath. I responded pretty well too - in spite of sweating profusely (it was like a poor man's sauna), I was overjoyed when it was clear the technique was working. Needless to say, after 20 minutes we were pretty soaked with sweat, but the nurse had suggested heading outside for a bit for cold air. It was around 20F outside, so I think that qualifies.

So, I wrapped both of us up in a down comforter, and we headed out to the front porch. There was a chair there, so I plopped down and prepared to wait and slowly get cold. But, exactly the opposite happened. I was extremely comfortable, since it was a lot like being wrapped up in a down mummy bag. I was holding my son, who had put his head down on my shoulder and was obviously extremely relaxed (as stressed as I was, imagine if you were the one having the breathing issues). After 5 minutes, Pam came out to tell us we could come in, but Alex very firmly said, "NO!" So we hung out for another 5 minutes or so - I could easily have fallen asleep, and I think Alex felt the same way. But, we came in and soon everyone was asleep.

In the morning, Alex got a treat. One of his favorite things in the whole world is "Big Trucks". There is a loading dock next to daycare, and he really enjoys seeing the big rigs come and go. This morning our neighbors were movning in, so there was a moving truck right out front. Needless to say, the little guy was quite excited about that. We were doing a slow start to the day so everyone (well, Alex and myself) could get a little extra rest, so we spent some time checking out the truck. I wonder if Alex will now expect the truck to be there tomorrow?

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Late Fall Paddling

I was able to get out the water Saturday afternoon for some paddling. An unexpected treat this late in the season. Matt Kennedy, who did the Rossport trip back in August with, came along to check out this thing I call "urban paddling":



We hit the water at around 2:30 or so - the temps were a bit above freezing, but the wind was blowing hard. I was excited about trying out my pogies (things you put on your hands while paddling to keep them toasty) until I realized that I had left them at home. Fortunately, I had some neoprene gloves along!

We started at the I694 bridge (a park off of East River Road), and paddled downstream. This would force us to work hard to come back. It was a great day, and the downtown skyline beckoned us to keep paddling. We finally turned around when we realized we would be tight on time (and energy) to make it back before the sun went down. (We turned around at the bridge in the background. The bridge after that is at Boom Island.)


Leaving that late in the afternoon meant that the sun set while we were still on the water. This resulted in temps dropping below freezing. As a result, we both had a decent layer of ice on our boats from the paddle spray. the spray skirts were pretty crusty too. It was also pretty dark (and COLD) when we returned, and the park was getting ready to close (the ranger stopped by to see when we were going to leave).

We had a good paddle. Total distance was just under 12 miles - not bad for an impromptu paddle. Both of us dressed warmly, and were fairly comfortable. Until we got out of our boats. Turns out the spray skirt contributes a lot to staying warm!


Wednesday, November 12, 2008

First Snow

We had our first snow last night. Started out as freezing rain and sleet, then turned to snow around midnight. This morning everything was a beautiful white:


I don't think Alex remembers the snow from last year. He was really fascinated by the whole world being white this morning. When he stepped outside, he thought it was really cool that he was leaving footprints on the driveway, and kept turning around to look at them. Here he is checking the view out through the window, and pointing out that something seems a bit different:

Monday, November 10, 2008

Falltime in Minnesota

Every year we make a big production out of raking leaves. We figured out a few years back that we were spending a huge amount of time bagging leaves. Ramsey County (where we live) has a compost site about 3 miles away, so it works out very nicely to just load the back of the truck with leaves and drive them over there. We end up getting the entire yard done in just a few hours. I think I estimated a few years back that I can put the equivalent of around 20 bags of leaves into the back of the truck.

This year, Alex had fun playing in the back of the truck as we were filling it up. He is joined by Lizzy (on the left) and Meghan:

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Children's Museum

We had our first snow yesterday (11/7), and so I've started thinking about warm things to do around here to get thru the winter. Specifically, warm things to do on the weekend with Alex.

I have heard good things about the local Children's Museum, so I finally took Alex down this this morning. This gave Pam so quality sanity time to herself, and Alex and I had a chance to do that father/son bonding thing. It was a really cool place. Alex spent a lot of time playing with the boats - he put the boat at the top of the track, and when he lifted the gate it water would come pouring out and carry the boat down to the pool at the bottom. I lost track of how many times he did this - he was having a LOT of fun.


We then wandered over to the ball room, where he enjoyed pushing a large ball around.


The remainder of the day was spent in a little room where he was able to climb around, crawl, and generally explore. I didn't realize until I got home that I don't have any pictures from there (ironic, since it had the best lighting). The next time we go, I think I'll try to talk Pam into joining us so I can bring my Nikon and get some better shots. It's certainly a challenge trying to watch the little guy and take good pictures at the same time.

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Trick or Treat!

Last night I took Alex out trick-or-treating. This year he was dressed up as a lion. He wasn't too sure about the lion outfit, so he insisted on having his own hat on. Pam realized that he wouldn't care about a second hat at that point, so she put the "lion hat" on after that. A fairly unique look was thus achieved.

He did really well, at least in my opinion. He walked around the whole neighborhood on his own (I never had to carry him). In addition, he insisted on carrying his little pumpkin candy bucket. I suspect that had more to do with keeping an eye on his stuff. It was cute watching him stop every 2 or 3 houses, sit down on someones lawn and proceed to check out the contents of his bucket. Our neighbors (Meghan and Lizzy) who had joined us felt that this behavior was slowing them down, but seemed to be pretty good sports about it anyway.

This one is a bit blurry, but I like the artistic effect:


The group is ready to go. From left: Meghan, Alex and Lizzy. I had a lot of fun taking them around the neighborhood.


I dressed up as "Indiana Jones". A few neighbors caught it. One even came out as we were half-way down the driveway to tell me she realized I was dressed up as Indy: