tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26611612860966411392024-03-13T00:05:33.579-07:00Ballyhack PointA short evening paddle fetches the Point, where you can haul out on the cobble beach in its secluded little cove, with a picnic lunch and a thermos of hot tea to have while just looking out over the waters of Gasters, Conception Bay. There's endless other places here just as nice and peaceful, and we'll hopefully take you to visit a few of them as we explore blogging.Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-42889097425480459242014-02-14T11:47:00.000-08:002014-02-14T19:01:28.263-08:00 It's All In The DetailsYesterday, Boo and I covered the same route again - it's right out the back door with the snowshoes on, and I can let her Ladyship offleash in there. Does it get boring?, Sure, if you let it, but the trick is to have an eye to the details - and a camera, of course...<br />
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Speaking of details - the lens on the PowerShot SX30 is impressing me more and more - Canon's always did have good glass - and the anti-shake compensation is light-years ahead of anything else I've used.The first shot below is my favourite view on this track - yes, you've already seen it - and the second a zoom from the same time and location. Basically handheld, arms resting on a fencerail - not too shabby for an old pro who's more old than pro these days. Would have needed a tripod to get this sharp a handheld image with that magnification back in my 35mm heyday.<br />
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Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-2133979059984886822014-02-09T13:55:00.000-08:002014-02-09T14:02:14.887-08:00While Winter Lasts...Another wonderful winter day, so Boo and I took advantage to retrace our steps from the last snowshoe run - again, beautiful sun and snow, with Conception Bay as a stunning backdrop. Nippy enough when exposed to the wind in off the water, but absolutely perfect in amongst the trees.<br />
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<br />Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-84668413084920070322014-02-04T18:07:00.002-08:002014-02-04T18:20:29.726-08:00Gotta Get Out On a Day Like ThisAnother stunner, cold and sunny, with lovely rich light, perfect for a little scuff on the snowshoes. Did a small trail thru the woods back of house, then along another path that skirts the shoreline just back in the trees. Here's a pic from one of my favourite vantage points, looking across Conception Bay towards Kelly's Island and Bell Island, with the Portugal Cove shore in the background. About 15 minutes from the house...<br />
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Booah today - hanging in very nicely at 16...will hit 17 in dog years in May...that's 119 in human years!!! - lot of miles on the ol' clock, but like a solid old beater of a truck, she just goes and goes and goes...she can run the legs off me anytime at all...<br />
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...but she does enjoy her LazyBoy at the end of the day...<br />
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<br />Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-21223507743285146942013-10-25T19:50:00.001-07:002013-10-25T22:40:54.378-07:00<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
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Misty Day on The Bay<br />
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Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-52334558388399587942013-10-25T19:49:00.001-07:002014-02-04T18:22:40.787-08:00BOO!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-24689749337704917992013-10-25T19:45:00.001-07:002013-11-21T19:44:21.673-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Been a while - lots has changed, but all's OK. Been spending time at the cabin, mostly feeding the woodstove and taking things easy. Weather's been nice. Here's a a few pix to hopefully get things rolling again at the Point.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visitors Centre, Saltons Brook TNNP</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mTxfuvU0-vPCdFnPZHXl5VSsX29nlqyKBn0D5GKTge0rt1B72qDpDIyfu4V8HhwKcUU9Ty4YByXjBZoyBe54Qftjyus1iYFe7e2WO4gD46jksSR0hKaOyql6Mg6_DZi0JhetMGXuT74/s1600/DSCF7313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mTxfuvU0-vPCdFnPZHXl5VSsX29nlqyKBn0D5GKTge0rt1B72qDpDIyfu4V8HhwKcUU9Ty4YByXjBZoyBe54Qftjyus1iYFe7e2WO4gD46jksSR0hKaOyql6Mg6_DZi0JhetMGXuT74/s400/DSCF7313.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Narrows, Saltons Brook</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzHMm35n34IqFxfjhGdsqnJ9BOJwZ5IAwNbwZcYXa7B2vYLpHU-Zn8LSXO2iFM202HW88MzOFqbl3ll_pk8_ELdJgmzwI9xZoNjwbxVHYqZSn6rwMT8LanI0x8Qxo1EaG550Zxq54XKg/s1600/DSCF7327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzHMm35n34IqFxfjhGdsqnJ9BOJwZ5IAwNbwZcYXa7B2vYLpHU-Zn8LSXO2iFM202HW88MzOFqbl3ll_pk8_ELdJgmzwI9xZoNjwbxVHYqZSn6rwMT8LanI0x8Qxo1EaG550Zxq54XKg/s400/DSCF7327.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malady Head, TNNP</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwV6-YcQAnDRTvNGC5TtkqoI80A05PTlUHE6rFOnkXHzj7c_AhjP2yCchKY5gFdx8fiAE-H4SHOXbJrlyKG79F3Ns6l4k-eoEqH0xoXxlmsspBlUgCMtGcnwLHtfRGaEeEdGMfHnojxw/s1600/IMGP1856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwV6-YcQAnDRTvNGC5TtkqoI80A05PTlUHE6rFOnkXHzj7c_AhjP2yCchKY5gFdx8fiAE-H4SHOXbJrlyKG79F3Ns6l4k-eoEqH0xoXxlmsspBlUgCMtGcnwLHtfRGaEeEdGMfHnojxw/s400/IMGP1856.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malady Head again, this time from the water</td></tr>
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<br />Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-50011762742895966332013-02-26T16:33:00.001-08:002014-02-04T18:23:32.587-08:00Been A While...Three years, to be exact - and there's been a lot of changes since then.<br />
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Firstly, finally, and most importantly Chris is gone, after 35 years of wonderful togetherness and a mercifully brief battle with breast cancer. Miss her every minute of every day...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEI2aIV65mtqYTAJUyUkkzkuyRAB4OpwzTtH7XASePVaH8d14SM1WwiMPmH_cpr8iybzDqbGcpdujj9rqxA3MlqNIRWqfy9a0jGYTpLLVFFjmxvI0l_n3LEb51xW3RqZGJYVHU6TuUpHU/s1600/Chris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEI2aIV65mtqYTAJUyUkkzkuyRAB4OpwzTtH7XASePVaH8d14SM1WwiMPmH_cpr8iybzDqbGcpdujj9rqxA3MlqNIRWqfy9a0jGYTpLLVFFjmxvI0l_n3LEb51xW3RqZGJYVHU6TuUpHU/s400/Chris.jpg" height="293" width="400" /></a> </div>
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Since then, my friends, and most especially our two daughters and their husbands, have carried me forward with their concern, companionship and love, for which I am deeply, deeply grateful. That's all I want to say on this, because there is really nothing more to be said, except that we should cherish those we love every minute we have with them...<br />
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I wanted to start Ballyhack Point again now because life goes on, and there are still many, many things in life that remain beautiful, fascinating and to be celebrated. In the months ahead, I'm hoping to post occasionally about things that matter to me, be they major or minor, and to add a few more thoughts and pix about the incredible island where I'm blessed to live. We'll see how it goes...Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-90432231819725214372010-03-04T18:20:00.000-08:002010-03-04T19:02:03.447-08:00The Winter What Wasn'tBeen a mild one this year - very little snow, no real cold snaps. Lots of rain, freezing rain, drizzle, freezing drizzle, fog, freezing fog, flurries, wet flurries with hail and freezing fog or rain, and the odd capful of wind...but nothing that would pass for a good old-fashioned, half-decent winter...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXB22FoOp1RLMEwvP89dZQ1leC9y4YfKabYsaS-5Ray1h4mCNXz79YRUkvvT1Pq7nKsjkNIlEY1Zdw1TZMYUkNuqmQNfwlqaUsxYpzlZl8jKAiSZPTXq1EstJCtWVBv_PbTogctfWVQpA/s1600-h/maladyheadice2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXB22FoOp1RLMEwvP89dZQ1leC9y4YfKabYsaS-5Ray1h4mCNXz79YRUkvvT1Pq7nKsjkNIlEY1Zdw1TZMYUkNuqmQNfwlqaUsxYpzlZl8jKAiSZPTXq1EstJCtWVBv_PbTogctfWVQpA/s400/maladyheadice2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Notice the lack of white stuff - there's only been snow enough in the woods to use the snowshoes twice this winter, and we didn't really need them either time. Haven't even bothered to wax the XC skis...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZDI4KKlecLZK3HRzhAUmj-UjOt_khXTcnVdYpIS8sXjxsrsQ4JFmcVmKJGfaEVCxZOxNlIse7XJYZqmLB8kz5SdDYO6ju8pjdzegGk8IHdn7n4qNzmhqx77PU-cvC5_YQpuWcJa3pQw/s1600-h/deckshot+ang%27s+boxing+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZDI4KKlecLZK3HRzhAUmj-UjOt_khXTcnVdYpIS8sXjxsrsQ4JFmcVmKJGfaEVCxZOxNlIse7XJYZqmLB8kz5SdDYO6ju8pjdzegGk8IHdn7n4qNzmhqx77PU-cvC5_YQpuWcJa3pQw/s400/deckshot+ang%27s+boxing+day.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the view from our daughter and son-in-law's deck, taken Boxing Day - really, Boxing Day - not enough snow to make a snowball...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXrz9Zsns10esktues7Ei7LBMfcgfq9EzOgk1xUlDNSFu5GBF-xV_MxxIHww1FYc54csv0u2dbe3mEVqz_PIC9mES8UE6MxBtPJ8Hr5JPsXGfNDcIg7qLSI-Pc1a-0iJ7dJ8ECGie5po/s1600-h/storm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXrz9Zsns10esktues7Ei7LBMfcgfq9EzOgk1xUlDNSFu5GBF-xV_MxxIHww1FYc54csv0u2dbe3mEVqz_PIC9mES8UE6MxBtPJ8Hr5JPsXGfNDcIg7qLSI-Pc1a-0iJ7dJ8ECGie5po/s400/storm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">We did have a few dirty days, which was great - got to do at least one short snowshoe run when the wind was driving a few flakes across the Bay...</div><br />
The one big storm we had dumped about 30 cms., which was enough to make it worth getting the new-to-us snowblower out and running. It ain't no Honda, but it does the job - and just as well it does...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7Ko2BqTFKTOpt7IBDEh6PDe_OvuPnOcjZTiRTigbjXZTePdnm0q7gVGzQCo_yPrdJ8I2d-5SXDV1EjeoRcH-hN6mepCcKjPIS66hgbie8OoqMw-5PzuVBLCPM1bdrFtLhpR4kVQDSYQ/s1600-h/snowed+truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7Ko2BqTFKTOpt7IBDEh6PDe_OvuPnOcjZTiRTigbjXZTePdnm0q7gVGzQCo_yPrdJ8I2d-5SXDV1EjeoRcH-hN6mepCcKjPIS66hgbie8OoqMw-5PzuVBLCPM1bdrFtLhpR4kVQDSYQ/s400/snowed+truck.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Booah seems to have the best approach to this sort of weather...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">when it's fit to be out...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-NUZXEUciO1C38v7mGsk8qHfd8ENhLL3p8iVNeTIQojchc39SnBH4CY07GdYazAfeDFpxnc2O75T5sU7xT1lHMeoaVtHUbaYLFEOxocIy-j8xBFeU9yYYGDOUA7EYZ91_mgVIuFL8mE/s1600-h/booah1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-NUZXEUciO1C38v7mGsk8qHfd8ENhLL3p8iVNeTIQojchc39SnBH4CY07GdYazAfeDFpxnc2O75T5sU7xT1lHMeoaVtHUbaYLFEOxocIy-j8xBFeU9yYYGDOUA7EYZ91_mgVIuFL8mE/s400/booah1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Get dressed and get out...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3UYeb9j_RVNSBtsvvARsGbAL9Ww0GzYr2E-ZfQxa5B0Dm_nuu6SRGZUxILn5im0WTrBxDkJsXpKj8GWc33Y812zZeQwdWA61s-HkytikVJYhMXmiZ5axoWbyfiD7urXEw0rJ4bzMvHA/s1600-h/booah2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3UYeb9j_RVNSBtsvvARsGbAL9Ww0GzYr2E-ZfQxa5B0Dm_nuu6SRGZUxILn5im0WTrBxDkJsXpKj8GWc33Y812zZeQwdWA61s-HkytikVJYhMXmiZ5axoWbyfiD7urXEw0rJ4bzMvHA/s400/booah2.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> ...And enjoy while it lasts,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">'cause there's a time coming when it won't be fit...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_BHPBcfcbQjyKPrqVOVR9a_wKxa63csRMO9KJfdY9DAAY6SrG487CxscsFmriyGIG9YWKy34F-i7C2b0ucDVD3GNOWTe8tcAnAQBIwfqLvOuyKtOl4LLlc7gySakzuhPnuZp5Qj3DIQ/s1600-h/booah+nap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_BHPBcfcbQjyKPrqVOVR9a_wKxa63csRMO9KJfdY9DAAY6SrG487CxscsFmriyGIG9YWKy34F-i7C2b0ucDVD3GNOWTe8tcAnAQBIwfqLvOuyKtOl4LLlc7gySakzuhPnuZp5Qj3DIQ/s400/booah+nap.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">To put a dog out.... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-25093256184064372352010-02-10T20:07:00.000-08:002010-02-10T20:12:22.091-08:00Look Who Dropped By<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PqfJaPh3YbdRo2poysMYs_BroWGvSoXqitJcjCOTbfQkBdr0zBacYaJg0hZ81rMmO6xH3lrbyGgYuFwTXCPsgFzXxDGxXxP9SM03LlDKMhe9MCoLzlvHOlW6inyFlflSqpXO4xthvF4/s1600-h/sparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PqfJaPh3YbdRo2poysMYs_BroWGvSoXqitJcjCOTbfQkBdr0zBacYaJg0hZ81rMmO6xH3lrbyGgYuFwTXCPsgFzXxDGxXxP9SM03LlDKMhe9MCoLzlvHOlW6inyFlflSqpXO4xthvF4/s400/sparrow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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A few seeds, a sharp-eyed friend drinking tea, a Christmas camera with lotsa zoom and a lady who knows how to use it - voila, you've got yourself a very nice pic of a very rare bird.<br />
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This Chipping Sparrow isn't supposed to be here in the Gullies. Both The Birds of Canada and Birds of Atlantic Canada show its range no further east on the island than the Codroy Valley area, which is about 900 kms. west of here as the sparrow flies; Birds of Newfoundland doesn't even list it. Thanks to Rod for the initial I.D., and to Tony for confirmation.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo: C. Mousseau)</span>Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-1895650075854842342009-12-24T13:35:00.000-08:002009-12-25T12:43:58.564-08:00How Nice Was That???We get our mail at an outdoor postal box setup - something new for this area, and not a terribly popular change from the boxes in the Needs store. This afternoon, I stopped to check the mail one last time before Christmas. The postal workers were just sorting the mail and putting it in the boxes. "It'll be 10 minutes or so before we get to yours", the lady told me. So I sat in the car, and waited.<br />
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When they'd filled the section of the block ours is in, I checked again; nothing. "Just hoping there'd be a notice in the mail, so I could go to the post office to get a parcel my wife's brother had sent from Ontario", I said to her. "No big deal - it'll be in next week, I guess." And I added, as I started to walk away, "Thanks, and Merry Christmas..."<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Back home, Chris and Angelina were decorating the tree, when the dog let loose with a volley of "Come quick, there's people here" barks. Went to the door, and a woman said "I'm looking for a house number - what's this one?" "Number 32", I said. "Then this is yours", she said, handing me a small parcel, just as I recognized the now-out-of-uniform lady from Canada Post. After they'd finished loading the boxes, the package showed, and she and her co-worker had taken the trouble, on their own time, at 5:30p.m. on Christmas Eve, to deliver our Christmas parcel to our door.<br />
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Wow - just wow! How good are people, at all - and a Very, Very Merry Christmas to everyone....Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-72892955264364199092009-11-09T09:25:00.000-08:002009-11-09T10:03:14.651-08:00How Good Does It Get?Anyone who knows me can tell you I have four great loves - my wife, our two daughters, and boats . While paddlecraft are my special affliction, there's always a place in my heart for others - trim and tidy sailboats, and even the big power cruisers like Demissanne.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTod1hdCoEO7J-0rwb7WfaNk_pzzFb05SIvDuKFm6R-OaAfCFDq6vsKnX6PptJvMW6Iw4XkH3lrOixISuCJQgE7egbn8BvqudYpv8kyMG9UqKo_vVEji9wwca_ssCpue1fdntIwhg9kT8/s1600-h/boats2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMPzcGvrV_ugDzMNUJulCJyWD3FX3cTWoBtKxdcwh08cy2fsGgZerMKjx-iCWCvnXpzt5Km2zGe1-MIxj48zPSpevmrcboW7pHbYj7QMUCKifGGVYA04-sMlYMaDQgf4i-pOpbDho9jI/s1600-h/boats2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMPzcGvrV_ugDzMNUJulCJyWD3FX3cTWoBtKxdcwh08cy2fsGgZerMKjx-iCWCvnXpzt5Km2zGe1-MIxj48zPSpevmrcboW7pHbYj7QMUCKifGGVYA04-sMlYMaDQgf4i-pOpbDho9jI/s400/boats2.jpg" /></a><br />
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The past few weeks, I've been helping a friend who's made his living for the past 30 years tending to various craft with haulout at at a local marina. The big boys come ashore via the travel lift, an amazing machine that can trundle a 10 tonner around like I handle my kayak. Grab the pressure washer, blast the slub off the bottom, get her cradled, climb aboard, coil up the lines and power cords at her berth, clean out perishables, tidy up the lines and fenders on deck, winterize the water systems and engines, chase the odd leak - lots and lots to do, all of it good and straightforward and useful.work.<br />
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Weather's been fallish - temps in the low single digits, winds 80-100 kms/hr. NE to NW in off the bay most days - brisk and bracing, you might say. (I'm thoroughly enjoying it - dress right (lots of layers, poly and merino, with a good windblocking outer shell) and keep dry, and you'll stay warm as toast. Us North Atlantic kayakers know a thing or two about warm and dry...)<br />
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All in all, it's a good... no, make that a great - life - down by the water, with a multitude of boats to keep one amused and learning, and no shortage of 'air conditioning'. The folks around - owners, or others working on the boats - are , as you'd expect, the best kind - boats just naturally seem to attract people who can laugh, joke and help each other. There's worse things a man could be at, like trying to explain to an irate customer that the three-year warranty doesn't apply to the drill he bought last week; having it crushed when he backed his pickup over it isn't really considered a defect in materials...<br />
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Here's a final view of the 'office'.<br />
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</div>Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-42437424246499777662009-10-18T14:42:00.000-07:002009-10-21T15:52:20.703-07:00Codroy ValleyLocated on the island's west coast, just a few kilometers from the Port aux Basques ferry, the Codroy Valley is one of the most spectacular and interesting places in Newfoundland.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_U788hLrznHpeTKOrOPDMgLUMU0DuVe6hnasXcl0rMcDo2vECtoCikO64XI_Q45FbXN2s6PO3807USIEIh_A9zYo05V06KyYObIJejObam3TWbB52JSNMBGnH9skKIpw06jq5Q7qXct4/s1600-h/Visting+Paddlers+09+85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_U788hLrznHpeTKOrOPDMgLUMU0DuVe6hnasXcl0rMcDo2vECtoCikO64XI_Q45FbXN2s6PO3807USIEIh_A9zYo05V06KyYObIJejObam3TWbB52JSNMBGnH9skKIpw06jq5Q7qXct4/s400/Visting+Paddlers+09+85.jpg" /></a><br />
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The river runs between tall hills, wending it's way thru the range of mountains that form, amongst other things, the notorious Wreckhouse section the TCH, where tractor trailers are regularly blown over on their sides by the fierce wind gusts that barrel thru the gaps between the hills.<br />
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When we visited in early July, however, the weather cooperated, and our visitors - Michael, Gaetan and Helene - enjoyed civil breezes when they joined Chris and I for a paddle on one of the most beautiful river estuaries Newfoundland has to offer.<br />
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</div>The area isn't always so friendly, though. We took advantage of a wait to get a table for an incredible halibut dinner one evening to drive the few miles to Cape Anguille, where a lighthouse overlooks the mouth of the Codroy. <br />
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</div>With the wind in off the Gulf, it's a rough looking spot, where we had to lean into the wind to stay on our feet.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Definitely NOT the place a kayaker, or at least this kayaker, wants to be!!!</span><br />
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</div>Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-35559214029551120912009-10-16T09:19:00.000-07:002009-10-17T04:28:53.506-07:00We're Back, Yet AgainProcrastination is a wonderful thing.<br />
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It's been over a year since I lasted posted to Ballyhack Point, and the longer it is, the harder it seems to get to do it. So here's a first attempt at rejuvenating something that I've enjoyed doing in the past.<br />
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The year has been a great one, blessed with lots of family and friends and things to do. The summer was, to put it mildly, a blast, with lashings of visitors and new experiences, especially on the paddling scene. In the next few posts, I'll hit a few of the highlights, but for Chris and I, our first on-water visit to Dildo Run - yes, there is such a place - was surely a "Gotta go there again" sort of thing.<br />
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The Run, located in Notre Dame Bay, snakes its way thru islands, runs, reaches, and tickles, offering some of the most protected and diverse paddling waters you'll find around Newfoundland's coastline. You could spend a week exploring all the nooks and crannies, never be more than a few hundred yards offshore, and still not see it all.<br />
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</div>Besides a wonderful provincial campground, there are endless places where you can pitch a tent amd enjoy an evening of solitude and beauty, in a place that's quiet and largely undisturbed. Of all the spots where we've wet a paddle, this is the #1 destination that, God willing, we'll be headed there for a much longer visit next summer.<br />
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</div>Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-2068420783323014952008-09-07T19:17:00.000-07:002008-09-08T16:44:09.620-07:00Yo, We're Back!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUiWXYqGB8IgY07pkg_8b4PiTYUkmFLO2gxJ1dNI6fWnVr-tcAXVVlFzzpIx5-yA2spE2e4g5aWGodYkysQWyh5XQsJckwV8hhK19wOcOExmlXtOuj96zqqmbFnkf2LERjngLNS7CTq8/s1600-h/beach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUiWXYqGB8IgY07pkg_8b4PiTYUkmFLO2gxJ1dNI6fWnVr-tcAXVVlFzzpIx5-yA2spE2e4g5aWGodYkysQWyh5XQsJckwV8hhK19wOcOExmlXtOuj96zqqmbFnkf2LERjngLNS7CTq8/s400/beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243479613666318114" border="0" /></a>Just spent the summer in Eastport - that's my excuse for not visiting Ballyhack Point since late June, and I'm sticking to it. Had a phone line that was truly unbelievable in the 21st century and dialup on top of that, since the Community Access Point (CAP) site at the school in Glovertown was closed for summer while the building was being rewired. So a slow connection, lots of dropped sessions, and besides, we were having far too much fun to spend time writing and editing pix...<br /><br />Did some paddling, a little hiking, a bit of camping, cut the grass, ate really well, polybonded the rusting 4Runner winter beater, read books, got to know a really good mechanic at the local service station, walked the beach with the dogs almost daily, had lots of great visitors - all in all, a fine time was had by all.<br /><br />We also finished Chris' GLADWIND, which is a somewhat modified VOLKSKAYAK that she's taken to like...well, like a VK to water. Nipped the beam in about 1.5", hacked the same off the forward bulkhead peak, and 2" off the rear bulkhead peak for good measure - the result has a slightly deeper "V" to the hull, and lower decks than the VK Standard. A little less displacement, and a fair bit less windage - was kinda hoping she'd hate it, 'cause I really, really like it - no such luck! Been told, point-blank, that I'm gonna have to build myself one, if that's what I want - the GLADWIND is hers...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2yhnV9e1NFoaO8PRYL0rNvsE93vSH3QNY0_iWyfHpB4jwOuWS0MMg67qXmKiFJEk6uVkG2x3JK1j-3H0Oz4zM1BscaYrVxMG-IVnlSMRq2FON8tyG4mo-YN2zlip6rjNUHoR949QupU/s1600-h/gladwind.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2yhnV9e1NFoaO8PRYL0rNvsE93vSH3QNY0_iWyfHpB4jwOuWS0MMg67qXmKiFJEk6uVkG2x3JK1j-3H0Oz4zM1BscaYrVxMG-IVnlSMRq2FON8tyG4mo-YN2zlip6rjNUHoR949QupU/s400/gladwind.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243476289567332882" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcZ7MzKCnWTzAImfT_DYYxxNGsgOT-ytvZYQXOadcg4ueACsvaZ6jHSs5H6AfPzU3FGvP3T1WOT9s2wUMEPgObp4OKGKArfAicuDXUBFYQTmCjuOQh39sxblkNB3SIGu5OpzRsKC_mno/s1600-h/gladwind.jpg"><br /></a>Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-11681949499860585222008-06-25T17:02:00.000-07:002008-06-28T18:20:49.415-07:00Mother and ChildThat grouse wasn't about to move - no sir, no way! Standing at the near end of the boardwalk in Minchin's Cove, it seemed unconcerned as I got a few quick pix from maybe 15 feet, then started slowly moving closer and closer...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxgmRcxjFzjMtc-jvpAD-S5iPoT6NsBhpvJ0lqpMgXCtuztN37-mL64sF-3r5A0-6x0ecyJm1YiTlhFwoxoOK-mYWh4bih4rjd_7NRxZwwgielAW9zbSvY_EVBKhTJ_NOk4ZroPwaHuo/s1600-h/Ruffled+Grouse+%26+Chicks+04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxgmRcxjFzjMtc-jvpAD-S5iPoT6NsBhpvJ0lqpMgXCtuztN37-mL64sF-3r5A0-6x0ecyJm1YiTlhFwoxoOK-mYWh4bih4rjd_7NRxZwwgielAW9zbSvY_EVBKhTJ_NOk4ZroPwaHuo/s400/Ruffled+Grouse+%26+Chicks+04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215978434054044546" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Then we saw them - three chicks, each egg-sized, making their separate ways across the boardwalk, one at a time. Momma wasn't budging - no big fuss, just staying right there while the kiddies toddled across. Kinda like a school crossing guard, having an eye to the traffic and stopping anything that might cause harm...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnPUH1_dsS0mG6hCgeCXCLsm5xYXHlkxIrgPJYl1OohTz0Knn3PpfwfA4abdaasXVGylZY4Dwc1eCmGWyjq0Msro41_0kZjsrp4R61B0LYZ6b2Ashr9FTVK3kCoY3RIHTam1Pp2DsdRM/s1600-h/Ruffled+Grouse+%26+Chicks+05.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnPUH1_dsS0mG6hCgeCXCLsm5xYXHlkxIrgPJYl1OohTz0Knn3PpfwfA4abdaasXVGylZY4Dwc1eCmGWyjq0Msro41_0kZjsrp4R61B0LYZ6b2Ashr9FTVK3kCoY3RIHTam1Pp2DsdRM/s400/Ruffled+Grouse+%26+Chicks+05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215978558309436322" border="0" /></a><br />With the last one safely accounted for , she strolls off into the tall foliage herself, still very relaxed about it all. Then she stands there, side on, and has one final look at this creature with the camera...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRov1wTHnmieChRnBd5MpMMw6fIiUZG8HQncr2AWwgexTiLpxrZDqPY9qwNLkzWEa2Ouo0O1f2uIHLiTgbjTHkU4RWTO-v3AJICive3ELgc0mTVtsEb-8mAfyyKFRQb6AJsz4ka7O1WU/s1600-h/Ruffled+Grouse%26Chicks+07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRov1wTHnmieChRnBd5MpMMw6fIiUZG8HQncr2AWwgexTiLpxrZDqPY9qwNLkzWEa2Ouo0O1f2uIHLiTgbjTHkU4RWTO-v3AJICive3ELgc0mTVtsEb-8mAfyyKFRQb6AJsz4ka7O1WU/s400/Ruffled+Grouse%26Chicks+07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215978565356042258" border="0" /></a>Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-36800258013008744492008-06-24T17:13:00.001-07:002008-06-24T21:07:59.885-07:00Small Stuff......can be wonderfully interesting. Lately, we've been taking a look at our world thru the macro setting on our digital cameras - and finding lots of fascinating sights.<br /><br />Take a common leaf, for example, just after a rain - have a close look at the water drops - besides glistening like little jewels, they act as magnifying lenses and convex mirrors, little distortions you'd not likely see if you weren't looking with the camera's eye...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtA0gaGCOrqNIpkUkF_Mi3Unb8hJo1yHxkOu6ghx0SHNyfOWuHb6AVbX_9nf3fOd8Vr4pDge8fTLr785deDGHYnbWpIZEUDev2Aols3TtWluozO9yVTUmw28Bosxbs_FBsAOOHSyPVVU/s1600-h/Water+Droplets"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtA0gaGCOrqNIpkUkF_Mi3Unb8hJo1yHxkOu6ghx0SHNyfOWuHb6AVbX_9nf3fOd8Vr4pDge8fTLr785deDGHYnbWpIZEUDev2Aols3TtWluozO9yVTUmw28Bosxbs_FBsAOOHSyPVVU/s400/Water+Droplets" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215616940357507986" border="0" /></a><br />Sometimes, the right things happen for entirely the wrong reasons. This 'flower', for example, struck me as odd - never seen one like it, I thought, and so snapped a few shots to get it I.D.'d later on. Well, duh - turns out it's a dandelion, but with most of the seed dispersed. There is, however, enough seed left to show just why the plant is such a tenacious species - the brown seed and dispersal 'parachute' show clearly with the camera's detailed eye - another small wonder...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2xpEt3lvx7mocdzuEsEDsrVaB5XdWjBI0h85j3csWz2fydI8Aw5Wcw114Ouo6Ws8lfMoHX-Dv7RgDW7rn7dlPw6vmxBqWdrADd7-B0ti9TC_b_k80f5FtS6AFf0mUbU2PiPP2KpT7MA/s1600-h/Dandelion+Seed"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2xpEt3lvx7mocdzuEsEDsrVaB5XdWjBI0h85j3csWz2fydI8Aw5Wcw114Ouo6Ws8lfMoHX-Dv7RgDW7rn7dlPw6vmxBqWdrADd7-B0ti9TC_b_k80f5FtS6AFf0mUbU2PiPP2KpT7MA/s400/Dandelion+Seed" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215618050556431042" border="0" /></a><br />A gull's feather on the beach - not a lot to look at in most folk's books. Closeup, however, there is stuff to see - the shadings white thru grays, the drift of sand along the quill, contrasting with the strong green of the seaweed bladder. Another small visual world, caught and recorded by a close focus lens...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGx13Gon2eBD0lKEd0DrIcbOAm1dYEgS8fqM4cokty7Rj1ZtBq8Ees6_67Mknz3M3iLWBT1x7mRJKCtInzJxXvFXmAV79l_YsQjH5pSavdx2D9__R3tnrSt67wx-uR0LgDTGEqWVsZzk/s1600-h/Feather"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGx13Gon2eBD0lKEd0DrIcbOAm1dYEgS8fqM4cokty7Rj1ZtBq8Ees6_67Mknz3M3iLWBT1x7mRJKCtInzJxXvFXmAV79l_YsQjH5pSavdx2D9__R3tnrSt67wx-uR0LgDTGEqWVsZzk/s400/Feather" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215620127065598130" border="0" /></a><br />And while it isn't strictly macro work, there's always the whole other world beneath the water, a place most digital cameras fear to go. The Pentax WPi, however, is reputed to be waterproof to a depth at which the state of his/her camera becomes of academic interest only to an air-breathing kayaker. So stick your hand down, aim, and fire - the LCD screen freaks out with the cold, going gray for about 10 seconds...and then the bottom life slowly emerges, just like pix used to do back in the days of developing trays in red-lit darkrooms...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnsUwHd_M9EuJoynREKOhcaAcSYQ6mdMhe_lawA1K_kRN38DoVuFicdDAx1RZoRbTLedfcO0tb_Xnv5HFC1ZJ0KA5DvM76HSnDT2btyz3IpJEm8NT23Ndck766ZU-Mbqvzj-Z_RepYrs/s1600-h/Underwater+Sea+Urchins"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnsUwHd_M9EuJoynREKOhcaAcSYQ6mdMhe_lawA1K_kRN38DoVuFicdDAx1RZoRbTLedfcO0tb_Xnv5HFC1ZJ0KA5DvM76HSnDT2btyz3IpJEm8NT23Ndck766ZU-Mbqvzj-Z_RepYrs/s400/Underwater+Sea+Urchins" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215621842487500114" border="0" /></a><br />We'll be off to Eastport soon for the summer, and hope to have some really neat pix of some really neat places to post as the summer progresses. May be a bit hit and miss, tho, since we'll be doing the uploads thru the Community Access Point at the region's public library and have to hit it on days when it's open and the weather's not fit for paddling...first things first....Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-62711672289642938372008-06-06T18:19:00.000-07:002008-06-06T19:20:30.662-07:00The KatYak - What Can You Say But !!!"WOW!!!"There's kayaks, and then there's kayaks. There's VOLKSKAYAKs, and then there's VOLSKAYAKs. And there are certainly spectacular VOLKSKAYAK paint jobs - and there's the KatYak, the Queen of Them All.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwFnLmJzEh0WiRU8BDgJc1fVe18zNUVVxb6VjHdkcaAwsdYpDglcA3XCDyt6Df0vXfqLhcSg092n67iXSNXKu7YfS3b0HCHoggpwFjTVNVetkcaNNeNgPVB34sSJPRCHhxl6th0a4nUs/s1600-h/resize+Tim%26Christy+May08+19.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwFnLmJzEh0WiRU8BDgJc1fVe18zNUVVxb6VjHdkcaAwsdYpDglcA3XCDyt6Df0vXfqLhcSg092n67iXSNXKu7YfS3b0HCHoggpwFjTVNVetkcaNNeNgPVB34sSJPRCHhxl6th0a4nUs/s400/resize+Tim%26Christy+May08+19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208954448880987314" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As artist Reg Cantwell notes in his explanation of just what happened, a simple question became a commission that became a case of "Go Big Or Go Home", something that seems to have a way of happening when Kristy and Tim Way are around. Tim built the VOLKSKAYAK Standard for Kristy, and Kristy's innocent query to their friend Reg triggered the whole incredible thing. It's led to a perfectly serviceable kayak being turned into a floating art exhibit, and a darn fine one at that...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJNuDne5013xLCQjlLSLpzRk41vgbBzCjfztMg8uzM4zI-o8thOMFktgqL1HF1Nw5FKq5PNf9PmHPWr418ZrhjzeDYkPDipPPd3QMWykpIjVByg-P2oFoS83NFKdgLgi4b0BB4bUTUi4/s1600-h/Tim&Christy+May08+28a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJNuDne5013xLCQjlLSLpzRk41vgbBzCjfztMg8uzM4zI-o8thOMFktgqL1HF1Nw5FKq5PNf9PmHPWr418ZrhjzeDYkPDipPPd3QMWykpIjVByg-P2oFoS83NFKdgLgi4b0BB4bUTUi4/s400/Tim&Christy+May08+28a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208952671820003490" border="0" /></a><br />If you'd like to see more of where obsession can lead, the juicy details can be found at http://www.regcantwell.com/katyak.htmRichard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-42961366401857348662008-05-06T18:41:00.000-07:002008-05-08T19:03:55.821-07:00Finally, Finally, Finally....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJRWztWDVjlcwSPwT7azDqfP01fQC4dHDVSJgkoCdhVyUPraVUBZfzEmognQDl4Pe6rvnEvRx3pxyVzc8Yia4IHEc8_F6bKR4UhWM7V1igm8VIowNM9WJbXJhliBgg5SoNa75uAn2Y6U/s1600-h/KayakonPond.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJRWztWDVjlcwSPwT7azDqfP01fQC4dHDVSJgkoCdhVyUPraVUBZfzEmognQDl4Pe6rvnEvRx3pxyVzc8Yia4IHEc8_F6bKR4UhWM7V1igm8VIowNM9WJbXJhliBgg5SoNa75uAn2Y6U/s400/KayakonPond.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198192688054482578" border="0" /></a><br /><br />...we got out for the first paddle of the year.<br /><br />Nothing terribly exciting - just a couple of lazy laps around the little test-tank of a pond just five minutes from the house. When we first moved up this way ten years ago, most of the pondside buildings were modest summer cabins - now it's sprouting impressive homes on nice big hillside lots, with Lawrence Pond Road becoming a 'preferred' address. The pond's really quiet this time of year, with the speedboats and Sea-Doos still in the boathouses or hauled up ashore.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzzGAk3Z5HtdFua8pjSJTxo-L0m1nAKN_P2Hcp3mN2sdgOmwaspUXEdkICqJxPIm0KMxrIAJPzw0dJooiTBiYjm-uq6Z3MLkDKs3T99exv2qnbskKEtr8mQBjN9AipWsaaJpI1mOHsWQ/s1600-h/boathouse.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzzGAk3Z5HtdFua8pjSJTxo-L0m1nAKN_P2Hcp3mN2sdgOmwaspUXEdkICqJxPIm0KMxrIAJPzw0dJooiTBiYjm-uq6Z3MLkDKs3T99exv2qnbskKEtr8mQBjN9AipWsaaJpI1mOHsWQ/s400/boathouse.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197452500494258658" border="0" /></a><br />Tucked away in a sheltered spot, there's a small seaplane, one of two that makes the pond their home base during the summer. We often see them flying really low over our place, as they make the final approach for landing...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWBS6aGfqibPKrMqHEkiyZaWaUKBW5ROZLl5zGGkKPv-enBT9WuqcqdtU4qi6kO5KOOCpf1xc8uoTD8k1dLvCEdW_Oi9YUNvEiww_sQGFJavqC9a_NzUJ84n39CGj6MZtbn9gnZjui6g/s1600-h/planeashore.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWBS6aGfqibPKrMqHEkiyZaWaUKBW5ROZLl5zGGkKPv-enBT9WuqcqdtU4qi6kO5KOOCpf1xc8uoTD8k1dLvCEdW_Oi9YUNvEiww_sQGFJavqC9a_NzUJ84n39CGj6MZtbn9gnZjui6g/s400/planeashore.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197455292223001074" border="0" /></a><br />The treat of the trip was the ducks - lots of 'em all over the pond. Semi-tame and undisturbed by noise this early in the season, they'll let you approach very close indeed, close enough to really see the wondrous shimmering emerald green of their heads, and observe their chicks at close range.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIEB-BYDqT8eYc3_adrrMYSf5u1IAvoAoidMDFNaqMTzA9wWHziQ5UqYF76KxHl7Do1BUhlNZsRXLUd7K9tVccRXYpBacGRbblRgpZ-iBcSmneP9QOGCMSfUXdOIERrnm9W6C2IoopuY/s1600-h/4ducks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIEB-BYDqT8eYc3_adrrMYSf5u1IAvoAoidMDFNaqMTzA9wWHziQ5UqYF76KxHl7Do1BUhlNZsRXLUd7K9tVccRXYpBacGRbblRgpZ-iBcSmneP9QOGCMSfUXdOIERrnm9W6C2IoopuY/s400/4ducks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197467202167312962" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But it's ducky supper time, so the main order of business, nosy humans not withstanding, is to get those feathered kiddies fed and ready for bed...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9irkXXlQa8ZeP70l9VtX8k5z5uG9Q0EaInB9nXzBw8Z83nALBdOGytCD-pN3taYgMPRA_oDRovVMr7om8rw1GUW6rWF53W2fraVUNqlrW7WezhakJc7UzQCqbpK0ZVHn8OS-zSmvgHmU/s1600-h/shyducks.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9irkXXlQa8ZeP70l9VtX8k5z5uG9Q0EaInB9nXzBw8Z83nALBdOGytCD-pN3taYgMPRA_oDRovVMr7om8rw1GUW6rWF53W2fraVUNqlrW7WezhakJc7UzQCqbpK0ZVHn8OS-zSmvgHmU/s400/shyducks.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197457413936845330" border="0" /></a><br />And finally, for a special little treat on the drive back home, there's the sight of the ocean and the sky awash in colour, as the sun's just after sinking beneath the hills behind Brigus...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rYU1NiOtj0_RRh04ZC3nXrXijKfTiHyH8G6tDqkvrSivDQxsEw7jRIj4mRDK_NTCGAqlQGNBnXXAEUZ8yIvTl4MRnIqCawEYkJSVSWTBv7Egokxu72bNQiFodq9pvL4NCbXHtOl6Lw8/s1600-h/BaySunset.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rYU1NiOtj0_RRh04ZC3nXrXijKfTiHyH8G6tDqkvrSivDQxsEw7jRIj4mRDK_NTCGAqlQGNBnXXAEUZ8yIvTl4MRnIqCawEYkJSVSWTBv7Egokxu72bNQiFodq9pvL4NCbXHtOl6Lw8/s400/BaySunset.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197462542127796786" border="0" /></a><br />Not bad, not bad at all, for a first paddle of the season. Got some work to do, tho, of course - the old abs need tuning up, the arms need work, and a certain someone who shall mercifully remain nameless is going to have to figure out how to somehow levitate out of that cockpit when the paddle's over ;->))Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-24550269443588046362008-04-13T19:54:00.000-07:002008-04-13T20:38:51.098-07:00Warming Up Nicely......for Newfoundland in mid-April!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWtZ8Iqc8Qug0ySkBGnMVrssoOKavZrqsxKWlLXRdS_KK_5OA7p_Ow9ixCYDt-P4gpjpmBaXpfibgRFUpRJmcXnWns9MDvKM566cbvaRN3BGXl8RJeVFdAus4hqRNh4_KEpEjuKi8VdU/s1600-h/View+of++Islands.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188934265721144402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWtZ8Iqc8Qug0ySkBGnMVrssoOKavZrqsxKWlLXRdS_KK_5OA7p_Ow9ixCYDt-P4gpjpmBaXpfibgRFUpRJmcXnWns9MDvKM566cbvaRN3BGXl8RJeVFdAus4hqRNh4_KEpEjuKi8VdU/s400/View+of++Islands.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Had some friends out for a visit, and took a nice long ambley-shambley kind of walk along the seashore on the old railway track from Upper Gullies to Seal Cove. Virtually no wind, cool but lovely, with bits of sun poking thru the clouds to spotlight the patches of snow still lingering against the blackness of the rock that forms the islands' coastlines.</div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4GsS4Kgh1Z_hFmKGd-voESWtR_Q5nDW3r90yZnGCgA6oGCKCmxW_K1RbhSVjsmFlJiXOi0H6prLpw8Wts6kfX6TAt-eu7a25jzC2qK4r8FeMhPKAwhvPDZbKAdqaARat7azMma2nu94/s1600-h/beachwalker.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188938019522561154" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4GsS4Kgh1Z_hFmKGd-voESWtR_Q5nDW3r90yZnGCgA6oGCKCmxW_K1RbhSVjsmFlJiXOi0H6prLpw8Wts6kfX6TAt-eu7a25jzC2qK4r8FeMhPKAwhvPDZbKAdqaARat7azMma2nu94/s400/beachwalker.jpg" border="0" /></a>Lots of birds - gulls, an eagle, salt water ducks, and loons - saw maybe six or eight diving and feeding in real quiet waters about 50 yards offshore. The ice is finally off the pond behind the Seal Cove beach, but the sea face of the beach is something else again - real steep cobble terraces, all neatly sorted by size as you descend towards the water - round rocks the size of your head at the top edge, grading down to round rocks of exactly the same material no larger than a ping-pong ball near the tideline. Walking's like wading in ball bearings, and you keep sliding slowly sideways down the slope with every step - regaining height is hard work, with the rocks rolling away down the slope with every step you take. </div><div> </div><div>The seas that did that sort of rearrangement of thousands of tonnes of rock don't bear thinking about from a paddler's point of view...</div>Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-64296468305207895032008-04-11T10:33:00.000-07:002008-04-11T11:13:42.778-07:00Now We're Cooking With Gas...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoD30wmw8OlGg-4a4qvqPF_cAIve4GL1ngHDe4FB9AC5RCIy-1DobrNBEEPoHHKcNDoz6GeWPoh2vJ5zIb6_PlABfntc28F7u5jiEgZMNuqTsPb558Kc1vqoVFY0JmafVCYHr_NGFLGI/s1600-h/ramahtrack.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188044025230401442" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoD30wmw8OlGg-4a4qvqPF_cAIve4GL1ngHDe4FB9AC5RCIy-1DobrNBEEPoHHKcNDoz6GeWPoh2vJ5zIb6_PlABfntc28F7u5jiEgZMNuqTsPb558Kc1vqoVFY0JmafVCYHr_NGFLGI/s320/ramahtrack.jpg" border="0" /></a> Just got what is, for us, high speed internet... should see Ballyhack Point enjoying more posts, now that the weather's getting fit to be around the water AND we can upload pix without having to have a snack to save off hunger while the upload's running...<br />What with the bit of sun, a few showers, and warming temps, the old snow's getting a real cutting - a few nice foggy, drizzly Newfoundland spring days now should see the end of it.<br />"Bring it on", says Ramah, "even us Newfoundland/Husky crosses can't wait to see the back of this winter!"Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-20232080341939441622008-02-27T17:52:00.000-08:002008-02-27T17:55:55.801-08:00Give Me A Diesel A-Daisy...Why, with a very few exceptions, can't we buy small diesel-powered vehicles in North America?<br /> When I visited St.Pierre, a French possession just off Newfoundland's South coast several years ago, there was a slew of 1.2 -1.5 liter turbo-diesel cars, trucks, vans and what-have-you on the island's roads. Most of Europe manages to get around in this sort of vehicle, as does much of the rest of the world, while burning a lot less fuel.<br /> The modern diesel is nothing like the noisy, sluggish, smelly, rough, high-emission engines of even a decade ago. With gas prices here right now at $1.20 Cdn a liter ($4.50+ a gallon), I'd dearly love to be able to pick up a good, used small diesel-engined van, wagon or small UTE.<br /> As things stand now, only VW has any significant number of diesel cars/wagons available here, and used prices on those are accordingly very high. Both the North Amercian-based and Japanese automakers produce diesel versions of most of their vehicles for sale in Europe; why don't they make them available on this side of the Pond???Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-85118247137365205932008-01-28T19:03:00.000-08:002008-01-29T08:26:45.521-08:00It's Been Cold...Take a close look at the shot below - small waves slopping between the rocks just a few feet offshore in Conception Bay. Now, look a little closer - about 2/3 the way up, to the right - that grey area?<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160732811849463474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83RIzrxO3N7B8TmlhVu9v4chwVrBMmoJTa2NaMTTGpYTJCZQeElh1apP-Nfke2ZHWhba4dwMer8MJsTPVkRHgsXgF15Mn5onEJKdj5KjRQmzD_w_yAKuCwEiWGF0Mz5T6gw_RokqyD58/s400/slushshotresize3.jpg" border="0" />That's salt water slush, Ma'am, yes, salt water slush...and that's <strong><em>cold!</em></strong> </div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkbABUIUcLo2amGLIH0elqpb0oRu9l7s4AktBy0kfP3s30S7cxKzDYtd7BYY77P6s5j0pr9PjJOmkIhgZswZ9AjbVjNVTnaz6PdB2g2GEU5SS-zJxrQ3DpfNzUKZwz2cRrCUjVH_gLT8/s1600-h/snowshed.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160756704752531202" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkbABUIUcLo2amGLIH0elqpb0oRu9l7s4AktBy0kfP3s30S7cxKzDYtd7BYY77P6s5j0pr9PjJOmkIhgZswZ9AjbVjNVTnaz6PdB2g2GEU5SS-zJxrQ3DpfNzUKZwz2cRrCUjVH_gLT8/s320/snowshed.jpg" border="0" /></a>Been nice, tho...lots of sun and good snow, not the heavy, wet kind, but light, dry sparkley stuff...pretty enough to entice us outside in -15, even with the wind blowing. A late afternoon, the sun hits the snow with this honey-tinged light, while dried grasses throw splintery shadows...</div><div><br />But it's about to get a cutting, if the laddies at Environment Canada's weather office are right - and they amazingly often are, considering the challenges of forecasting anything in the meteorlogical monkey puzzle of the North Atlantic that is Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula. It's going to get very moist (25mm) and very warm (+9) for the next few days, which should cut the nice base we have back to naught but ice when it cools down later the week. More likely to need salt and sand than snowshoes, skis and poles...</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left">But what the heck - it's only January, after all - lots of time for snow yet, isn't there? In this neck of the woods, winter's a battle between Hope Springs Eternal and The Depths Of Despair where weather fit for outdoor stuff is concerned...we can get buried, or have bare frozen ground, or rain, sleet, and freezing rain, or cold and sunny with a wind that drives the cold thru the heaviest parkas- or else just perfect, cold and sunny and still, the kind of day when you first notice the sun's getting just the faintest hint of direct warmth in it again...</div><div align="left">:</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160744159153059538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgNuGERDgBJuqvMg94dG9mT8hGO_PAoB0whHYw7dw7VWDV0szwb7znoHWS1-QBWcovX4aneTjILT-aHS1n4Pi4mTddC8eSjzHbM9UcCfdWLrCq9T2ikg-E-xcNDr-flHGTV_dN9snp04/s400/Resize+of+IMGP0505.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-11587480036099340302008-01-21T20:29:00.000-08:002008-01-22T20:05:40.404-08:00New Shoes, New Views<div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBWlIJaPAnoOvVxUSEiQLfXJ-8DF8Cq9UXVae6xzvgmdkHGINYrBHFZcZQGtdqnZrlBVtmu1_MuzIKzseNXjSl6aKya0KXZoR4kPv45KZJdA-Iv2y5QJtMIh1hDuF_VGP68A7ueg-IbM/s1600-h/Resize+of+Snowshoes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158159798064726738" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBWlIJaPAnoOvVxUSEiQLfXJ-8DF8Cq9UXVae6xzvgmdkHGINYrBHFZcZQGtdqnZrlBVtmu1_MuzIKzseNXjSl6aKya0KXZoR4kPv45KZJdA-Iv2y5QJtMIh1hDuF_VGP68A7ueg-IbM/s320/Resize+of+Snowshoes.jpg" border="0" /></a> The purpose of any conveyance is, of course, to take us places. Be it a jet, a truck, a kayak or anything else equipped with wheels, wings or paddles, it exists solely to let us move thru our world. Thru space, thru the environment, thru new pathways in our minds.<br /></div><br /><div align="left">I've always hated snowshoes. Last time I was on 'em, they were the old beavertails; heavy wooden frames with a mesh deck, an awkward width generating an awkward and tiring stride, sloppy bindings and a tail that felt like something dragging behind a dinasour...definitely <span style="font-family:arial;"><em>not</em></span> my idea of a fun time.<br /></div><br /><div align="left">Ain't modern technology wonderful? Tried out a new style snowshoe today - can you say "Amazing...?" All molded plastic, very light, quite narrow, easy-to-adjust and secure bindings, no tail drag - just like walking, in fact, except for the absolute lack of the skidding and slipping you'd face in boots alone. That's thanks to a carnivorous-looking crampon system under each foot...you could almost climb a tree with 'em, or face a bobcat on pretty well equal terms :->)) </div><br /><div align="left">What really matters, of course, is not the tool, but what it lets you do. The pix below were all taken within 15 minutes of the home we've lived in for the past ten years, but we'd never seen any of these views until yesterday. The trail is a bit twisty and tangled for skis, but a real cakewalk on snowshoes. </div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">The Meadow<br /><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158509315870258754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjShZp6H8hmvL7mi6I1kOou0MFoVlD60G1FqIv4FCl-G92PW5WFwH6Q32F-cwAUYilrA3VTBAMw1Y94J6OAtuB4laBGu7gM3bAXoiuLRGP-voImmczRJjl8f4rwlaZl3F3z4RkUoj5fzKA/s320/Resize+of+ChrisField.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">Bay View</div><div align="center"><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158509320165226066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGUH2tRCqAVX-jbaeTabgM4hVsRFjkwv5pcWlLFV2UakjhDa1QPlot-jZCXM9OHbv81tmwd-pUGUD_TtQLXL9-loQOLwL6xe2G1WpyGgiARSVGQ15o9Btl7uTT3oiQJ-Bu_CZ0uxi380/s320/snowshoetrial0468a.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">And Yet Another...</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158517111235901058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnIg3txIy-pE4eXcUmhI_EjC0OKgygjOMZf3BpqrLTfrTrioMGWM8j-XXouajHImFGTOJcjAiPO1bacUGKY8QSefCs03btBdumkBBCE9JEtNRKEWDX4iNPHit4cpLw2Xj9AiULuklwdI/s320/Resize+of+snowshoetrial035.jpg" border="0" /></p><br /><p align="center">Heading Home Time </p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158513430448928354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOtDzS7JBQjQLalo6FKz_DAMcFpbzgHVtk_SuLYwu2nDMtZl_HkUAyCNpALlzOQK6lilklhFx04-367zvOxm37n3mXRfprb6HYWIaWQ1x_KJB1fPyZ5EDhyphenhyphen2mY53KvfClrET40pJejwM/s400/Resize+of+TreeMoon.jpg" border="0" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpE3SY2aYLfc68Bu9Xf3QnC9BBKR1Yg1g6kGAXU6c3newNKfP63eJ8qnLbo72YEoLxmvctjQpYYrJHaL7NGCVKvJCUz3E6zdtAGq1svvFN5UEmQqYiX7KfmxZvO4chv9Sow4vNu_CWGo/s1600-h/Resize+of+TreeMoon.jpg"></a></p></div>Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-11742883342811244612008-01-04T20:44:00.000-08:002008-01-08T19:48:11.158-08:00Winter InterludeIt's that time of the year again - the fresh water's gone solid, and the salt is colder than Harper's heart; paddling is definitely on the shelf for the time being. So it's out with the skis, touch up the wax, and off we go.<br /><div align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152770614835626418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RF8QQ1IY25mebHNdNOD8FoF495mAHQJ6kBFnTpzbItMEs1GJXKld-ayVVKNw7wLELxDEhVCz1mGQ0jnXv25dvUrNVVIk9_ZU0cvypg2nnLzGw1JeV_XmkJHwUkOJfX7T0wvKSGcTZMg/s320/ski+jan04-08+0361.JPG" border="0" /></div>Absolutely beautiful day, if -12C doesn't bother you, and you don't mind hard crusty snow that whips the wax off your skis faster than a scraper could. Climbing is challenging, but doable, and the very light dusting of fine snowflakes atop the crust glistens like a million diamonds in the sun.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcaCIE7wK3xxO-4vfqrcz1rzOCadIo8MP7_eZX52kGIZsYzjTvcrj4uGb4LAXX40agzelX1TV6s0zkku0KJ_r9e-XG68tOqp3y70HkiQuBAhtex9-uENC0-WoKnM6oZ-LpFd30bnhRbY/s1600-h/ski+jan04-08+0358b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152773999269855698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcaCIE7wK3xxO-4vfqrcz1rzOCadIo8MP7_eZX52kGIZsYzjTvcrj4uGb4LAXX40agzelX1TV6s0zkku0KJ_r9e-XG68tOqp3y70HkiQuBAhtex9-uENC0-WoKnM6oZ-LpFd30bnhRbY/s320/ski+jan04-08+0358b.jpg" border="0" /></a> And, of course, there's always lunch - ham sandwiches, some nippy old cheddar, pungent dark fruit cake, and tea hot from the thermos.Who in their right mind would want to be indoors, sitting at a table or in front of a TV, when they could enjoy a snack in this sort of setting?<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGziGy-Rp4EluFAzyfom0mcSEb2W3ma_q24ZstounXBwQfhw_On8ErwrN1V4f8CB12XCm8gOffqH8vKlHlbrmYY7sVWsz1I29kOKbdbHDDXemcezzwkO96Eh5HvF2542MjoBH3lW_K7IA/s1600-h/ski+jan04-08+0365.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152770610540659106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGziGy-Rp4EluFAzyfom0mcSEb2W3ma_q24ZstounXBwQfhw_On8ErwrN1V4f8CB12XCm8gOffqH8vKlHlbrmYY7sVWsz1I29kOKbdbHDDXemcezzwkO96Eh5HvF2542MjoBH3lW_K7IA/s320/ski+jan04-08+0365.JPG" border="0" /></a> That's the good news - the bad is that we're getting a mild spell for the rest of this week, and will probably lose the snow we have. Maybe it's time to dig out the drysuits and cold water hoods, find the neo mittens, and liberate the VKs from the snowbank...<br /><div></div></div>Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2661161286096641139.post-24356547310516291102007-12-10T08:12:00.000-08:002007-12-10T09:48:30.581-08:00December InterimNot much joy on any recreational front - no snow for skiing, too windy for paddling, too wet and cold for hiking, too many hours at work to plan much of anything anyway - sort of dead time before the Christmas season strikes. Still, there are good things - everyone's healthy, bro-in-law is coming for Christmas, just started another VOLKSKAYAK with a friend, and have my next one cut out. And the water's still liquid, so if we get a fit day....Richard Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00938268284058344261noreply@blogger.com1