The View Up Here

Hopefully not the last, but pretty darn close, I'd imagine. This last weekend of summer has been very summery. Yesterday after T'ai Chi class (I got to teach, again!), I decided to go kayaking. But I wanted to take out a hard shell kayak rather than my inflatable because I figured water levels would be lower this time of year, and I didn't want to run afoul of my skeg (fin on the underside of the boat to help it track straight). I rented a big ole orange kayak from Bay Creek Paddling Center and headed first down Irondequoit Creek. The water was very calm, and yes, it was low, as the lady warned me when I registered my rental. I got to see schools of little fish, a turtle diving, and several common song birds. I did have to do some maneuvering to escape the people who chatter and talk while kayaking (as in, kay- YAK- ing); otherwise, a very peaceful little turn around the creek. I then headed out to the southern end of Irondequoit Bay that empties into the creek. It was her...

I'm trying determine the name of my little boat . What ends up happening is that anything that is uttered by anyone becomes a candidate for a name. My friends have gotten in on this, and while it is great fun, it hasn't been terribly productive.  Thus far the rejected suggestions and ideas (in no particular order): Pain Killer Englebert (as in...Humperdink) Rebel Scum Rubber Ducky Spirit of '22 Bob's Your Uncle  Maid of the Moist Persnickety Anger Management Huo Yuanjia (Chinese folk hero and freedom fighter) Freedom Fighter (But why would you want to fight freedom? This is analogous to...) Near Miss (If it's a near miss, that means you hit it.) Can you see how this is getting me nowhere? I mean, it's amusing, but I still need to name my boat. And no, I won't call it "Boaty McBoatface."  If you have a suggestion (serious or otherwise), please leave it in the comments. God bless.

The kayak, I'm talking about the kayak! The inflatable kayak, that is.  Last summer I went kayaking for the first time in my life. Totally fell in love with it, and at the end of the season, I did some research and bought myself an inflatable kayak - the Intex K-1 Challenger. (Thank goodness for off-season pricing.) Since I do not have a place to store or a way to transport a hard shell kayak, it seemed like the sensible thing to do. It comes with everything (some assembly required). Yesterday was my first day getting it in the water. I was a bit nervous at first (will my butt sink this thing? once I get into it, will I be able to get out? what happens if I spring a leak in the middle of Irondequoit Bay?). I'm happy to report that my little insecurities were put to rest. I had a blast paddling at Mendon Ponds with a friend who took out her canoe. Tomorrow I'm taking it to the Erie Canal for another session. Now I just need a name for my little boat.