Sunday, November 21, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Sea Kayaker Magazine - Come On Man Step Up
While waiting for a ferry home from Orcas Island I picked up the latest edition of Sea Kayaker magazine.
The current edition includes a historical look at kayaking in the 20's and 30's. Thankfully this article was not about African Americans who might have taken up kayaking in the 1920's or 30's. Clearly if SK's accompanying explanation is followed to it's logical conclusion they would have felt compelled to use the historical "N" word.
I shudder just imagining the fall out that would have generated.
It's unfortunate that SK having recognize that at least two groups, the Inuit of Northern Canada and the Aluets of Alaska, find the term Eskimo pejorative SK went ahead and used it anyway; forgoing the opportunity to correct a term used out of ignorance or worse. Failing to correct the historical inaccuracy simply perpetuates an old mistake and fails to demonstrate respect toward the Inuit and Aluets.
The current edition includes a historical look at kayaking in the 20's and 30's. Thankfully this article was not about African Americans who might have taken up kayaking in the 1920's or 30's. Clearly if SK's accompanying explanation is followed to it's logical conclusion they would have felt compelled to use the historical "N" word.
I shudder just imagining the fall out that would have generated.
It's unfortunate that SK having recognize that at least two groups, the Inuit of Northern Canada and the Aluets of Alaska, find the term Eskimo pejorative SK went ahead and used it anyway; forgoing the opportunity to correct a term used out of ignorance or worse. Failing to correct the historical inaccuracy simply perpetuates an old mistake and fails to demonstrate respect toward the Inuit and Aluets.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Paris
Two days in Paris and I no longer sound like a rube from Purgatory Ontario. Not bad for a guy with two weeks of grade nine French. Don't get me wrong. I wanted to learn French in high school but my basketball coach told me, "you have to keep your grade average up and that Dike fails all the jocks in her French class." Just because she was Dutch was no reason to slander her. Nevertheless I left the French lessons behind to my everlasting regret.
Now when I enthusiastically greet people in Paris they don't look at me as a poor Angles, they look upon me more as the village idiot from Gaston. I'm moving up.
Our first stop of the day was the Rodin Museum, it was just around the corner and only six kilometres from the hotel - so we walked. We could have take the tube from the hotel door and got out at the gate to the museum but it was pouring rain so we walked. Once inside we picked up a floor map rented the audio guides and headed off. The museum started life as the Hotel Biron. After falling on hard times it was taken over by nuns who operated it as a school. Judging by the way they stripped the building of all its paintings it must have been a rather bleak school. Next it became an artist community headed up by Rodin himself and finally if evolved into the museum it is today.
As this was an evolutionary process there are some quirky things going on. For instance the floor map is conveniently numbered as is the audio guide. Unfortunately the exhibits and floor map numbering system are not entirely related to the audio guide. I believe this is done as a test to humble the casual tourists. Just as you begin to see what Rodin was doing to the face of that poor gargoyle you realize you are actually facing the wrong way and the audio guide is talking about the piece behind you. These French artist enjoy a clever joke as much as the rest of us.
Rodin was of course a genius. He worked on the Gates of Hell for 30 years making changes trying to get it just right. Interestingly his mistress went crazy and had to be confined for the last 30 years of her life. Hmmmm! According to my long suffering wife I too have been working towards the Gates of Hell and will have no trouble passing through them.
Perhaps the most remarkable part of the tour is the stroll through the gardens. Here the scale of the sculptures are displayed to their perfect glory. Late spring would be an ideal time to visit when the trees, shrubs and beds are in full bloom. Of course, "The Thinker," is very prominent. You come across it just before you enter the main museum. The Gates of Hell are off to the right but the sculpture that I found most intriguing was that of the Burgers of Calais. If you walk through the gardens counter clockwise it'll be the last one you see before you exit the property.
After leaving the Rodin museum we headed to the Musee d'Orsay. This is a converted railway station right along the south bank of the Seine. It is an impressive museum, very grand in it's scale. It contains works from Monet, Manet, Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh and countless others. With it's soaring ceiling this is a very impressive site and would be worthy of an extended multi day visit, but we were running short of time so we had to skip out with only a couple of Monet,s and a Cezanne under our coats.
Day Two
Leaping backward from Rodin to the the Palace of Versailles we disembark from the metro and walk 500 meters turn the corner and there's the Palace. On this cold wind swept day it does not immediately overwhelm. But as we approach the gates the sun breaks free of the clouds and the gates ignite in a wild display of golden light, just as quickly the sun retreats leaving us with only a hint of what awaits inside.
If you have an Internet ticket go to the stone outpost to the right of the gate and exchange your electronic ticket for a proper pass. Don't go directly to the main entrance without the pass. You'll end up going back for it. Do get an audio guide, again they can be quirky but with thousands of people jostling for position they're ideal - just stick the speaker to your hear and ignore the throngs.
Opulence is not a grand enough word to describe Versailles. From its beginning as a hunting lodge Louis XIV created what is one of the worlds leading heritage sites. The Hall of Mirrors, the grand canal and fountains are astounding. For me the Grand and Petite Trianon's were fascinating. Being almost a mile from the main Palace in the Marie-Antoinette's estate they were largely empty of the crowds in the Palace. Ironically that was exactly why they were built sort of a retreat from the main court and all the intrigue around the Royals.
If you go heed the advice go on less busy days and get there early. Take the metro.
Two days in Paris and I no longer sound like a rube from Purgatory Ontario. Not bad for a guy with two weeks of grade nine French. Don't get me wrong. I wanted to learn French in high school but my basketball coach told me, "you have to keep your grade average up and that Dike fails all the jocks in her French class." Just because she was Dutch was no reason to slander her. Nevertheless I left the French lessons behind to my everlasting regret.
Now when I enthusiastically greet people in Paris they don't look at me as a poor Angles, they look upon me more as the village idiot from Gaston. I'm moving up.
Our first stop of the day was the Rodin Museum, it was just around the corner and only six kilometres from the hotel - so we walked. We could have take the tube from the hotel door and got out at the gate to the museum but it was pouring rain so we walked. Once inside we picked up a floor map rented the audio guides and headed off. The museum started life as the Hotel Biron. After falling on hard times it was taken over by nuns who operated it as a school. Judging by the way they stripped the building of all its paintings it must have been a rather bleak school. Next it became an artist community headed up by Rodin himself and finally if evolved into the museum it is today.
As this was an evolutionary process there are some quirky things going on. For instance the floor map is conveniently numbered as is the audio guide. Unfortunately the exhibits and floor map numbering system are not entirely related to the audio guide. I believe this is done as a test to humble the casual tourists. Just as you begin to see what Rodin was doing to the face of that poor gargoyle you realize you are actually facing the wrong way and the audio guide is talking about the piece behind you. These French artist enjoy a clever joke as much as the rest of us.
Rodin was of course a genius. He worked on the Gates of Hell for 30 years making changes trying to get it just right. Interestingly his mistress went crazy and had to be confined for the last 30 years of her life. Hmmmm! According to my long suffering wife I too have been working towards the Gates of Hell and will have no trouble passing through them.
Perhaps the most remarkable part of the tour is the stroll through the gardens. Here the scale of the sculptures are displayed to their perfect glory. Late spring would be an ideal time to visit when the trees, shrubs and beds are in full bloom. Of course, "The Thinker," is very prominent. You come across it just before you enter the main museum. The Gates of Hell are off to the right but the sculpture that I found most intriguing was that of the Burgers of Calais. If you walk through the gardens counter clockwise it'll be the last one you see before you exit the property.
After leaving the Rodin museum we headed to the Musee d'Orsay. This is a converted railway station right along the south bank of the Seine. It is an impressive museum, very grand in it's scale. It contains works from Monet, Manet, Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh and countless others. With it's soaring ceiling this is a very impressive site and would be worthy of an extended multi day visit, but we were running short of time so we had to skip out with only a couple of Monet,s and a Cezanne under our coats.
Day Two
Leaping backward from Rodin to the the Palace of Versailles we disembark from the metro and walk 500 meters turn the corner and there's the Palace. On this cold wind swept day it does not immediately overwhelm. But as we approach the gates the sun breaks free of the clouds and the gates ignite in a wild display of golden light, just as quickly the sun retreats leaving us with only a hint of what awaits inside.
If you have an Internet ticket go to the stone outpost to the right of the gate and exchange your electronic ticket for a proper pass. Don't go directly to the main entrance without the pass. You'll end up going back for it. Do get an audio guide, again they can be quirky but with thousands of people jostling for position they're ideal - just stick the speaker to your hear and ignore the throngs.
Opulence is not a grand enough word to describe Versailles. From its beginning as a hunting lodge Louis XIV created what is one of the worlds leading heritage sites. The Hall of Mirrors, the grand canal and fountains are astounding. For me the Grand and Petite Trianon's were fascinating. Being almost a mile from the main Palace in the Marie-Antoinette's estate they were largely empty of the crowds in the Palace. Ironically that was exactly why they were built sort of a retreat from the main court and all the intrigue around the Royals.
If you go heed the advice go on less busy days and get there early. Take the metro.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Doubt
Playing in tide races requires a level of skill and commitment. It also requires a level of fitness.
Unfortunately for me I've let my fitness level slip to the point that when I recently went out to practice in a one to two meter tide race I found myself doubting my sanity.
I had three objects in mind: do a little surfing, practice a few circles in the race then link two circles into a figure eight.
The surfing started out fine. I launched from Smugglers Cove or Maynard Bay and paddled up above the actual tide race in Baynes Channel. I let the kayak drift down backward onto the leading standing wave and easily caught a ride. I repeated the exercise for about twenty minutes then swung about to head directly into the heart of the race.
When I was well into the chaos of waves I started my turn. Unthinkingly I turned away from the nearest shore and toward the centre of the channel. This meant I had to fight counter clockwise through my planned circle and through the full measure of the current. If I'd turned the other way, toward the nearby shore, perhaps as much of half of the circle would have been assisted by the inshore counter eddy.
The consequence of my mistake was to be knocked about for a good ten minutes while I attempted to complete my circle. For a few moments I began to wonder about the out come. Would I be able to complete the circle? Should I abandon the circle and simply let the race carry me out through the bottom end? Should I start working out?
Was I managing the risk or was the tide race playing with me? Should I have kept that blond's phone number? Clearly I was in a confused state of mind.
Eventually I clawed my way out of the top of the race and slipped into calmer waters completely knackered. I'd had enough for one day.
Two days later I returned to the same scene but with small one to two meter waves. Surfed like a mad man, did two or three circle turns, a figure eight turn, then slid over to practice some break outs and break ins through a strong eddy line.
I've promised to get back into better shape, but have yet to start.
Unfortunately for me I've let my fitness level slip to the point that when I recently went out to practice in a one to two meter tide race I found myself doubting my sanity.
I had three objects in mind: do a little surfing, practice a few circles in the race then link two circles into a figure eight.
The surfing started out fine. I launched from Smugglers Cove or Maynard Bay and paddled up above the actual tide race in Baynes Channel. I let the kayak drift down backward onto the leading standing wave and easily caught a ride. I repeated the exercise for about twenty minutes then swung about to head directly into the heart of the race.
When I was well into the chaos of waves I started my turn. Unthinkingly I turned away from the nearest shore and toward the centre of the channel. This meant I had to fight counter clockwise through my planned circle and through the full measure of the current. If I'd turned the other way, toward the nearby shore, perhaps as much of half of the circle would have been assisted by the inshore counter eddy.
The consequence of my mistake was to be knocked about for a good ten minutes while I attempted to complete my circle. For a few moments I began to wonder about the out come. Would I be able to complete the circle? Should I abandon the circle and simply let the race carry me out through the bottom end? Should I start working out?
Was I managing the risk or was the tide race playing with me? Should I have kept that blond's phone number? Clearly I was in a confused state of mind.
Eventually I clawed my way out of the top of the race and slipped into calmer waters completely knackered. I'd had enough for one day.
Two days later I returned to the same scene but with small one to two meter waves. Surfed like a mad man, did two or three circle turns, a figure eight turn, then slid over to practice some break outs and break ins through a strong eddy line.
I've promised to get back into better shape, but have yet to start.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Birthright - Watch this Video
Nothing more needs to be added.
A huge thank you to Sean Mullen and Michael.
BIRTHRIGHT from Sean Mullens on Vimeo.
A huge thank you to Sean Mullen and Michael.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Rolling Practice Smugglers Cove
Wednesday turned out to be a beautiful day on the water. A perfect day to test out the new FLIP HD camera. After six weeks waiting for a water proof case one was finally delivered through the mail slot. Alas it did not come with an external tripod mount.
The threads for the tripod are safely tucked away on the camera inside the external water proof case. So it was down to the work shop to build a Frankenstein monster device to connect the camera and the water proof case to my suction cup deck mount.
A little wood, some close cell foam, nuts, threaded rod, and a hour of puttering around and I had something workable. It ain't pretty but it worked. Dan G. calmly stood by whilst (that's for any UK readers) I set up the monster. I then shot a 50 minute clip of mostly flat water took the camera off the deck and stored it away.
We then rounded the south-east corner of Discovery Island into some really fun surge waves completely missing the opportunity to test the rig in rough water.
It got worse, as we returned to the Baynes Channel crossing the SE wind was pushing up the ebb waves into hay stacks and surf-able waves. Lots of fun was had in playing in the waves unfortunately the camera rig was still down in the hatch.
Safely back in Smugglers, or more correctly Maynard Cove, I pulled the camera out and waded out chest deep to shoot some footage of Dan rolling only to discover I have a pin hole leak in my dry suit somewhere very near the family generator equipment. In the interest of great cinematography I sacrificed a few future generations and caught the following. My apologies for the cheesy music but I could not resist.
I finished the day with my first February rolls and we retired to Starbucks for coffees, then home for a hot shower. Hours later the numbness down below was perfectly mirrored by the freezing stare from my spouse. The woman simply has no compassion.
The threads for the tripod are safely tucked away on the camera inside the external water proof case. So it was down to the work shop to build a Frankenstein monster device to connect the camera and the water proof case to my suction cup deck mount.
A little wood, some close cell foam, nuts, threaded rod, and a hour of puttering around and I had something workable. It ain't pretty but it worked. Dan G. calmly stood by whilst (that's for any UK readers) I set up the monster. I then shot a 50 minute clip of mostly flat water took the camera off the deck and stored it away.
We then rounded the south-east corner of Discovery Island into some really fun surge waves completely missing the opportunity to test the rig in rough water.
It got worse, as we returned to the Baynes Channel crossing the SE wind was pushing up the ebb waves into hay stacks and surf-able waves. Lots of fun was had in playing in the waves unfortunately the camera rig was still down in the hatch.
Safely back in Smugglers, or more correctly Maynard Cove, I pulled the camera out and waded out chest deep to shoot some footage of Dan rolling only to discover I have a pin hole leak in my dry suit somewhere very near the family generator equipment. In the interest of great cinematography I sacrificed a few future generations and caught the following. My apologies for the cheesy music but I could not resist.
I finished the day with my first February rolls and we retired to Starbucks for coffees, then home for a hot shower. Hours later the numbness down below was perfectly mirrored by the freezing stare from my spouse. The woman simply has no compassion.
Monday, February 22, 2010
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