A first, since March ’24

one whole weekend without paddling something/somewhere.

and My shoulders are BITCHING, HARD!!!

Sounds counter-intuitive, no?

My paddling is my R&R for my shoulders; its why I use a Greenland paddle over the Euroblades. The paddling ‘pattern’ is different and a whole lot less strain on shoulders, getting most of its power from the core muscles, even using hips and legs to add power to the boat while ‘hooking’ into the water.

A week of punching holes followed by a $h!tty job on the ‘stead, and today, domestic duties, to include (hopefully) the last battle against the weeds. Had to mulch up all those damned leaves that are littering the place.

Next week, I expect the trees to be barren of leaves. They are coming down fast now.

the Kold is starting to be felt, I may be channeling the polar explorer before long,,,,

At least this year, I have the gear for it.

clocks ticking out there.

My bodies clock is too. “Gettin’ old ain’t for pussies” Rusty Smith.

Fact! A paddling guru of a sort, Ken Whiting, just posted that he is in Kayak-y Hiatus INDEFINITELY,,,

Not his announcement, but what led up to it. THIS is the sort of paddling I wish for.

Reason: Blown out shoulder joints. Ken is prior WW competitive kayaker, and probably puts as many miles on boats as I do my truck on the weekly (if not more)

I don’t want to be there, but I have a feeling that at some point, I will need some reconstructive surgery on the starboard appendage. Port side seems fine (could be masked by the ugh I feel in the starboard side.)

And it ain’t from kayaking,,, Its from swingin’ hammers after doing something stoopid at the gym many years back. Got so bad I had no grip at all for two weeks: couldn’t lift a 22oz framing hammer, let alone the 3# hammer my job at the time required.

As I said, the kayaking thing seems to help, but the rest of my working conditions don’t. And I would say that given the right conditions (rough and tumble) kayaking would/could tip me into the same state that Ken is at. Sadly, the rough and tumble is where the joy is at: more the open water rough, but getting to where I sorta like the WW stuff too, UP TO A POINT. Its the whole chasing flows thing that drives me batshit,,, Lake waves can be found with wind (and boats), not flow rates.

I ain’t no spring chicken,,, and the milage is adding up. sigh