While out today, piddlin’round on Laurel lake, I gotz ta thinking about the very boat I was in, what I am planning on picking up next weekend, and formulating plans, or possibles, or something like that (Shush Brudda B, I know, “ya need to stop thinkin’ so much!”)

I had sorta made tentative plans to put Lyssa up for sale after purchasing the Yella-Nanner-Boat  (that is what I am calling her right now,,, as  distinction between ‘this kayak, that kayak, etc’)   I haven’t made that purchase yet, so there is still room to wiggle out if I decide such is in order.   Not that its a money issue: I have that in hand.    It could be used in other areas just as easily (and probably in better ways, but,,,,)

I keep thinking,,,   Yah, thats my problem, the brainium never shuts down: there is always a running dialogue between me, myself, the characters in my head, and IS,,,   IS is the quiet one most days, but has the greater ‘vote’,,,    And Lyssa has been one hell of a great boat, still is; just a little tired, not quite up to my needs in some ways,

and HEAVY.    

I’m getting to that point in age, where loading/unloading her can be intimidating, and yes, there have been sessions where I decided to NOT go paddling because of the ‘gotta get her down to the water AND BACK AGAIN,,,,’   The old gurl weighs nearly 70#, empty!!!  The Yella-Nanner-boat is a full 12# lighter and is more than a foot longer.  Even with a trolley, Lyssa wears me out movin’ over ground.

Still, she is the ONLY kayak I have owned that has not put me in the drink,,,  Intentional rolling sessions, yes!, Accidental capsize: not once!!!  And thats  even with getting squirelly with the GP blades: they will slice and dice you into a capsize if you aren’t ready. (which is what usually puts me in the drink,,,  )

if only I could find that Alabaster Unicorn: the Wildy Tempest 180pro,,,,     Rarer than hens teeth, and always list as if new, because the owners KNOW what they have,,,,,   That or the P&H Cetus MV,,,,    the hull designs are so close, I am surprised that P&H hasn’t been hit with a copyright lawsuit.  (American company vs British company.,,,  Yeah, no lawsuit in that future, eh?)    Still,,, $$$$$$   that Dio ain’t got (yup, bad grammer,,, get over it!)

(actually, there IS a Wildy 170pro on the market right now: even in my price range.   The problem is location,,, Upstate NY near Canada: 12 hour drive one way and dude wants cash,,,,   No e-pay.   If he would take e-pay, I would find a way to get it to me,,,,  There are groups of kayak lovers that are always on the move and willing to haul a boat on the cheap ‘if they are going that way,,,,’. and right now, there are WW festivals all over this section of country where someone might be willing to pick up and deliver somewhere much closer to me.)

Anywhoos,,,, Lyssa isn’t leaving my fleet anytime soon.  She is too solid of a boat, forgiving where she needs, demanding enough to teach ya something new,

just one heavy bitch,,,,

maybe I need to find a hull-a-vator for Buffalo,,,,,

I have seven days to make up my mind about the Yella-Nanner-boat,,, I won’t be picking it up until Sat or Sun of the coming weekend  (still not set in stone with seller yet)  And who knows, maybe some Golden Unicorn of a boat will pop up ‘along the way’ and all of this post is moot,,,,  

I don’t think I am that lucky,,,,,   

Live, keep on livin’, laugh at the ‘tards in DC, learn something new about yourself and the world around you, and KEEP LOADING THOSE MAGS AND SHELVES,,,, we aint’ out of the storm yet.  (hell, it hasn’t really started yet,,,,)

ADDENDUM: got home, still daylight,,,   thought to self, “We’re keepin’ Lyssa, how can I improve on what’s there?”   This isn’t the first round of this thinking either,,,, been lots of eyeballin’, thinking, and judging of ‘costs’: not neccesarily financial ones, but depreciation of value costs.   Any changes I make to a boat are going to reduce it’s overall value, no matter if its makes the boat better,,, It’s no longer factory,,,,     

Long story short, I cut the rear bulkhead out of the poor gurl.    There are two rear bulkheads,, the one at the back of the cockpit, and the one between the day hatch and the rear compartment.   I had once flooded both compartments and siphoned them out into a bucket to measure thier REAL volume.   Much easier than doing a ton of math.   Both were right around 6 1/2 gallons.    Thats a LOT of displacement back there, and only half of it accessible with a large hatch.  That compartment also holds the skeg box, which cuts the back half of the compartment, neatly, in two with little to no usable space.   Small items like tent poles and such slide back there and don’t get lost, but there isn’t much else that will and definitely nothing in a dry bag.    So, I cut that bulkhead between the day hatch out (which I have always felt were as useful as teats on a boar-hog: accessible to Yoga masters that have tight rope walker balance, but normal peeps need to beach or raft up to get in those dinky hatches with VOLUMES of space that swallow anything small.)  (the last boat I had, that had a day hatch, I swapped the VCP cover out with a hard access cover that operated with flip latch, and a cat-bag inside.  Much easier to access.)  Busted out the sander (and a vacuum cleaner to suck the atmo out as I did: fiberglass dust gets ugly,,,) to smooth out the rough edges remaining.   Wiped it all down with Windex and a micro fiber towel.   And grabbed two of my drybags with gear to see if I had made an improvement.    EUREKA!!!!    I am seriously considering, as a winter project, sealing up that day hatch opening.   One big hatch that can leak is bad enough,  two could get ugly.   For now though,,,   

Well, I have yet to put her to a feild test, and thats going to be at least two weeks out, but so far, I’m confident she just gained some usablility that I have been grumping she lacks(ed).  And I still have the full bulkhead that can be ‘glued’ back in, if I ever decide to change my mind.

Dead calm

Frog ripples for waves

Mostly cloudy skies

And I’m just sittin’ here,,,,(haven’t broken straps securing Lyssa yet.)

Guess it doesn’t matter if I go further out ‘for peace’ since its quiet as a tomb where I am now. Even the few boats I have seen are moving slow and sedate like,,, small wakes,  low noise, just enjoying being here,  same as me,,,,

Then around noon,  a 10kn wind blew in,  blew off the overcast, and the yachties came out to play.    Still not as playful as I would like,  but Lyssa is getting wet,

And that makes me happy

Still TOO calm IMO

Been sitting here this morn, already loaded gear to get out and about with Lyssa,,, Next weekend is the run to saltwater,,, feelin’ antsy and wanna go NEOW!!!!    Guess the katz have been influencing me some,,,,

But gotz ta t’inkin’bout gear,,,,   One of my biggest gripes about the gear we kayakers use, is with the Drysuits,,, specifically, drysuits in expedition scenarios,,,   See, A dry suit is fragile,,, one little hole and it no longer qualifies as “DRY”,,,   and when we are out kampin’n’stuf,, well, sparkies from a fire can burn a hole right through a triple layered suit.   You don’t even need to be wearing it: just hanging from tree dripping off the excess and sparkie blows over and RIGHT THROUGH that suit like nuthin’.  

And its not like these things are inexpensive or anything,,,, My Cheapy Alibaba suit was roughly $300 after shipping and all that,,,   Thats a hefty chunk out of some paychecks.   The ‘Good’ suits start around $800 and range to $OMFG purty quick

Anywhoos,,,, I know that there are situations where a drysuit (and what you wear under it) are the ONLY solution to being able to kayak (reasonably) safe.  Cold water can kill and wetsuits can only go so far down the thermometer before they start becoming dangerous to the wearer.   (I started getting Hypothermia after 2 hours in 70 degree water wearing a full wetsuit,,, Yes, they protect, but there are limits to everything. ) 

dunno what I’m rambling on about,,, every peice of gear has a niche, and none will ‘fill them all’ adequately;  That reason is why I have more than one kayak,,,   Same goes for wearable gear.   Fit the gear to the situation with some cushion for variables, then roll those dice.     Mitigate the risk: you can never eliminate it (and still play that is.)  

and keep the Drysuit as far from the campfire as you can,,,, (like tucked in the cockpit of the boat, out of the way,,,)

Turn of a corner here, same street of “Drysuit” :   If you have never worn one, they are ‘different’.    the first time I wore mine, I was shocked at how, when standing/floating in the water, just how much different the sensation of “pressure” was.    Wetsuit/bare skin, the pressure is the same, and you barely notice it,,, but when the skin is dry and the pressure is applied to the suit then to you, it feels much more intense.  Its still the same pressure, the sensation is oddly different and you really find out just how much pressure the water is applying to push you back up.

Ok,,, I’ve flapped my jaws enough this morning,,,, time to get out there and see what I see, feel the world as it really is, and get the vibes back on course,

live

learn

laugh

LOAD

Little background here: some of y’all might recall the incident where I was shot at during a road-rage incident.     Ever since then, I have been ‘on a list’,,, not because I was the shooter, but because my name is attached to a court incident of Armed Assault,,,  I may have been the victim in this case, but because my name is on that court record, I haven’t been able to purchase a new firearm.    Its been three years.    I always get put on ‘Hold’ and there is never any follow-up.

IF what this woman is describing is completely legit, then there is movement within a certain Three Letter Agency, to arm one group, and handicap another group.

Fact is, I would like to pick up a new “big Ugly” .45ACP, but I have not been granted permission by a certain agency that handles these things,,,

YET, people with false ID’s, out of country ID’s, probably have a hella time speaking the language, are being granted access to firearms,,,,

Prepare accordingly,,,      

Been seeing other things that are making me feel quite suspicious about the immediate future of our country,,,, Many unmarked busses, some even with barred windows, traversing the back highways.     The Prison transports are usually marked: the ones I have seen lately, are not.  And I am seeing at least one a day the last month.   I don’t know if they are being driven from manufacture point to final destination, or what, but,,,,,   I can say, I don’t think that to be the case…. some have been bluebird style busses, some have been Prevost types, but they are all blacked out windows, but 60 passenger style busses, not RV/Tour bus styles.

Makes me wonder if THIS isn’t part of the game plan,,, minus the Soviet influence,,, (maybe),,,

Live

        Learn

                    Laugh

                            Seriously, Get Loading!!!

when the 70’s and 80’s existed simultaneously,,,, LOVE that comment!!!!

My anthem for the day,,,,

rain out,,,    Had a short project needed finished, but was the only peep about and temps were dropping,,,  Finished and went home,,,

Dusted off the Erg for the season.   Probably going to need it soon, ’cause I know there are going to be times where getting out just ain’t gonna happen.   Not that I won’t go, but that whole solo thing still mitigates me taking unneccesary risks.    Gear can only do so much, and unlike on coastal locations, We don’t have the ‘luxury’ of being able to jump on the VHF and call for help.  (Lake Cumberland has areas where that is doable, my usual digs do not)

Trying to be patient with things right now.   Feeling antsy to get to SC and pick up a boat and have a mini-vakay,,,  Torn as to which is pulling harder on the impatience,,,,   Feel like a 6yo at the beginning of December,,,   counting the days, hours, minutes,,,    Get on the Erg and paddle for 15 minutes, practice edge control, trying to push my self ‘over’ more and maintain control. (not 100% simulation, but damned close to how Lyssa responds)  Paddle some more,,, look at clock and sigh,,,,

Too much time on my hands,,,,,

idle hands make for long days.

Pull the campgear out and re-organize for winter roles.

too much time on my hands,,,,

SO I pulled the Food Dryer project out, drew some lines on the tank, even cut a couple of slots (where the hinges will go BEFORE I cut the rest of the door out.  Cleaner that way.)  But I didn’t want to drag it to the welder and get that far into it today.   Mostly just some idea plays getting out.

One reason I dislike winter months (and ya, I know we aren’t in winter YET,,,) is the dying daylight thing.  Shorter days, but I am not wired to sleep THAT MUCH,,,,   And its still too early in the season for binge reading,,,   I do read a lot, year round, but that list of things ‘to be read’ gets pummeled into submission in the winter months.   ( I have a stack of books next to the desk that I have started, but not really dug into because SUMMER,,,,)   You could ask my Sis,,, I’ll sit down after breakfast with a book and have it done before the end of the day, and may start back in on it, if I think I ‘missed something’.   Most books get read several times, not always back to back, but over years,,,  Until I can recall the scenes at whim, without needing to open the book.

too much time on my hands,,,,

This is why I know I will never “Retire”,,,  I may not be as involved in physical work, but the mind will not rest, even when the weather dictates idleness.   That is the one thing I have been striving for with the meditation thing,,, calming the mind, getting it to exit the gears and just idle,,,,   Seems like I ‘get it’ one week, and rebound the next,,,,

too much time on my hands,,,,,  t-t-t-ticking away,,,, I don’t know what to do,,,,

ROLFMAO,,,,  

Live

        Learn

                   Laugh

                                LOAD!!!

been some handwringing in my circles lately..  Found out the cause.

Jealousy.

Long story short, I have a nice truck (and you all know more about its history with me than most)

I have Kayaks, PLURAL,

I have tools, lots of tools.

I have a house, that I own, not borrowed from a bank, or rent,,,,

And I ‘get away with murder’ at the J.O.B.,,,(Yeah right!   I just get more jobs without bossman supervizin’ me)

And all of these things are causing a bit of tension and jealousy among some of the crew.  (AND, I know its being instigated by one certain person,,,, )

YOu want what I have?   EARN IT!   I certainly did.   I worked my ass off for the things I have.   I didn’t party away my paycheck every friday.   I busted knucks building, repairing, improvising, you name it,,,  I scrimped when I knew I needed to, splurged when I could get away with it, and built my credit rating to where it is by PAYING MY WAY. 

None of it was ‘just handed to me’.   The borrowed ‘money’ has a price attached to it as well.  IF I felt that cost was too high, I looked elsewhere or sought other solutions.  

I USED MY BRAIN, NOT MY CROTCH, TO GET THROUGH LIFE.

LOL,,, fuggem,,, I don’t care about the petty jealousies from loser trash that can’t keep $20 aside over a weekend,,,  But it tells me I have an enemy, and one I need to keep an eye on.   Not the ‘in your face’ enemy, but one that siddles up along side you and slips a knife into your buddy, making it look like YOU did it.    That type is dangerous like a Pit Viper.   At least I have a good clue as to WHOM,

now to turn the tables,,,

This is one reason I prefer to work alone.    No ‘politics’ of team work.  Heck, most of the guys that like to work with me, know I am going to do 80% of the job by myself, only having them do the stuff that would eat away my day; letting me focus on the skullsweat stuff.  And most all of them have looked into the boxes I work with and walked away shaking their heads.   (Yes, I know what all the knobs do, and yes, it took awhile to learn.)  

I’m gonna shut my trap now before I put my foot in it.

Looking at an upcoming 4 day weekend, not normally scheduled, and I am going to go out of town for a spell.   

Why, yes, Its to pick up a kayak,,,  

as well as see my Sis and get some water time in, on a lake I have NEVER been on; only looked at a time or three.    BIG lake in my experiance,,, three times the size of Lake Cumberland in surface, but shallow as all get out in comparison.   Deepest parts are 30’+   So wide open water, shallow pool, means the Fetch gets a chance to build into something fun.

Thats a couple of weeks out though.   Was going to be this upcoming, but the seller texted me early and said they had a problem that needed attending and if we could rearrange,,,,,

No rush.   another couple full weeks of work makes this dealio even more doable.   The bills this month are paid, and next months will be as well.   All I would normally do with the next two weeks of pay would be to pay Extra,,,  Yes, I still should, but deals like this,,,,,    Besides,  IF the Deep State decides to crash the economy, what cash I have will be worthless anyways, along with everyone elses, and ALL of the debt collectors are going to feel the sudden vacuum,,,,  

At least I will have my tools and toys,,,,

Live

        Learn

                   Laugh

                                   LOAD!!!

It’s that time of year again*, weather turning towards “Winds of November” chills, falling leaves, and cold KOLD waters,,,,   I actually felt a little of that yesterday,,,  Lots of wind action (out of the east, not the norther’s we get in November) and the water was a bit chilled from just a week prior.

SO, today being Son’s-day, and the usual domestic duties of mine purt much knocked down. (still a couple of little details, but waiting for the cooler temps of evening,,,)  I busted out the Dry-wear,,,,

Drysuit, worn once, didn’t like it, had to have help getting extracted from it,,,   Hadn’t worn it again since, UNTIL TODAY.    YAHOOO!!!!   Figured out that damned zip that I couldn’t get fully open and why I needed help getting out of it.  Now I can don and extract myself, by myself,,,,   And BIGGER, YAHOOO!!!!   I’ve lost some weight,,,  Well, Not weight, still tipping the scale at 200#, but the middle is thinner,,,, Must be putting muscles on up top (and the suit did feel a wee bit tighter across the shoulders, but not bad tight.)   Wore the suit for half an hour, going through motions, sitting as if I were in a cockpit (where I was having another issue, caused by thick spare tire) and did the dishes (yes, donned up in a full drysuit.)    Started getting REALLY warm, so time to extracate myself (SUCCESS!) and 303 the gaskets again.  Stlll too soon for a full suit, but Happy its holding up in storage.

Dry top: Last year, I had the surprise of a sealed neck-gasket and had to replace that (easy, not that expensive, but messy, rilly messy,,,)  I’ve been quite a bit more intensive with proper maintenance this year and keep the gaskets cleaned with that 303 once a month (both suit and top) so this year, all’s well.   Of course, having lost some weight in the middle, the Top feels even baggier than usual, but thats a good thing.  Just means I can get warmer stuff underneath.   My usual routine (developed before I got the drysuit) is to use Neoprene bottoms and fleece uppers covered by the top: and that set up gets me into January with no problems. 

January, February and March, DRY SUIT,,,   Even though I have paddled those times in my DT setup, it wasn’t fun, and my anxiety levels were peaked, so I stayed VERY close to shore.    This year, my skills and confidence have grown enough, with the right gear, I can think more about large body crossings; not just hugging that shoreline or skipping out because the weather isn’t fair enough.

So, my gear is GOOD TO GO, my brain feels settled that I can keep paddling through the winter months, and alls good in Dio’s world,,,  (except those stoopid Poly-tick-ians that can’t get the message, JUST LEAVE US ALONE,,,,  Some things never change, huh?)

sidenote,,, quest for bigger boat,,,, looking at two, trying to contact one but so far, no love,,,  the other is one that I am questioning IF I actually want it,,, so I  haven’t contacted the seller yet. Holding hope the first one gets back to me soon.   No rush,,,,   And I made the decision that IF I do buy a larger boat, I am thinning my fleet down.   Gonna hold on to Blue Jean and Rio, but the rest are going up for grabs.   Blue jean because she is the only boat I am willing to put my dad in (like he will ever go,,, but) and she is a great intro kayak for newbs.  In addition, BJ is my river runner when the run is not WW (and sometimes that too): being Rotomolded, she can take a bit more of a beating than a glass boat can.   RIO because she is the boat I had been looking for in WW boats: don’t do WW much, but for when I do, she is IT,,,

-=———————————–=——=——-

Ok, nuff with my addiction,,,,    The mess  going on in our political machine has everyone sitting on the edge of the seat right now.   This thing LOOKS like it’s going one way, one day, the other on the next.  It would really help if we had HONEST J-urinalists; you know the type, do the actual research and report UNBIASED information, not opinions,,,,   The Editors used to be the ones with the opinion page, not the reporters.  These days, its ALL opine, little fact, and lots of rumor.   Also known as PROPAGANDA,,,,   So what happens next?   Who the F! knows.    I am more worried that Bidens handlers are going to see QueMala losing to Trumped in November and will then PUSH PUTIN over the blink stage into actual retaliation mode.    WW3 baby!   (not that we aren’t already, only the escalation hasn’t happened yet.   Give it time,,,)

“WW4 will be fought with sticks and bones”   (accredited to Albert Einstein, but I has doubts,,,,  Could have been any number from post Hiroshima days.)

Anywhoos, Gots to get back to my duties for the day.   Tomorrow its back to the mines, maybe more core drilling,,, (yay! NOT!) or burning metal, or lord only knows at this stage.  Such is the life of the ‘Go to Guy’,,,,

Live

learn

laugh

LOAD!

*its also that time of year where seakayaks are going ‘cheaper’, as the people that bought them on whim, are finding ‘storage’ of a 17’+ boat is a sort of a pain in the ass,,,,    Used to buy my moto’s the same way, cheap buy in the winter, sell high in the spring.