That would be me in the back of the canoe ... trying not to get wet. In my defense, I had started to get out of the canoe when Deb, who is one of the presidents of the club, told me I could stay in because I was so light. The water was ice cold!

I've been slacking up on the blog. But like I wrote in March, if it ever gets to the point where blogging about kayaking interferes with really kayaking ... guess which one will go. You're right. The blog.



For me Saturday was the beginning of my summer training. Even though I have the Concept 2 rower to workout on during the winter, it's not the same as really working out on the river. So Saturday was my first day back working out with the Kent Island Outrigger Canoe Club. Shannon came along so she could kayak while I was doing my canoe practice. And after practice she and I did a short paddle out to Hog Island. Shannon bought me these very cool purple sunglasses one day when she was out shopping. They look great with the purple kayak and purple pfd.



Then the next day I joined the DC Dragonboat team for a workout on the Anacostia. Monday I started my pilates class and Monday evening I did another workout with the outriggers. Rest on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday evening I joined the Pier 7 pirates for my workout paddle on the South River. I only had time to paddle out and around Turkey Point which was about 10 miles, but my goal is to gradually work in more miles and bring the pace up. I don't need to kill myself the first day out on the river.

The regular Pier 7 paddlers showed up plus a few new faces. Dave Isbell was there paddling in his greenland SOF kayak. He says my kayak is almost done and we're hoping to do the "saran wrap" test next Wednesday. Dave will wrap the boat in something like saran wrap. I think he's actually going to use a firmer plastic. Then I get to sit in the boat while he makes final notes on where the cockpit, footrests, and seat should be positioned. Then I sink. Should be fun!

Thursday I did another workout with the DC dragonboat team. After Sunday's introductory paddle I decided I need a few more practices before I join the team in Taiwan. There are many similarities between the outrigger stroke and the dragonboat stroke but the main difference is the dragonboaters only paddle on one side. They do 4-5 minutes sets where they go all out. Then they rest. After the third or fourth set I was feeling major cramps in my lower back muscles. I was paddling on the right side of the boat and I really wanted to switch sides. But that's not the way they do it. So besides learning a slightly new stroke I also need to build up my endurance for one sided paddling. It was a little overcast and dreary Thursday night with scattered thunderstorms. Not a good evening for photos. So here are some photos from Sunday.



So that's my schedule ... paddling in some form at least five days a week.

-Susanita

Several years ago my brother gave me a book on Feng Shui for Christmas. Almost 500 pages long I've yet to read the whole thing, but I appreciate the principles. For a house to feel like a home it needs to have the proper mix of energies and flow. And perhaps most important of all, It needs to reflect the personality of the owner. The furniture I had in this space before I started the renovation/redecoration was all wrong. The sofa and chairs were from the basement family room of my old house. They seemed to fit in that space but in this house it felt all wrong. For one thing they were in a heavy southwestern theme with a strong pattern. And perhaps most importantly the pattern and color of the sofa wasn't chosen by me. It was heavily influenced by the tastes of a former boyfriend ... who obviously liked a southwestern theme. Being an agreeable sort of person I wanted him to feel a part of the space so I tried to pick colors that he liked. Now that I'm on my own I felt the need to mold the space to fit my personality. This room feels like me.



The medium tones of the wood and the warm nutmeg color of the sofa give the room a feeling of warmth. The walls are painted in a cool teal color called "rainwashed" which reminds me of water. It cools the room down. Notice the windows are without coverings. I used solar shades which are like sunglasses. They cut the heat and the glare but you can still see outside. I like feeling like I'm a part of nature, not cut off from nature.

So this is my finished product. You would probably decorate your space differently but this room feels harmonious and comfortable to me. The house is finally starting to feel like home. Above are Annabel and Maribel trying out the new floor cushions. Later that evening I had a small gathering for the group I play bridge with at the Savory Cafe. We ate dinner around the coffee table. It had a nice casual feel.



This is the newly remodeled kitchen. Gone are the gold appliances. The countertops are granite in verde ubatuba, basically a deep forest green. All the new appliances are stainless steel. As my guests on Saturday noted, the space flows well. Next on my list of home projects is painting the loft. But that will have to wait until the summer is over. The calendar is pretty full. In addtion to the Blackburn Challenge, I also decided to row in the Dragon Boat Races in Taiwan.

-Susanita

fick·le
–adjective
from dictionary.com
1. likely to change, esp. due to caprice, irresolution, or instability; casually changeable: fickle weather.
2. not constant or loyal in affections: a fickle lover.

I don't know how I would rank as a lover, but lately I'm as fickle as the weather in D.C. I've cancelled on my kayaking partners twice this week. Monday I missed a paddle on the Potomac to see the Cherry Blossoms because Counter Intelligence arrived late at the house to install the new countertops. And today I cancelled out on the first Kent Island Practice Paddle (KIPP-1) because of a little snow, a little cold and more than a little wind.

Sometimes even those of us with the best intentions let down our friends. Friday night I heard hints of a forecast of snow but the weather is so fickle around here I didn't pay much attention. It was almost 80 degrees on Monday. It's hard to imagine that it would be snowing five days later. But this morning I woke up to the dusting of snow you see on my car and the kayak I had loaded the night before. It's actually pretty paddling in the snow and several times this winter I had complained to Marshall (who was leading the trip today) that we hadn't had any good snow paddles. But it's one thing to dream of paddling in the snow and it's another thing to wake up to the stark reality of paddling in frigid water on a frigid day. So the first thing I did after waking up was call Marshall and leave a message on his cell phone. I don't remember how many excuses I came up with. It was early. But less than 10 minutes later my phone rang. Marshall is the proverbial optimist and despite the dire forecast he was sure that I'd have fun if I came.



So I drove to the put-in on Prospect Bay, still a little sleepy and not yet convinced that paddling was a good idea today. As soon as I got out of the car and felt the wind I knew I should have stayed in bed. Out of 18 paddlers who originally signed up for the paddle today the group had dwindled down to a hearty four: Marshall, Todd, Bob and Eric.



I stayed around for the launch and took some photos of the intrepid snow paddlers, then I went back home and started cleaning up the dust from the construction.

-Susanita

Two events herald the return of Spring in DC for me ... the blossoming of the cherry trees surrounding the tidal basin and the return of the tourists. Tuesday afternoon I walked down to the tidal basin from my office at the Department of Agriculture on 14th Street. The sidewalks were packed with tourists so thick that they pushed into the street often stopping the cars. When I lived in the city I used to curse the return of the tourists in the Spring. They're often looking down at their maps not really looking where they're going. They don't always obey the walk signals at the intersection. For drivers, they're a nuisance. But Tuesday I was one of them, pushing and shoving to get in the herd to cross the street.



I didn't have time to walk the perimeter of the tidal basin but here are a few photos of Spring.





-Susanita

This is the city of Annapolis from the water. As you can tell Annapolis is pretty close to sea level and if water levels rise as expected much of Annapolis will be under water. Annapolis is also where Dave, my kayak designer and builder lives. The last two weekends I stopped by Dave's house to see the SOF he's building for me, but this weekend I decided to give him a break and let him get some work done.

It's been along a long winter of painting, renovating, shopping, decorating ... everything but kayaking. But that is all coming to an end. The kitchen will be finished next week and I arranged for my new furniture to be delivered the following week. I have freshly painted walls, a new kitchen, some new furniture, and a new cover on the floor sofa in my loft which doubles as my home theatre. The house is starting to feel more like ... me. I wanted to be finished by April and I'm really close to meeting my goal. So it's time to switch gears, get the drysuit on, and get back on the water.

Saturday I put-in at Truxton Park on Spa Creek. This is part of my overall summer paddling goals. Among other things I want to kayak in the Blackburn Challenge. Notice I didn't say "compete". This is not a casual or recreational race. It's a long, difficult 24 mile race through open water where the conditions can be very rough. Last year one of my paddling partners tried to convince me that I was up to the challenge. Having only competed in a few 10-12 mile races, I knew I wasn't. But this year I'd like to try it. I have no aspirations of even placing in my class. I just want to finish in a decent time and not swim the Atlantic.



So as preparation I'm plotting a kayaking route that will be about 24-25 miles with wind and waves that's not far from my house as a training run. My intended training route is down Spa Creek into the Severn to the Chesapeake Bay, past Thomas Point then up the South River to my friend Jane's house. Ideally I should just paddle past Jane's house and return to Spa Creek, but realistically I'll probably stop if she's home. The waves on the Bay are quite different from the waves on the ocean. My limited experience with paddling on the ocean leaves me with the impression that they tend to be more uniform in direction. On the Bay the waves seem to come at you from all directions, especially when boat traffic is high in the summer. So I figure if I can make a 24 mile paddle on the Bay I should be able to do a 24 mile paddle on the Atlantic ocean. I'm also planning to get in some ocean paddling time as well. Let the season begin.

-Susanita