We had such a fantastic weekend, weather-wise. I rested up on Saturday, just ran a few errands and sat on the stoop. Sunday I got up early, downed a gallon of coffee, took 5 Advil and a few Tums. I tossed the kayak on the CRV and headed up to Cold Spring NY to kayak up the Hudson with this gay outdoors group I joined. I didn’t know a soul that was going, but sometimes ya gotta just go to the party if you want to hear the music. It was a beautiful 40-minute drive up along the Hudson River. I met up with the ‘gang’ at the outfitter’s and they all seemed very nice. It looked like I would be the only female, but at the last moment 4 gals showed up (also very nice). We were paddling into a strong wind and against the current. The tide was going out also (yes, even that far up the river, the tide is 3-4 feet), so it was really tough going. One fella capsized but was a good sport about it, and we got him back in his boat without too much trouble. We stopped at a beach for lunch and chatting. I met a nice woman who lives not too far from me who has her own kayak and would like to paddle together near where we live.
I have to admit that while it was fun, I think ocean kayaking is much more exciting, I LOVE big waves. I am looking forward to learning white-water kayak also.
We were on the river about 4 hours and I returned home sun-kissed and worn out, but happy.

I did tons of fun stuff this weekend. I feel like I need 3 days to recover from it. Friday night I stayed in the city after work and had drinks and dinner with a new pal, up from the South for a workshop. I had a great time, and could have spent many more hours chatting with her but alas; I did need to get back to the burbs to be a supportive GF to my GF, her Father is not well.
Saturday we had our neighbors over for breakfast and then I went to EMS to get the final parts I needed to complete my THULE rack for the top of my car. I got all the parts home and set to work on it. 2 hours later I still was not able to get the clampy-thingy to close all the way on the footy-thingy and I was wishing horrible things on the THULE people. I gave up hope of getting my kayak home that day and got dressed to go to a dinner party in CT at a friend's house. 10 minutes before I expect my GF to walk in the door, she calls. Her Dad is not doing well after his knee operation and she is going to stay at the hospital(he is stable, but has a temp). We have cancelled on these friends multiple times, and one of the other couples had already backed out. Since I could not be with my GF (her family does not know about me), we decided I would go to the dinner without her. It was a pool party/dinner. I ended up chatting with one of the gals there who used to be on a swim team, and as we chatted, we swam laps. 90 of them (only 32 ft. pool though). Dinner was great, but I missed my GF so I left by 10pm. GF was upset about her Dad when I got home so we stayed up late and chatted and snuggled till she felt better. Sunday we had breakfast on out stoop with the neighbors we share the stoop with, and then my GF was off to the hospital again. I went to the Ski shop where I bought most of the parts for my THULE rack and had them help me with it (not an easy thing for me). It took them almost 2 hours to get the clampy-thingy closed. My arms were killing me from 90 laps in the pool, but off I went to get my kayak now that the rack was up. My kayak was at a friend's house on the beach in CT so I drove up and went for a paddle. First I had to get the possum (actually Opossum) out of my boat, a surly fellow who did not like my suggestion that he move to one of the boats that better matched his fur. The wind was intense, and the swells were huge. I had a blast. I paddled directly into the wind, singing away, getting soaked and smacked by waves. It was great fun. Since I paddle alone frequently, I purchased a paddle leash and had it on. It was so nice to not worry about holding onto my paddle when the waves rolled me. I was able to enjoy getting tossed around in the waves. I knew I had to have a little arm strength left to get the boat onto my car so I turned around and rode the waves back to shore. I managed to get the boat up on my car and headed home. A friend was using our garage for the weekend so I put the boat in my living room. I then got the urge to completely rearrange my bedroom. 3 hours later I took a break. I was sitting in the kayak with the dog and a beer, watching TV when my GF came through the door. I think it was the fact that the dog had her life vest on that did it. She just called me a retard, patted me on the head and poured a HUGE glass of wine.

What I learned this weekend
1. My house keys do not float.
2. My dog does not always find me amusing (neither does my girlfriend).
3. Some people think the garage is a better place for a kayak than the living room.
4. A Honda CRV gets taller when you try to put something heavy on top of it.
5. Possums, do not take constructive criticism well.
6. The THULE people are evil.
7. I need WAY more sleep than I am getting.
8. There are a limited number of ways one should bend an arm (particularly your own).
9. Once in them, 3-4 foot seas look and feel like 6-7 foot seas (me like!).
10. $14 for a paddle leash is a good investment.

I was supposed to go to Atlanta this weekend and see my buddy (who I have not seen in years). My 6 am flight was cancelled, as was the 1:45pm, the 4 something and one other one. I was crushed. I moped about for several hours. We decided to go to our friend's beach house and hang out and Kayak to try and cheer me up.



more pic on my Flickr site (link in side bar).

I walked on the beach with my cell phone, calling in all the band numbers on the mating horseshoe crabs (it's always about the data for me). Why didn't I get a picture of the mating crabs? I am stupid some times, and I was pouting still. After walking the beach for 2 hours some more friends came and we paddled about in the sound for a while. We went into the marsh as the tide was coming in. I foolishly chose to get out of the boat at one point to cool off in the water (forgetting we were over mud flats). I step out of my kayak, sink 8 inches into the mud and flip my boat. After I stopped laughing at myself for being an idiot, I flipped the boat back over and climbed back in... leaving my Crocs deep in the mud. Well we can't have that! So over the side I go again to get my shoes. The tide was really rushing into the marsh at this point so it was tough going getting back out to open water, but the workout made me feel better. When we got back to my friends beach house I made a nice fire in the chiminia on the beach and we sat around and had drinks. My friend had put sauce on the stove before we left to paddle so we had a nice big Italian dinner before heading home and back to reality. One additional good thing about the weekend is, that although I ate and drank like it's a good-paying job, I lost 2 pounds in the last week!