A Long Weekend

Sat.'s plans for a paddle were thwarted by my little dog getting bit by a BIG dog. Off to the emergency vet and $800 later he was home safe and sound, albeit slightly dopey. So, most of the weekend has been watching over him and making sure he gets all his medicine. He didn't eat much the first day and he seemed to want to make up for it today. A good sign.

So I'm reading this great book written by Nathaniel Stone, "On The Water." He rows (yes, facing backwards) from NY, through some barge canals to the Great Lakes, down the Ohio River to the Mississippi, out into the Gulf, around Florida and back up the East coast. Basically he circumnavigates the eastern third of the US. What's so interesting is, right now, Jake Stachovac is doing almost the same thing, called the Portage To Portage Paddling Project. You can find his daily blog by the same name. He's just reached the Gulf the last few days, but he started in Wisconsin, so he has quite a ways to go. What's interesting is both share many common ideas and thoughts; and I can relate to both of them.

".......waking up in the morning had become more of a habit than an opportunity. Days were becoming forgettable; they blended too quickly in memory. It was time to derail the train, jump off, and walk into the nearest forest."

-Nathaniel Stone

I feel this way most days. I yet haven't summoned up the courage Nathaniel and Jake have though.