Everglades Challenge 2011

It's happening again. WaterTribe's 2011 Everglades Challenge launches off the beach in Florida on March 5 at 0700.

This will be my fifth year of competing in the EC, and once again very gratefully sponsored by BUBBA GIRL (more of that to come).

In a nutshell, we have seven days to paddle or sail (depending on which class you're entered in) to paddle the 483kms (300 or so miles) from Fort De Soto's Tampa Bay, south to Key Largo. And once again I plan to paddle via the Everglade's Wilderness Waterway, an additional 48kms (30 miles).

Over the next few days, I'll post on what gear I'll be packing and what training I have (or not) been doing.

(Top photo: the finish of the 2008 EC, before I discovered Hydropel)

Looking at new gear

If you read this blog off and on, you'll know that I'm a sucker for new gear that looks useful for sea kayaking. Reading this month's Sea Kayaker magazine, I discovered Aussie company CGear and their very cool sand mats. Some of my favourite kayak camping is on a beach, overlooking North Carolina's great coastal waters. But pitching a tent on sand, and traipsing damp sand through all my tent gear's a pain. CGear's small 1.8meter squared (6'x6') mat looks as though it just may do the trick--sand falls through the mat and doesn't came back up again.

These mats should also be perfect for our WaterTribe Everglades Challenge. Throw the mat out, strip off, clear all the sand off the damp, tired body, and jump into my pit--this should make for much better in-and-out procedures.

The small mat weighs 1.65kg (3.65lbs), which sounds just fine.

I'll keep you posted...

Round balls

Now that New Zealand's All Whites are on their way home after a rather fabulous showing at the World Cup--one of only four countries in the history of the World Cup to have not lost a game and not to go forward to the next round--it's interesting that Kiwis are finally showing some interest in the round ball game of football. The oval ball associated with rugby is usually the foremost sport in most Kiwi's minds, or perhaps the much smaller, hard red ball of cricket.

But recent photos from home remind me that netball is still one of the top three--perhaps four--sports in NZ. While there are international women's teams in football, rugby and cricket--and even female jockeys and yachties--no men play netball.

It was one of my sports growing up, along with softball, tennis, football and field hockey (just plain "hockey" in NZ). I well remember wearing my black, pleated tunic uniform, with GA on my bib (Goal Attack, for the uninitiated).

Both my nieces play NZ netball, the older of the two playing very competitively. One day, I hope both may have the chance to play for the Silver Ferns, NZ's national netball team.

The past is B&W

My brother Rob, in NZ, has bought a fancy new scanner to scan the hundreds of photos he's borrowed from dad. Taken from the 1920s to around the 1970s, they cover 50 years of dad and mum's history.

With dad and my sister Clio, we've been trying to fill in the gaps of who's who. With mum dying in late 2001 and dad at 89, we're testing all our memories.

Above is dad (9) and his sister Beth (11), 1930, on their way to the Matapihi Native School; and below, dad in 1941 (20), with his new bike, shortly before heading off to the Pacific for WWII.

All good stuff.

Getting around to it...

It's taken nearly five years of planning and procrastination, but today I finally threw away the plastic barriers (above) held together with scavenged piping, bricks and old broom handles that I have called a sorry excuse for a 'gate', ostensibly to keep the dogs in leading up to the pool at the top of the driveway.

And I built a new 'gate'--one to be fairly proud of--and no rain was going to stop me hanging the hinges as the clock ticked on past cold beer time and being called for tea.

On the (edge of the) water

Another great weekend with Andrew caravanning in the '72 Shasta. Decided last minute to go straight after work to Jordan Lake on Friday instead of Saturday, to get the most out of the terrific weather. And attract more ticks...

Across the way from Greensboro was Larry and his Brazilian wife, both keen fisher folk, who took Andrew under their rods and introduced him to the concept of really catching fish.

And Saturday night, Nancy and David (Floatsome) and Dawn (SandyBottom) and Paul (DancesWithSandyBottom) joined us for dinner.

Just as we were sadly packing up later Sunday afternoon (one of us actually crying that he did not want to leave, actively trying to unpack his bike), Dawn turned up in full sailing regalia, having hopped off their Core Sound 20 Dawn Patrol, to say, "Ahoy".

Counting the days 'til the next trip...

Memories on Memorial Day

Went caravaning again this past weekend--four lovely days over Memorial Weekend at Lake Jordan's Poplar Point.

I can't yet get Andrew into a kayak, but he does like to sit in a sit-on-top (courtesy of Doug-up-the-road), when it's firmly grounded.

Fishing is his big thing now. Teach a kid (3) to fish, and you have time to either fish with them, or even read a book. He has his cast pretty well off pat, which is a fine thing to see. The patience will come--playing with the live bait can sometimes be a bit more fun.

Fly about

I'd much rather compliment than complain, but sometimes one is just driven to find the correct online outlet to vent one's ire.

That was me this morning, after being told by an American Airlines gate/desk representative at La Guardia yesterday afternoon, that stand by doesn't exist anymore and I would have to pay $50 to get a seat on an hour's earlier flight returning to RDU/home.

I trudged off and bought a cup of tea, and went back again to double check that I heard correctly. And I had. My response was that I'm already a customer, and there are spare seats, so why can't you just put me on an earlier flight? No go.

So I wrote to AA this morning with my complaint. I have to admit, they served me well in response. I can't be the only person today complaining about AA (surely?), but a personal e-mail was only an hour or so in return.

I believe their answer sucks, as below (this was an Eagle Airways flight with only about 30 or so passengers, so everyone was being served who went up to the desk), but doesn't one feel somewhat placated that someone heard one's complaint?

...we've made some changes to our standby policy for tickets purchased on or after February 22, 2010. These changes were made in an effort to streamline the boarding process at the gate and to give our airport agents more opportunity to provide assistance to those customers that are confirmed on a particular flight.

Still, unlike some of our competitors, we are by no means eliminating a customer’s ability to take an earlier flight. For a $50 charge, if space is available on the day of departure, we will confirm you on an earlier flight. This option not only gives you the opportunity to get to your destination sooner, it also eliminates the uncertainty of standby travel.

Being on a roll, I also wrote to the NY Port Authority, which manages La Guardia, to mention that I'd seen an airport cleaning employee emptying the recycling into the general rubbish bin and then disposing of them together.

Just imagine what I'm going to be like when I'm nearing 70!

Los Angeles tripping

The view from my Beverly Hills hotel window. On one of the buildings dead amidships is a ten-storey hanging of Buzz Lightyear, with a big "3" top right. My hero.

Currently in LA for a few days business, heading home tomorrow. Don't miss the traffic from our previous four years living in San Diego, but do miss the weather.

Got growled at from home when walked 4.2 miles along Santa Monica Blvd and Wilshire to my first meeting at the Hammer Museum. "No one walks in LA!" The person I met with made me take a taxi back to my hotel. Probably a good thing, as was wearing dressish shoes and got some severe blisters, walking the last mile or so to the Hammer in my socks.

Yale tripping

Just returned from three days in New Haven, at Yale University, for this year's Art Museum Development Association (AMDA) conference, hosted by Yale University Art Gallery and Yale Center for British Arts. Terrific time meeting all my development peers.

Prior to leaving, I'd signed myself up for an 0730 tour of the campus. The morning's rain didn't put me off, the tour given by a junior architectural student who is also the editor of Yale's student newspaper, Yale Daily News. The nation's future looks bright with such a terrific lad.

Among the highlights, we poked our noses inside the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (above), repository of millions of first editions, including the c.1454 Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed in movable type. Our guide explained that in trying to decide what stone to use for the exterior, the architects had travelled the world far and wide, searching for just the right material, to later find it just up the road--Vermont granite and marble. At just 31.75mm thick, the marble filters light in, on a sunny day bathing the room in a soft yellow glow.

Another curious moment for me was standing outside the rather decrepit looking building belonging to Yale's notorious Skull and Bones Society (above). No sign conveys its ownership, the steps leading up to the chained, double padlocked door are crumbling, as are parts of its stonework. Quite fitting that the rain stepped up its patter on our umbrellas as we stood on the footpath across the road.

Apart from the building above and its purpose, the campus brought back many wonderful visual memories of my years working at and living in Cambridge (the UK one).

PS. all photos from my mobile phone.