Flying...

There is nothing that can compare to the feeling you get when you are flying over calm water in a kayak. Looking down you experience vertigo... Cliffs of rock wheel up at you covered in seaweed, anenomes, shells and sand dollars. Luminous green patches promise sandy ocean floors thirty or forty feet below. It feels as if you could fall into the depths and be whisked away into another world. I now know why sailors used to go crazy and jump overboard.

It is hard to capture in pictures, but I've included a few that I thought showed how clear it was. We spent over fours hours on the water, starting out very early in the morning. It was completely calm the entire time and so warm in the sun that we almost fell asleep suntanning on our picnic blanket after lunch.

It's amazing looking down at your own shadow on the ocean floor... Can you believe that this was April fifteenth?

Many more Thousands of Words...

I have been taking lots of pictures but I haven't been able to write about our adventures. Rather than killing myself finding time to try and describe each place we've been, I thought I'd do a little photo-journal entry... 

We have only been out twice this year so far- the first time it was sheer stubborn will that got us on the water and kept us out for as long as we could since the temperature was around five degrees celsius and there was still ice on the water.

We found a wonderful beach that we will definitely return to in the Summer... It is completely hidden away from view in a little cove off of Terence Bay. I took a picture because with the sun shining and the water so calm it looked like a tropical paradise, but the truth was we only stayed a short while since as soon as we got out of our kayaks the wind took all the warmth from our bodies.

As we climbed back in and sealed up our skirts around the openings, we started generating and capturing heat again. It made me realize once again how dang smart the Inuit were. Kayaks are built for stability, speed and warmth!

It was absolutely gorgeous the whole day, but I managed to freeze my hands rather thoroughly, and the clean up at the end of the day (rinsing off the kayaks and gear outside in the cold air) was brutal.

Last weekend we were so desperate to get back out that we loaded everything up and drove to a bird sanctuary by Martinique beach about an hour from our house even though the temperature was only about eleven degrees and the wind was at seventeen kilometres an hour with gusts to twenty five. The whole way there we kept looking at the trees blowing in the wind and willing them to suddenly stop and stand still.

When we got to the bird sanctuary it reminded us of the Magdellen Islands... incredible stretches of beach on either side of the road forever. Unfortunately the wind reached almost gale force and we had the good sense to know when to cut our losses.

Luckily the next day turned out to be calm and as soon as we got up (having left the kayaks on the car) we headed out to Prospect. After the day before, we didn't want to trust ourselves that it would be good weather for long...

We needn't have worried. It turned out to be the most amazing trip we've had yet. But I'll save those pictures for another entry...

This is April???

I'm glad that a picture is worth a thousand words because I am all out of words.

Over half a lifetime together...

It's the dead of winter... only dreams and memories of the ocean to keep us going, so I thought I'd side-track the blog for a moment. Sean and I have been together for more than half of our lifetime now, can you believe it? Through thick and thin, in and out of the years (and lately in and out of the waves!). We've grown so much together and it just keeps getting better.

On the 27th of February we celebrated our twenty-fourth wedding anniversary. Twenty-four years- and I still learn something new about him every day. We like to stick to the "traditional" gift suggestions for our wedding anniversaries and this year they were either a musical instrument (Interestingly, the first suggestion for a musical instrument was a harp, of all things!) or a mineral called "Tanzanite".  I am no good at celebrations, but Sean? He's the king. I should have known that he would be able to create the "perfect storm" of special treatment *sigh* I'll never catch up!

Here's my lame plan: I had to work, but I secretly planned to leave early. I've never taken a sick day and I had my one free prep period for the last class of the day, so I thought it would work out perfectly. I went to the grocery store before school started and picked up a little black forest cake for two that I had ordered along with all the ingredients for a gourmet meal. I was going to come home and surprise Sean with a special meal and something I had ordered on line for him, which didn't fit the traditional theme, but I just knew he'd like. 

None of it was meant to be. When I asked about leaving early, I was told that I couldn't so I ended up spending the whole day at school. And I can't tell you what I ordered for Sean because although I ordered it a good two and a half weeks ahead of time, the dang thing still isn't here! BUT- it was probably a good thing I didn't leave early, since Sean had arranged for two dozen roses to be delivered to the school (one for each year we've been married). *sigh* See what I mean? He just can't be topped in the special occasions department. Everyone at school was sighing over the roses and the guys were all upset since he was "showing them up". Little did they know, that was just the beginning...

When I arrived home the house smelled incredible and Sean didn't even let me into the kitchen to put my groceries away. He escorted me to a candlelit, rose petal-covered bubble bath, and the royal treatment began...

He had made a fabulous meal of escargots, ceaser salad, chicken kiev and asparagus with hollondaise sauce and in the middle of the table was a huge gift. After the first course he said, "go ahead, open it!". I proceeded to unwrap a didgereedoo (the musical instrument)... about as far away from a harp as you can get! We laughed about it- he always manages to find a way to fit the traditional theme, even when it's bizarre. He has turned it into a game of sorts. It is an absolutely perfect gift to give me, since I have started a month of "Show and Tell" at school, where I am introducing the kids to instruments from different cultures. I wanted to start the month off with the very first types of instruments people made, so I was going to talk about aboriginal tribes from different places in the world... couldn't be better! In fact, I would love to put a picture of it up on the blog, but it is currently at the school, since I already showed it to my classes on Thursday and then we had a snow day on Friday, so it is still there. I'll try and take a picture on Monday and add it later.

Anyway- I turned the didgereedoo over to look at it (the painting is really cool) and lodged in the bottom, blocking off the airflow, were a pair of socks. I thought they must be there to protect it or something, so I pulled them out, and behind the socks was a jewelry case...

You guessed it, he managed to find Tanzanite as well. Not just Tanzanite, but the most beautiful, simple, exquisite setting I've ever seen for a stone. He then proceeded to tell me the story of trying to find it... There is only one place in the world where they mine Tanzanite (Tanzania, of course) and they closed the last mine three years ago, so there is no more of it to be found anywhere in the world. He searched through countless jewelry stores, getting more and more stories about how rare it is. Eventually he found one that had two pieces; They hadn't even been put out on display yet. One was a bracelet, which wasn't what he was looking for, and the other was an absolutely perfect pendant of white gold (the same as our wedding bands) with a gorgeous Tanzanite stone in it.

Once again, Sean has outdone himself.

I managed to make my celebratory meal the following day, since we got a snow day off from school, and I most certainly will celebrate again once my dang package for him arrives, but there is no topping this. He sure knows how to make a girl feel special.

So thank you to Sean for finding a way to celebrate in style... I hope you know how much I love you- words just never express it, but I try. And Happy Anniversary to us... here's to at least twenty-four more years of fun, waves and laughter. I can't wait to begin.

Last Kayak of the Season?

So who on earth puts a kayak on their car when there is snow on the ground??? I mean isn't the season officially over once the snow flies?

Despite the fact that it is November 26th and we've already had our first huge snowstorm of the year, we decided to get out in the kayaks one last time today. I am so glad we did. It was an amazing day...

We headed out at around ten thirty, hoping the sun would warm up the air enough for us to be able to hang on to our paddles. There were several signs that we should reconsider this hair-brained scheme... We almost forgot our waterproof jackets on the way out the door and then when we got to the Terrence Bay launch by ECO, the wind was bitter and the waves looked pretty wild. We took kayaks off the car and realized that we had forgotten our water containers at home on the kitchen counter.  Another sign.

With a heavy sigh, I drove back to the house to get our water packs while Sean stayed with the kayaks.

When I got back to the launch, he asked me if I was really sure I wanted to do this- he'd been sitting by the water for almost twenty minutes at this point and was definitely feeling the cold. Looking at the water I almost said no, but the stubborn side of me kicked in (thank god!) and we headed into the teeth of the wind.

We had already decided to just poke around in the Terrence Bay and Prospect area, thinking that we had already seen everything here, but that it would be nice just to get out on the water. Well it was nice to get out on the water but we most certainly had not seen everything!

As the day grew warmer, the wind died down and the sun came out and it turned out to be one of the best kayaking days we've had yet. We found a secluded bay to explore- there were no houses anywhere to be seen and absolutely no other boats on the water- we had the whole place to ourselves. The water was calm and the tide was low, so we found all sorts of really cool overhanging rocks. I tried to take some underwater pictures- I even saw a starfish! And we saw lots of really cool anemones.

The overhanging rocks were amazing- and once the wind died down, the sea was like glass. We kayaked in underneath huge cliffs that were festooned with seaweed and that echoed our voices back to us. As the day wore on we grew quieter and quieter, taking in the beauty around us and trying to soak up as much of the peaceful air as we could, knowing that this was probably our last voyage for a while...

We stayed out for as long as we could although the days are much shorter now, so the sun started to go down around four. As we turned our backs to the wind after one last look at the wide open sea, we headed back into shore and managed to find a deserted beach to enjoy the beginnings of a glorious sunset... Farewell summer!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

As soon as we got back from our first incredible kayak voyage, we began planning a three-day excursion for Labour Day Weekend.

Shortly after that, I started trying to find a way to bring my camera.

Half of my joy in writing a blog from the North came from the fact that I had amazing photos to share. I felt that whatever was lacking in my words was supplemented by having images to go with them.  If only I could capture the feeling of kayaking... A picture really _is_ worth a thousand words, and even though a picture can't feel and smell and taste the same as being there, you can't deny the fact that it helps.

Once I realized that a waterproof case for my camera was going to cost me as much as (or more than!) a new camera, I decided to "bite the bullet" and buy a good quality waterproof camera. After some research I settled on the Pentax Optio. It's compact, virtually indestructible and was supposed to take really good quality pictures.

I bought my new little friend a life preserver.

Don't laugh- they really _do_ make PFDs for cameras... Ì didn't want to spend all this money on a camera only to lose it overboard! I also bought a flexible super mini grip tripod so that I could attach it to the front of my kayak (in case my hands were too occupied to hold the camera).

On our three day excursion I planned to put it though its paces...

Our new kayaks on their "maiden voyage"

Here they are... two Necky Chathams, ready to go. Hopefully we're ready too! We've put a fair bit of "water under our belts" already and this is our story. Just to preface- we _do_ live in kayak heaven- Nova Scotia is full of amazing bays with crystal clear water, beautiful wildlife, pristine shores and tiny islands... the coast is typically portrayed as rocky and forbidding, but it is incredible how many secret shelters and tranquil coves are out there. Thanks to a wonderful crash course at ECO (East Coast Outfitters Kayaking) and a lot of previous experience in a canoe, we have a few survival skills (basic paddling, self rescue, rolling etc.). We have also camped in the wilderness a lot over the years, so the whole "what to pack and how" question was a lot easier than it mighty have been. And the evolution of gear since then is unbelievable! We were blown away with what modern technology has to offer the wilderness camper now. Between pinpointing our location on a GPS and planning our trip through a cell phone app, things are ridiculously easier now than they were back when Sean and I started out rigging up the canoes.

I was going to begin this blog a while ago and write after every adventure, but I've been starting a teaching career at the same time, which leaves very little time for blogging! My plan now is to write an entry with some of my photos of each of our first few adventures and then hopefully update this a little more regularly. Kayaking has saved my sanity over the last two weeks where I have begun to teach full time...

Our first real "solo" adventure began one saturday morning when we put our kayaks in the water not far from our house on Prospect Bay. We hit the water early enough to catch that "early morning calm" and discovered (thanks to a google earth preview) a boat graveyard. It was positively chilling to kayak up into an old wreck and feel the weight of history all around me. There were three wooden boats, all of which were at least the size of the Hector in Pictou. We have no idea where they came from, what their history was or anything about them, but I can tell you that when I kayaked into to belly of one of the boats, with the wooden ribs sticking up on either side... I just knew that there was a story there.

The whole day was spectacular, with calm waters and gorgeous, clear blue skies. we were sold on the whole concept of kayaking and the freedom we had now bought with our new kayaks.