Last Hurrah

I went camping up at a State Park this past weekend, probably the last hurrah of the season.

So, naturally, I took some pictures.  It was (according to WU) 26F at night, and boy is that cold.  But the morning was totally worth it!

Delights of Summer

I've named my boat, and even got a decal with the name:

We even christened it, some friends and I, by pouring water from a waterbottle over the bow.  (This is a waterbottle boat, not a champagne boat.)  (The hardest part of the naming decal was deciding on the font.)

I sent away for new bungee cord stuff, new handles (the rear handle is missing), pieces for the paddle keeper (one is broken now), and a cover for the cockpit, so if it's raining and I have to take it on top of the car, it won't fill with water.

And there are flowers!

Summer Begins, Sort Of

I just finished clicking my grades in (how much more pleasant is that than walking a grade sheet over to the registrar's office by hand)!

Tomorrow, I have a refresher on teaching our comp course (because I haven't taught it this year), and then, well, we'll see.

Our rec center was having a used equipment sale yesterday, so I got in line early and bought a used kayak.

Now I need to think of a silly or pretentious name.

And I need to get some new cord stuff because that's worn, as is the seat.  And I need to buy a paddling life jacket and a paddle.

Still, the price was right, and I have a boat.

Definition:  Boat:  A hole in the water you pour money into.

Muscles

You know when you do something new, you sometimes discover that you have muscles you've never much thought about before?

I'm at that point in skiing. The muscles near the hip that pull my legs forward, never much noticed them before. But now, sitting on the davenport with my laptop on my lap and my legs up on the ottoman thing, if I lift one of my legs, I notice.

I'm perfectly happy to exercise to the point of minor muscle soreness/tiredness. It makes me feel that I've put some effort in, but doesn't hurt a lot.

My lower back is tired (but not in a bad way), and my elbow. What the heck, my elbow?

My worst muscle discovery ever was after my eye surgery. I'd never much thought about the muscles that move my eye around; it's not like I'd ever gotten them pulled or sore. But then they were sore! It's like, you know those muscles exist, because you can move your eye around, and we've all seen pictures, but who thinks about them? Even now, when I'm really stressed, those muscles get a little sore.

This skiing thing is weird. I see people ski by, just flowing along, and I'm doing something absolutely non-flowing. I think I need to get my legs strong enough at being bent, and my skiing balance practiced enough that I can go on one leg and lift up the other without getting tensed up. It's tensing up that causes me problems, I think.

I'm hoping to try out the "skate" skiing, because that looks absolutely flowing and fun (but hard!).