My life is at its fullest right now: how rich it is to be able to escort my partner to work by bike and not have to rush off to work or grade papers or something else. Well, I didn't go all the way to PSU, just to the Hawthorne Bridge as the sun warmed up the Willamette. Another gorgeous morning.
And then (then!) Rita Shaw, a colleague, came over and we drove to Gail Alexander's kayak shop in Ridgefield, WA (
http://www.ridgefieldkayak.com/) which is a very special place, tucked in the confluence of 3 waterways. Gail is doing me a special favor of letting me store my kayak there, which we transported there this morning, in exchange for special kayakers being able to use it during the season. It's an incredible deal for me.
Gail joined us paddlers on the water in the coolest canoe, outfitted with an electric motor:
You can see how stressful the time was. The water was flat, no wind, little current, and Great Blue Herons dripping from trees. An occasional Kingfisher kept us alert with its brilling. Rita and I got to float along, under the strong sun, under the steady eye of Gail. An idyllic couple of hours.
So, just a 6-mile flat ride this morning, and a lovely flat paddle this afternoon. I tell you: turning 50 has been the best thing I've done. I wonder why I didn't do it earlier?!
P.S. Gail is offering a poetry and paddling get-together. There's one left this season. The way she describes it gives me chills of delight: paddling up stream, receiving a packet of prompts, pens, paper, and taking some time to write, then returning to the boathouse for sharing or talking or reading or listening. What could be better? Give her a call.
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