Grey Owl

So we have a few Grey Owl canoe paddles. I knew that the name came from an adventurer, but knew nothing about him. I read an article in an old canoe magazine that mentioned this movie. The author had taught Pierce Brosnan some paddling technique for this movie and commented that it was pretty bad.

The move is decent. Not the greatest, but it was entertaining. There is an environmental theme that the movie tries to capture, but not very well. Grey Owl lectured across the UK against the cutting of forests, and for the preservation of the beaver. The irony was that he was actally an Englishman who had gone to Canada at 17 seeking wilderness. He lived with the Ojibwa and learned their ways and passed himself off as half Indian.

The Professor and the Madman

This past week/weekend we went to Minneapolis-St.Paul for a wedding reception. For trips we have been getting books on CD from the library. They are great for those long hours in the car. We got a couple and decided on The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. It is a non-fiction book about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. The OED was compiled in a manner that would almost be considered Open Source by todays standards. The book ties in the history of English dictionaries, but focuses on a man who submitted over 10,000 entries and most were included. The kicker is that the submitter lives in an asylum.

It was a very educational and entertaining book. Randomly full definitions are thrown in which makes for a fun listen, but I imagine is something that a reader would just skim over.

From a Wooden Canoe

Dan and Betsy got me From a Wooden Canoe for my birthday. Its a fantastic book that is a collection of ramblings about canoeing and the outdoors. Each chapter contains information about the author, his love of the outdoors, as well as the subject matter. There is much to be learned in this book there is a chapter on tumplines one on knives, and many others.

A great book to pull down on a rainy day and read a bit of.

Canoeing with little ones

Bridgit, my brother Nick, and I went out to Pickerel Lake on Saturday and had a great time. I also had my first experience canoeing with a baby. I got a rude awakening.
Sunday afternoon we took a trip down the Huron from Dexter to Delhi. Alex (age 8) and I paddled the Malecite. I read in a book the suggestion to paddle the canoe facing backwards with the youth in the front (stern seat) and the adult in the back (bow seat) It helps distribute the weight and makes it easier for youth to reach the water. It worked fantastic.

Michael with Theresa (age 3) and Kathleen were in kayaks. Bridgit, Amy, and Stu (9 months) were in the Kipawa. I expected that Amy wouldn't paddle much because she would be dealing with the little one. I wasn't ready for him crying because he didn't like the lifejacket.

Infant life jackets make babies look like orange and yellow marshmallows. Stu cried and nursed until he fell asleep, then he was fine.

I have read a cool web site about canoeing with kids, maybe I should read it again. I am also looking at getting Cradle to the Canoe

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day to all. Bridgit and I (plus Baby-Babe) spent the weekend up north near Curran, MI with the Latour's. Had a great time at their place. On Sunday we went down the AuSable River at Mio.

The Dexter Community Players Shopping Cart Drill Team made an appearance at the Dexter Memorial Day Parade. It was another amazing performance.

minivans

Apparently people hate minivans. The LA Times' Dan Neil went on a rant about them in a review of the Mazda5 “get over your minivan self-hatred and accept the car as “proof positive that you have had successful and productive congress with the opposite sex. Can you say as much for a Corvette? I don't think so.”

He also railed people by saying that “You could fill the Suez Canal with all the gasoline wasted because suburban breeders — afraid that a minivan would make them look like, well, exactly what they are — opted instead for three tons of big ugly SUV.”

Good times, Here is the article you may have to register.