The Return of our Paddling Pics! I love and celebrate winter in so many ways. But I have never experienced a winter that felt so long. I miss my friends: friends from hockey and skiing and art and yes, canoeing. It has been a great winter but it's finally starting to wear us down. So Reid said "why not bring back the daily Paddling Pics? Some old memories and stories might cheer us up!" I couldn't argue that point, but I also said these won't necessarily be daily, but more random.... but anyways, here we go!
#38 Paddling Pic: Meech Lake Québec. 1999.
Break Up Songs It's still weeks away but come April I start looking for open water, I can't help it. As the snow melts and the creeks and swamps start to break up I get really excited about paddling again. The longer days, the sound of birds singing, the smells of the land as it thaws, the feeling of the strengthening sun. Ohhhh, I just can't wait. But perhaps the most tantalizing and beautiful sound of Spring is the gentle tinkling of the candle ice as little waves crumble and shatter it into a million crystal shards. This picture reminds me of those beautiful musical sounds. And if you look closely at the photo you can see the remnants of our old ski tracks in the foreground, a perfect metaphorical bridging of our seasonal passions as we say good bye to winter and usher in warmer days.
About our Paddling Pics: Last Spring Reid and I posted a canoeing related picture with a story every day for 37 days in an effort to cheer ourselves up and brighten our lives. It seemed to help, so we are doing it again! I feel so fortunate and grateful for these memories of places, people and experiences, and it's kind of nice to reminisce. In looking back I can't help to also look forward to a time when we can all paddle and gather safely again! So for the next while Reid and I are posting an occasional picture (with a story) that will brighten our day and hopefully yours too. I hope that you might share your stories in the comment section.