Not Much To Say

I haven't really had much to blog about lately. Life just keeps getting in the way. I never did get out paddling this weekend, but it was quite an active weekend none the less, including a minor crash during a 10 mile mountain bike ride (scraped up knee). It's MTB-ing that really gets my heart rate up the highest (more then running, road biking, or paddling), as reported on my new forerunner.

I started painting our house. It's a big house (3 stories) and a big job, too expensive to contract out, and I know how to paint. I'm planning to slowly work on it though the summer.

My good friend Dan got out of the hospital Sunday, I'd been trying to visit and spend time with him daily while he was in town. He will now begin chemo and radiation as he fights against this horrible cancer. I hate that he lives 3 hours away, it's difficult to visit as often as I'd like. His illness has been a bit of a wake-up call for a more overall healthy life. I went to a Weight Watchers class early Saturday morning. I will lose these 20 pounds.

Susanita's posting "Is that a "princess" in a canoe" on her Purple Mirage Blog, has me so jealous. I spent an hour googling trying to find an outrigger or OC1 club that is within a couple hours of me. I've looked before with no results. I would love to get involved in a large club with these options. I so enjoy paddling with a single blade these days, outrigger and OC1 paddling seems a perfect sport/fit for me. And I especially like the tie in to my family home in Hawaii. (I'm also a quilter, and make Hawaiian quilts for the same reason). There is a NC club registered with the East Coast Outrigger Racing Association (ECORA) named Outer Banks Outrigger Club. This was started by a couple on the coast (4 hrs away), who I had email communication with last year, currently they are the only members paddling and racing OC1 canoes.

Have you heard about Margo Pellegrino. She plans to paddle a 20-foot outrigger canoe in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and along the Atlantic coast from Miami to Maine. Her challenge will span 11 weeks and nearly 2,000 miles, She is a 39-year-old environmentally conscious mother and paddling enthusiast. She hopes to show her children how to make a difference in the world and inspire others to take an active role in the stewardship of our oceans. Her blog is Miami 2 Maine, and her paddle begins in May. I received an email from Margo over a year ago after my WaterTribe Ultimate Florida Challenge, she was planning her challenge. She too loves the canoe stroke, and explains her choice of OC1 here. I hope to meet her when she paddles through NC.

Hmmm, maybe the money I save painting the house can go towards a used OC1, I can just hear my husband now, "NOT ANOTHER BOAT".