Kayaking is one of my favorite ways to relax. Yet relaxing does not mean being unprepared for what can happen on the water. The “what ifs” range from minor inconveniences like “what if my nose starts to run,” “what if I get hungry” and “what if my lips feel chapped” to potential hazards, such as... Continue Reading →

I celebrated my birthday last week by taking the afternoon off from work and kayaking on Lake Wisconsin with my husband and youngest daughter. We timed our outing pretty well and were able to enjoy a brief interlude of sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day. It was cool and breezy but paddling was manageable and... Continue Reading →

I spent my first two decades of life as a farm girl in southern Wisconsin. Maybe that’s why digging in the dirt, hiking in the woods and sticking my toes in a bubbling creek continue to bring me such joy, even decades later while living the city life near Madison. And born on April 22,... Continue Reading →

Welcome, spring! It’s been six months since I’ve gone kayaking, and now that it’s warmer, I’m closely watching conditions, eagerly awaiting my first day of 2020 on the water. I received several kayak-inspired gifts for Christmas and I’m excited to put them into action. Here’s a little of what I got for Christmas: Assortment of... Continue Reading →

In October, I started a new job in downtown Madison. Wisconsin’s capital is located on an isthmus, which means I can walk a few blocks one direction and stand beside Lake Monona or a few blocks in the other direction to overlook Lake Mendota. Truly, five minutes either way and I’m at the waterside—it’s another... Continue Reading →

Loading and unloading our kayaks is much easier and faster with our kayak trailer, purchased in May. Not that my family and I weren’t speedy before—we could load two kayaks on the cartop carrier in about 15 minutes, but now we can load all four kayaks onto the trailer in about the same amount of... Continue Reading →

After a couple of recent river trips, my kayaks displayed evidence of our tough exits up muddy banks. Hardened dirt caked the bottoms and streaked the sides. While we wiped down the kayaks as best as we could before loading them on the trailer for the ride home, they were due for a good cleaning.... Continue Reading →

It’s Monday morning and I’ve got the day off. It feels odd driving away from the city rather than inbound with the others on their morning commutes, yet it also feels refreshing mixed with a touch of relief. I’m on my own timeline today, nothing to do but what I want to do, and that... Continue Reading →