RE: [Paddlewise] How was 2004?

An interesting year it's been, paddlewise.  There was a lot paddling
done from May through August.  Arthur Hebert and I finished up an 8
month major home renovation/addition we had begun last year after phase
1 of La Costa Del Golfo (Gulf of Mexico coast paddle from Louisiana to
the Caribbean). As soon as we got everything painted and varnished, the
trash moved out of the yard and our household stuff moved inside, we
left Janell, my wife, at home to unpack and sort out gear then we drove
down to Key West for a three month paddle back up the GOM coastline to
Louisiana (Phase 2 of LCDG). Three months of extraordinarily beautiful
and delightful US coastline it was.
   No, we didn't make a kayak crossing from the Yucatan to the Florida
Keys as we had originally planned.  This has been a source of chagrin
for us both. It was certainly the crux move, paddlewise, and our failure
to do it as we had claimed we would caused a lot of personal pain for a
long time.  To complete a difficult 4 1/2 month (phase 1) kayak trip
with feelings of nothing but disappointment and failure is a crying
shame. Had we more confidence in the open ocean/surf capabilities of our
Nigel Dennis voyager-rigged Greenlander Pros, we might have done it but,
regardless, there were other complications that made that particular
paddlebit unwise.
It is fortunate that Arthur had to quit his job in order to make the
trip.  My wife consulted an architect in our Phase 1 absence and got
great ideas for a major home overhaul -something she and I had long
considered since I first talked her into moving with me into a converted
garage/workshop home-wannabe that I had begun working on '98.  Now, we
have an incredible house, La Costa Del Golfo is over, and my paddling
has recommenced.  I paddled for an hour and a half yesterday evening
around a local lake, shallow enough near its shoreline to make for hard
stroking at speed.  It was a great workout and a good place to be -on
the water again, that is.
I still have not entered onto our website (www.lascostadelgolfo.com)
pics of the last two weeks of LCDG but hope to go through all the pics
and get more posted soon.  In the meantime, it is good to be back
amongst the paddling.
Larry Koenig
Louisiana
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************