jwhipple

Just to clarify for readers -- are you speaking of men's or women's drysuits?

Hi Rob - Me, too, please! Have gotten my paddle wet exactly once so far this season, and I'm desperate to get on the water ... Judy

Hi Ed - Thanks for posting this! I'm definitely interested (and have never explored Quahog Bay) ... most of the dates you mentioned (even into October) are okay for me EXCEPT August 1 ... and I'd be up for camping if that turns out to be part of the plan. Judy

Hi Jason - I'm looking forward to it! Will you be contacting us directly about next steps, logistics etc.? Or will Mark? Or should we contact him? Thanks, Judy

My apologies, Al. I should have made a commitment one way or the other earlier in the day, to allow you to plan. Truth is that I've been waffling -- am still pretty pooped and wouldn't want to slow others down. Anyway, sorry if I contributed to your planning difficulty, and that the trip's a no-go after your efforts. Next time? Judy

Hi Al - I hope to join you Sunday ... won't know until sometime Saturday, though -- just got back from CA this morning on a red-eye, hard to tell which end's up right now and a lot of stuff to get caught up with. Hopefully ... Judy

"And the Lord did grin ..." Hey, you stomped all over my punchline! Yours is so much funnier, though (thanks for the opportunity to reconnect with all that inspired silliness). And seasonally appropriate (the HHG of A looks suspiciously like an Easter egg). And you are actually very close to the correct (albeit tamer) answer: (anticlimactic drumroll) A hot, cross bunny.

What do you get when you pour boiling water down a rabbit hole? [NB: the above-described scenario is purely theoretical; no animals (or rabbis or bishops) were harmed in the testing of this hypothesis]

A HUGE thank you to the Walden Qajaq Society for one of the best clinics I've ever participated in! They arrived en masse -- people and boats and gear (enough for all of us) -- and proceeded to share their enthusiasm, skills, and teaching ability with us. The photos Nancy posted show a lot of teaching, a lot of learning, and a lot of fun going on. We all received one-on-one intensive coaching -- I really appreciate the time that Nancy, Judy and Dan all spent with me, with the result that I accomplished way more than I'd hoped for and gained a better feeling for the relation between body and boat. I'm seriously tempted to do more ... And after doing rolls in Nancy's little Greenland boat, the Explorer is going to feel like an SUV. Thank you!

Not exactly related (unless for filing under Thing To Not Paddle Up Close To), but these photos are amazing: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/03/u...near_tonga.html

As of Thursday, some spots still left ... Because the Pond Scum need some lead time to provide the appropriate Greenland boat and gear for each paddler, we've established a 6 PM FRIDAY cutoff for supplying gear -- if you sign up before then, the Pond Scum should still be able to outfit you. But if you wait until after then, you should plan to make do with your own boat and gear. So sign up NOW!

Kevin's right ... this isn't just a rolling workshop. There's a world (or a very, very large island) of Greenland skills and wisdom, an approach to how body, boat and paddle work together that can broaden and deepen your skills and understanding, no matter what you normally paddle. Highly recommended for all types of paddlers. And there's still room!

Update March 12: there's still room in the pool for the Greenland workshop!

The Walden Pond Scum are going to great lengths to create an AMAZING Greenland skills clinic for us! They have 5 (five!) members lined up to come and coach us -- that's a 2-to-1 student-to-coach ratio, which guarantees LOTS of coaching and input. They also plan to bring extra gear (boats, tuiliks, etc.) with the intention of outfitting any participants who don't have their own Greenland gear (which would be most of us). So, in addition to the usual registration info, we need to know participants' height and weight in advance, so they can gauge what gear to bring. There are still spots left, but it's not wise to wait too long -- sign up now! You'll find it listed on the Calendar, cleverly disguised as a Waltham pool session. (The Greenland clinic will be held at the Waltham Y, replacing the originally scheduled pool session.) Just follow the registration instructions for the "pool session" to sign up. Judy

update: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/200...8-NEWS-90228003

In today's Gloucester Times: http://gtsnaps.smugmug.com/date/2009-02-18...4904_yEnry-A-LB

As Kevin indicated, this really neat Greenland opportunity is on the calendar as a Waltham pool session (March 21, a previously scheduled Waltham session, is now dedicated to Greenland skills) -- so just follow the normal pool session registration protocol and I'll sign you up. And for those of you who've been meaning to come to one of the "regular" Waltham pool sessions, please note there are only two left: February 14 (this Saturday) and April 11. There's still room in the pool for both dates. Judy

Update Sunday 2/8 ... there's still lots of room in the Waltham pool this Saturday.

And there's room in the pool NEXT weekend (February 14) in Waltham ...

Put away the bonbons, get up off the couch, gather your gear ... it's time for Spring Training. February 14 is the first Sox practice, and NSPN will practice then, too, in the balmy Waltham pool. It's time. You know it is. And there's still room. Check the calendar listing, and register now! Judy

Please consider this a gentle plea from a pool registrar who's juggling input from several directions at once, and doesn't want to disappoint anyone ... I just want folks to be clear -- and maybe they are (in which case, ignore me) -- that posting interest in a pool session in a message thread is only an expression of interest. As a registrar, I can only sign up people who follow the club's protocol for registering (described in the calendar listings), on a first-come, first-served basis. (It may be a hassle, but it allows everyone to be clear about their status, and we don't end up turning away any unhappy paddlers.) For tomorrow night's session, in addition to the 7 people signed up, I'm aware of 4 other people who've expressed interest in attending. I'm sure these "maybes" are struggling with their schedules and understand they're in limbo until they're able to clear the time and contact me to sign up, and that in the meantime the remaining slots might go to other registrants. (If the "maybes" want to contact me with a phone number, I'm happy to update them Saturday afternoon if they'd like.) Thanks ... Judy

I'm not sure of Gillian's sources, and I appreciate her marketing efforts (!), but her unofficial count missed a few heads. As of now (Thursday evening), the official count is: 1 paid; 6 planning to come but payment not yet received; and 2 maybes. Here's who: Florrie (paid) David Brian Kevin Gillian Sean Shaila Cathy (maybe) me (maybe: if the session fills, I'll just spot) So there's likely still room for a couple more. I haven't heard anything from Leslie, so she's not (yet) on the list. If anyone has questions, or wants a remaining slot (please don't just show up unannounced!), please email me at the address listed in the calendar listing. Thanks! Judy

(Update Wednesday night) There's still room for a few more boats in the pool Saturday. If you're interested, please contact me at the email address given in the calendar listing for the session. Judy

There's still lots of room in the Waltham pool next Saturday night. This is what pool sessions are about: hope, change, progress, hanging chads ... er, draws. Start off the new era right! Details on the calendar.

Update Thursday noon: There's still lotsa room in the pool Saturday ... think of what you can do with that elbow room!