Getting back on the Water

Earlier this year, I posted about hoping to soon report on owning another canoe.  Today I get to do just that.  I found a canoe that was almost exactly what I have been looking for and worked out a deal with the owner.  I picked it up on Saturday.  I would like to put a photo on here, but it is just sitting in my back yard right now.  I will post some in action in the future.

Now that I have it, I am hoping I will enjoy the activity of canoing as much as, or at least partially as much as, I did when I was younger and doing a lot of canoing.  The next hurdle is finding the time and actually getting out on the water.  I want Vincent to learn about the canoe and to be able to use is well and safely, and would like to bring in Patrick and Caroline as well.  They are all so busy that it is hard to get time with them for these things, but I will keep trying.  I think they would enjoy it too.

The first canoe I owned was really made for use on lakes, but I used it on rivers, and even took it down the Nantahala once.  The second one I had was a square sterned aluminum canoe that I only took out on a few lakes.  Patrick was very small at the time, so I didn't get on many rivers (or any). 

Both previous canoes I have had were aluminum and I wanted one made of Royalex this time.  that is an ABS composite plastic material.  The Royalex is a very resilient and tough material.  It flexes and goes back to its original shape, instead of denting as aluminum does.  It also slides off rocks easier, aluminum tends to stick to rocks.

Those who have been around me much, know that I have been looking for another canoe for several years.  My dream canoe has been an Old Town Tripper.  A canoe that can be used for anything from recreation on the lake to extended trips in the wilderness and down long rivers.  It will hold over 1200 pounds of people and gear.  While that was my dream, I was looking at several different possibilities.  My desire was to have a canoe that was a minimum of 16 feet in length, and would take a Royalex, Polyethelene, or aluminum construction of that canoe.  The one material I did not want was fiberglass, as it is prone to holes when hit and not really good for river use.

My dreams of using the canoe involve day trips, overnight, weekend, and longer trips.  These may be on lakes, oceans or rivers, though most likely on lakes and rivers.  While I expect to stay mainly in the Southeast, - with the concentration on North Georgia, Western North Carolina, and Eastern Tennessee, -   I hope to someday get farther away, such as the Western states, Canada, and Alaska.  Only time will tell if any of those happen.

Now for my new (used) Canoe.  It is a Blue Hole Canoe that was built in Sunbright, TN.  This was one of the premier canoes of the 1970's and early 1980's, and the first of the Royalex designs.  The one I have is 17 feet in length, has a rounded bottom, 15 inch depth, and slight rocker to help handle whitewater.  It is very close to the Old Town Tripper in capacity and versalitity of use.  While for years I wanted a green canoe (the dark green used by  Old Town), though would take a red or the silver of the aluminum canoe and be perfectly happy (I had inquired on several Gurmmans while looking).  In the past year, I decided that I really would prefer a red canoe.  Color is not the main thing though, use is.  The one I have is blue, which I have went ahead and named "Old Blue".  It has seen some use, but obviously has a lot of use left in it.  I hope to get a lot of that out.  While I am not the whitewater paddler I was in younger years, I do plan to do some whitewater paddling.

My wife has already told me I could not go alone, though that will still be discussed further.  I see no problems on going out on the lake and practicing alone, but she does.  The good news is that my nephew Matthew has said he will go with me.  Hopefully this will work out when I cannot get Vincent to go.  Matthew already has a little experience on the water.

You may have gathered that I am excited about this development in my life.  I have to clean up the canoe some.  It has been hanging in a shed and needs cleaning inside and out.  I then plan to try using Armor All on it to protect the color and exterior.  Maybe, making it look a little newer, though if it doesnt' that is okay too.

See you down the river,

Nelson

Recording

I am excited about recording a  CD to have available when I perform.  I don't know how many of you reading this have ever tried recording anything, but it isn't as easy as it seems.  Maybe it is for some people, but not for me.  David and I started over two years ago working on a CD, and never finished it.  We have some good tracks and some that still need work.  Now I am working on a solo CD and am struggling with whether to make it completely solo or to invite in some friends to play on some tracks.  I like both ideas.

My other adventure in recording was in 1994 & 1995 when David and I recorded and produced a cassette tape.  I would like to digitize that to reissue as a CD also, but first things first.  Recording is a challenge.  The first challenge is adjusting the microphones between instrument and vocals to get the right mix and sound.  I have that mostly worked out.  The biggest challenge is recording the song almost perfectly and having the right energy for the song.  The frustrating part is sitting down and playing the song perfectly, then turning on the recorder and messing up every other phrase.  Recording is very different from playing live.  Little glitches that I would never pay attention to live become a reason to discard the track.  What is on that CD is forever and you want it to be right (at least I do).

I am enthusiastic for the project and have my list of songs ready.  The other challenge is finding the quiet time to record.  Between work, things that have to be done around the house, having everyone making noise, not to mention two dogs that like to bark whenever I try to record.  Just have to keep at it.  Hoping I can capture something that sounds decent and finish this project.

Thanks for sticking with me.  You will know how it went when the CD is available.

See you down the road,

Nelson

Refinding the Joy

For most of the years I have been playing, I had a saying.  I would say that  'There are lots of people who play and sing better than I do, but no one enjoys it any more."  That remains true, though in the last year, I feel as though I have lost a bit of that joy.  Not in my core, but some in my exhibition of the joy I am feeling when I play.

It may have something to do with the stroke I had the summer of 2009, and it may not.  It has happened since that time though.  I first noticed it on some of the recordings we had made of performances. After listening to them, I told David (Buck) that something was missing to me.  It did not sound like I was having fun.  I wasn't telling many jokes, or even talking a lot.  After hearing those playbacks, I started noticing it as it was happening.  I wasn't as quick as normal, wasn't moving much or tapping my toes even.  I was still experiencing joy inside, but it wasn't bubbling to the outside.  I would find that I wasn't even smiling much of the time, and that was not the me I had been for so long.

So as I am getting started again on a solo performance road, I find myself working on songs and picking, singing, stories and jokes, and in finding the joy to share with my audience.  It is there, I just have to make sure it shows.  Music has to be fun to you or it will be too much work.  It does take a lot of time to practice, to travel, and to perform.  But it is always worth it to me.  Before I was taking Blood pressure medicine, I found that performing would lower my blood pressure.  Now that I am a Type 2 Diabetic, I have found that performing lowers my blood sugar just as much as walking does.  It has health benefits for me, as well as spiritual and soul enriching benefits.  I do love to play and perform.  And I thank those of you who come out to support me as I do.

I look forward to seeing you down the road.  If I don't have a smile, give me one of yours.

Nelson