End of a Paddling Era

Yesterday, DW and I said so long to an era.

For five seasons, our kayaks were a means of escape. During the pandemic, it was a way to enjoy the outdoors whist maintaining social distancing. Later, it was a way to get out of the city and into nature.

And though DW and I haven't used our old kayaks since we replaced them with longer boats, our old kayaks had a special place in our hearts.

My red Delta 12.10 kayak sold two weeks ago, after having been on the market for couple a of weeks. I had lots of views but no offers for more than a week, and then a couple of curious people who were looking to acquire the boat for less than it was worth reached out, but we couldn't come to an agreement. But finally, someone with a love of kayaks, who already had a Delta 12.10 for his wife, made a reasonable offer.

Paddling the Long Sault.

I couldn't help but get a bit choked up as I saw my kayak drive away on somebody else's car.

I modified my Kijiji ad but shortly after deleted it, opting to make a new ad for DW's kayak. Hers was a saffron-yellow Delta 12S and though it was 10 inches shorter than mine, it had fewer scratches on the hull.

For two weeks, there wasn't a single nibble on the ad and I even considered dropping the price, though I knew that we were asking a reasonable amount. Deltas are great crafts that hold their value.

Two nights ago, someone made an offer that was $200 less than our asking price. I checked out his profile and learned that he was selling a 14-foot Necky kayak. And through our chat, I learned that he was retired, making me guess that he was at least my age.

A Necky 14' kayak weighs 51 pounds; DW's Delta 12S: 38 pounds.

I surmised that he was looking for something that was lighter, that he was a serious kayaker who wanted to downsize. I offered to take $100 off the price of DW's kayak and he accepted. The next morning (yesterday), he picked it up.

I was right in thinking that this buyer was looking for a lighter kayak. He was about five or so years older than me and he agreed that his Necky was now too heavy to lift on his roof rack by himself. When he saw me lift the Delta, one-handed, he was convinced he was making the right purchase.

Even though it wasn't my kayak, I felt a small sense of loss when the man drove away with DW's boat on his car. We had so many great memories with those kayaks and I'm glad that I captured some of those memories in my YouTube videos.

Making memories on the Mississippi River.

We've been out together in our new Delta 14 kayaks seven times and I've shared all but one outing on my YouTube channel (I also have one video where I paddled alone). I'm confident that we'll have many great memories over the next few years.

It's the end of one paddling era. We've only just begun the next era.

Other Dark Waters

I've decided to share a Google Drive folder that contains all of my chapters for my novel, Dark Water, with DW. I've asked her to read my rough draft and provide any feedback.

She loves crime fiction and could tell me if the story makes sense and let me know if I've missed anything.

Over the weekend, we were talking about my novel (she already knows the plot and who the killer is) and she asked me, "Have you ever done a search to see if the title of your book has already been used?"

"There's no copyright on book titles," I told her.

"I know, but wouldn't it be confusing if someone else wrote a crime novel with that title?"

It was a good question.

When I thought of it, I wouldn't have been surprised if someone else had come up with the title, Dark Water. It was a pretty common term and with the word Dark, it would make for a sinister title, so I decided to search book titles that are available through Chapters-Indigo, our Canadian chain bookstore.

Sure enough, there's another crime novel with that title.

There's also a romance novel called Beneath Dark Waters, a Canadian, general-fiction novel called The Tears of Dark Water, a Canadian sci-fi/fantasy book, Dark Water Daughter, and many more that use variations on "Dark Water."

Another novel, Dark Water, by J.A. Armitage, is a fairy-tale story. I don't think there will be any confusion with my novel.

But I'm curious about the crime novel, Dark Water, written by British author Robert Bryndza. As the synopsis states, the main detective in the novel receives a tip about drugs being stashed in a disused quarry outside of London. The drugs are key to a major narcotics case.

When the drugs are located, the skeletal remains of a missing young girl are also discovered. She has been missing for more than 26 years.

So it doesn't look like my book, which involves a dead CBC reporter, her missing fiancé, and an investigative story that would shake up Ottawa City Hall, is similar to Bryndza's book. Yes—SPOILER ALERT—there are references to drugs in my book and a quarry plays a minor role (my quarry is not disused), but they're pretty common elements to crime novels.

But to make extra-sure, I've checked out an e-book copy from the library and I've started reading it. Let's see if there are more similarities than a mere title.

Dark Water was initially used as a place-holder for my book, but as I got more into the story, I started thinking of a final title less and less, and the place-holder has grown on me. But I'm not married to it.

No, who I am married to is about to start proof reading my first draft, giving me her thoughts. I've also asked her to think of an alternative title, in case I feel I need to change mine.

Stay tuned.

Bonnechere

The video shows two days and I put on a brave face.

We arrived at Bonnechere Provincial Park just before noon, even though our site check-in wasn't officially until 2 pm. The park office told us that we could take our site if it was vacated, and when we drove past site 124, we could see the residents were in the midst of packing up.

We drove to a parking spot near the entrance of the park, across from a hiking trail, and decided we'd spend some time wandering while we waited for our site to free up. My neck was starting to bother me but wasn't too bad, at the moment, so I took some video footage whilst exploring the hiking trail.

That's where my latest YouTube video starts.

The mosquitos and deer flies were bad on the trail, and we figured that the residents of the site were gone, so we got back into the car and drove to lot 124, finding it empty. My neck was sore but I popped a few Tylenol and Advil, and we set up our tent and eating area.

The rest of that story can be read in Friday's blog post.

I went to bed that Saturday, wondering if we would only pack up and go home the next morning, but apparently the muscle relaxants, muscle-pain ointment, and two strong margaritas helped. I woke up on Sunday feeling stiff but not sore, so DW and I took advantage of the reprieve and kayaked up the Bonnechere River.

You can see that video here. Have a break and take a look.

Do me a solid: if you like my kayaking videos (or my travel videos, for that matter), please subscribe to my YouTube channel. Now that I'm retired (for now), I plan to release a video each week.

I haven't had the kind of pain that I experienced that weekend, though the tingling in my neck and left shoulder continue. I have a physio appointment for next week.

Happy Tuesday!

A Pain in the Neck

First off, I can't stress enough that this was an accident. DW wasn't looking to take me out.

Almost three weeks ago, as we were putting our kayaks away and cleaning out the car, after a lovely paddle along Jones Creek, just off the St. Lawrence Seaway, DW was closing the rear hatch of our Nero, not realizing that I was still in the path of that hatch door. We usually give the hatch a good tug to ensure that is closes securely, and DW put some effort into it.

It came down on the left side of my neck, near the base, where the muscles connect to those that stretch over the top of my shoulder. Fortunately, the door didn't come down on my head, or this would be an entirely different story.

Ever since this incident, I've felt pins and needles from just below my left ear, radiating out to my left rotator cuff. Sometimes, the tingling is strong but it has been constant. I've also found it difficult to get into a comfortable position when I go to bed, and I am continuously tossing and turning.

Luckily, I have full range of motion in my arms and the injury has not affected my ability to get in my kayak, though sometimes my neck has felt stiff when I try turning my head.

Last weekend, DW and I decided to go to Bonnechere Provincial Park to paddle the river and possibly Round Lake. And it was convenient, too, as Kid 2 was in town but needed to make her way to a friend's cottage, which is on Golden Lake.

We dropped her off without the need of a detour and were in Bonnechere Park 20 minutes later.

But when I got out of the car at the provincial park, I noticed that the left side of my neck was particularly stiff and I was experiencing pain. It was all I could do to avoid screaming as we set up our campsite.

Our campsite.

Yes, our outing involved overnight camping.

With our campsite set up, I found some Advil and Tylenol in our medicine kit in the car, and I took a couple of each. We had our lunch while I waited for the pain drugs to kick in but they didn't. With our camp site set up, I already wanted to go home.

DW suggested that we soak in Round Lake. Perhaps the cool water would help ease the pain. And, it actually did. We waded out past the beach buoys, which marked out a shallow swimming area, and it wasn't until we were a couple of hundred metres from the shore that we were up to our shoulders. I bobbed in the water and let the cool water and my buoyancy help with the pain.

Unfortunately, once we were out of the water, the pain returned. I suggested that we returned to our site and that I lay down for a bit to rest my neck, which was aching even more.

While I rested, DW drove to Barry's Bay to find a pharmacy. When she returned, she had muscle relaxants, ointments, and heating pads. I slathered on the ointment, popped a couple of the muscle relaxants, and washed them down with a strong margarita.

I then had a second margarita.

I told DW that I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to kayak, that we had made this trip for naught. I was also a bit depressed, thinking that the injury might prevent me from kayaking until the damaged muscles healed.

When the drugs and alcohol took effect, I called it a night, even though the sun hadn't yet set. I remained knocked out until just after 7 the next morning.

And thankfully, the pain in my neck was gone. The pins and needles were still raging but the debilitating pain had subsided.

I popped two more muscle relaxants and we got in our kayaks while the going was good. (I'll have a video of that paddle on Monday.) I was able to paddle 12 kilometres without any problem—we even played in some small rapids.

Pain free... for the moment.

But when we got back to our campsite, I could feel the pain in my neck returning. Before it got too bad, DW and I tore down our campsite and loaded up the car. And not wanting to be doped up for the drive back to Ottawa, I placed one of the heat pads over the affected areas.

By the end of the weekend, the pain had once again subsided but the tingling numbness continued. I made an appointment with my doctor and was able to get a referral for physiotherapy yesterday. Now, I just wait for my physio appointment.

As we head into this weekend, DW expressed an interest in going camping again but I said no. First, I don't enjoy camping anymore but most importantly, I don't want to risk finding myself in the same predicament as last weekend.

While the pins and needles is troubling, it's not as bad as the pain in my neck. I really want to get out and paddle, this weekend, but I think we'll stay closer to home.

This injury has also put me in a foul mood, keeping me from posting much on social media. If you follow me on Bluesky, you may have noticed that I haven't been online for most of the week: I've neglected my morning greetings, my random photos of the day, and my evening signoffs.

I even lacked the energy to write a couple of blog posts this week. I just haven't been in the mood.

Hopefully, when I meet my physiotherapist and we get to the root of the problem, and we can make my neck better, so that I'll sleep better and be able to get back to my regular activities.

Wish me luck.

Beer O'Clock: Augusta Pils

I did something, this week, that I haven't done in many months: I bought beer.

Not only did I buy beer but I also visited a brewery. The last time I was in a brewery was when I visited Broadhead Brewing, after kayaking at Petrie Island, and DW, our Paddlefolk, and I stopped for lunch.

I ordered a pint with my meal but I actually didn't pick up any to bring home with me. I haven't had beer in my mini fridge since the end of May.

It seemed that I had pretty much given up on beer. I filled my mini fridge with flavoured sparkling water, ginger beer, and tonic water, but no beer. Even when I went out for my regular karaoke nights, I would sometimes drink a soda or some other alcoholic beverage. And if I did decide to drink beer, I'd have only one can.

I had sort of lost my groove for beer.

On Monday, I drove to Toronto with Kid 2 and my father. My daughter had come up to Ottawa to join her closest friends for a cottage getaway but asked me to drive her back to her Toronto home afterwards (she's a starving artist and couldn't afford return transportation). And it just so happened that my father wanted to go to Toronto to check out an old MGB that was for sale, so we made a day trip of it.

We left the house early and took Kid 2 straight home, where she dropped off her suitcase and changed into something more suitable for the heat of the city. The three of us then went for lunch, after which we said goodbye to my daughter, and my father and I continued to Etobicoke, where the car was.

My father was going to take a couple of hours to inspect the car and go for a test drive. I didn't want to interfere with his time with the car, so while he was busy, I performed a search for the closest breweries to me.

The closest beer shop was Rainhard, but because I remembered trying one of their brews and giving them a scathing review, I searched for the next closest brewery, which was in the opposite direction. It was Mascot Brewery.

I've also reviewed a beer from Mascot, last year, but didn't remember having done so when I made the decision to check out the brewery and shop.

When I entered their beer shop, I found two large refrigerators that were crammed with myriad cans. The person who worked the shop entered from the back and told me that if I took 12 cans, I would receive a 15-percent discount.

I was initially only planning to take six cans, but my mini fridge was even low on sparkling water and cocktail mixers, so I decided that this was the time that I'd start putting beer back into that fridge.

The first beer I sought out was a stout. It's still my favourite style of beer and I'm always looking for a new one. I saw many cans that were labelled IPA, so I asked the person behind the counter to describe the various cans: some hazy, some fruity, but none were true IPAs.

Sigh.

I picked up two kinds anyway, plus I grabbed a dark lager and a couple of pilsners. I had 10 cans and was looking for two more cans to get my discount, so I asked the person in the shop what she would recommend, based on what I had already taken and what was left.

She told me that her absolute favourite was a pilsner and she pointed out the can, which was tiled with various comic-like illustrations. I said I'd give it a try and took the two cans that made up my dozen.

And for my first beer review in more than three months, let's take a look at this beer that is the favourite of the person who works in the beer shop of Mascot Brewery. And it wasn't until I took the can out of my fridge and cracked it open that I learned something that was a bit of a surprise, as you'll see.

Augusta Pils (5% ABV)
Kensington Brewing Company
Toronto ON

Did you notice something? Yes, the beer that is the favourite of the beer shop employee isn't actually from Mascot Brewery. It's from Kensington Brewing.

I did a search and learned that Kensington Brewing, which was on Augusta Avenue in the Kensington Market, was permanently closed. This news rang a bell with me, as I remember not being able to find this brewery on a search, last year, when I was in this market area. Instead, I found Burdock Brewery and did a couple of reviews of their beer (a mango gose and a saison).

I also learned from a blogTO article that not only had Kensington Brewing closed suddenly, it had been acquired by Mascot. Mystery solved. Let's get back to the pilsner.

Appearance: a slightly unfiltered, golden yellow that produces a white head that starts with a foamy cap but settles to a thick lace.

Nose: grassy lemon (as opposed to lemongrass) and biscuit.

Palate: more biscuit and grassy lemon. The body is medium but with a light, short finish.

Overall impression: Augusta Pils (named after the street on which the old brewery resided) is a simple, typical pilsner. It's easy drinking and not complex, something that many beer drinkers would appreciate but beer connoisseurs might give a pass. It makes me wonder what the person in the beer store was drinking before she tried this pils and whether she has tried all of the beer that Mascot has to offer.

And if she has tried them and still prefers this brew, what am I in store for with the five other selections?

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺 I can't fault Augusta for what it is. It's exactly what I expect from a pilsner. But there's nothing that I found that stands out with it. It is what it is.

Next I'll try the stout and I'll give a review if it stands out or if it doesn't hold up. If it's a good, standard stout, I won't bother giving it a review.

So beer is back in my home. Is this the start of getting back to my usual stockpile or will I let the fridge run dry again? Stay tuned.