I went paddling on the outrigger canoe today for the second time in about a month. Before that? Two years. Before that? Four or five years. Before that? Every week! When we lived on Russian Hill I could walk down Larkin to the steps that essentially led all the way down to Aquatic Park and paddle every Saturday morning. Or ride my motorcycle (Honda Rebel 250 baby!) with my paddle slung on the side. But even more than having children, the move to Oakland really put an end to my weekly paddles. For those who don't know, I actually own an outrigger with a community of women, and have since the early '90's. In the mid-'90's I also joined a formal outrigger canoe club and raced as a novice. The kids love to look at my shiny medals (I have to admit....I do, too). But one season of racing was enough, and I realized that I much preferred my little community of wahines and a nice paddle on the San Francisco Bay without any training agenda. So no matter how many years go by, how many kids gets born, how many husbands and boyfriends come and go, we still go on.....and maybe go for a skinny dip in the bay a little less than before (except for the new recruits....and by new I mean the less than 10 year wahines.....who enjoy stripping down if you just mention the phrase "anyone for a swim?"). I've decided that if I can find the time to hike, I can certainly find the time for a 25 minute drive over to my old stomping grounds to do what I truly love to do. And by the way.....those are the sea lions at Pier 39 in the photo taken today. Hard to see with the phone-cam, but you get the idea.
08 September 2007
I went paddling on the outrigger canoe today for the second time in about a month. Before that? Two years. Before that? Four or five years. Before that? Every week! When we lived on Russian Hill I could walk down Larkin to the steps that essentially led all the way down to Aquatic Park and paddle every Saturday morning. Or ride my motorcycle (Honda Rebel 250 baby!) with my paddle slung on the side. But even more than having children, the move to Oakland really put an end to my weekly paddles. For those who don't know, I actually own an outrigger with a community of women, and have since the early '90's. In the mid-'90's I also joined a formal outrigger canoe club and raced as a novice. The kids love to look at my shiny medals (I have to admit....I do, too). But one season of racing was enough, and I realized that I much preferred my little community of wahines and a nice paddle on the San Francisco Bay without any training agenda. So no matter how many years go by, how many kids gets born, how many husbands and boyfriends come and go, we still go on.....and maybe go for a skinny dip in the bay a little less than before (except for the new recruits....and by new I mean the less than 10 year wahines.....who enjoy stripping down if you just mention the phrase "anyone for a swim?"). I've decided that if I can find the time to hike, I can certainly find the time for a 25 minute drive over to my old stomping grounds to do what I truly love to do. And by the way.....those are the sea lions at Pier 39 in the photo taken today. Hard to see with the phone-cam, but you get the idea.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment