Morning Kayak Lessons

A good start to the day when you wake up and see the sun and having to get on the water to teach kayak lessons.  Though it was cold outside, I could tell it was going to warm nicely once the sun had time to do its work.  After a cup of coffee it was time to meet Lauren (my student for the class) and load the gear and get on the water.  The water was perfect, flat calm and good for learning the basics.  Lauren has taken classes before and it pretty up to speed on self rescue.  So we were out to work on kayak handling skills.  Mainly driving home proper edging, body movement and blade placement.

After the lesson it was off to grab a bite to eat and get back outside.  I of course headed out to check in the Red Tailed Hawks (RTHs).  I ran into Monika again, http://orcawatcher.blogspot.com/ , who once again got great images on the RTHs in flight. She got some images of the pair together.  I was able to locate the Rufous Morph further south. There was a visitor with me in town from London and I was having fun showing some of the beauty of the island to him.  We scoped out Stellar Sea Lions, Harbor Seals and various birds.  He seemed to really enjoy the views from the island and he agreed the RTHs were amazing.  

So I know that RTHs are pretty much everywhere and some people reading this must think I am nuts.  But on San Juan Island we see lots of Bald Eagles, but not so many RTHs.  So seeing this pair is pretty nice.  There are so many morphs within this species it is amazing.  They are super resilient and can survive in many environments.  I have always been an admirer of RTHs and it is nice to have such a consistent pair to watch.

The sounds of Meadowlarks and Black Wing Blackbirds could be heard all around.  View of Bald Eagles soaring high in the distance.  It was really another great day to be on the island.  

To end the day I went down to Steps Wine Bar and Cafe for my last glass of wine in its current location.  It is sad to see it move , but the new location sports a nice water view and more space. The old location holds many memories for me.  From my parents coming to visit for my birthday, many nights with good friends, and dinner with certain special people that have moved through my life.  I look forward to many new memories at the new location!

On another note I added a new member to the Discovery Sea Kayak Guide Team today.  He was very excited and I am excited to have him.  I will give him a more official welcome aboard later. But he seemed very happy to join the Team.

I took a few pictures today, so check them out.

Oh so nice to be on the water!

The old Cannery.

Working on wide figure 8 patterns here.  I am looking for proper edging and paddle strokes.

Whenever I can take pictures of the sweetest mini ever made, I DO!  Check out this Previa with a sweet NDK Explorer on top.  Nothing else needs to be said, PERFECTION!