Kayak shopping, and the pain of math.

Today I am off on a fact finding mission. Kind of. Really it is more of a number finding expedition. In reality it is window shopping, plain and simple. If you can window shop inside a store. Probably it is more of a comparison and price finding trip. My wife and I have decided to double our kayak stable. Shooting from one all the way to two. For every action... and kayaking on Lake Superior made her realize she liked kayaking. I like kayaking, she likes kayaking and I like her, so the next step is a kayak for her. 

Today, I am going to find a kayak for her. It will be two, or three stores. And require a certain affinity for math, which could spell trouble, math involves numbers, numbers are difficult, and I can never remember the sequence. $749.00 could become $794.00 (not too bad) or $479.00 (much worse). She likes to know how much it will cost, precisely, because we can buy gift cards at Giant Eagle or Kroger and get points exchangeable for discounts on gasoline. Accuracy is important. If he doesn't come I will have to take careful notes.

Having two kayaks is important. We are one email away from a glorious weekend at Lake Hope. Kayaking, eating Mexican food from Taco John's and chasing ghosts. I emailed my boss this morning for the time off and the minute she responds I am making the reservation. Lake Hope is a fantastic little lake in southeastern Ohio, with reasonably priced cabins.

Lake Hope is surrounded by woods. Trees that crowd the shoreline, and lean over the water. An ancient forest that has seen more than any of us can imagine, even those of us with active imaginations. Who knows what that lake has seen, all that has happened on those shores. There are many people who believe the calmness of the lake, a relaxed halo that envelopes paddlers and fisherman comes from an ancient power. In a land that was ravaged by a running war between settlers and natives here is a pocket, according to some, of beauty and peace. An aura of beauty and natural wonder lies on the still water. Maybe I am too optimistic.

Ancient beliefs hold nature as a diety, as almost all dieties. And the pictures of Lake Hope, and our recent trip to Big Bay in Michigan are testament to the power of the wild. Walking through the forest smelling the rot and mold of decay, and the pleasant fragrance of life mixed into a heady, beautiful, almost sickening fragrance describing the entire cycle of life. You can not help be moved by the pleasant, aromatic, colorful explosion of birth and the gruesome, inescapable grey grip of death. Maybe I am too deeply involved.

Either way, we will have two kayaks, a cabin, possibly our sons, and the joy of time off. It is another chance to find out what is really important. My family, and the pursuit of life.