Blog Notes

Part of the fun of doing a blog, as I’m told, since I’m new to this, has to do with the comments or questions you get in response to the posts. I’ve had none, but there have been questions outside the blog. For example, I was asked what I meant by a shoulder season. I hadn’t come across this term myself until a year or more ago, but I’ve seen it used any number of times since then. The shortest explanation is that the shoulder seasons are fall and spring, but it’s more involved than that. It appears to do with how far you can push something into times of the year not normal to the intended activity or the area you're visiting. The shoulder season will require you to do something unusual to continue that activity, such as use special gear like a wet or dry suit, different clothes, or travel to more distant locations. The term is also used in making reservations for cruises, or at resorts.  It is the time of year that falls between the area's high and low seasons.  It offers a compromise of lower prices while you can still hope to get decent weather.
 
Then, I’ve been asked why I keep bouncing back and forth between paddling subjects and the cruise. Perhaps I should explain what I’m doing. As I mentioned initially, this is a major transition from a life of sailing to some other medium that still allows me to be on the water---paddling. Transition means I’m not fully engaged at present in either one. I’m simultaneously looking both back and forward. In all honesty, I don’t currently have enough strictly paddling material to keep a blog going, so I’m using the fall cruise both because many people have found it interesting, and because it will allow me the time needed to carry me through the holidays and into a heavier concentration of paddling activity. I apologize if you find it confusing. In the meanwhile, don’t hesitate to chime in---questions, comments.