The List
While searching
the depths of the Internet cyberjungle, I came across an article on the Outside
Website about a fellow who conjured up a list of 100 things he wanted to
accomplish in his lifetime. I thought
this idea was very interesting and went about creating a list of my own. Mixing my ideas with some of his I started
plotting out my future on this “To do
list”. With time, this list will take on a life of
its own and I hope it becomes an interesting journal about my life. The list
constantly evolves. Things always
change.
It has been 5 years since I have looked at the list. Life
has changed tremendously. As I read thru the list things have changed some for
the good and some not so good and it is time to continue
on before my time runs out. At any moment, a blink of an eye or a like the slow
erosion of an ancient valley stream bed, time waits for no one. We are now
looking at 2010 and we shall never see that year again.
1. Spend your pocket
money. Sail the Caribbean
for a year.
It is not a year but I have a sailing trip planned for one month. I will be sailing approx 1400 nautical
miles. The tentative float plan is from Tortolla, BVI/ Dominica Republic/Conzumel,
Mexico.
Date for departure is April 20th.
This spring I had my first opportunity to be part of a real sailing
adventure. Although I ended up with
disappointments dealing with some of the ordeals I faced I have no
regrets. I now have had experiences that
have changed the way I look at life’s journey.
I hope that we all will end up at the same destination but how we choose
and what road we want to travel to get there is our own decision. The following script was taken from the final
log of my Caribbean adventure.
April 23
Once again, Mother Nature and Father Fate have altered the
destination of my journey. My plans
initially were to sail from the BVI’s to Mexico but
due to unseasonable weather conditions in the Leeward Islands the progress of
the crew of the first leg was slowed and set back over one week. They had spent several days beating against
strong NE winds from Granada to St. Lucia, and
were quite exhausted.
The captain had given me the call to fly down to St. Lucia and
they would wait for my arrival. I met up
with the boat in Rodney Bay Marina in St. Lucia and
we prepared to continue towards the BVI’s. The winds were light but were coming mostly
from a favorable easterly direction, while the general weather outlook was not
so good. For the rest of the leg the
seas remained very sloppy and the weather close to the islands was
unsettled. My personal view was that the
whole schedule and rhythm of the trip had been altered. I was forced to make a decision with the
information and experience I had gained over the last week whether or not to
continue to the final original destination.
I had traveled over 350 nautical miles including a 3 and a half-day
passage that worked the 3 of us around the clock for about 84 hours. During those hours, I sure missed a dry bed
and my 10 o’clock curfew. We arrived in Roadtown in the British Virgin Islands
around noon on Monday April 22nd. With a
couple days of reflection and a talk with the skipper I decided if I were to
end my journey, this would be the safest and most economically prudent landfall
to make my departure.
At this time I do not know where the boat and skipper that
pushed my personal boundaries are, but I wish them luck, favorable winds and
safe passage.
2. Snowboard in the
mountains.
Feb 18, 2010 I took my first snowboard lesson at Grouse Mountain.
The evening was spent learning to edge and fall down gracefully. I managed to
ride the chair lift twice and only fell down half the time.
I completed 4 of my six lessons. The problem this year during the lessons was
lack of snow and rain. We always have next year.
3. Get Big Air. My original intention was to do
this on a snowboard. Since I have bought
the kite, I am going to do this with the aid of the kite. Tuesday March 6, 2001. Blackstrap
Lake the wind is blowing
upwards to 30k. Around me were kiters
getting 6 to 10 ft of air. The
adrenaline was running. Successful
attempts of 2 ft were happening. I try
again. I do the liftoff and I feel the
second lift. I’m up four feet in the air
and sailing slightly downwind. I don’t
remember much after that about my airtime.
I do though remember my landing.
It was hard and on my right shoulder.
I can’t move my arm. I’m getting
dragged across the ice with my ski’s flipping and catching on the snow. Great, I not only wreck my shoulder but my
knees are going to be shattered also. I
finally manage to pull on the break line with my left hand and halt by downwind
motion. Brad catches up to me on a dead
run. He thought the incident was funny
until I never got up after my landing.
With a few slight shoulder movements, my shoulder pops back into
place. It hurts but I have avoided a
trip to the hospital. Thanks to my
workout regiment, my shoulder is 95% healed after a week. I’m now ready for my next lift. I was able to get some lift a couple times
this weekend. The wind was blowing 26k
and I launched myself 4 ft and did a distance about 20 feet. My landing was actually quite nice.
4. Land Smoothly.
5. Sail in a National
Masters race.
6. Eat a Pomegranate
Made the big purchase at IGA the week of
Dec 7.
The object of my delusion not only took on a life of it’s own by
squirting juice over half the house but it was quite tart to the palate. This taste sensation and wall washing
adventure is not to be repeated.
7. Drive to Alaska.
8. Master a bombproof Eskimo Roll.
My kayaking debut “White Water
Tales of Horror” was in 1995. I took a
couple days of lessons at the Blue
Lake Adventure
Lodge. I was taught the screw roll in a
Dancer XT under calm conditions. My goal
then was to be able to learn the death defying drowning sport of white water
kayaking. Due to geological misfortunes
(the fact I live on the prairies) the closest thing I have to running water and
eddies is in my daily ritual of flushing the toilet. A couple years later, I got back into sailing
and needed a pastime during those dog days of windless summer afternoons. I bought a recreational sea kayak and worked
against the paddle of the bulge. My
first experience in the ocean was surfing at Long Beach
on Vancouver Island. I spent a week touring the Broken Islands
with no roll or any form of self-rescue.
I had all the equipment but not the skill level required to sustain life
after wetting my shorts. While on
holidays Janet and I met a gnarly kayaker practicing his rolls in a lake by
Jasper. He could roll my sea kayak
without too much of an effort. I only
managed to roll with the help of a paddle float. During the winter of, 98 we met Gord Howe and
he taught me the basic rolls and disciplines of self-rescues. Over the winter, I developed my rolls, but I
was not bombproof. On the July 1st
weekend, I practiced rolling in the quick moving Saskatchewan
River just below the rapids of the hydro plant. I did ok with a whitewater paddle but again
I’m only bulletproof and not bombproof.
Labor day weekend up in PA with my narrow
paddle I was spending every 4th roll hacking and spitting up gallons
water, thinking to my self why I do I like this stuff? Well I was back in the pool on Jan 31st,
1999 practicing my storm rolls with the seakayak and screw rolls with the
whitewater boats. April 11th,
Dave Allan and I ran the Wascana
Creek Peak
Water Run. I never did have to roll but
I found out my left braces are very weak and I have to work on my eddy
pullouts. On April 24th, I
practiced a few rolls on the creek. I
had a fear of catching my head on sunken trees.
The water was so silty you spit up dirt when you roll. While pulling out of an eddy I braced
upstream and guess what? Over I went. My wrist was slammed so hard by the current I
slightly sprained it. The sad part was
that it caught me so much by surprise I never even attempted my roll. I slightly panicked but my wet exit was
successful even though I never intentionally popped my skirt. Jan 7th took me back to the
pool. I was able to roll all the kayaks
including a 17 ft. Narpa sea kayak. My
technique is lacking finesse. Too much
brawn not enough grace. My screw roll
has to get smoother with more hip flip and less bighead. I have only been practicing on the right, now
it’s time to flail on my left side. Feb
11th was my first attempt at a left side roll. It’s amazing how disorientated one gets when
trying to roll the other way. However, I
did it using a palwata.
I christened the Samurai in the Lawson pool on Feb
25th. I was able to roll both ways but
due to the flat hull, my hip flip has to be right on. My left side roll is about 70%. Well it has finally happened. I took the Wilderness Tours
Kayak weeklong course in Forrester
Falls, Ont. After three days of crashing and swimming, I
did it under duress. I was able to
unintentionally flip on my head and make my roll. I had triumphed this feat on Upper No Name, Ottawa River. I
took my new Prijon Kodiak to the Lawson.
I was able to roll this 17 ft beast using the C and C roll. I tried to use the storm roll that Gord
taught us and I was unable to do it that way.
All my rolls were successful. To
top this off I was able to hand roll the blue Daggar, not once but twice.
9. Be Prepared to Save a Human Life.
Well it happened May 27, 2000. A group of us from work were eating up at a
fancy restaurant in Saskatoon. The fellow to the left of me started to
wheeze and turn blue. All night he was
acting drunk and disorderly so I thought he was full of shit, never mind
choking on a hunk of bun. The blue lips
and the excited chatter from the girls across the table were my clue to do
something. During the Heimlich maneuver,
my fan club was back seat driving on how to pop the bun from this fellow’s
throat. I should have asked if they all
wanted to practice what they were yipping about. Oh well, after 3 heaves out popped the loaf
of bread and all ended well. Maybe I
should take a wilderness first aid course?
10. Spend a Night in Utter Silence. Sleep in a Snow Hut
On Friday, Jan 15th, the task was in go
mode. The previous Sunday while at
Wascana Trails, I discovered some quincies that were built in the bottom of the
valley. Janet and I headed out on Friday
night with enough gear for a supper of goo and winter sleeping gear for two. Like I have always said anything below zero
is every man for himself. The big concern for the evening was the
inevitable middle of the night bathroom run.
The setting would be such that one would have to crawl out of your warm
sleeping bag, bang your head on the snow hut roof just to bring down enough wet
snow to frost your ass quite nicely.
Step two was putting on your boots and jacket just to crawl out a four
foot narrow tunnel that even badgers would not dare to enter. Once business was completed, it was back to
hand to elbow belly dragging through the tunnel just to kick snow into your
once warm sleeping bag. After my 2:30
exposure, I spent the rest of the night in a cocooned bliss. Overall, the evening was beautiful; the sky
was clear and starry with temperatures in the range of minus 10 or so. The hut was fun…but I prefer my little yellow
DRY tent. Bad news
folks. My photos to document this
event never happened due to the purchase of shitty film and film loading
complications.
11. Ride in a Helicopter over
a Mountain Range
12.
Take a Winter Off.
13. Take a Year Off
14. Be Competent
Outdoors. Survive for 3 Days
15. Go to a
Buffett Concert
On Aug
24th,2002 a Buffett Concert will take place
in East Troy.Wisconsin. Saturday March 23 I logged onto Ticketmaster
to make an attmept at purchasing tickets. The tickets went on sale at 10:00am. At 10:15 I made the connection and confirmed
a purchase of two lawn tickets. The
concert was sold out at 10:18. The drive will be 22 hours one way. The tailgate party was incredible. The sites were a cross between Sturgis and Mardigras. Take away
leather jackets and put on colorful shirts and you are at a Buffett
Concert. I normally shoot rolls and
rolls of film
but I suffered from sensory overload.
The concert itself was great with a mixture of new songs off Far Side of
the World and old stuff.
16. Learn to Play
Harmonica Well Enough That Friends Find It Entertaining, Rather Than
Loathsome. How about trying to play, “A
Pirate Looks at 40”
17. Learn to fix an outboard motor
On Jan 11th, 1999, I started a
60-hour class on how to fix marine engines.
The first lesson was all about measuring devices. Rod and I will be sharing the toolbox and
bench for this session. It should be a
lot of fun. Day two was 3 hours
of measuring with a micrometer and studying the theory of 4 cycle engines. Day 3 was spent reading up on
fundamentals of electricity and finishing off two-cycle theory. On day 4 I wrote the 4-stroke theory
test…not much theory was asked in this true and false scenario but questions
about valve margins and seats. I’m not
sure on how I did. The rest of my time
was spent going through outboard basic electronics and ignition. Day 5 was spent taking apart the Honda
7.5. I now have the ignition system and
electrical removed. All bolts were
carefully masking taped to try to stop the inevitable from happening…playing
bolt tag for two weeks prior to assembly.
Day 6 was 3 hours of hitting the Honda with a rubber hammer. After some gentle taps followed by some good
smacks, the removal of 4 more bolts followed by some harder hits, my motor is
apart. The valves are very
corroded with burnt oil. It is obvious
that oil has been getting by the rings.
Day 7 was spent cleaning and measuring the cylinder head, valve
guides and valves. On Day 8, I
cleaned and honed the cylinders. The
pistons were washed, shined and spit polished.
The cylinder head has been put back together and is just waiting for the
gasket kit to arrive from Alsport. Day
9 was wrong parts and no fun. Day
10 brought my parts to the shop.
With Rod’s help, I took the pistons off the camshaft and placed them
into the cylinders. The camshaft was
rebolted and the oil pan was torqued. Day
11 the cylinder head is back on. I
placed the motor back on the oil pan/engine mount. During that class, I spent more time
measuring bolts than actually working.
It seems that I’m missing a few bolts.
(Isn’t that always the case)?
Overall, the Honda manual is excellent.
Day 12 started by taking the motor off the oil pan because I
could not get the dipstick attachment bolted on. Once that was corrected, I connected the
intake and then the lower housing. Today
primarily was spent undoing and 
redoing my
evening’s work. On Day 13, all
the electrical parts were put into place.
Day 14 was spent removing those electrical parts. I put the wrong spacer in for the ignition
coil. The spacer I used was for the
carburetor. Guess what folks; I took off
the carburetor again to put in the right spacers. Things are looking good so far as I am only
missing the key for the flywheel and one small bolt for the recoil. Its funny how that it’s
always the last bolt that is missing.
The crankcase was filled with Castrol and the carb was primed with
octane. My breath was held and my eyes
were crossed. I grabbed hold of the starter
rope and pulled with anticipation. It
fired…holy shit it’s running, no obnoxious metal on metal grinding noise, just
the purr of my sweet Honda Sewing machine.
Next class will be spent tweaking the idle adjustment.
How about a little verse to remember this moment?
“It was the winter before the spring, all throughout the
land,
Not an outboard was purring…not a laser on the sand.
The Honda was debolted and sat in a tub,
The parts were all washed and her pistons were
scrubbed.” Well it’s Day 15 and
I’m just about done. The instructor and
I checked the timing of the old Blue Dog and everything looked fine. He was concerned that under load the motor
was dogging. Timing was right on. I did have one scare when I took the recoil
off to check the timing. The engine
quit…just like that. It turned out that
the gas line may have been kinked cause two squeezes on the bulb and away it
went for about 20 minutes of stopping, starting, tweaking and testing. No leaks internally or externally so
far. Chalk this project as a done
deal. My next project is working on
R2D2, AKA the FilterQueen/Lawnmower. Day
16 This lawnmower was the spectacle of the class and everybody kidded me
about the high tech setup of this 2-cycle wonder. The fix actually was a bad plug. That particular session I learned two
things. Number one was that you need
about 80 pounds of pressure for proper combustion. Number two was that you should feel the
electrical joltage of a good spark plug right up to your elbow. Bad plugs just tingle a bit. Another problem that occurred was that my
carburetor was leaking at the float.
With painstaking precision, I cut out a gasket and placed it in the
joint. This made it worse so I ended up
gooping up the joint with 515 Locktite and a little prayer. We will attempt another restart next
week. Day17. Today I restarted the Honda just to make sure
that it would run. It took 5 or 6 pulls
on the starter but it did fire up. To me
the motor sounds a little noisy. It
seems to have a bit of a lifter noise. I
will have to remember to write down the specs for lifter clearance and check it
again once I have a few miles on the new rings.
Project Filter Queen was a bust.
My 515-gasket fix leaked. The
main problem was that the float was letting in too much gas. The brass fitting in the carburetor was not
set in far enough allowing too much gas to flow past the needle valve. Rod is going to find a cork gasket for my
carburetor wows. The Johnston twins from the club are in for a
tune up. Stay TUNED for upcoming
results. Day 18 included
replacing the gasket on the lawnmower.
With advice from Rod, I used a cork gasket. With painstaking precision, I cut out the
gasket and voila, a perfect seal. The Johnston 8 was fired up
and that ran great. The plugs were
replaced on the Johnston
20 but it still is running rough during idle.
Oh well, I will have to play with it next class. Day 19. Today I worked on timing and tuning the Johnston 20. The timing is a mechanical linkage that opens
the throttle according to the position of roller cam. Playing with the idle adjustment to get the
optimum performance from the 20 horse while it snorts and sputters at 650 rpm
was a feat in itself. Mission successful. She is
now purring like a bobcat in heat at a feline buffet. Last, class Day 20. Today I expected to do a lot of standing
around but Rod put me to work on a little Briggs & Stratton. He was getting a lot of blow by through the
rings and thought maybe he put a ring in backwards. It turns out the rings were very worn and new rings had to be put in. With a little grinding oversized rings were
put in place and the engine was put back together. If we would have had another hour, I’m sure
that little Briggs would be sputtering away.
In conclusion, did I learn anything? Originally, I had hoped that I would walk
away with more knowledge about outboards.
I did learn that for every outboard there is a different manual. If you have the manual (some are better than
others are) there is hope. I know enough
now to be dangerous but I have the confidence that when I’m finished all bolts,
belts and hoses will be back on that motor.
Till next time this is Mark “Don’t be afraid to smack it” Drozda signing
off for Thursday March 25th 1999.
18. Live for One
Month without a Car.
19. Get Fit.
Yeah, sure, your Ironman training starts any day now. In the meantime, these baseline parameters
will almost assure you of being able to glance at a mirror without
recoiling. Do a one-arm pull up.
This has been an ongoing issue of over three years. As of this date Jan 99 I am still no closer
to my goals: abs of steel and the
elusive one arm pull up. I plan to find
a rock climbing training book that will help me with this goal. The rest will have to be a stricter diet (no
more second helpings). Wow, I’m still at
166. That’s a two-year high. Some of the weight may be legit because I
think my shoulders are a lot stronger than the previous year. My low weight is about 158 and my active
weight should be about 162. I have been
seriously working out to be in decent shape for my Saskatchewan River Warman to
St. Louis
trek. I am now down to 162. Sept 28.
Today I started a new routine with pull-ups. I will start with 10 and work my way down to
1. At that point, I will try to do as
many as I can. Today I did 7. My total was 62 in this set. This exercise is very anaerobic. Guess what folks. I’m going to start a new routine. As of Oct 26th or so, my weight
was up to 166 and on the dehydrated side.
Time for a new do. I pulled a 6-week training schedule off the
net and I’m going to implement it today.
This schedule is set up till the end of the year. At that time, I will judge my progress. I’m still not any closer to that one arm pull
up, but I can do more pull ups than I could last year. I don’t hate that exercise as must as I used
to. Dec 4th I have been on my
new workout program for 6 weeks and I have gained 2 pounds taking me up to
164. As of Feb 29th, my
weight is still around 164. I still have
not been able to do two sets of 15 pull-ups.
One fellow who works on our floor said that one
handers are impossible and he does not know anybody who can do one. Sept 12th, 2000 I am now working
towards 20 pull-ups. Nov 9th- I was able to do 20 pull-ups
today. It took everything I had to do
them. My weight these days is about 159
pounds. I also am working on an
endurance routine where I peddle a bike for 40 minutes and lift weights. I found this to beat the boredom of the
standard bike ride going nowhere very fast.
Spring training starts in two days.
Time to mix up my routine. SaskEnergy has a new wellness center as of
Oct 1/2001.Its now 2010 and Im still working at this.
I have let myself go and I am now 168.
20. Swim Naked under a Waterfall
21. Learn to climb a rock wall
On Jan 6th, Perry and I took our first lessons at
the court club. We learned the how to’s
as far as the double figure eight goes and how to belay. I battled the wall for two hours and managed
to climb different ascents. At the end
of the lesson, we talked about bringing Janet along the next time. He said sure now that we both know everything. That very nanosecond we looked at each other
and just roared. Feb 10th
Perry, Brad, Joyce and I wedged our feet into shoes resembling retreaded ballet
slippers and buckled up for life. The
local rock pro checked our harnesses, knots and wiped our nose. Brad was quite aggressive on the wall
tackling technical holds like a kid on a new jungle gym. When climbing you depend on the bottom guy
belaying your assets. Nothing installs
more confidence than when you are at the top of your climb, all peaked out,
ready to repel down and your belayer says he is not ready. What would he do if you fell suddenly? Never mind that, what would I do? Answer: Fall several feet and have your
testicles become good friends with the climbing harness. Nov 8/2000 Perry and I went climbing
again. I had done my endurance workout
routine at noon that day and after about 6 climbs, my forearms were done. Perry was able to climb the 5th
wall while I battled fatigue halfway up.
22. Learn to windsurf
I tried to windsurf.
The wind was blowing towards the shore.
I had a very hard time with my balance.
The result was that I never got an away from the shore, the rocks and
the dock. I need some lessons. The summer of 2001 I tired
again. I was able to tack in one
direction and not the other. Had to swim
back to shore and wade the walk of defeat.
23. See a wolf in the wild
While camping at Kingsmere Lake,
I heard a wolf howl. That’s it so far.
In June of 2007 I saw my first wolf in the wild. The sighting happened in
the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary
24. Hunt Hidden Treasure.
There are still some dandies out there, they say: Atahuallpa's golden rope
(pure and hundreds of feet long), coiled away in the Andes;
that old standby Atlantis. However, you
can start closer to home, on Oak
Island. In 1795, on this outcrop off Nova Scotia, three men
found a huge oak with a limb sawed off and a filled-in pit beneath the missing
branch. They began digging, and every 10
feet found an oak platform or other blockage.
A hundred feet down, the pit filled with seawater. Since then, wild fables of what lurks below
have sprouted: Inca gold, pirate loot, Marie Antoinette's jewels ... The latest
whopper dates to 1972, when an underwater camera is said to have photographed
wooden chests and — a priceless detail, authentic or not — a human hand.
25. Go 300 Kilometers
under Your Own Power, from Your Own Front Door.
26. Make Your Own
Kayak.
27. Catch a Fish on a Fly You Tied.
I tried
my hand at fly-fishing in the spring of 2001.
More to come in the future
28. Release an
Orphaned Bird of Prey You've Raised.
29. Have the
opportunity not to eat Haggis.
30. Fast for Two
Days.
31. Recreate a
Passage from a Novel.
·
Spend a year as a cook in a small Florida Keys seafood restaurant ("The Man Who Gave Up His Name" from Legends
of the Fall).
·
Professional Photographer in the Florida Keys.
(Gumbo Limbo)
·
Dogsled (The
Call of the Wild).
·
Journey upriver just a bit farther than you feel
comfortable doing (Heart of Darkness).
·
Journey downriver just a bit farther than you
really should (Deliverance).
32. Grow a Delicious
Red Pepper or maybe a Jalapeno Pepper
On April 28th, I bought a mini greenhouse starter
kit from Canadian Tire. The pepper seeds
were planted and watered. The directions
say they should be ready to transplant in 5 to 6 weeks. I transplanted the
plants outside an as of today June 18th they look sad. They have not grown any and they are quite
wilted. As of Sept 15, my peppers have
not prospered. They never grew (not hot
enough), and now they are frosty.
33. River Raft trip (over night at least).
34.
Sail down the Eastern Intercoastal Waterway
35. Take a City Kid
Camping.
This may sound trite. However, probably
not to anyone who's actually done it.
36. Hang out in Colorado
37. Visit Key West
The journey itself
is the trip. The crossing from Ft. Myers Florida N26 25.1 W81 57.5 to Key West N24 38.8 W81 54.0 is 106 nautical
miles. We left Fort Meyers on schedule
at Noon on Monday Dec 8,2003. The Ochewobee
waterway is spectacular. I saw an osprey, a porpoise and brown Pelicans.
Heading thru the Captiva Shoal you can the smell life
all around you. The mixture of brine and earthy swamp fill your senses. Many fisherman are
trolling around small islands. Three bridges later we are in the Gulf. To the
east is James City and to the south clear blue
sea. Heading south at 136 degrees we
motor at 6 knots, seas are a foot and the wind is about 3 knots. Tuesday 9 My watch started at
23:30 till 3:00. Winds are out of the
East at 13 knots. We averaged 5 knots with the surf 7. Not much is out in the
gulf during those hours. I counted 3
boats. The skies were cloudy but a full
moon did occasionally dance on the water.
I was awoken at 7am by a clanging jib sheet. The winds had picked up to 15 knots with
gusts to 19. We were being welcomed by a
pod of dolphins, that
were camera shy. Position N24 53 546 W81
53 097 Wind is 15 knots. Our speed is 5.2.
We see another sailboat off the port several miles away. It looks like they may also be heading to Key West. The sun is out, the waves are capped, Key West were bound
toward your island way.
Dogs on the dog, dogs on a chair. Dogs in a bar on a chair,
dogs everywhere. A dog on some guys shoulder, dogs dressed for the
cold, Key West canines are oh so bold. Birds of a feather all flock together. Duval St is buzzing
with loud shirts and guys in tight leather.
We are now on a mooring ball in the City Marina mooring ball field. The marina is a 15
minute dingy ride away. From the dinghy
dock it is a 20 minute walk to Key
West happy hour.
It was Oysters and beer for supper.
Dec 11. Everything you do when
cruising is an adventure. A dinghy ride
to take a shower, a bus ride to get groceries and lots of walking. Photo ops in this town are on every
corner. I saw a Boston terrier holding
on for dear life on some guys shoulders why he was
riding his bike. Friday Dec 12,
9:15pm. I’m watching a big half harvest
moon poke its way thru a eastern skyline. A warm east
breeze is just rippling the waters around me.
The dinghy ride back to the boat was a dry one. I spent the day walking around Key West checking out
Bars and Tshirt shops. I am about done with downtown KeyW est
action. It is time to soak up some
sunshine. I spent the afternoon taking
photos of house boats. Dec 13. Another beautiful day in
paradise, a cool east breeze, fresh coffee and French toast. The reefer is warm and the batteries are down
to 8 volts, time to fire up the iron genny. Showers, a trip to the shopping center were
the highlights of the day. I polished
some stainless under a sunny sky. Supper was coconut shrimp prepared by
Dean. Tonight the boys are playing
scrabble while I catch up on some reading.
Sunday Dec 14. I went shopping
for Christmas gifts and music. I found a internet café and sent a few emails. I plan to be at the Hogsbreath
for my internet camera debut on Tuesday @ 4:00. We had salmon for supper. For work we wired up a voltage meter for
battery number 3. Monday Dec 15. Mantras Law- While the skipper is away the
batteries shall die. The batteries are
low. With 10 volts she will not fire. I
jury rig up solar panels to charge the batteries while Corey calls for Towboat
US. Towboat US jumps our battery 30 minutes
later. Tuesday Dec 16. Today is a workday. I sand and varnish the teak on the deck.. We ran the engine
for 30 minutes to charge up the batteries.
I plan to be in town at 4:00. I
smell really bad and need a shower.
Speaking of stink, we got the head pumped out today. Wed Dec 16.
I wake to 30knots of wind shaking the rigging. You can feel the boat shudder with each gust
as you lay in your bunk. I check out the
companion way. The caps of the waves are
turning to spray. The mooring field is
no longer a picture of pristine perfection but a very cold inhospitable
world. I check the mooring lines. The mooring ball is being sucked underwater
by the force of Mantras restless swing.
The sight reminds me of a fish on a line, fighting the set of a
hook. This is one fish I do not want to
get away. The rain is pelting my face
while I try to figure out a way to keep the line from chafing. I travel back in time to Ft. Meyers…a
pleasant drive, the fragrance of orange in the
air….I’m brought back to the present by a screaming gull and a crashing
wave. I spend the rest of the day
checking the lines and watching for other boats that may break their moor. Last
night was a blast. Corey and I had way to much fun. Our
midnight dinghy ride back to Mantra was over black glass. The seas were flat
and warm. We went swimming and dived off
the boat like silly school kids. Ahh that would be what you call the calm before the
storm. A line starts slapping on the
deck and for the first time I thing about home.. Thursday Dec 18. I took the green bus around the Island. That took
one hour. I sent to Mallory square for
the sunset ceremony.. Friday Dec 19. I walked to South Beach
and Southern Most Point. Had supper at Billes and went out for more beer. Back at the boat by 10:00. Sat Dec 20.
Corey and I went to the movie Lord of the Rings. That evening we watched the Christmas sail
past. I got a call from Sandy saying that Harry had died. Sunday. I did some last minute shopping. The day is cool and windy. I phoned home with Island
Music playing and rum in hand.
38. Have a photograph
published.
This one I have been working on. I started a company called DrozdaDigital Photography. Over the past few years I have photoed and sold thousands of dollars worth of photos. The big money was taking pics
at hockey tournaments. Since than I have worked at selling
baseball, volleyball, soccer, sailing, weddings,
39. Read Mark Twain’s Following the Equator
I started my
literary quest on Jan 29,1999 while sitting in Roca Jacks sipping on Ethiopian Limu coffee. The book has started out a lot more
interesting than I thought. Chapter 1 is
based on “A man may have not bad habits and have worse.” What I got out of this is that if a man has
no vices to give up what has he got to gain. He makes references that the desire to do the
event is actually greater than the event it self. I know how true this is. I also have learned what a Remittance Man is. Jimmy Buffet’s album Barometer soup is
chalked full of Mark Twainisms.
Feb 16 reading passages at Roca
Jacks. I am now halfway thru the first
volume. The story line has slowed down
by going deep into Australia’s
history. It is now time to renew my loan
application for this classic. Did you
know that a “Classic” is a book that people praise and don’t read? (Chapter XXV)
March 10th amongst the coffee beans at Roca
Jacks, I embarked on Vol. II. Mark is
now off to Bombay. The book now has gone into talking about
thugs. Thugs being
bands of rovers who go around murdering people by strangling them. They have government records about leaders of
these bands who have killed up to 900 people over a 40-year period. My library book has expired and I have gotten
my first overdue notice. I am currently
on page 227. I will be back. Take note with this quote, “Make it a point
to do something every day that you don’t want to do. This is the golden rule for acquiring the
habit of doing your duty without pain.”
Mark ended up in South
Africa talking about the diamond mines and
all the civil unrest that went on during that time. Overall, the book was very interesting even
though it did have its doldrums. A very good history lesson on 1800 British colonial life.
40. Ride in a Hot Air
Balloon
41. Should It Come to That, Be Able to Navigate by the Stars.
42. Having Fathered
the Neo-Fauve Movement in European Painting, Move to the Unspoiled Paradise of Tahiti and Paint Lovely Naked Natives.
43. Master the
Sailing Knots
It was Jan 22nd when I picked up my knot
manual. With string scavenged from the
basement (I’m sure it came out of a tie-up for shorts) I started my quest. Stopper knots and hitches were practiced on
the foot of a TV tray. On Saturday, I
went out and purchased ten feet of rope to practice with. I played around with a couple types of
bowlines and that fancy double figure eight knot we learned at the rock
wall. Jan 26th: I worked on
some hitches; sheetbends and some double figure eights. My various types of bowlines so far seem to
work out to be the same-knotted mess.
Feb 21st I practiced the climbers’ bowline. This knot is quite fast to tie after a few
practice sessions. April 6th I
bought a sail knot book form Gilmore Yachts in Calgary.
June 26th Today, I gave a lecture on towing which actually is
quite foreign to me. One of the topics
was towing a group of boats that are all tied to one line using a rolling
hitch. Hell if I know the proper way to
tie a rolling hitches. Back to White
sails II. The captain of the boat on
which I will crew on in April requires four knots, the bowline, the clove
hitch, the round turn with two half hitches and a reef not. I am ok with these.
44. Become an Expert
on an Outdoor Subject.
Go small, like E. O. Wilson.
Alternatively, big, like Stephen Hawking. Or obscure like that guy down the block with
the collection of antique flip-flops
45. Give Something Back. Help Amputee Kids
46. Cross the Equator
47. The Continental
Divide by Moonlight.
48. Master a
One-Pot Meal.
Bouillabaisse
·
2-1/2 pounds fresh fish
·
4 teaspoons salt
·
3 cups chopped onion
·
2 cups chopped bell pepper
·
4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped, peeled, and
seeded
·
1 cup chopped celery
·
1/4 cup chopped garlic
·
1/4 pound butter
·
6 bay leaves
·
1 pound medium shrimp
·
1/2 cup dry white wine
·
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Layer veggies, tomatoes, bay leaves, and fish (over melted
butter) in covered pot. Cook one hour.
Hang leftovers from tree.
Since the year I completed high school in 1980 I’ve always
been adventurous in the kitchen. My
philosophy is if you throw in a bunch of ingredients that you like the taste of
you can’t go extremely wrong. Through
the years, I’ve always cooked in fads. The
early 80’s it was Wok with Mak, the late 80’s I was introduced to Cajun
cooking. My cooking slowed down to
greasy goo mode in the early 90’s, especially when I lived near the Oilpatch in
the city upgrader district. Fried foods
were the fast food order of the day and my hunka hunka burning love handles
could attest to those artery-clogging years.
Over the last four years, I started to watch what ended up on my plate
when I battled the bulge with my new improved adventurous outlook on life. Kayak cooking demanded good food in a single
pot. Searching the net and reading
cookbooks have given me insights on gourmet camping recipes to die for. “With this Bouillabaisse fiesta resistance
Janet even said she would rather die than eat FISH” PS. The trendy cooking tradition this year is, “Cooking the Island Way.” The plan came together Feb. 7/99 on a Sunday
afternoon when I threw together the above recipe for Harry’s welcome home
supper. The meal was served over rice,
red wine and photographs of Harry and his son Edward.
49. Sleep in a
Hammock somewhere tropical.
50. Swim a mile
With my new workout program, I swim once a week. The first session was 30 minutes in the
pool. I spent more time fighting with my
goggles and sucking in water than actually swimming. From that day on, I started to use a mask and
snorkel. 64 laps are equal to one
mile. I can average about a 40 second
lap if I don’t goof up. A 40 second lap
in 50 minutes is 75 laps. Even if I do a
slow breaststroke, I can do a lap in 60 seconds. I must be close. On March 8th /2000 I swam one
hundred laps in 60 minutes. I have done
my mile even though I did stop the odd time for a few seconds.
51. A Pirate turns 40. Buy a cruiser.
52.
Get
Lost!! Take a coastal Navigation Course.
Before
I went on my last sailing trip in April of 2010 I started my coastal navigation
course. After go thru it the tides and currents aspects of the course
started to may sense. Go figure.
53. Develop Road Rash.
Test my bottom while Rollerblading.
54. Take the
plunge. Find and give unconditional
love.
55. Take a kick at
the Kananaskis. Kayak the Widowmaker. I sold my Prijon Samurai. Am I
ever going to get a change to do this?
56. Become a Boating
Safety Instructor through the CYA.
This comes from a guy who straps his life jacket to the mast of a
Laser or paddles in the ocean without a skirt.
As of April 1st, 1999, the boating laws in Canada are
changing. All motorized pleasure craft
operators are going to be asked to write a safety exam. In my opinion, boats have gotten to powerful
and fast. Seadoos are like lice dancing
on the lake's surface. It was only a
matter of time before they started hurting themselves and others and we would
be taxed for it.
In Feb of 99, I took my challenge exam for my operator’s
card and passed. At that point, it was
brought to our attention that money could be making by becoming an instructor
for the CYA Spark Start Program. What a
great way for the club to make a few extra bucks while preaching boat
safety. It makes sense… Sailors in my opinion have always been one up
on the water rat pack. On April 17, I
attended the Spark Start Instructor’s course and became an official
Advisor. Step two is to find a few
students to flaunt my new acquired knowledge.
April 26th was spent selling the program to 3 different
marine retailers. I had very positive
response from two of them. I have my
first class running on July 17th and 18th. I ended up with 11 kids in my first class. All went well. My timing was within an hour or so. Nov4th.
Today I started a course with the navy league. The ages are about 10 to 12. This is a tough class. The schedule is broken into 6 weeks. My first session was a double class that
lasted a long 90 minutes.
57. It would be kinda cool to become a CYA Basic
Cruising Instructor. Provide sailing
learning while I’m earning. What a way
to pay for that cruiser.
As of this year, the CYA has changed its sailing instructors prerequisites.
They have introduced an advisor position that allows mature students
with 7 years of sailing experience to take this class. It is equivalent to a green instructor with
out the power to certify white sails II and up.
At first I thought this was a kick in the transom but after some
thought, I decided to go with the airflow and learn some more about
sailing. June 24th was the
evening for writing the bronze IV and V tests.
On Friday we spent our day on the water improving our sailing skills and
develop teaching ideas. Friday night was
spent talking about coaching theory.
Saturday with a –2-degree wind chill factor we spent out day out on the
water doing sailing for you life practical.
The winds were wild, the waves were big and I forgot to but in the
transom bung. Back to
basics for me. Sunday we just set
up some boats and wrote our NCCP I Coaching test. Now it’s a waiting game to see if I actually
got by bronze and Jr. green card. I
found out the requirements of becoming a basic cruise instructor. They are first aid, CPR, basic cruising level
and two years of sailing experience.
58. Hang
suspended by your crotch at 3000 feet dropping 238 feet per second. Try Hang-Gliding.
I talked to my neighbor and he suggested trying para sailing
because the learning curve is not as great.
59. More Cheese Please. I once read an article saying that the
average North American is very boring when it comes to cutting the cheese. Foul pungent odor. Not quite.
If it is not cheddar, mozzarella or Swiss it’s Cheese Whiz. Gee Whiz, how boring. How about if I attempt the
buying and sampling of 25 types of cheeses from around the globe.
1. Jarlsberg
Jarlsberg is the name of a very popular cheese in Norway and abroad. It is related to the Emmentaler cheese (from
the Emme River
valley (Emmental) in the canton of Bern,
Switzerland),
but Jarlsberg is a pure Norwegian invention.
Its story goes back to 1815 and the big farm Jarlsberg outside
Tønsberg. They had an overproduction of
milk and started researching on cheese.
. Complete ripening takes three
to six months. It has a pungent,
sweetish odor and is slightly salty when fresh, and pleasingly sharp when fully
ripened. Its consistency is firm and elastic,
and it is easy to slice; the interior is a uniform light yellow in color with
holes about five-eighths in. This cheese
made a great sauce for a chicken and mushroom dish.
2. Danish Spiced Gouda
The cheese was quite good with crackers and sandwiches
3. Danish Epson
Janet walked into the house carrying her shoes. At that point, I didn’t know what stunk
worse, her shoes or the cheese. The
cheese ended up in a Taco Salad and her shoes ended out on the back lawn. The cheese tasted very good. The only problem with this aromatic cheese is
that you have to cut off your hands to get rid of the smell.
4. Smoked Gouda
I tried this one while visiting Marg on Sattural at Lake of the Woods.
Smoked Gouda
has become a favorite for our sandwiches on some of our outings.
5. Camembert (KAM-ehm-beh) a soft, thin,
edible crust that’s gray-white in color with a creamy yellow interior. Similar to Brie, this wheel-shaped cheese has
a mild to pungent flavor. This cheese
was also tested at Lake of the Woods. It can be bought at any Safeway deli. I quite enjoyed this cheese.
6. Dill Havarti we tried this one with our chicken sandwiches on
a Thanksgiving Cypress Hills camp trip.
7. Pepper Allegro This cheese is a low
fat skim milk blend.
8. Smoked Gruyere Gruyere is
named after a Swiss village. This cheese
is right up with the Smoked Gouda. Chardonnay would be the wine of choice for
this treat.
9. Oka Fromage de Oka
Made by Trappist monks. Semi-soft. Port-Salut Family. A nice soft Canadian cheese.
10. Provolone This cheese is an all-purpose cheese used for
cooking, dessert purposes and even grating.
Wine Partners: Dolcetto d'Alba
11.
Jalapeno Monterey
Jack. Janet introduced me to this one. It is excellent
12. Muenster
is a smooth
textured cheese with an orange rind and a white interior. This washed-rind
cheese is made from cows’ milk. The orange color is derived from vegetable
coloring. It usually has a very mild flavor and smooth, soft texture. In some
cases, when properly aged, it can develop a strong flavor with a pungent aroma.
This cheese is commonly served as an appetizer.
Because it melts well, it is also often used in dishes such as grilled
cheese sandwiches,
tuna melts,
quesadillas
and cheeseburgers.
13. Fontina
14. Double Gloucester
15. Haloumi I had this goat
cheese at Wayne
and Susan’s after an evening of hot tubbin and
drinking. He fried it up and it was quite
good.
16. Port Salut .A.F.R Port Salut is a semi-soft pasteurized cow's milk cheese from Brittany with a
distinctive orange crust and a mild flavour. The
cheese is produced in disks approximately 23 cm (9 inches) in diameter,
weighing approximately 2 kg (5 lb).
Though Port Salut has a mild flavour, it sometimes has a strong smell because it is a
mature cheese. The smell increases the longer the cheese is kept — this however
does not affect its flavour. It can be refrigerated
and is best eaten within two weeks of opening
17.
Wensleydale - This
cheese tastes like a mild feta. It is quite dry
60. Be true to thy
self. Are people happy with the
course their lives have taken? Will the
attempt of creating and attempting the tasks on “the list” complete the circle of “I’m happy with
me.”? Lets try
huh.
“It is difficult to develop a
burning desire for that which you already have.
In addition, without desire, it is
virtually impossible to achieve anything of value.
So, remember to be thankful not
only for your blessings,
Also for the
things which you do not have.
It is those things, which you
desire but do not yet have,
That will supply you with enough
motivation and determination to bring growth and fulfillment.
What you have will sustain you,
In addition, what you don't have
will compel you to take action.
That fertile space between desire
and fulfillment
Is where you will find much of
life's richness?
If the world were exactly to you
like,
You would have no need or desire
to make a difference.
Fortunately, you see the
imperfections and the shortcomings every day.
You know things could be better
than they are, and that knowledge spurs you onward.
The world is perfectly
imperfect. You don't have it all.
Would you ever want it any other
way?”
I have wandered and now it is time
to find my way back. Starting with this
list (Sept 12th, 2000). My accomplishments have been sad thus
far. (Jan 30,2001) Still no, better March 15. SPRING
EQUINOX/OSTARA: (on or about March 21) the first true day of
Springtide. The days and nights are now
equal in length as the Young God continues to mature and grow. We begin to see shoots of new growth and
swelling buds on the trees. Energy is
building as the days become warmer with promise. I’m still working on this. I am a weak fellow in this area. I have to control my spending urges. Live up to item 62.
Nov 21/2001 I have to work on completing my tasks with this list. Jan 2005. I am still working on this
list. This year I am going to add some
more items and get something’s accomplished.
61. Sleep without a shingled roof overhead one night a month
for one year.
I will start this quest as of Thanksgiving weekend Oct 9th and 10th. The setting was Cypress Hills. The temperature only dropped to about minus 2
and the sounds of Bull Moose grunting with sexual urges filled the night air. Coyotes yipped endlessly on the clear cool
Saturday night and moaned occasionally on the overcast Sunday. Nov 13th
I played Johnny Outdoors in my own back yard.
The experience was not a good one.
All night I listened to the 1st
Ave. raceway that bombarded my whimsical night
with screeching tires, revving engines and flashes of Halogen lights from my
newly installed motion detectors. The
temp went down to –7.6 degrees. I found
my new down bag a little sweaty but that could have just been my fear of
becoming a speed bump on the street from hell.
Nov 20th My sleep on the 1st Ave Speedway just never cut it. Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day
with temperatures shooting up to 12 degrees.
My evening consisted of a bonfire, white wine and singing John Prine tunes. The night sky was graced with a full moon and
moderate temperatures. Even with my new
Superlight bag, I slept cold. At
midnight I insulated my shivering husk with a vest while a chocolate bar worked
it’s warmth from the inside. Dec 24th was
spent waiting for Santa while camping out south of 701. No Frosty the Snowman that night causes
temperatures only dipped to –4. I think
even my chestnuts got a little soggy due to a sweaty bag. Ha Ha.
Jan 8th took me
and three fellow trippers out to Buffalo
Pound for some winter camping. The night
cuisine was an array of beef jerky, trail mix, chili beans and hotdogs. Rod’s Saskatoon
Stash was the wine of choice.
Temperatures were about –5 degrees.
On Feb 21st, I packed up the truck and headed out to Buffalo Pound. I arrived at about 7 and launched my
tent. One sad event to note was that I
forgot my pots to heat water. No tea
tonight. At 3:00 a.m. I woke up to a full moon and a balmy
temperature of –3. I grabbed my tent and
threw it into the back of the truck. I
had decided to take a night hike along one of the cross-country ski
trails. The night was beautiful. Deer crashed though the bushes, porcupines
waddled up tall trees and the coyotes howled in the background. March 31st was a rushed
attempt at keeping my task on track. The
night was spent sleeping in the Luger with –5-degree temperatures. This was one of my better sleeps with my down
bag because I remained comfortable all night.
I missed my April sleepover.
During the month of May, the guys and I slept on the banks of the North Saskatchewan.
62. Live Simple
You can have anything you want,
but you can’t have everything you want.
One has to abstain to obtain for any gain. Step back, chill out and enjoy the simple
things during the time you have left.
Enjoy the morning sunrise with a good cup of coffee or a night watching
the stars with that someone special
63. Enjoy Employment
It’s not that I hate my job and I
don’t mind going to work in the morning but I’m getting very tired and
frustrated with the day-to-day stresses of the phones.
As of the end of July I started a new job in the Notes area.
My tasks will be 50 percent admin 50 percent development. I am set up to go on training in Edmonton in November. No
more endless phone calls. I was sent to Edmonton on a Development
Course. Things are going quite well. Jan
2005. I have been at my job now for two
years. Although I accomplished a fair bit
I am still fighting an uphill battle with code.
I just don’t think like a analyst.
Did this one ever change, back in March 2008 I quit my job,
packed my bags and head out west to live with complete my romantic endeavor
with Sirpa my feisty Finn. To make ends meet I got a
job at Blue Pacific Yacht Charters as the Service Manager. I tell people that if I made 3 times the
money it would be the perfect job.
64. Hike, Sit and
Soak
Dedicate one holiday to a tour of hot springs in B.C
Took a fork in
the road to visit White
Swan Provincial
Park in B.C. This park boasts a
small natural hot spring. The trip to
the park involved a winding logging road.
We arrived at 8:00 pm only to see a parking lot full of cars. The soak will have to be postponed till
morning. Morning arrived and at 6:30, we
walked down the path to the pool. It was
occupied by a lone drunk who was wading necked in the cooler pools downstream
of the main tub. The water had a high
sulpher content that turned Janet’s cheap toe rings to tarnished jewelry. Overall, the pool was very nice. These gems are very hard to find in today’s
raped wild lands.
65. I’ve been out west
now lets go east.
Mission accomplished June 2000. I headed east and
took the northern Ontairo route. Thru
northwest Quebec down to Montreal. From there
I travlled northern New
Brunswick down to Nova
Scotia. Across by ferry to PEI and returned by the bridge. My trip took me thru Ottawa.
66.Learn to Sew. I’m not sure what
I want to make yet, but I will think of something.
So far I have made some kayak pogies, a semi-dry stuff sack
for my Kodiak and some curtains.
Oct 2004 I bought a Sailrite
sewing machine. This unit is the
Cadillac of sail repair. So far I have
repaired several of the clubs sails and fixed my harness. I took a shot a making a turtle bag for a
Laser II. It looks kind of brutal but my
copy to work off was pretty brutal also.
For Christmas I made a gym tote bag for my brother. It turned out quite well considering my first
attempt using sailcloth was quite primitive.
I had issues with the zipper. March 05. I’m now working on backdrops for
a puppet show.
67. Go without Restaurant, Takeout and Pub Food for one
month.
My first attempt at this task was a bust. I was halfway through the month of February
and I forgot my lunch. This lead to a sandwich from the cafeteria. The next day was an EDO
and I had some KFC. This is going to be
harder than I thought.
68. Take a couple weeks to sea kayak a great
distance.
I want to spend over two weeks on a paddle trip. What are my choices? West coast (Prince Rupert
to Port Hardy?), Lake Superior, The North Saskatchewan? Yukon
River?
69. Build a Kite
board?
70. Chasing That Light Project
Chased
by the Light – Jim Brandenburg’s ninety-day fall journey in the north
woods.
I will do my interpretation of this project by getting at least
one shot per week per season.
This is going to be harder than I thought. Finding those photo ops are not that easy if
you want quality work. Nov 21/2001 I am 12 weeks into the project and things are
going quite well. My last photo was taken the end of Dec. I found this a very hard project to
complete. I may try to do it again next
year. The wintertime is a tough time to
get motivated.
71. Spanish Lessons
Be able to order a beer in Spanish
and more.
I tried this and started to
take lessons. I quit after I took off to the Bahamas for a couple weeks.
72. Ride my bike 199 days in one year
Now that I live in Sunny Surrey I
should be able to try and do this. I am going to have to include times on the
exercise bike to accomplish this.