I got some great shots from our kayaking trip. Check them out on flick

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28127384@N08/sets/72157620596574333/

 I’ve just returned home from a 3 day Living Adventure Kayaking Trip in the Apostle Islands.   wow!  It was a HOW Trip, Hoigaard’s Outdoor Women, with a total of 17 paddlers and 3 guides on the water.  Living Adventure did a fantastic job with all the equipment, food and expertise to make our trip both enjoyable and safe.  We truly did live the adventure for the weekend.

 Being on Lake Superior is like being in the mountains.  It is big and powerful and a little overwhelming.  Typical of a mountain, if you don’t like the weather, give it a few minutes and it will change.  Even tho it was the end of June you packed everything from a swim suit to long underwear and fleece sweaters.  And we used it all, proving once again that there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing for the conditions.  

 It’s a very empowering experience to be on the water with a group of women.  We shared our stories and discovered many wonderful things about ourselves and each other.  We were challenged by the weather conditions as we moved thru the weekend and even accepted gracefully the possibility of not getting back to main land before Monday.  (We did find a window of opportunity when the wind backed off in the late afternoon and we all got home Sunday nite.) 

I am truly blessed to be part of these adventures with the opportunity to get to know so many amazing women.  Hopefully you’ll join us one day.

It is such a joy to walk in the woods!  

 Julie and I headed back to the Birkie trail in Wisconsin for 2 days of Nordic Walking Clinics in the woods.   We do so much of our nordic walking with “tips on”  that it’s nice to get on the soft dirt and grass on the trail.  We really are made for walking on the earth, not pavement. 

 Early Friday morning we hooked up with 20 members of Ski and Tea, the women’s group led by our counter reality partners Juli and Linda.  It was fun to be reconnected with them and to do some nordic walking.  There were many familiar faces and some new women as well.  Coffee and scones at Moose Lips were our reward for all the hills we did on the trail.

 There were about 40 people who came on Saturday morning to try nordic walking with us. Not as many as last year but I have to admit that the 62 last year was a bit overwhelming.  There were several couples and lots of friends bringing friends. It was great to see so many men enjoying the  poles. 

The clinics topped off a marathon week of nordic walking. Monday thru Wednesday were 3 walk days with my own loop early in the morning, noon demo’s and evening classes and intro’s. We even walked at the Arboretum twice, Tuesday nite with the Son’s of Norway and Sunday for Father’s Day.  I’m not sure how many miles but I was glad for a day off yesterday (Julie and her husband Andy did the walk at the Arboretum, I went to the store and sold poles)  Now it’s time to pack for the kayaking trip!

My favorite walk right now is around the ponds at Carlson Twin Towers. It’s like our own Wild Nature Show just out our front door. 

 The first pond almost always has at least one egret with a little green heron and families of ducks and geese. 

 Once we get to the island mother nature really kicks up her heels with great blue herons,

more egrets, mother wood ducks with a dozen babies following close behind, a beaver swimming, and even a snapping turtle laying her eggs beside the path. 

Getting down close and personal to take her picture was perhaps not the smartest thing I’ve ever done but she was very intent on her job and didn’t really pay me no mind.

 It’s a beautiful start to a brand new day, connected to the natural world, being one with the earth as my husband likes to say.  Get out tomorrow and see for yourself.

I snuck in a walk by myself this morning a little later than our usual 6am but between rain showers.  I nordic walked up to Parkers Lake as I wanted to see if the rain had affected the lake level at all.  We are way short of moisture for the season and the water was very low.  I was pleased and amazed that the inch and a half of rain had raised the water level enough to claim back about 3 feet of beach. Small input, large return.
This morning I was also enjoying all the gardens bursting with beautiful perennials.  Many of these gardens are fairly new,  the plants were young and very small when planted. Through careful weeding and watering these same plants have more than doubled in size and are full of blooms and color.  In my own garden I finally have yellow peonies after 3 years of waiting.   Another natural lesson on a large return for a small investment.

Thursday evening I drove down to Albert Lea to deliver Nordic Walking poles to Catherine’s first class.  Catherine has been nordic walking for 3 years and recently attended the Instructor Training. She is a mentor and model for anyone wanting to get started in nordic walking.  I love her enthusiasm and energy and it gets passed on to everyone who comes into contact with her.

 Catherine had 25 walkers in this class. The fascinating part of it is that they are also participating in a Blue Zone Vitality Project unique to Albert Lea.  www.cityofalbertlea.org  The goal of the project is to add 10,000 years to the lives of the people living in Albert Lea. Everyone there is so excited about the opportunities and programs being offered to them and the paths were full of people out walking and biking, the community gardens are growing fresh veges and there were folks just enjoying evening conversations and companionship time.  The program kicked off in April and goes thru October.  It’s something to keep a finger on to see how it all turns out.

I finish my walk in the morning, change into my “slogger” pink garden clogs and head to the barn bearing treats for the chickens. They know my voice now. They don’t actually come to greet me but also don’t run and cluster in the corners. They’re curious about what I’ve brought for them  and come eager to peck at the offerings of kitchen scraps and dandelion tops.  I squat down and encourage them to trust me.  It’s a few quiet moments at the beginning of the day.

I enjoy this time. I walk alone to the barn enjoying the ducks and geese on the pond, the sheep grazing in the lower pasture, the hawk looking for breakfast among the grasses. I live on an island of green just outside of Minneapolis, the last of the “farm property” in Minnetonka.  It’s a gift from my parents and one for which I am most grateful.  It won’t last forever, in fact it’s on a short lease now that both mom and dad are gone. But in the meantime I’ll look forward to my barn time to set the tone for my day.

 This time of year it’s all about Nordic Walking.  In the past 2 weeks I’ve led walks at  Mall of America, Medica, Plymouth Senior Center, Minnehaha Park and taught classes in 3 different communities.  The numbers aren’t all big, sometimes as few as 5 walkers, but the enthusiasm and delight in discovering Nordic walking and trying the poles for the first time is always huge.

I have a degree in Therapeutic Recreation from University of Utah.  I truly believe that what you do with your “leisure” hours helps to balance your life.  We need our down time to “re-create” life energy, to destress, to reconnect with what’s really important to us.  Our choices for recreation affect our overall health and wellbeing.  

 In the beginning of my career I worked in structured psychiatric settings creating and leading recreational programs and leisure counseling for people struggling with mental illness.   During the years of day care I used what I knew to help children grow up with the experience and appreciation for active play time.  Today I’m finding that I use my background to help people change their life through the promotion of active outdoor lifestyles.

 Who knew that retail would bring me full round to using my degree again.  As a result of the community exposure from HOW activities and demo’s corporations are seeking me out to do health and wellness events centered on Healthy Outdoor Lifestyle choices.  I got a call yesterday from a woman creating a website for healthy active lifestyles for baby boomers.  I’m working daily coaching nordic walking with people with mobility limitations including Parkinsons, MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and knee and hip replacements.  The possibilities are endless, the benefits real, the changes life altering.

My life is blessed by the people I meet.

Some mother’s got flowers or breakfast in bed for Mother’s Day.  I got laying chickens from my daughter and a trip to farmer’s market from my boys. 

Actually, the chickens were an early mother’s day present.  Delivered overnight by the US Postal Service, twenty six little bitty birds in a box a bit bigger than a shoe box arrived on April 18. I am happy to say that almost a month later they are all still alive, including the free, top hat rooster.

There are 5 different breeds: Ameraucanas, Black Astralorps, Silverlaced Wyandottes, Buff Orpingtons, and Partridge Rocks. Nothing plain about this flock!  They’re still shy and don’t really want anything to do with us but Laura tells me that I can start feeding them vege scraps this week to make them love me.

To celebrate Mother’s Day we got up early to go to the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market.  It was wonderful to wander thru the vendors to pick out annuals and hanging baskets while the guys carried it all back to the car. 

I spent the rest of my mother’s day in the kitchen and gardens preparing for family dinner and potting up annuals. It was a perfect mother’s day!  I just can’t wait til we actually have eggs from these little chicks!