I am in trouble. It’s a long story. My Lovely Bride decided we should go kayaking at Vancouver’s Deep Cove, a lovely, very popular kayaking spot only 30 mins from downtown, but in a secluded, wooded cove. There were lots of kayaks preparing to launch as we pulled up, but many were heading out into the nearby islands and coves for overnight trips…
I dropped Suzanne off with the kayaks at the launch point and walked for about ten minutes back from a parking area. On the way back, a new Mercedes with a foxy looking Chinese woman pulled up alongside me. She rolled down the window, and in Mandarin, said, “Hey, Baby, you’re pretty hot. What are you doing later?” Being a perfect gentleman, I knew that I shouldn’t either encourage or insult her, so I pretended that I didn’t understand Mandarin, and replied in English, “Yes, there’s more parking just down the road.” I related this interaction to Suzanne, who hadn’t realized I spoke fluent Mandarin. She wasn’t amused. Smack! (Sometimes you just can’t win…) It’s not the first time someone thought I was of Oriental ancestry… but no, a typical American mixture of French, German, Irish and Italian by way of Joplin, Missouri and New Orleans.
The kayaking went much smoother than my parking experience. For those not familiar with these tippy Eskimo-style boats, getting in and out can be either (a) graceful, (b) graceless, or (c) a combination of the above. This entry by Your Faithful Correspondent was in Category (c). I’ve done better, and worse, but I got aboard without capsizing, soaking my butt, or embarrassing myself. It was a beautiful, sunny morning, and off we paddled….


We paddled, and paddled, and paddled some more, leaving the houses and roads in our wake. Wonder Woman was doing very well keeping up a fast pace. I guess she really enjoyed the scenery, which was spectacular, considering we weren’t that far from civilization. There wasn’t a Starbucks or Tim Horton’s in sight! (For the uninitiated in Canadian cafe cuisine, Tim Horton’s is their equivalent of Starbucks and Duncan Donuts. Tim was a very successful professional hockey player. That’s a game they play on skates, I think…) Note from Suzanne: Ty rarely allows me to comment when I check for typos, stating, “It’s MY blog.” Today he has acquiesced to share that at the point this photo was taken, Mr. Macho said, “Now let’s go around that little island down there.” He was talking about the dark green blob you see in the distance. He is right that there was no Tim Horton’s in sight, and we had had no lunch. With my blood sugar plummeting, I tried to be polite as I declined to accept this challenge, and we headed back. My point is: Do not believe everything this man writes about me being the one to instigate these physical feats! I just try to keep up with him …
Back to you, Ty …
Back to you, Ty …

