Danny WhyKayak

As much as I like paddling my slalom boat, I’ve become under-enthusiastic about it since so many people have been ordering newer designs recently.  So, to remind myself that it’s still awesome, I decided to give it an awesome new paint job.

Now, I know I’m paddling the hottest boat around.

Inspired by an artist I’ve loved since Kindergarten, whose painting “Still Life of Cowslips” currently sits #2 for record auction prices ($41.1mil US), the artwork was created over many tedious hours in my cold garage.  The bow design is a tribute to Matisse’s 1953 La Gerde (The Bouquet). The stern recalls Matisse’s 1951 Fleurs de Neige (Snow Flowers).

Great for younger players.  Now I don’t have to create it on my own.

Vaso by the Woodland Trail, Great Falls Park, MD

Molly with Cody, Goldmine Loop, Great Falls Park, MD

Vaso on Valley Trail, Great Falls Park, MD

Danny  with Cody, Goldmine Loop, Great Falls Park, MD

Molly, Phil, Danny, and Vaso (with Cody), Tavern Trail, Great Falls Park, MD

An inspiring book that blends anthropological and biomechanical research with thrilling storytelling.  The result is a smooth page-turner full of action and wisdom that never preaches.  McDougall presents unforgettable profiles of runners who break the mould and, through their accomplishments, contradict the erroneous yet prevailing beliefs about what we are built for and what we are capable of.  This book is not just for runners.  It is a book about people connecting across canyons and cultures, living the way they always meant to,  seeking and meeting  new challenges, overcoming injuries, tasting defeat, willing victory, losing identity, finding a calling, being fearful, marketing lies, making mistakes, misdiagnosing, murdering, trying, dying, and thriving.  Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.  And as a great friend said, “this book is life-changing.”

The 1998 US Junior National Slalom Team.

Lofer, Austria

(middle row, 2nd from left)

American Whitewater's Mission as a "Word Cloud"

Build your own “Word Clouds” by pasting any amount of text into Wordle.net You can also adjust the layout and colors.  The site is also a powerful tool for the classroom, for self-editing, and for scrutinizing other people’s statements of philosophy.  The more times a word occurs in a particular block of text, the larger it appears in the cloud.  The site has recently caught on in a BIG way — word clouds have even appeared as headings for articles on CNN.com.

Warning: This is an addictive activity!

Finally, shoes that protect my feet while I run as though I’m barefoot.  My feet feel light, quick, and balanced as I dance over fallen logs and cliff-top boulders.  What fun!