Woles

What a crazy last few days! I'm extremely excited and proud to announce that my wife gave birth to a healthy son on Sunday (Sept 28th) after a very rapid labour progression. The doctors were amazed at how quickly her labour advanced, especially for a first time mom....0 to full 10cm dilation & birth within 5 hours. Guess he was impatient...that's definitely from his mom's side.



So far he's been a quiet but very responsive little baby. He seems to actively observe and study people & the surrounding sounds. May be too early to tell yet, but he seems to be soothed when I softely whistle different birding calls especially the repetitive "po-tat-o chip, po-tat-o chip" call of the American Goldfinch and the "Oh Sweet Canada Canada Canada" call of the White Throated Sparrow. I'm hoping he'll equally enjoy these real bird sounds in a nature when he grows up a bit.

Welcome to our beautiful world, son!

My Canada Day weekend canoe outing with local members of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association got derailed with an ill wife in bed. Good news is that I still managed to score some paddling time with the little one even if it was a routine paddle around the shoreline of our cottage lake.

Here's my little guy all set with his paddle and flag...


A shot of him in the canoe...



View off the bow...



Quick pose with the auto shoot feature of the camera set on the dock...


Hope everyone got some time on the water!

P.S. I'm working on another fun child's paddle for my boy's older cousin...should have some more pics in the near future.

Got a few emails about the BigEast River video I posted on YouTube asking about my paddling method. The few reverse camera shots  showed how I leisurely paddle when in "cruising mode". Don't claim to be an expert on this method and it's just really what works for me...sort of a combination of different things.

I've been very curious about paddling techniques that indigenous peoples would've used to propel their craft. Obviously for them, paddling wasn't for leisure or style but for practical functionality. Bark canoes had no seats so kneeling low in the boat resting on the heels was the known position. This of course puts you much lower in the canoe than resting on a seat and automatically changes the paddling dynamics. Here's a great photo of the "Indian's Position" found in  Robert E. Pinkerton's The Canoe: Its Selection, Care and Use (published 1914). 




Being closer to the waterline forces you to reach lower on the grip for comfort, otherwise your top hand stretches up too high and can quickly cause fatigue. Documentation of this is very scarce but here are some photos I've been able to find which show a little of the grip method. Usually, the paddlers are very low in the canoe, either kneeling or completely seated on the bottom of the hull. This places them much lower than modern canoes equipped with seats. The paddle tends to be held out a but laterally and the grip hand resting more naturally in line with the lower.

This previous post shows some Ojibwe women in their bark canoe. The bow paddler is resting her grip hand along the base in this relaxed position....





The October 1990 cover of Wooden Boat Magazine features famous cedar-canvas canoe builder, Jerry Stelmock paddling this style as well...