Potluck

I love paddling in Westport and was looking forward to it all week. On Friday when we checked the forecast it looked bad. Wind gusts up to 30knts in October didn't sound like much fun. Tim called and wondered if we were going. He was taking the opportunity to hang with his son, but was planning on going to the pot luck. H had no intention of paddling in the wind and the cold. I wasn't fond of the idea of slogging around in the Westport River. The fun part of Westport is at the mouth of the river and just beyond.
So Sat. morning we called Carleen to make sure the potluck was still on and settled into having a quiet day at home. It was really strange being home on a Saturday and not paddling. H and I went out to breakfast and stopped by the Farmer's Market. I had time to catch up on bills, making a web site for our wedding, and other routine household tasks without staying up way too late on a weeknight. On the other hand, I felt like I should be doing something else completely. It wasn't the first weekend I hadn't paddled since the spring, but it was the first one I could have paddled and didn't. Since winter is rapidly approaching I'm going to have to start adjusting to weekends without paddling.
We did however get our fix of RICKA friends. We drove down to Carleen's house to bask in the warmth of friends and laughter. The intrepid souls who braved the paddle reported that it was breezy, but fun. There was plenty of food and cheer. One of the many highlights was when Tim was presented with a Kelly Kettle (www.kellykettle.com) for all of the time and effort he put in to running the Wednesday skill sessions. His patient tutelage helped a lot of people hone their skills and made paddling more fun. Carole graciously arranged the gift and it was a big hit. Tim turned red as a beet.
After the presentation of the gift, Carole took out her Kelly Kettle so we could see one in action... You are supposed to be able to spark one of these things up with random detritus from around the beach and boil water. 45 minutes, several packages of matches, many people laying on the ground blowing the kettle, and copious amount of paper later, we finally had a fire and some hot water. The Irish fisherman who use these things to make coffee must have some magic (or a never ending supply of peet). Lunch stops may grow into hour long events while we get the kettles fired up. But then again, it is nice to have hot tea.