Live it up on the water while you can!

No doubt about it, summer is on its way out.  The kids are back in school, or will be soon, and weekends will be filled with football games, leaf raking, and other odds and ends that we do before the snow falls.  However, do not despair!  There are still several weeks of great, warm weather ahead before the cold hand of winter sweeps across the northern hemisphere.  To that end, I have created a short list of ideas of what you can do to live up the last few weeks of warm weather before it becomes interrupted by fall festivities.  In no particular order:

• Build the largest sand castle you can
• Ride some whitewater
• Fly a kite on the beach
• Fish without your waders
• Tip your canoe while on the lake.  Why you ask?  Because you can.
• Challenge your friend to a wakeboard or water skiing contest
• Have a picnic out on the boat and blare your favorite tunes as loud as you want
• Compete with your kids or grandkids to see who can hold their breath the longest or swim the farthest underwater
• Explore a new body of water
• Take a special someone on a cruise

What are your plans for the final days of summer?  We would love to hear from you.  Drop us a line at safashor@comcast.net and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Take A Kid Sailing

I remember the day all too well.  I was at a Boy Scout camp in central Kentucky called Camp Crooked Creek.  I decided to earn the Small Boat Sailing merit badge even though I had never set foot in a sail boat in my entire life.  After the first few days of instruction, we were finally allowed to take the boats out.  A storm was set to roll in later that afternoon, so the winds were up.  Our sail caught the wind and my friend Mike and I were off!  The feeling was amazing!  We skimmed across the water and even had to hike a little when the boat really started cruising.  Other boys struggled to find the wind while a few found it too quickly and capsized.  We were having the time of our lives.  Mike and I decided to sail toward a cove near our campsite, so we turned the tiller and started in that direction.  Shortly after changing direction, the wind really grabbed the sail and before we knew it, we had capsized!

Of course we both thought it was really funny that we were now tangled up in sail and rigging, but we quickly got it all sorted out and righted the boat.  I climbed in first and made the mistake of setting the sail before Mike climbed in.  Sure enough, the wind grabbed the sail and I was off leaving Mike in my wake.  I can still see the surprise in his eyes as I left him in the middle of the lake.  I let some wind out of the sail and turned the boat around to get Mike.  He slipped aboard and after a quick banter of good-natured insults, we were back to enjoying our afternoon on the lake.

I thought about this memory as I read this article this morning.  Teaching a kid how to have fun on the water is something which they will enjoy for their entire lives.  As the article mentions, this is an activity where you can see three generation in a family all joined together having a great time.  Looking for something to do during the last few weeks of summer?  Teach a kid to sail...or paddle...or fish...or whatever.  You won't regret it.

What are your favorite memories from when you learned how to sail?  We'd love to hear from you.  Drop us a line at safashor@comcast.net and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

How the Olympics are Like Blue Water

Olympicitis.  I was first diagnosed with it during the Calgary winter games many years ago.  I was too "sick" to go to church, so my mother left me at home where I spent the day watching the winter games.  The disease seems to strike every two years now (rather than twice a year every fours years as it used to) and it also appears to be hereditary.  My oldest son is now showing signs of the Olympic fever.  Some things are worth passing on.

Like Olympic fever, a love of the water can be passed on from generation to generation.  Whether that love is derived from fishing, sailing, kayaking, or swimming is unimportant.  What is important is that it is a common bond from one generation to the next.  The human body is composed of 70% water, so it is no wonder that something so fundamental to life could also be something that instills so much passion in those who recreate in it.

So as you watch Missy Franklin and Michael Phelps swim their way to the medal stand, be sure to tell your kids or grandkids about how you once dreamed of doing something epic in the great blue.  Who knows, perhaps they will lead the next generation of Olympians or blue water navigators.

Who did you inherit your love of the water from?  Drop us a line at safashor@comcast.net.  Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!