In my youth it was Southport Beach a couple blocks from where I grew up. In 1965 after high school I worked there as a lifeguard and had to deal with those troublesome neighborhood kids acting just like me when I was their age.
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Happy First Sighting of Manatees by Columbus (1493)! 💧🐘
Photo of the day
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Merry, merry to all.
Thanks Joe, and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Lower Current River in the Ozarks today.
Today on the Withlacoochee River. Paddled with the Marion County Aquaholics.
JR Robertson coming along, it has closed gunnels which are new to me, and they need new ends. Pleasant way to wile away the winter in a warm shop.
My last paddle of the year... had to paddle through some "hard" water 
Happy New Year!
André
Happy New Year!
André
Happy New Year!!!
At the risk of boring everyone here...
First paddle of the year 2026
. Today it was even colder than yesterday, the ice was thicker and had spread out a bit. It took me more than thirty minutes and a lot of elbow grease to reach soft water.
André
First paddle of the year 2026
. Today it was even colder than yesterday, the ice was thicker and had spread out a bit. It took me more than thirty minutes and a lot of elbow grease to reach soft water. André
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- Nov 30, 2017
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Mountains!At the risk of boring everyone here...
First paddle of the year 2026
View attachment 152079View attachment 152080
André
My last paddle of 2025 was on December 29th on the Swift River in the tailwater below Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts. There was minimal ice on the river, but lots of liquid water fell from above during my 3-hour jaunt. It was glorious since I enjoy paddling in the rain when it's 37 degrees, when appropriately dressed, almost as much as I do when it's warm and sunny.
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I agree. As long as one has appropriate gear/clothing, paddling under adverse conditions is quite enjoyable. I love it when I have a wide-brimmed hat and the water drops can't get to my glasses. Looks like a great day.
Ditto on the adverse conditions. Favorite is when it is snowing but there is NO wind and the flakes come silently straight down. Sooo quiet.
Thanks, Erica. I was wearing a dry suit with proper insulating layers, a wide-brimmed waterproof rain hat, and neoprene gloves & booties, so I was dry and warm. There was also no wind. I find that when I paddle in these conditions and stay dry and warm, I achieve an inner zen that often eludes me in more ideal paddling conditions.
I'm considering a dry suit for late fall/early winter of this year.
Wow! I remember paddling the Current River, has to be 48 years ago... it was an annual "float trip" for the students, put on by the head of the aerospace engineering department of Parks College of St. Louis University. Don't remember much of the trip except there was a cave we wanted to paddle into but the canoes wouldn't fit through the opening, shots of ouzo provided by the professor (he was Greek), and sleeping in a hammock with a tarp over me (it rained) and waking up in the morning with my butt on the ground.
unrelated...
This is behind my house. I paddled it once in a moment of madness, during a spring flood... it was a really bad idea. I was lucky to come out with only scratches, a broken paddle, and a battered kayak.
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Nah, anything that batters a 'yak is a good thing
I got out for my first paddle of 2026 today on the ice-free tailwater of the Swift River below Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts. The bright sunshine, temperatures rising to almost 40 degrees, and calm winds made up for the miserable conditions I had when I last visited there for my last paddle of 2025. A few fair-weather clouds developed after lunch, spoiling the perfectly blue sky, which made me feel slightly less guilty for forgetting to put sunscreen on my exposed skin
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