New aquisition revealed

Some of you were quick to respond to yesterday's post and Lauri nailed it (although I think Mom and Janet both knew what it was as well)!

We've been given a canoe and are now eagerly anticipating spring break-up and a chance to go exploring out in the delta and down other rivers in the valley. ManNorth's predecessor left it behind and as the person who bought it neither claimed it nor paid for it, it's now been officially given to us.

The boat has a crack that needs some repair work but ManNorth is confident that it won't be a problem to fix. We also need to buy some paddles as well as a pfd for me (personal flotation device -not a pdf, which although providing some good reading, wouldn't exactly help keep me afloat).

I'll try to get ManNorth to knock the snow off and take a new photo but for now, this edited photo will have to do. Just imagine the snow all gone and a lovely forest green canoe leaning on its side against the shed on the left.

Also, for those of you not familiar with gallumphing, as mentioned by my mother in the comments to the previous post, it is a beloved sport from my childhood wherein the sole participant carefully stands on the rear gunnels (or the aft seat) and bounces up and down, arms outstretched for balance. The motion propels the canoe forward at surprising speed, somewhat related to the bounce frequency and depth. Directional changes are difficult and take a skilled gallumpher to pivot the canoe mid bounce. Gallumphing usually ends with a large splash and the need to climb back in. We likely won't be doing any gallumphing as the waters here are generally much too cold to risk a dousing. (If I ever do try it out here though, I'll be sure to get photographic evidence for all of you! I think my mother has a photo of me gallumphing at about age 8. If she finds it, I'll post it here.)

I'm not sure what we'll christen our new canoe and it may take some time before we get a feel for her personality and can think of a suitable name. A contest to name her could also be fun however, and with a suitable prize, perhaps I could convince some of you to make some suggestions. I'll let you know come spring as she'll need a name before her first voyage with us.