Family Business

There hasn't been much in the way of paddling reports lately, as we just haven't been in the kayaking mood. One reason is that winter is coming, something we can tell by the air this weekend which has a chilly bite to it, the kind that just makes you want to hunker down in front of a fire with cats on your lap, and that the malls are filled with the annual crowded orgy of holiday consumption Christmas shoppers.
The other reason is, sadly, of a more personal nature. In mid-September, Louise's mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. The prognosis was not good, and she passed away in mid-October. Dealing with her mom's final days and now with the estate and lawyers has been taxing for Louise, and we're only just now feeling up to digging the kayaks back out.
But now, another member of our little kayaking troupe is facing a family illness as Paula's father has suffered a serious stroke. The good news is that there is "still someone home" as Paula's husband describes it, but her father cannot speak at the moment and communicating with him is a struggle for all concerned.
There's not much else to add, except that the fall of 2012 is shaping up as our "annus horribilis." Our hearts hurt, but we carry on. For what else is there to do?