That doggone graphite is expensive stuff. I've been spending so much time paddling and travelling that I have not been able to start a new project, except fixing my friend's surfski. Man, those things have got a flimsy layup.

I was in Miami this past weekend. I was longing for a folder. They have these canals that look like kayak drag strips. I borrowed a kayak that I called "tubby." It was maybe 12 feet long and 20 feet wide. (Okay, obviously it wasn't that wide, but you know what I mean.) I think Godzilla would have trouble tipping this thing over. It tracked like an old inner-tube. I was wishing I had a long sleek surfski or even a folder.

I also managed to get a $200 speeding ticket. Man, Miami's finest are not very friendly, and they don't like it when you say "I just happen to have some money here in my wallet if you would like to settle the fine right here." Hey, that was NOT a bribe... that was offering fast payment, right?

By the way, it was my first time back to the US in two years. It was like landing on the moon. It's kinda like they say blind people don't have a concept that when they leave a room that the room is still there... I have this concept that if I go more than a few miles there will always be water. Driving at night on the interstate was really weird. I kept expecting to run into the water.

And not to go off on a tangent, but South Beach is off the hook. Man, mini skirts have shrunk a lot in two years. I have ties with more fabric.

Cheers,

Malcolm