Archive for the 'Recreation' Category

One of the greatest things about our new house is the lack of light pollution at night. I’ve seen more stars here at this house than anywhere else I’ve ever been. Our last house was located in the land of cul-de-sacs, and all of the lighting made it nearly impossible to see dim objects. We were, however, able to see a number of fairly bright objects including the International Space Station, the MIR space station (before it crashed into the Earth), and the Hubble Space Telescope. All of this was thanks to Heavens-Above, an awesome website that helps you figure out when and where to look for satellites (and other celestial events).

I stepped outside tonight for a few moments and saw a total of three meteors crashing into Earth’s atmosphere. That’s something I never would have seen at our other house. Sometimes, it’s good to be in the dark.

I did something today that I rarely do anymore: I spent time in the sun. Although a great portion of my childhood was spent in the great outdoors, I have since become an indoor creature. The result is my characteristically geeky, pale skin tone, which can’t hold up to those pesky ultraviolet rays like it once could. Needless to say, I am thoroughly cooked on my shoulders and neck. Hopefully that won’t give me too much of a problem in the coming days.

My reason for actually going out today was a pool party for the tenth grade Sunday school class I co-teach. Tomorrow is our final time together, as well as the final time I will actually be able to be called a teacher (I’m stepping down from that role for a while). I have taught a Sunday school for a number of years now (somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 or 6 years), so I will miss it a great deal. The class we have now is by far the best I’ve ever taught. If any of them happen to read this, they should know that I love each one greatly and will miss seeing them each week.

On a rather sour note, I have apparently been re-infected with whatever viral infection bothered me a few weeks ago. From the highly annoying cough to my joint aches and pains, I can truly say that I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Oh how I long for no more tissues and cough drops!

This weekend, my father and I tried out kayaking for the first time at Raleigh’s Lake Johnson. For only $4 per person, we were able to rent a kayak, a life vest and the paddle (all you need). Having never taken part in this activity before, we were woefully unprepared, but have since learned several valuable lessons. The kayaks we rented were the “sit-on-top” variety, and took quite a bit of getting used to. I’ve never sat in that sort of position for very long, and my legs certainly felt it once we were done.

What lessons did we learn? Actually, quite a few. Interestingly enough, the kayaks have holes in the bottom of them, so you end up getting fairly wet. Our jean-shorts were ill-prepared for such an endeavor, so we’ll remember to wear bathing suits next time. Likewise, sandals or flip-flops are a must (we left our sneakers and socks in the car and went barefoot). Sunscreen is also a must, and a sleeveless shirt would certainly help with temperature control. And I need some sort of kayaking gloves, as the blisters on my hands indicate.

Other than these minor problems, the trip was a blast. We are definitely going to try it again, and I may even spring for a kayak of my own if we continue to have as much fun as we did this weekend. If you’ve never given it a try, I heartily recommend it. Now if only we could give some whitewater kayaking a try…