August 28, 2001 — I’m still not sure if I really grasp the whole concept of the Poker Run on Lake Lanier — which, for what it’s worth, is touted as the largest event of its kind in the world. On Aug. 18, more than 300 boats participated in this …
Read more“It’s lovely to live on a raft. We had the sky, up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made, or only just happened.” — Huckleberry Finn August 15, 2001 — “We are …
Read more“We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy on a raft.” — Huckleberry Finn August 14, 2001 — Marshmallow Island. That’s what we called it, at least. It’s …
Read moreMay 22, 2001 — Forgive me. I’m having trouble concentrating. I keep looking out the window instead of at my computer screen. I’d rather be out on the Chattahoochee River — floating along, fishing out of a kayak — instead of writing this column. I hadn’t tried it before last …
Read moreMay 8, 2001 — Gene Teany is beat up. A lifetime in the Army and three tours of duty in Vietnam will do that to you. Teany is 65 years old. He has arthritis, a bad back, trick knees and weak ankles. He walks with the guarded gait of a …
Read moreSeptember 26, 2000 — The fishermen stared at us. That’s about all they could do. Their once tranquil fishing hole on Lake Lanier suddenly became Atlanta Motor Speedway. A large flash of purple and orange is likely all they saw. But they could feel the wakes. And they could hear …
Read moreMay 23, 2000 — Henry Kannapell and I stood along the shore, studying the sun-soaked waters of Lake Lanier, sizing up our opposition. We were silent for a moment. And then Kannapell — one of my 20 or so teammates for the sixth annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival of …
Read moreMay 16, 2000 — Back. Arm. Shoulder. Side. Backside. Legs. Did I say back? Perhaps it would be easier to list the parts of my body that weren’t sore after my first dragon boat paddling practice less than two weeks ago: There. You see, all the right parts were sore, …
Read moreMay 9, 2000 — This day was going to be different. I could feel it. I could hear it. A chorus of chimes serenaded me as I sat on the dock, awaiting my third attempt at sailing on Lake Lanier. The choristers, hundreds of sailboats bobbing gently in their slips, …
Read moreOctober 5, 1999 — It’s an awkward, counterintuitive position. Underwater. Upside-down. Sealed inside a kayak. Down is up. Right and left are confused. Time is of the essence. Any attempt to analyze the situation is swiftly drowned out by an intense urge to get above water — and breath again. …
Read moreJuly 13, 1999 — The corrugated steel body of the boathouse amplified the persistent pitter-patter of raindrops striking the structure’s small frame. I stared out the door, watching round ripples form on the lake’s surface, wondering if I would ever get the opportunity to learn how to water ski. I …
Read more“You know what I was just thinking? The first explorers saw this country, saw it just like us — in a canoe.” Lewis Medlock (Burt Reynolds) in the 1972 motion picture “Deliverance” July 6, 1999 — The Chattooga River is a natural dichotomy. Charming and challenging. Delightful and deadly. Perfect …
Read moreJune 29, 1999 — “If you can’t see the river ahead of you, you know you’re in for some fun,” Gary Gaines hollered back at us with a knowing smile. He then turned his kayak downstream, toward where the Chattahoochee River dropped out of our sight, toward the whitewater that …
Read moreJune 22, 1999 — I remember when my father first taught me how to ride a bicycle — back in days when kids’ heads were hard enough not to require helmets. Holding onto my seat, he ran by my side as I steered the small bike throughout my elementary school’s …
Read moreApril 27, 1999 — It sounded easy enough. Paddle kayak over to little yellow ball. Pick up ball. Throw ball in goal. Yes, it sounded easy enough. But there was one small catch — for me, at least. “Usually, polo requires that you know how to paddle already,” smiled my …
Read moreDecember 15, 1998 — There was a moment during my 13-mile, four-hour kayaking excursion down the Chattahoochee River last week when I stopped paddling and lay back to take a rest. A single leaf fell from the river’s tree-lined banks. It lazily glided through the air, finally landing on the …
Read moreOctober 13, 1998 — “Try singing a song to yourself or something,” my rowing instructor offered from her sliding seat behind me. She could see the muscles in my neck throbbing each time I pulled my oars. She knew I was tense, and she was trying to get me to …
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