My wife was interested in looking at kayaks this afternoon so we stopped at a shop in the Twin Cities to see what they had on hand. It turns out that the kayak choices were a bit limited, but there was a brand new Northwind 17 (in aramid lay-up and with ash gunnels) on the canoe rack. It had been there for less than a day, so our timing couldn’t have been much better. My wife was able to convince me that this was the ideal opportunity to get my first real tripping canoe and, to make a short story even shorter, it’s now ours.

I’m really excited to no longer have to rent a canoe for my BWCA trips, and my wife thinks it’s a beautiful boat. I couldn’t believe that I was able to find a brand new canoe without even really looking for one!

You obviously have your priorities right as a couple!

Congrats on the new canoe.

Congratulations PP. Best wishes for many happy years of paddling together!

andym: "You obviously have your priorities right as a couple!


Congrats on the new canoe. "

Thanks, Andym! Off topic, but if I remember well (definitely not guaranteed at this point in my life), you’re a geoscientist, aren’t you?

Jackfish: "Congratulations PP. Best wishes for many happy years of paddling together! "

Thank you! I’ve been tripping for over 25 years and this my first tripping canoe. I guess I’ll have really baby it!

Good for you... Congratulations! Bet you are eager to get it on the water.

Your wife is so smart, and you are lucky to be with her. Congratulations on your fabulous new ride!

Yes, I’m a seismologist.

I also have a wife who likes buying canoes and other small craft.

Congrats! Nice ride.

T

Can you have your wife call my wife !!?

andym: "Yes, I’m a seismologist.


I also have a wife who likes buying canoes and other small craft. "

I got my geology and geophysics degrees in the early 1980s, right about when the oil market crashed and the mineral exploration industry was in the middle of a steep downturn. There was a joke going around then that was something like:

Q: "What do you call a geologist?"
A: "Hey, waiter!"

So, like many other recent geoscience graduates at that time I ended up in the then-nascent environmental industry. It's been a good career and I'm actually very close to the end of it, but I admit that I'm envious of those who were able stake out a career as actual geoscientists. I guess timing is everything!

Congrats; post pics when you can.

You should buy some lotto tickets before your good JuJu evaporates.

Timing is everything. Fortunately, I wasn’t interested in the oil industry and so those swings didn’t affect me. Although I did see them hitting a lot of my friends. My bit of very good luck was that my wife started working at the USGS during grad school and I managed to join her there and both got permanent jobs. So we’ve both been there our whole careers.

My impression of the environmental industry was that it is very high pressure but important work. I lost a couple of assistants to it in the late 1980s. There was no way we could complete with the consulting companies on salary.

Congratulations! Enjoy.