Summer of Love

I debated whether to call this post Summer of Love or Labor of Love.  Running a kayaking business is a bit of both.  This summer seems to be flying by.

Running a kayak business isn't all fun and games.  There is a lot of "invisible work" that goes into running the business.  Countless hours are spent on the phone, replying to emails, writing newsletters, scheduling, managing photos, posting on social media, planning trips, cleaning and maintaining gear, bookkeeping, managing the website, banking, and the list goes on.  In our 10th season I am learning to take it in stride and finding humor and enjoyment in it.  One question I got this summer was about our return policy - I could have verbatim rattled off LFK's cancellation/no show policy.  Instead, I responded "Our goal is to bring'em back alive."

Poster that I created for the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce.

This summer, I am spending a lot of time guiding our wildlife and nature history tours on the Noyo River Estuary.  I love it!  Each trip is different. Our trips often include first time kayakers that don't know how to swim, families with kids of all ages, as well as seasoned paddlers.  I like to challenge myself to improve my teaching and guiding methods to meet the individual needs and interests of all participants on the trip.

I really enjoy incorporating my knowledge of the natural world into the kayaking experience - aka "nerding" out on nature.

Doe and fawns checking out the kayakers on the Noyo River.

With the maturity of our business, I am continuing to learn how to create time to enjoy life within the busy summer season - and making Jeff do it too.  At the end of the day, we are dog tired.  We often go to bed early but with smiles on our faces.

Jeff and I enjoying dinner that we caught and grew. 

Carving time out for life means regular mountain bike rides, trail running, kayak surfing, kayak fishing, time with friends and sometimes quiet time with a book.  Last week, we managed to slip away to the South Fork American to connect with some friends and run whitewater.

Kayak fishing on the Mendocino coast.

Our summer garden is producing.  It is so nice to come home and pick fresh vegetables for dinner.  Our winter crop of kale continues to produce, and we have been eating it as well as fresh broccoli, zucchini, and lettuce.  The cabbage is starting to make nice heads and the tomatoes and cucumbers are coming along.

Last week, I was wishing I had some fresh potatoes to go with the rock cod that we just caught.  I was doing some digging in the garden and unexpectedly found a fresh batch of red potatoes.  Fresh kale and potatoes from our garden and fish that we caught in the ocean. YUM!

Food of our labor - fish we caught and vegetables from the garden.

All is not perfect of course.  The house is a bit of a mess.  Oh, well - its summer time!