2012

The Joy of Music, But Ode to Joy?

There is and always has been some great music coming out of Africa.  But Beethoven and Bach? As I was waiting for the closing ceremonies of the Olympics to get started I decided to watch 60 Minutes.  The show always has some very interesting stories and is a good place to discover things that you […]

No Matter How Old (Young) You Are You Can Do Good

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the daughter of a friend of mine who had been traveling to Uganda to work on a community water project.  Well even the generation after her is doing great things. My partners Steve Chumbley and Teena Payne have a 5 year old son Aidan Chumbley.  I have […]

Some Amazing African Olympic Stories

I enjoy watching the Olympics.  While I marvel at the athletic talent that I see on the TV screen it is the human factor stories that I find most interesting and move me the most. There are stories of the Maasai David Rudisha from Kenya setting a new world record in the 800 meters (I […]

Kayaking In Southern California – Check out California Kayaker Magazine!

Almost every weekend you can find me with a group of friends kayaking out of Marina Del Rey California.  Last weekend I led 12 of us on a 20 mile paddle.  We paddled 10 miles to the famous Gladstone’s restaurant in Malibu, had lunch and paddled back.  A tiring but incredible day.  More on that […]

You Have Made Origami Cranes – How About A Kayak?

Generally it’s bad news when you hear that someone’s business is folding, but in this case it’s good news — for kayakers. When I travel and I am going to be by the water I will always look for an opportunity to paddle – even if it is a dugout with a stick and tin […]

Cheers To the Next Generation – Be Very Hopeful

Third Time’s a Charm: Working on a Water Project in Eastern Uganda I have a good friend Wes Siegner, whose twin daughters are the same age as my son.  Last month we were discussing (and bragging) that they had all just graduated from college and what their plans were.  After Wes finally got a word […]

Adapting To Reality (TV)

On June 5th I told you about an episode of the Sundance Channel’s Push Girls. This reality series features the lives of 4 young women who are in wheelchairs but lead some pretty incredible lives. Last night’s episode (which you can get on ITunes and see it repeated on the Sundance Channel – it is […]

I Always Like To Be Validated

A good friend of ours, Andy Sheng, (pet photographer extraordinaire – check him out at www.otisandlucy.com) sent me an article that recently appeared on the CNN web site.  Called “Tanzania Take a Ride on the Wild Side” every thing the article said was right on the money.  Book with a safari operator, the type of […]