If you've been wondering why this place has been so quiet lately, it's because I'm busy entertaining an old college buddy of mine who's visiting from Spain. We spent the weekend barbequeing, drinking, and canoeing...although not necessarily in that order.

Yesterday, we rented a 17-foot canoe and went for a long paddle down the Chippewa River. We arranged for the rental place to pick us up at a bridge about 9 miles outside of Eau Claire.

We had the river all to ourselves and the weather was perfect. We spotted several majestic bald eagles as well as blue herons, Canadian geese, beaver, muskrats, and fish jumping out of the brown, silty water.

We paddled for hours on end against a stiff wind that wouldn't let up. The river was low and slow-moving, so we didn't make very good time. When we finally arrived at the bridge and pulled our canoe up on the shore, we felt like we'd just stepped out of the slave-galley scene from Ben-Hur where Charleton Heston paddles for months on end while his biceps get bigger and bigger until he steps off the boat looking like Hercules. We were ready to fight in the Coliseum!

A couple of pathetically inadequate photographs can be viewed here.

I should return to a more regular blogging schedule next week, good Lord willin' and the river don't rise...