June 29, 2003

Paddling with Bill

was supposed to meet Joan at Belle Haven Marina at 9:30, but I was awake at 5:00 am so I headed out early. I have been nursing a cold that my Dr. tells me is allergies so I didn't think I could get up that early. As the sun rose up into the sky the darkly tanned guy who handles the sail boats and his girlfriend were doing their morning Yoga workout. Pure poetry in motion, even if it did make my body ache to watch.

Around 8:00 I'm all loaded up and ready to go when Bill Dodge pulls up. He has a last minute trip to the sailing marina up his sleeve. He suggests I call Joan and tell her to come on down.

We meet a woman with a brand new Chesapeake 17. I give her a hand with her boat and ask her a little about it. She tells me it is her first time out this season. I think it is her first time out. Bill and I talk to her about CPA. She is invited to tag along but after thinking about it, declines. I doubt she will be out as long as we are today. She wobbles away from shore like we all did as a new paddler.

Joan arrives by 8:30, along with 2 others going out with us today. We launch and head towards Jones Point Lighthouse. It always takes my motor a while to warm up so I'm naturally in the back, and Bill keeps me company. He asks me if I know why the lighthouse is so far into the cove and not out on the point. When I say 'no' he chuckles and starts with his trademark lead-in to his stories "Wellllll...."

Bill tells me that the lighthouse, which is literally a house with a light in the roof, was on the point many years ago. The area has filled in since the lighthouse was built. I told him I always suspected they filled in the area when they built the Woodrow Wilson bridge. Bill, who is somewhere in his 70's, tells me he remembers the area filled in before they built the bridge.

I love paddling with Bill. I learn something new about our local history every time I do. I have a deep respect for his common sense, his love of history, and his sound paddling judgement.

We slowed down as we passed the point to inspect the bridge structure that is being built next to the Woodrow Wilson bridge. They were just starting to pound in the footings when I left for Japan, and now I see them rising up above the surface four across all the way to the other side of the river. The tops are angled to meet up with the arches that will support the roadway. It is not often we get to inspect a bridge of this magnitude being assembled from the water. It appeared they were getting one of the forms ready to build the first arch.

Past the bridge and by the dinner boats. They looked to be getting ready to accept passengers. We paddled on up to the sailing marina where a bunch of small sail boats were getting ready to head out to the Potomac to race.

On the trip back we pass the sail boat race. On shore at the power plant a fire is burning and I paddle close to inspect. I watch to see if anyone is watching the fire. I paddle down river a small bit to look for anyone who might be minding the driftwood fire, and finding no one, paddle back to extinguish it. I had dragged several of the logs into the water when I heard someone cussing at me. I turned toward the voice and saw him give me the finger and cuss some more. I started to explain why I was putting it out and as I squared to face him he suddenly looked a bit nervous. I'm not sure if it was because of the radio antenna sticking out of my pocket, the river knife strapped across my chest, the fact I had a good 100 lbs. on him, or if he suddenly noticed the two big guys sitting in the water just behind me, but he turned and hurried away like a frightened little rabbit and I finished putting out the fire. Now quite a bit irked at his attitude, and him being oblivious to the several hundred (thousand?) tons of coal only a stone's throw away at the power plant.

We got back to the marina and I felt ready to do another 10 miles. Instead I loaded my kayak back on the car and called it a day.

Woody