Paddling Out 2011

After another interesting night of weather at the camp we woke up to clear skies and slight winds but everything was frozen solid from the sleet that pounded down on us last night. I made the slightest suggestion to Robyn of heading out for a paddle and next thing we were suited up and on our way. We decided to launch out of Cooper's Cove as we expected there would be mirror like conditions but prepping the kayaks on the coldest day we have paddled in so far was a bit of a challenge. At least we didn't have to dump the water out of the cockpit covers since it was a frozen block of ice. Yeah..... I should have taken a picture DOH!

Trying not to get our feet wet I helped Robyn into her ride nice and dry I came up with the great plan of resting the stern of my yak on a log with the bow in the water. My theory was that I could get into the cockpit and with a nudge slide into the water. HA!!!! Butt and one foot in and the kayak decided it wanted to head to the water with me half in. Contact with the water resulted in a half roll, one leg soaked and Robyn chuckling nearby. Another DOH!

Last day of the year... you wouldn't think it is Dec 31st.

Back to more conventional loading techniques and I (we) were soon on our way out of the cove heading south towards Billings Point. Lots of Cormorants sunning themselves on the pilings on this brisk morning. They didn't seem to mind us today. We have found that Cormorants tend to be very nervous and don't hang around for their picture to be taken unless it is from a distance.

On the opposite side of the spit

We made our way along the shoreline down to the point where the ebbing current carried me past the spit to the opposite side. Checking our GPS track later I noticed that as we came closer to the spit our speed increased (dark blue) without even paddling as the ebb flow from the basin was taking us for a ride.  Robyn managed to get  a picture of me poking around the spit before I entered the current and worked my way back over to her. For the next kilometre we had a pretty good work out against the ebb current until we got out into open water on our way back to Cooper's Cove.



Crossing the Sooke Basin on a day when the water was like glass was amazing. We were visited by numerous seals that were hanging out around the crab traps. We were also taught a lesson today when the water in front of us came "alive" with a strong breeze from the east.

One second like glass....... the next here comes the wind.

In a split second the water rippled all around us and within the next 5 minutes we were slogging through a 1.5 foot chop just starting to threaten us with whitecaps. We took a few waves over the bow and it was a good workout paddling against the predicated 15-20 knot winds. A bit of everything today to make the last paddle of the year memorable.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year for 2012

Mark & Robyn

Back In The Cockpit Again

It's been a very trying few weeks since our last paddle with all the Christmas festivities and my back taking it's time to come around to the point where I can even think about getting into a kayak again. I guess one thing I have to be thankful for is that I was well prepared for Christmas this year with all of my shopping and wrapping done two weeks early. I have no idea how I would have managed tackling the shopping crowds in the shape that I was in.

So after almost a week of  walking around like Quasimodo, suffering relentless back spasms and not getting results from over the counter medications, I cried "uncle" and asked for help from Robyn. I think she was relieved when I made that decision and her suggestion was to pay a visit to her Registered Massage Therapist since she has had great success in correcting an old running injury. Thank goodness I could hobble to the RMT as getting into our truck was an adventure and getting out just plain excruciating so driving was out of the question.

My new found RMT "Lisa" went to work on me for an hour isolating the epicenter of the spasms and relieved the tension throughout my back. I was totally amazed that after that one hour session I was able to stand up straight and the spasms had ceased although I was pretty sore. Another session 3 days later on Christmas Eve allowed me to enjoy Christmas day activities and press on with our plans of RV'ing through New Year's and maybe getting into the kayaks. Could Fairy Dust be real?? ;-)

We are now camped at Weir's Beach RV Park through New Year's and today it was time to take to the water after a real blowing storm roared on shore overnight. We awoke to overcast skies, almost no wind at all and small rollers breaking on the sandy beach. After a quick breakfast it was time to test out the back prepping and hauling the kayaks to the surf. Aahhh..... there's nothing like getting back on the water again and today was no exception other than taking a roller over the bow before I could get my skirt on. LOL

At this time of year the water is so crystal clear and we explored the coastline heading towards William Head where a tide race was visible. Robyn's keen eye spotted something off our port side and as I paddled closer to it I thought it was toy sail boat but as it grew in size I soon realized that it was the remains of a floating lantern. In Japan, the Toro Nagashi (lantern cruise) is to commemorate those lost in  events and the belief is that it guides the spirit to the other world and the lantern represents their bodies returning to the sea from where we first came from.

I decided that we would take it back to our camp with us and maybe we could light the lantern again later this week and send it back out onto the ocean currents. Where did it come from? Who sent it? We will never know but this simple act of kindness that was sent upon the waves reached us today and just for a moment in time we have become connected in a special way.

Not wanting to push the luck with my back, we headed back to camp after crossing Parry Bay getting a good look at our camp from the water. The forecast is for another storm to arrive tonight but maybe, just maybe we can get on the water on New Year's Eve. You might wonder about kayaking in the winter and the first thought is cold but if you dress and prepare properly it can be a very rewarding experience.

A Christmas Wish

What would this world be like if every day we celebrated peace on earth like we do at this time of year? Even though we are all alone in space, the people of this amazing blue planet somehow manage to put differences aside and show that we care for one another.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Not Waiting For A Resolution

After getting all of our Christmas shopping and chores completed earlier in the week we were looking forward to a paddle this weekend however my back decided to throw a wrench into our plans.  So I am "beached" for the next week or so while gradually getting onto my feet again and hopefully the kayak during the Christmas break.

Sometimes it takes a situation like this to refresh one's memory and take action (once again) that will improve quality of life for the future. It was only a few years back that I had similar back issues and I came to the conclusion that the excess hibernation body fat that I was carrying around above my waistline didn't help. I also came to realization that my eating habits were not good and that the short term pleasure of eating crap resulted in long term pain and suffering. Simple things like tying shoe laces became a struggle and as my center of gravity moved higher my balance while hiking or just moving around quickly was effected.  Most of all.... I just didn't feel good.

I embarked on a plan to begin exercising (running), my eating habits changed radically and the results were amazing. I lost almost 40 pounds, ran in a few 8K and 10K events and most of all I felt younger, had more energy, slept better and life was all good. However, the past year or so I kinda fell "out of my kayak" so to speak by exercising less and less while drive-through windows have became more convenient. The worst thing was that I was able to convince myself that the downward slide was OK.  Starting to kayak was only a bandaid solution and even though I feel great after a day on the water, I am only lying to myself that I am on the right track.

This time of year it is common to hear about the up and coming New Year's Resolutions and if you really think about it, it's so sad  how long one of those self promises really lasts. So in a nutshell.... why wait until midnight on December 31st to make a change? 

Is some magical fairy going to cast a spell on you that will  change you when the calender flips from 2011 to 2012??  If I had 1 cent for every New Year's Resolution broken I would be a very rich man in wealth but not in body or spirit.

So....I'm not waiting for that magical time 2 weeks away when tonight is my chance to make a change.  I have decided that I will change things now, survive through the yummy Christmas treats temptations and surge ahead into 2012.  Now all I have to do is get back on my feet again and that will happen later this week cause Santa is coming!

Robyn and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! (even if you have to wait until then to make your resolution) :-) Until then... Happy Paddling!

  

Time Flys By When You're Having Fun!!

Today is a time to reflect on a special journey that we have taken and be thankful for memories that we have shared together. It was a stormy weekend in Victoria back in 1983 when Robyn and I became one and began our lives together.

That special day didn't get off to great start as while my wedding "crew" were waiting at the church we saw Robyn's limo pull up, come to a stop and then bolt off! Well..... that marriage didn't last long. LOL  Turns out that Robyn's dad (our professional photographer) had forgotten his camera equipment and off they went to get the old SLR equipment. Where was iPhone to the rescue back then???  LOL

Our ceremony was uneventful except for my SLR camera with one of those big bulky flash units that my dad was using hit the ground with a smash. Was this an omen about cameras???  Not long after that we cried together as we signed the register and rode off into the sunset to start our journey together.

28 years later we embark on new adventures and we even thought about going for a paddle this morning to celebrate even on this frosty morning. However, time didn't permit as we headed into downtown Victoria this morning to spend the weekend with our "buds" Dave & Kelly. We played tourist today in our own town, wining and dining (Il Terrazo) spending the night at the Grand Pacific. This has actually become an annual event for the four of us as it gives us a chance to check out the Christmas trees at The Empress Hotel, the Teddy Bear auction at the Grand Pacific and new for this year the Ginger Bread House display at the Laurel Point.

28 years and counting. Many more years of paddling together to come!

Downtown Victoria is really an amazing to visit and during the Christmas season the lights turn the night time into a magical place. Didn't bring an old SLR camera with us but this time Dave's iPhone came to the rescue to capture our celebration tonight. Time flys by and we haven't changed one bit huh???

The Inner Harbour By Water - Updated Google Earth Map

Robyn glides in front of The Empress Hotel. Hard to believe it is December huh?

Ever since we started kayaking we have wanted to spend some time exploring the Victoria Inner Harbour as we feel it is such a special place. Where do you get to see the world famous Empress Hotel, the British Columbia Parliament Buildings, and one of the busiest float plane ports in the world all within your field of view? 

We launched from the Ocean River dock (thanks guys) at 11:15am under cloudy skies but the water was absolutely dead flat and no wind at all. One of our quests today was to visit a local Inukshuk and share some knowledge with him. I also wanted to watch the Dehavilland Twin Otters landing and taking off right next to where we were paddling as I have a special interest in these wonderful aviation workhorses.

After passing under the "Blue Bridge" our timing was perfect to see a West Coast Air 300 Series Twin Otter taxiing out for take-off. I am involved in the the Viking Air 400 Series Twin Otter build and seeing this amazing aircraft fly and my contribution to the new program made me feel proud.

The Geocache hunter tracks down Inukshuk

Our next stop was Colvile Island, home of the Inukshuk and keeper of a Geocache. Landing on the island was a bit of a challenge as there really wasn't a beach so after circumnavigating the island I picked a spot where I could get out of my boat while Robyn took pictures of my visit. To my surprise the island was almost completely covered with Canada Goose squat and my trek to the wise one was very slippery. As promised by the cache information, this Inukshuk was wearing a backpack and the cache was inside it. Very cool!

I signed the log book noting his last visit was in September. Next time you paddle by the island take a close look at the Inukshuk and what he is wearing. As I started my trek back to where my kayak "was", Robyn was gently nudging my ride back to the island as it decided to gently glide away on it's own. I kinda thought this would happen but I knew Robyn would look after her for me.





We made our way over to the West Bay Marina to check out the RV park and boat launch for future weekend adventures. Most of the waterfront sites were full and why not with such a spectacular view of the inner harbour. If you decide to stay here it is an easy 20 minute stroll to the inner harbour or you can take the water taxis when they are running.

Being a Sunday, the float plane traffic wasn't very busy neither was the pleasure craft traffic entering the harbour. We scanned the skies for any aircraft on approach and none of the white strobe lights were on so we crossed the harbour entrance over to the Coast Guard facility and paddled to Fisherman's Wharf to check out some of the house boats and floating fast food facilities. One in particular had a "Paddle Through" window which we thought was pretty neat. I can only imagine how busy it must be in the summer.

Rounding Laurel Point we made our way into James Bay and past The Undersea Gardens. Here "we" were tourist photo central but we had amazing views ourselves of The Empress. We paddled our way back to Ocean River checking out the Flying Otter Grill and one cool paint job on a Turbo Otter decked out in the Jr. "A" Victoria Royals hockey club colors.

Did I mention that I fly the blimp at the Royals hockey games???

Another great day on the water and our first time paddling on consecutive days only today....... I didn't use my rudder :-). I am continuing my self taught process of using GPS Visualizer and managed to figure out the speed colourization for our track today. Update: Dec. 6th Well, I managed to figure out some of the editing features in GPS Visual with Google Earth and you will see below our direction, distance and a few reference points that I have added.

Cadboro Bay to Oak Bay Marina

All week we have been waiting to get out on the water with the forecast of cold (6C) but calm sunny skies so I loaded the kayaks on the truck while the defroster did it's magic on the windows and got the cab nice and toasty. The goal today was to be on the waters of Cadboro Bay by 10:30am and right on the money..... we paddled off into the winter sunrise.  LOL

We have been following Kayak Yak's blog and decided to invade their home paddling sea gardens and the experience didn't let us down. Our first port of call was the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and we talked to some of the sail boat captains readying their Illusions and Deceptions racing boats for the weekly Saturday regatta. These little sail boats are scale replicas of America Cup boats and I have to admit it was neat to see them all lined up on the dock.

Next up was taking a look at the new Oak Bay Beach Hotel so we paddled through some of the small islets on the way past Cattle Point to Mary Tod Island to get another Geocache on the way.

Robyn a.k.a. RVTraveller logs her Geocache find on Mary Tod Island

We paddled through the Oak Bay Marina to get a close up view of the monstrosity of a hotel being built and believe me.. it's not worth a photo at this point as it is all covered with scaffolding and tarps. Heading back we navigated our way back under the Marina Coffee House to where the tourists were feeding seals. Neither the seals nor the tourists seemed to care that we were taking their photo. The seals sure have a good "gig" going here. LOL

It was time to head back to Gyro Park and we paddled through the boats moored outside the marina. I checked out what looks like a aircraft fuselage being invaded by sea otters. It actually is some form of a hovercraft and the otters use the base to dine on after retrieving shellfish from the bottom.

After casually paddling along the shore of Willows Beach and back around Cattle Point we decided to put our increasing paddling skills to test and cross Cadboro Bay towards Jemmy Jones Island Ecological Reserve.

Caught by the Willows Beach web cam.  LOL

The tide was running against us at about 1 knot as we rounded the right side of the island and found a seagull feasting a rock fish on the shore. I wondered how a seagull would end up getting a fish like this but he had no idea that the eagle that just flew over our heads with talons and full flaps down was about to steal his catch! Talk about one angry gull as the eagle pounced on his dinner and flew off! LOL

Now... have you ever felt a bump on the bottom of your kayak and wondered what the heck was that? Well the water was so clear today that we could see what was happening and "who" was doing the bumping. Seals... yup those spotted furry little fellows with the big eyes seem to be very curious of kayaks and today one in particular liked zipping back and forth under our boats. Then to my amazement he rolled inverted and swam up to Robyn's rudder and started bumping it with nose. I scrambled to get my camera ready and I just managed to capture him checking out the rudder. Pretty cool!

Heading back along the shore we passed Flower Island and saw numerous Oyster Catchers chattering away on the shoreline. Their brilliant long red beak is such a contrast to their black feathers. We also got to see close up of some of the mansions on the north side of the bay....holy cow!! BLING!!!!!

A couple of other kayakers pass by us on their way to their house next door

Yeah.... I have some work to do on capturing the GPS file.... another day.

Back at the beach at 14:15 in what turned out to be a fantastic December day. Now..... where do we go tomorrow???? LOL  

Tail Of The Gecko Paddler

The navigator..........Gecko Paddler

Gecko Paddler?? Why, you ask? It's pretty simple really...... I like Geckos and they have been part of my outdoors adventures for the past several years. So naturally it makes sense that Gecko Paddler is me and I am him. Confused yet?

Ok....if you have been reading my previous posts I have mentioned Geocaching a few times which Robyn and I started playing back in 2005. Joining the Geocaching community requires a unique username and mine is Gecko Cacher which came about after Robyn and I celebrated our 25th anniversary in the Caribbean. This was also my first exposure to the amazing live Gecko and ever since he has been me and I him. 

What is Geocaching you ask? In a nutshell.... it's hunting for Tupperware in the woods  LOL. No seriously, Geocaching is a game where you use a GPS to hide and search for containers called caches and then share the experience on line. It's a world wide game with over 1.5 million active caches and over 5 million users in play and some are accessed only by water. So what do you get when you merge a Gecko Cacher with a paddler? Gecko Paddler... see quite simple no?

Cooper's Cove on an amazing sunny and calm November day

Today Robyn (a.k.a. RVTraveller) and I went paddling at Cooper's Cove and like always Robyn had the caches in the area loaded on her Garmin Oregon GPS. As we headed out towards the Sooke Basin Robyn said that there was a cache a few hundred feet directly ahead on a small island. So we found a suitable location that I could dry exit my boat and I spotted the round container under a small fir tree. As customary, I  opened the container and checked the trinkets inside to see if there was anything I wanted to trade for (there wasn't) and then signed the log book for both Gecko Cacher and RVTraveller. This was our first Geocache find by water and we were pretty happy as there are lots of them to be found on the west coast.

Back in the boat after finding the Geocache

After yesterday's crazy west coast storm it was amazing to see how calm and warm it was and we took advantage of it by crossing the Basin and headed towards Roche Cove. The tides were perfect for entering the cove with only about a 1 knot current that we had to paddle through under the trestle.

  

Robyn cuts through the "glassy" water of the Sooke Basin

Exiting Roche Cove

The Sooke Basin has so many paddling areas that you could spend several days exploring the all the nooks and cranny's. We will be back for sure..... to enjoy the great paddling and find some of the other water accessible Geocaches.

If you are wondering where I got the Gecko decal on my kayak, I made it myself by using artwork from a local Geocache supplier known as Landsharkz (with permission). It is a trackable item which can be discovered by other Geocachers and I can log it as visiting caches like the one we found today so it will gain miles traveled while Geocaching.

The next storm is coming ashore tonight and the forecast doesn't look great for getting on the water again until next weekend. Oh well..... today was perfect!

Capturing Our Adventure

Winter is starting to make its presence here on the west coast as our second storm of the season came ashore earlier today dumping lots of rain and winds howling. Even so, Robyn and I are committed to paddle through the winter months as long as we can keep warm, relatively dry and the winds are in our favour. This coming weekend we hope to get onto the water to check out a GoPro Hero camera (thanks Kris) and see what we capture on.... I was going to say film but...... SD Memory LOL.

When I first started researching this great hobby of kayaking I was memorized by the video clips of instruction (thanks Brett), tidal race euphoria, narrows surfing, expedition travels or what ever I could find on the internet. GoPro has certainly made this easy and affordable with a complete line of of accessories developed to work around the same camera platform. How many companies do you know that start with a great product and make it adaptable to so many different needs?

This past weekend I tested the GoPro at an indoor R/C session flying one of my 5.5 oz electric airplanes to see how it would work. I was amazed at the field of view that was captured when I reviewed the video. After doing a little research on the net about conversion software I chose the freeware Square 5 MPEG Streamclip to edit and convert the GoPro HD file to an AVI file and then used MS Movie Maker to add a title. I then finished everything off with conversion back into an MP4 file with Leawo MP4 Converter. Since this is just a test to see how everything worked I didn't add music but if you listen carefully you can hear my little outrunner motor as the plane flies by. 

After posting the video it's not as clear as the original video so I will have to work on the conversion process as well as using a video window that will allow HD presentation. More research, more research :-)

A Time To Remember

With the Remembrance Day long weekend upon us it is time to reflect on the sacrifices of those who have paid so dearly. I wondered silently if there will come a time when this will be all forgotten but it seems that conflicts will continue and more sacrifices will be made by those who serve. Today we attended the Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Saanich Municipal Hall where Kelly was playing with the Victoria Police Pipe Band. It's been a long time since I attended a November 11th. service and I was happy that we took this one in.

Kelly, 2nd from the left pipes the band into the ceremony 

Our friends Pat & Hartley came over from Sechelt for a long weekend of Geocaching, good food and laughs and we are using the Reaville grotto as home base for a couple of days. After a great lunch at the Bard & Banker in down town Victoria we headed over to Ogden Point to search for a few "caches" and to experience forces of nature making a presence on the breakwater.

This was not a day that we would take to the water with our trusty rides. I have grown to appreciate the power of the ocean and she further gained my respect today. However, I know she will once again become calm and I will paddle her surface once more.

Venturing Out to Little Shell Island

This morning we decided to give Sidney another try since the southwest winds were light and the sun was warming the morning. Heading to the Ardwell Drive launch site we drove along the water front on Lochside Drive and sure enough there was a slight ripple present. This was going to be a great day!!!

After getting our rides ready, I checked my watch and noted the 10:30 departure time as we paddled out of Roberts Bay and headed south to the Sidney Harbour. We paddled around Roberts Point and an armada of sailboats were hoisting their sails off the Sidney Pier ready to race but the winds weren't in favor of them today. However.... it was a great day for a paddle!

Warm sun, calm seas, slight breeze and a beautiful fall day!

We continued south past the pier and I had a little chat with the people looking down at us before continuing towards the Anacortes Ferry Terminal. The ferry hadn't arrived yet so we turned around and headed back towards the Little Group of  islands where we made a quick assessment of the conditions and pleasure craft traffic present. The tide was running with us so we picked a spot on the nearest island which happened to be Little Shell Island and started out into open water for the first time. The crossing was about 1 nautical mile and as we paddled through a tide line a big salmon (10 -15lbs) swam right up to the cockpit of Robyn's kayak before splashing back under the surface..... what an amazing thing to experience!

It didn't take long to make the crossing and we slowly navigated around Little Shell Island and found a beautiful little cove on the north side out of the current influence. Paddling in the clear turquoise water with a beach that was covered with broken white shells reminded us of the Caribbean except there were no palm trees and it wasn't 29 degrees. A great place to stop and have our lunch.

All along I had been keeping an eye on the conditions and there wasn't the slightest hint that winds were about to change so after checking our maps we decided to press on towards Coal Island. As we arrived at Killer Whale Point (there were no killer whales here LOL) we saw about 25 seals sunning themselves on the small reefs just before the point. Giving them a wide berth we paddled slowly by and I heard splashing behind me and was amazed to see about 10 seals playing in my wake. They seemed to be very curious of us and were doing dolphin leaps and chasing each other. 

The seal reefs...... and they wanted to play with us!

We then entered John Passage on the west side of Coal Island and saw a family of sea otters playing in the kelp beds close to the shoreline. When they finally saw us they headed to the safety of their den of logs in a crevice. They are very cute little critters and remind me much of cats but they live in the water. As I glided by I managed to capture their "who's that?" look on a couple of them.

The day just couldn't be any better and we could have stayed out here longer but with the time change and the sun starting to settle down low in the south east and it was time to make our way back to the launch point. We crossed by Fernie Island over to Curtesis Point and Robyn pointed out the house she did bookkeeping work in up to last week. I think she is going to miss the kayakers passing by at the new location in Central Saanich :-)

A quick transit into Tsehum Harbour to check out the incoming pleasure craft ( boy some of them are big and expensive) and around Armstrong Point back to the beach where we started from 4 hours earlier. Along the way we stopped to talk to a local resident who was prepping his crab traps on his small poly kayak in hopes of a crab dinner tomorrow night. Honey......we need a crab trap for these outings!!!

Edited 11/7/11 - I added our route that we followed heading south out of Roberts Bay

Robyn's 1st Blog Entry - Pat Bay

Apparently it's my turn to blog!  And since we had such a great day today I don't mind. We decided that it wasn't going to rain so we thought we'd go for a paddle in the new Delta's.  We loaded up and drove out to Ardwell Rd. in Sidney.  It was pretty choppy so we headed over to the other side of the peninsula, Pat Bay.  The waters here were flat calm so we pulled up at the launch site, geared up and carted the kayaks down the stairs to the beach.  We headed out towards the float plane dock and watched a Salt Spring Air float plane touch down and dock.  We paddled over and took a few photos.  Mark chatted with the pilot and told him those were ‘his’ windows in the plane.  (I’m not sure if the pilot believed him).

 

 

There was a raft of logs nearby covered in seals basking in the sunshine so we took a few photos.   Although a few of them took to the water, most of them didn’t seem to care that we were nearby and posed quite nicely, even with the noisy float plane taking off close by.  A few seals swam near us and did some spy hopping.  I think they were hoping for a hand-out.

 

The Coast Guard had two ships docked nearby so got up close and checked them out.  They certainly seem a lot bigger when you’re next to them in the kayak rather than viewing them from a dock.

 

We hugged the coastline and continued past the Institute of Ocean Sciences property.  The houses in this area are pretty spectacular, especially the one that looks like a castle.  The water was crystal clear so we spent lots of time staring down at the bottom.  Personally I was looking for a crab for dinner.  I’m not sure what would have happened if I’d seen one.  I certainly wasn’t going in for it and probably Mark wouldn’t either.

 

 

 

 

We paddled around the point and in the Ardmore area we saw a nice beach, so we pulled up and had our lunch.  We did a few seat and pedal adjustments (as we’re still finding that perfect fit with our boats) and just relaxed.  We looked across at Mill Bay and decided we definitely had to get over there one day and explore.

 

 

After finishing off our thermos of hot tea we were back into the kayaks and heading to the truck.  Approaching our launch site we realized our little beach had disappeared!!!  Darn tide.  All in all a very nice day, about 3 hours of relaxation.  And best of all .  .  .  I’m looking forward to going out again tomorrow.

Robyn