CAMPGIRLZ.COM

March has been an exciting time.

I shared a program at Canoecopia, encouraging women to canoe trip & pursue their dream adventures!  It was very exciting, after months of hard work on the presentation, to see women taking notes & looking inspired!  Some women stopped to chat afterwards or sent an email.  I love hearing from you!!    My daughter was in the crowd, & I was surprised how much she was listening. On the way home in the car, she said, ‘Mom, do you  know what my favorite part of your talk was? The part where you said when you were little, you would go outside when you were sad & feel the wind and watch the bugs.’.  I looked in the rearview mirror, and she was relaxed and smiling, looking out the window at the sky.  It really touched me. Thanks to everyone who came to the presentation!  If anyone is interested in this presentation, Trip Like A Girl, for their event or group, just drop me a note.

I have received a few donations & everyone wants to be anonymous!  Thank you to all you anonymous spirits out there.  I greatly appreciate it.  I have decided to use the donations for craft supplies & give-aways at some informational booths I am having.  I am going to have a campgirlz booth at a local Gander Mountain, plus an Earth Day table at a local forest preserve.   Looking into the summer, I am working with a local park district to lead some activities for girls and their parent/guardian.  One will focus on hiking and another on campfire basics.  Should be lotsa fun!!! Google has found me out here in internetland.  I was very excited to get some emails from people who found the site looking for alternatives to TV watching.  If you have not done so, make sure to read through our list of 103 Things to do Besides Watch TV! 

http://www.campgirlz.com/?cat=31

And, last but not least, Gander Mountain donated a hat & bandana for our April Nature Photo Contest.

*You can be any age, male or female to enter.  However, if you are male & win, you have to give the hat to a campgirlz!  *The subject is ‘Camping Fun’.  Please make sure you have permission from any people in the pictures to post online. * The winner will be mailed the hat & bandanna! Send entries to campgirlz777@gmail.com Good luck!

Yes, I know…it is March!  I am behind on my Bug O’ the Month. Even so, we are going to call Bob & Bobette the February Bug (In March).  As it turns out, Bob might have been a Bobette all along, so we are mixed up anyway.

An activity I am naturally inclined towards is watching bugs, trying to determine why they are doing certain activities.  You might say I like coming up with hypotheses about their behavior.  I can watch bugs for a long time & have had this hobby since I was little.  Do you like bugs?  If so, let me know about a bug that you have watched or that you like.

When Bob showed up in the corner of my kitchen window, I let him stay.  You have to be careful of some spiders because they can be poisonous or have a painful bite.  Most spiders will not bite unless provoked.  Bob looked like he was just waiting for a meal.  Plus, he was so high up, he could not hurt anyone from his perch.   I decided that he & I could co-exist.  Since the window screen had a small hole in it, I thought he could help me out & catch any wayward insects coming through the screen.   Bob was a house spider, or Parasteatoda tepidariorum.
One thing that surprised me about Bob was how long he lived!  He stayed in the window corner from April to late September.  I kind of became used to him hanging out there & started to really like watching him.  One day, I woke up & Bob was dead in his web.  I was sort of sad, but was glad I was able to watch him for so long.  I had no idea house spiders could live that long.

When I was cleaning his web out, I noticed a spider that looked just like Bob on the inside of the window pain, with an egg sac!  Just like the photo above.  Hmmmm, for this same species of spider to appear the day Bob died was too much of a coincidence.  I decided that this species of spider must kill their mate, like the black widow.  I named the new spider, Bobette (I know…I am SO original).

Bobette has been in my window all winter.  And, the amazing thing is that even when snow came in through the cracks and the wind howled, she stayed alive.  Sometimes, I thought she was dead, but then I would notice she moved every month or so.  Just lately, I noticed that she appears to be shrinking in size.

I went out of town this weekend & when I came back Bobette had moved her egg sac because someone had disturbed the window.  She looks very tiny now.  I am watching for her eggs to hatch.  I can’t believe I have been watching this type of spider for a YEAR in my window.  I think that is kind of cool.

I also read up on this spider for my post.  I cannot find any information on the female killing her male mate, but I did read that females can be very aggressive towards each other.  It is possible that Bob was always a female & Bobette was a competitor for the window habitat. Maybe Bob & Bobette fought and Bob lost.

Anyway, I will let you know if I witness the eggs hatching.  According to Wiki, I could have hundreds of Bobettes running around.  Uh oh! 

A few years ago, I took my kids to Glacier National Park & we stayed in a lodge on Sacred Dancing Waters Lake. The beach area was made up of smooth, beautiful colored rocks.

I struck up a conversation with the couple staying next to me, who had been coming to the lodge for 20 years.

‘I can’t believe how long my kids will throw rocks in the water!’ I exclaimed. ‘We came over 1500 miles from the Midwest and all they want to do is throw rocks in the water.’

‘It’s like this every summer,’ the husband said. ‘All the kids will be out here, throwing rocks in the water, over and over, for hours.’

Exactly what dynamic is fascinating about the plunk of rocks hitting the water and the endless rings cascading out I am not sure, but I admit I am fascinated as well. Along these lines, there is something intrinsically satisfying about finding the perfect skipping rock & making it fly over the surface of water. I am not alone in this hobby. Did you know there are even rock skipping tournaments around the country?

Today, the Campgirlz crew took advantage of the beautiful sunshine to finish our rock skipping post. We have a favorite spot along the Illinois River, which we affectionately call ‘Dead Turtle Beach’.

My personal skipping technique is to find a very flat, thin, yet heavy rock with a groove for my finger. Slug found this rock & I think it is a perfect example!

My goal is to line up the flat surface of the rock parallel to the water. I put a spin on the rock, and send it zooming horizontally along the surface of the water. Slug has a different technique. She says she points her left arm where she wants the rock to go & then uses a swinging motion with her right arm, to send it out across the water. Her goal is three skips.

Slug’s best skip so far is 2 skips. My best skip is 14. Can you beat us? Do you have a different technique?

Here are a few more pictures from the day.

We had fun with the shadows on the playground, collecting shells and exploring the beach:

This is Technical Director, JJ’s favorite picture that he took today. He named this photo, ‘Water Watching’.

An update on an older post! Shirley, the lady who is still canoeing at 82, sent us some photos of herself and her canoe club!

Check them out: http://www.campgirlz.com/?p=242

 

Following in the footsteps of her father, Bill Mason, Becky Mason has become a knowledgeable and respected figure in the canoeing world and an accomplished artist.  Campgirlz was honored and excited when Becky agreed to do an interview for the website.  In addition to her paddling and tripping expertise, she offers some thought-provoking comments on wilderness and living life.  Becky lives in and also has a studio in Chelsea, Quebec, Canada.  She paints watercolor on Japanese paper.  At the end of the interview are some links to more information about Becky and some background on her Dad.

Campgirlz:  What age did you first begin to camp and canoe?

Becky:  I know I was taken as a baby, but my first memory is probably when I was six years old.  I began white water at eleven years old. 

Campgirlz:  What other outdoor activities did you enjoy as a kid and as an adult?

Becky:  My Dad had a hockey rink by our house.  I loved to play hockey and broom ball.  If you start outdoor activities young, you appreciate them.  As an adult, I still play hockey now.  We have friends come over and play all winter.  I also love to trail ski.  We have a huge park here and you can ski all day and not see a house.  It is 100s of miles of trails.  We have pink granite cliffs here and I like to ski to the look-outs. 

I also shovel the driveway, pile wood, and move stuff.  It is good to do active things not just for pleasure.  You’re always fit, because you’re always doing things.  I like to incorporate work into play.   Use less gas, less carbon. You get a great sense of accomplishment, even things that are not always fun.  Canoe tripping is like that, also. 

Campgirlz:  What is your favorite spot to canoe and why?

Becky:  The North Shore of Superior, near Sault Ste. Marie.  I try to go there every couple of years.  My Dad filmed there.  And, we scattered his ashes in this spot.  The area is full of rivers flowing into Superior.  Canoeing through rivers to lakes makes me pretty happy. 

Campgirlz:  Do you prefer solo tripping or going out with groups?

Becky:  Both.  I have a wonderful husband, and I really enjoy his company.  We take tandem trips, which is similar to soloing.  Just him and I.   Of course, you have to be more careful running rapids when you are not with a group.

Campgirlz:  What type of paddling do you enjoy?

Becky:  I consider myself a ‘traditionalist’; wilderness tripping.  To use the canoe to paddle around a lake or down a river.

Campgirlz:  Do you paint on your trips or when you get home?

Becky:  I don’t paint while I am out on trips.  I paint all my memories.

Campgirlz:  Becky is accomplished guide and teacher.  I wondered if she ever felt she was treated differently because she was a woman.

Becky:  I would say it is hardly an issue now.  When I was younger, guiding white water, I was very skilled, very trained.  The head guide.  People sometimes would question me, and not the male guides.  You always had to prove yourself.  Now, men and women seek me out for instruction.  They have done studies on women in power, and it is actually proven by research that women take more into account before they act than men.  This makes us good teachers. 

Campgirlz:  What do you like best about teaching?

Becky:  Seeing the excitement in student’s eyes.

Campgirlz:  Is there something you are proud of accomplishing over the years?  Something that stands out?

Becky:  I have had some lovely accolades over the years, but that doesn’t make me any more special.It makes me feel good when I receive recognition from my peers.  It is an honor to be looked up to by younger people; to be asked for guidance.  I still look up to several of my peers and remember that feeling.  It’s fun.

Campgirlz:  Do you have a special memory of your Dad?

Becky:  Yes, going on the Petawawa River in Algonquin Park.  We went on a week and half long painting trip together.  I was in my early twenties.

Campgirlz:  What does wilderness mean to you? 

Becky:  Well, wilderness means so many things to so many people.  I value wilderness.  I value areas where there is no walkways, no patrols, little rules.  What wilderness means to me, is the places that I cannot even access.  Maybe only one or two people have ever been there.  The core of my belief is valuing these places.  Just knowing they are there.

Campgirlz:  What would you say to girls or women who are starting to camp or canoe?

Becky:  Get instruction first.  Learn the craft and why you do the things you do.  Education is a very good thing.  It makes the activity enjoyable and safe.  Make sure you know the laws and safety equipment.  For example, in Canada, you have to have PFDs, 50 foot of floating throw rope, a whistle, paddle, bailer, a 360 light.  Learn the signals for help and how to save yourself.  Research where you are going.  Self-sufficiency comes with knowledge.  Enjoy yourself while learning skills.    Start slow-an hour adventure in a little pond.  Educate yourself as you go; as you build on your trips. 

Campgirlz:  Any closing comments?

Becky:  Canada is a drastically changing place.  You even hear of trips advertised as ‘the last one’, such as the last trip to see glaciers before they melt; the last trip on a river before it is dammed.  We need to show people why wilderness is important.  Join your local clubs.  They are out there.  We need to show that we do care.  If we all stay in our own little worlds, our voices won’t be heard.

Becky:  http://www.redcanoes.ca/becky/art/index.html

Bill:  http://www.redcanoes.ca/bill/index.html

Thanks, Becky!  I really enjoyed the interview and the insights.  I am one of those people (although I am not young!) that look up to you.