Hayden’s One Month Birthday… Party at the Pool! Hayden’s first swim suit! Danielle & Abby, Leah & Shannon and Hayden & Heather Smile for Papa! Look at me…I’m swimming!! I know, I’m cute! I love you Mom!!! Swimming with Papa I’m floating!!! Hi Mom! Hayden and Papa Happy Birthday Hayden! ~In the Spirit of Compassion [...]

Here are a few photos to celebrate Hayden’s first week on this planet! Sweet Pea Hayden’s Hawaiian Quilt Hayden’s First bath Hayden and Papa Hayden out on an adventure with Mom Hayden’s First Kayak, made especially by Papa Hayden with Big Brother Chili Hayden checking out the local kayak launches, Marine Park and the Sudden [...]

Adventures of Hayden Storm… Hayden’s First 12 Hours This morning at 5:54 a.m. we became the PROUD new parents of a healthy, happy, handsome baby boy, Hayden Storm Nelson. Heather was amazing… she first mentioned something “feeling different” last night at the peak of the eclipse, about 7:30. At half past midnight she woke me [...]

Meet Hayden Storm Nelson The first labor pains hit, last night, around 7:20 PM while Brandon and I were admiring the lunar eclipse. At 10:30PM contractions were 12 minutes apart, and by 12:30AM all the sudden leaped down to 2 ½ minutes apart! We called our midwife, hopped in the van and drove to the [...]

39 Weeks Today!!! The first time I mentioned Pilates to Brandon, he said, “Is that what I ordered at the restaurant last night?” When I walk into Core Kinetics in Bellingham, I see a giant playground. There are springboards attached to the walls, reformer machines on the floors which have a traveling carriage for you [...]

38 Weeks Down… As of yesterday, we have two weeks to go until Baby HB’s due date! And, so far, everything is going great! The nursery is the coolest room in the house, baby has been healthily growing and kicking, and Brandon and I can’t wait for the little fella to join us in the [...]

Vector Surfski Design Inquiry Heather and Brandon, Greetings from Georgia! I am a long time lurker on your blogsite and am writing you today to inquire about the Vector Surfski that was just posted. I called Sterling Kayaks this Friday to discuss boat design, and they mentioned that you and Brandon had a helping hand. [...]

Heather asked me to describe how I added deck-lines and a toggle to our Epic V-10 Sport, so here goes…. Written By Dan Moos, Puget Sound, WA paddler. Since Pat (Dan’s paddle partner and the owner of this V10 Sport) and I have had a background in rough water rescues (at the coast and in [...]

Surfski Safety Statement: Decklines, bow handles and BOMBER leash attachment points… Deck lines, bow and stern handles and leash attachment points are the future of surfski design. It’s a no-brainer as more and more of our time is spent “adventure paddling” and not in the relatively safe, chaperoned arena of “racing.” When Sterling and I [...]

The First Annual Whatcom PaddlersSurfski Rescue Games About a dozen surfskis and two OC1’s gathered at Marine Park for the First Annual Whatcom Paddlers Surfski Rescue Games. The air was in the mid 30’s F and the water was glassy and about 44F. The majority of paddlers came dressed for immersion in various layers of [...]

Surfski Rescue Technique: Deck Rescue Variation In countries such as Australia, surfskis were originally used as tools for lifeguards to aid swimmers in distress, because the fast paddle-craft could quickly and efficiently reach swimmers in challenging ocean waters. Now, because surfskis have beeen modified to be faster, lighter racing crafts, they have been stripped of [...]

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! This year we celebrated Christmas Eve exploring the trails of Deception Pass and Bowman Bay. ~In the Spirit of Compassion and Adventure~ Happy Holidays!!! Heather, Brandon, Chili and Baby HB