Talking Story Archives - Page 54 of 114

Coming home

Posted by Ken Campbell February 16, 2011 0 Comment 1208 views

Hard to say if it was the right time to leave. It is not an easy thing to know. It seems like there is so much that still needs to be done. But there are other considerations, other forces of nature that call out for equal time. Regardless, I know that I’ll most likely be […]

Maybe this is an off day

Posted by Ken Campbell February 15, 2011 0 Comment 1177 views

I’m beat up and flayed open. My right foot has been taking a beating, sort of randomly, walking through the shallows onto hidden rocks and sharp edges. Often times, if I wipe out, it seems the first part of my body to make contact with anything is the sole of that right foot. I can […]

More thoughts on death and surfing

Posted by Ken Campbell February 13, 2011 0 Comment 991 views

Sometimes I ride the wave too long. Not that anything real bad happens, it’s just that if I would have kicked out of the thing instead of riding it all the way into skinny water, I wouldn’t have to mess around with the kelp in the shallows. Or the rocks beating on my feet and […]

One short week from today

Posted by Ken Campbell February 11, 2011 0 Comment 1163 views

On February 18, I’ll be doing a slide show at the Mountaineers Hall in Tacoma. I’ll be showing images and telling tall tales from the kayaking trip I took around the island of Newfoundland back in 2000. It was an amazing adventure, three full months of paddling pleasure and pain. It ended up being the […]

Blue skies

Posted by Ken Campbell February 10, 2011 0 Comment 1090 views

There is a reason why people live in Santa Barbara. OK, there are probably a variety of reasons but, when it comes right down to it, everybody eventually mentions the weather. And it’s true: this is the best climate on the planet. It’s 8:00am, sunny with a light breeze, probably 65 degrees – headed up […]

Thoughts on death and surfing

Posted by Ken Campbell February 9, 2011 0 Comment 970 views

I am back in California once again. My mother is unwell and in the hospital. As her only son, my place is here for now. I was here just a few weeks ago on much the same mission. I found it was good to have the board with me, worth carrying it with me all […]

La Playa Plastica

Posted by Ken Campbell February 8, 2011 3 Comments 1217 views

Plastic and beaches don’t mix. Which isn’t news, exactly… plastic doesn’t mix with much at all, if you think about it. I find myself drawn back to the issue, though I can’t tell you why. I think it’s that the ubiquitous petrochemical detritus that soils our coastline represents something so permanent, despite its often transitory […]

Proper prior planning prevents poor performance

Posted by Ken Campbell February 7, 2011 1 Comment 1244 views

I’ve been looking ahead to the summer, already trying to figure out how to put three months of trips, projects and obligations into the four-and-a-half weeks that will be allotted. The key, I think, is going to be a combination of the “6 P’s” and a sense of what the Air Force used to call […]

A Modern holiday

Posted by Ken Campbell February 6, 2011 0 Comment 1059 views

I have not taken part in any of the hype that inevitably leads up to the Big Game. I haven’t watched much news or ESPN, I have barely glanced at the online fare… I haven’t paid attention to the spectacle of the event, the incredible wierdness that inevitably accompanies this week of wretched excess. I […]

Two weeks to go

Posted by Ken Campbell February 4, 2011 0 Comment 1015 views

On February 18, I’ll be doing a slide show at the Mountaineers Hall in Tacoma. I’ll be showing images and telling tall tales from the kayaking trip I took around the island of Newfoundland back in 2000. It was an amazing adventure, three full months of paddling pleasure and pain. It ended up being the […]