Wonderful, wasn’t it, to have a break from the heat and humidity? Now if we can just get a break from work schedules, we could have fun playing!

Actually, I’m going to do just that – leave this craziness and head out for a short time. I’ll let you know where I wind up if I ever make it back.

As I was trying to wind things up at work Wednesday evening I kept hearing a faint cry coming from out in the parking lot from the direction of my old Jeep. It sounded like a whining, a begging of a kayak saying “Please paddle me, please paddle me!”

I couldn’t stand it. Even though it would be after 7 p.m. and the sun would be just about set by the time I could launch the boat, I knew it had to happen. As I headed north on Pushaw Lake from Gould Landing into a 15-to-20-knot wind, sure enough the sun was beginning to kiss the horizon.

The wind and waves provided a good workout, and the trip back was a sleigh ride. It proved so much fun I circled Dollar Island, heading back up into the wind just to get another downwind ride. In the dusk I saw a couple of other paddlers. We shouted greetings and stayed our courses. It turned out to be an enjoyable outing, despite the wind and darkness.

The bonus of having a good breeze while loading up afterwards was, the voracious mosquitoes were kept at bay. The last time I was out there I nearly got a free ride home by a swarm of the little buggers.

Islands cleaned up

Last weekend was the fourth annual Nature Trust of New Brunswick island cleanup. I received an invitation, but I just couldn’t make it. A couple of friends went, and come Monday I had an e-mail and pictures of the cleanup from Susan Lapides, who lives in Cambridge, Mass. She and her husband, Peter Wilson, own a cottage near the ferry landing at Letete, New Brunswick, (where the Deer Island ferry lands) and have played host to island cleanup volunteers, offering their land for camping and their home for meals and showers.

The New Brunswick Nature Trust picked up on Maine Island Trail’s annual island cleanup idea and for the past four years has enjoyed wonderful volunteer participation, including some of us from this side of the border.

Margo Sheppard, who heads the Nature Trust, told me this year’s gang of 29 picked up 1.2 metric tonnes (that’s New Brunswick-ese for something a little more than a ton on this side of the border) of trash from three islands and filled up a large “dumpster” in the process. Sheppard told me this year’s yield had less aquaculture debris than past years, but there was still the usual array of bottles, water-borne debris, rope, cushions, plastic foam and the like.

If you’ve never been out on one of these island cleanup efforts, you’d be amazed at the stuff that floats up and gets deposited. What’s even more disheartening is the fact that some of this crud gets thrown overboard in the first place. There’s absolutely no logical reason for plastic oil cans to find their way into the ocean, is there?

The New Brunswick effort was aided by Cooke Aquaculture Ltd., which donated the use of a barge to transport the debris back to shore where it could be disposed of properly. Cooke is the largest aquaculture business in New Brunswick, Sheppard told me. Tipping fees were covered by the New Brunswick Department of the Environment.

On a foggy Saturday the volunteers picked up trash on three islands, all in the northern reaches of Passamaquoddy Bay. The three islands are: Mowatt and Barnes, which have conservation easements with the Nature Trust, and Simpson Island which is owned by the Nature Conservancy.

For more information on the Nature Trust of New Brunswick, call Margo Sheppard at 506-457-2398 or drop her an e-mail at ntnb@acadian.ca.

Nature walk

The Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association (SVCA) and its Lands Programs Director Bethany Atkins invite you to join them for a nature walk at Palermo Preserve Friday, Aug. 26, at 9 a.m. The 74-acre wooded Palermo Preserve is located on the Turner Ridge Road and it protects 4,000 feet of the Sheepscot River deemed critical habitat for the endangered Atlantic salmon.

Approximately a mile of trails wind through mixed forest and along the banks of the river. Interpretive stations along the trail and educational displays highlight salmon-related topics as well as other unique aspects of the property.

To get there, take Route 218 north to Somerville. You will cross Route 17 and then Route 105. Continue on 218 for 3 miles (now known as the Turner Ridge Road). The preserve entrance and new parking lot is on the right just past the Palermo-Somerville town line. For more information contact the SVCA office at 586-5616 or svca@sheepscot.org.

Call for Canines

The call is out for nautical dogs to compete in the annual Harbor Hounds Dog Show at Windjammer Weekend in Camden. The show begins Saturday, Sept. 3, at 4 p.m. at the Fishermen’s Floats in Camden Harbor.

Is your dog a boat dog? A strong swimmer? An expert at knot-tying (or-untying)? Or perhaps just cuts a fine figure in a sailor’s hat? Well-behaved dogs of all ages and breeds are invited to show off their marine-related talents – or make a nautical fashion statement. All participants will receive a show keepsake, with special prizes to be awarded to the winners in at least two categories.

There is no cost to enter, but applications are required. Harbor Hound Dog Show applications are available at www.WindjammerWeekend.com. Contestants should show up with their owners – and completed paperwork – by show time Saturday.

Celebrating the Maine coast’s windjammer heritage, Windjammer Weekend will also feature the 1st Annual “Chowder Challenge,” Schooner Bum talent show, sea music, nautical workshops, lobster crate races, and a Build-A-Boat competition. The festivities begin Friday, Sept. 2, with the arrival of the windjammer fleet at 1 p.m., and end Sunday night, Sept. 4, with a concert.

For more information, visit www.WindjammerWeekend.com.

Skin-on-frame kayak class

Oregon-based kayak builder Brian Schulz will be teaching a one-week kayak-building class at the Essex (Mass.) Shipbuilding Museum.

Schulz is a leader in the revival of Inuit kayak building as well as an avid coastal sea kayaker. The skin-on-frame kayak building process is easy and fun; no woodworking skills are necessary (that’s what I’m told). Each student will build his or her own custom kayak, fitted to his or her body and paddling desires. The finished kayak is a work of art, ultralight (30 pounds or less), durable and beautiful.

If you’ve ever had a chance to paddle one of these beauties, you know how close you feel to the water.

The class runs Oct. 3-9 and the cost is $1,200. That may sound high, but it includes all materials. Workdays will average 9-10 hours. You leave with a kayak and a Greenland-style paddle.

To register call Randy Robar at 978-768-6441 or email randy@essexshipbuildingmuseum.org. Registration deadline is Sept. 9.

Visit Schulz’s Web site at www.capefalconkayak.com or check out the Essex Shipbuilding Museum is located at 66 Main Street, Essex, MA 01929. (www.essexshipbuildingmuseum.org).

Jeff Strout’s column on outdoor recreation is published each Saturday. He can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.