The Swift Guelph Lake Spring Event - It's More Then Just A Sale

Every Spring, for over twenty years, Bill has been taking his crew down to Guelph Lake for one of the biggest outdoor canoe and kayak sales you can find in Ontario. Stocked with hundreds of boats, from new to used, as well as paddles and paddling accessories, the show has become a popular tradition for many paddling folk - both novice and skilled alike.

VISIT THE SWIFT WEBSITE FOR ALL THE DETAILS
OR CALL 1.800.661.1429

But it's not just the boats that make the event so special. It's the people. First off, the Swift Crew (i.e. Bill, Mike, Jon, etc.) are the most fun and knowledgeable that you will ever meet. The atmosphere is very welcoming to everyone, families included. There is even an area for you to "try before you buy" where you are able to test paddle the boats to help you find the right fit for your paddling needs and life style. If you have questions, this is where they will get answered.

It's a Badger Fact: This sale is where Badger® Paddles first launched to the public - and Mike will be there, representing Badger® and Swift Canoe, again this year as he has since the Spring of 2009.

But beyond the sales aspect, The Swift Guelph Lake Sale is just a fun place to be. Smiles abound and laughter is aplenty. It is Spring after all, which may or may not have something to do with the fact that the Swift Spring Guelph Lake Sale is also where Mike and I (Fiona) fell in love over a decade ago! Okay, well maybe not fall in love, but it was the scene of our first kiss! But it is the place where I met and fell in love with my Mattawa. That is how much fun it is, people!

Love is in the air...  must be Spring!

CLICK HERE NOW FOR A PRINTABLE $50 COUPON FROM SWIFT CANOE TO USE AT THE SPRING 2012 GUELPH LAKE SALE: MAY 4 - MAY 6TH 2012.

You just never know what the Swift Spring Guelph Lake Sale will bring to your life - whether it be the love of a good man, woman, canoe, or paddle - so why not go and find out?! At the very least, you will get to meet some great people and get some time on the water, if you can dig it!

SWIFT SPRING 2012 GUELPH LAKE

MAY 4 - 6th, 2012

SHOW HOURS:

Friday 2 pm to 8 pm

Saturday 9 am to 6 pm

Sunday 10 am to 4 pm

FREE TEST PADDLING

TIE DOWN ASSISTANCE

ACCESSORY SALE

FREE DEMOS

VISIT THE SWIFT WEBSITE

High Gas Prices - A Meme For Paddlers

Are high gas prices getting you down?

This cottage season, we challenge you and your family to:

Rediscover the power of self-propulsion!

Paddle more, boat less.

Apparently you can have your canoe - and eat it too!

We always enjoy pictures sent in by our paddling friends. Especially when they involve paddling and SUGAR. MMmmmmMMMMmm. Here is a canoe birthday cake we all wished we could to dig into!

Made for a paddling Dad, by his Daughter.
Looks like Dad has been captured in miniature! 

A lovely canoe cake maker with a lovely canoe cake!

This talented daughter surprised her dad with her creative cake masterpiece.

Obviously, this would take lots of artistic talent. But Nikki, the daughter of canoeist dad Hugh, has no shortage of that. She is a wonderful photographer, and when not making fabulous canoe cakes for her dad's birthdays, Nikki keeps herself busy, and her audience delighted, with her amazing work. Visit Nikki's website here: http://nikkiwesley.com/ And thanks Nikki - and Dad (Hugh) - for letting us share your great canoe cake here. We really dig it!

The Only Thing Missing In A_TISM is U - World Autism Awareness Day

Many of you already know, but for those who don't, we have a little boy, Makobe, who has autism. So it is very personal for us to support education and understanding of autism for those who have yet to have autism come into their lives. Or for those who know someone with autism but are unsure of how to interact with them. So today we've gone BLUE for AUTISM** in hopes to bring more then just awareness - we want to help you understand a bit about it too.

Our amazing son Makobe and our awesome dog Sadie.
This picture was taken on Makobe's first overnight canoe
trip into Algonquin Park - Canada. You can read about
it all here: Making Room For Autism In Your Canoe

Scary fact about autism: Did you know that the latest numbers from the CDC revealed the rate of autism has increased to 1 in 88 children.  By way of comparison, this is more children than are affected by diabetes, AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Down syndrome, combined. And the rate just keeps increasing every year!

So what do you do when you come across someone with autism?

Many people want to do the right thing but just don’t know how.


How to interact with a person who has autism:
A good place to start is to ask the child’s parents or teachers how you can best interact with the child. You need to know how best to approach the child - for example, it may be best not to approach the child directly but to play beside them and to take cues from them to start. Find out what the child’s main interest is - many
autistic children have a particular interest, like cars or trains, that you could use to engage them. You may also need to give warning of change - many autistic children find change difficult, so inform them in advance that you need to leave or that it will soon be lunch time and they need to pack up their toys etc. The main thing is to not be afraid of making mistakes and upsetting the child or causing a tantrum - it’s better to try, than to just disregard the child.*

*See more about interacting with a child with autism at: www.autisable.com/

Educating yourself about autism is the best way to understand what families are facing. And we really need your support, acceptance and understanding. After all, the only thing missing in A_TISM is U.

And thanks for taking the time to read this post. It really means a lot to us as a family.
Sincerely,
Mike & Fiona ~ Badger Paddles... for those who dig the water.

**Going blue/Light It Up Blue: is part of an international awareness campaign for Autism pioneered by Autism Speaks and others. World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) was declared by the United Nations in 2007.