The poor fellow has been taking something of a back seat over the last year, but he’s an important member of the team.
He is Oscar Diggs. This is his second name: originally he was The Nutmeg of Consolation. But to join the team, he needed a more totoesque name, and so.
He is a kayak, built in our garage, from a kit provided by Pygmy Kayaks of Port Townsend, Washington. I got the kit for almost nothing because my parents bought it for me as a gift. Under construction he looked like this:
Oscar Diggs in one of his formative stages.
Eventually we completed the Oscar Diggs build. On launch day in Gig Harbor, we learned that Tyler doesn’t really approve of paddlesports.
“Dad, this is wrong. You do not go past the edge of the dock. You really want to get out of that thing and take me back onto dry land.”
“Will this thing really float? Are you sure you should be doing this?”
Finally, we convinced him to let me paddle around briefly.
Oscar Diggs on his maiden voyage — Gig Harbor Bay, Washington
And now we’ve rigged a way to take Oscar Diggs with us on camping trips to nearby bodies of water. Oscar puts up too much wind resistance (along with Toto) to take him on long trips.
When Oscar Diggs travels with TinMan, he gets the best view. Also, gas mileage plummets.
Speaking of long trips… we’re about to take one, into British Columbia for a couple of weeks. There will, we hope, be lots to show and tell.
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