On 17-Oct-2005, "Oci-One Kanubi" wrote:

We have all "walked" a bicycle by stepping with alternate feet.

The original velocipede had no pedals. It took a while for someone
to figure that out.


We have all seen rowers, pushing against the
water on both sides concurrently. So any one of us, getting into a
boat for the first time, will draw upon all this prior knowlege and
observation, and know -- or eventually learn -- to put equal force on
each side of the boat.

Not always - I remember sitting in the restaurant at Canoe Lake in
Algonquin at the end of a trip. It was a wonderful Sunday afternoon
and a family of Sikhs (father in a turban, women in saris) rented a
canoe for a picnic paddle. Mom in front, dad in the stern seat,
grandma in the centre and two or three kids scattered about.

They proceded to paddle away from the dock and go around in a circle -
around and around and around. Every one watched, amused, for quite
a while as dad got more and more frustrated. Then one of the canoe
store employees got into a canoe and gave them a quick lesson. Dad
looked relieved and they tried again. After a few more circles, they
started in a wobbly line out of the bay and around the bend. Just as
they drifted out of sight, a squall hit and a downpour soaked everyone.
It was funny, in a sad sort of way. An immigrant family's introduction
to canoeing in Canada.

Mike