I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

We should have taken better care of her...

--riverman

riverman wrote:
I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

We should have taken better care of her...

Almost everything comes to an end, someday or other... It was good to
have enjoyed the hayday of RBP, an experience I will always treasure.
It was also fun to have met so many RBP'ers, including you, Myron.
I won't forget that either!

--
Wilko van den Bergh wilkoa t)dse(d o tnl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
---Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.---
http://kayaker.nl/

On Oct 27, 4:36?am, riverman wrote:
I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

We should have taken better care of her...

--riverman

Riverman;

I would have to agree. We can all recall this group's days in the
sun. It was a resouce that had an effect. It was quoted in magazines
and books. It was lively and vibrant, full of personalities. It
created a community of people we hoped to meet some day. And some we
hoped to avoid. Now it is just an empty screen

Did we simply change venues, or did we lose something more? Did we
disappear into the flow of ordinary lives, driven now by family and
careers rather than a sense of outdoor adventure? I think there is
more to it than just the hassles of cyberspace. I think we changed as
people, reflecting perhaps the larger divide that exists in this
country. I sense we are no longer focus on the common values that
unite us, but on the differences that separate us.

Maybe there is a fixed sized appetite for a sense of community. Like
heat, it can only be felt when it is concentrated and not diffused.
What we used to share in this newsgroup in a concentrated form exists
now only in its more diffuse form of electronic communication that
runs all through our daily lives. We have moved from a small town
community to the heart of Manhattan. The amount of ourselves that we
can share with others moves toward zero.

I miss that sense of community. Now standing on the threshold of true
Geezerhood, I think about moving from the city back to a small town in
the hope that I can become a member of physical community. I think I
might try Ely, MN. There has to be enough birds of similar feather
there that one might feel at home.

I am now 58. When I was 49, I published the list of goals I called "A
River Rat looks at 50". I take great satisfaction in those goals that
were accomplished. Many others were not. Some, like a Grand Canyon
lottery slot, still remain on the list. Those that were not
accomplished were mostly replaced by new and different goals. These
things exist in a window of spirit and opportunity. New demands
arise, old wants get replaced. But the spirit of adventure still
remains strong.

Blakely

--
Blakely LaCroix
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
r.b.p clique member #86.

"The best adventure is yet to come"

A sad day for sure from an avid reader, occasional contributor.

But in some respects, I think this also reflects the state of the paddling
community, especially open boaters on the West Coast. It used to be our
rivers were a busy place with lots of folks of both persuasion out there
enjoying a great sport. Did anyone catch "My Turn" in Newsweek? Now it
seems that every other outing, our group is the only one out there and it's
getting smaller too........We're getting older, our boats are getting older
and neither are replaceable to a certain degree. Yes, along with the creaky
joints, our interests are slowly shifting or is it expanding? Be it better
or worse. But as long as the knees still bend, the ankles still flex and the
wrists/fingers are willing to grip, we'll still paddle. Rivers may morph
into the bay, slough, and lagoons, but the spirit carries on!



RIP? hopefully not yet


Carol

"Railtramp" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Oct 27, 4:36?am, riverman wrote:
I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

We should have taken better care of her...

--riverman

Riverman;

I would have to agree. We can all recall this group's days in the
sun. It was a resouce that had an effect. It was quoted in magazines
and books. It was lively and vibrant, full of personalities. It
created a community of people we hoped to meet some day. And some we
hoped to avoid. Now it is just an empty screen

Did we simply change venues, or did we lose something more? Did we
disappear into the flow of ordinary lives, driven now by family and
careers rather than a sense of outdoor adventure? I think there is
more to it than just the hassles of cyberspace. I think we changed as
people, reflecting perhaps the larger divide that exists in this
country. I sense we are no longer focus on the common values that
unite us, but on the differences that separate us.

Maybe there is a fixed sized appetite for a sense of community. Like
heat, it can only be felt when it is concentrated and not diffused.
What we used to share in this newsgroup in a concentrated form exists
now only in its more diffuse form of electronic communication that
runs all through our daily lives. We have moved from a small town
community to the heart of Manhattan. The amount of ourselves that we
can share with others moves toward zero.

I miss that sense of community. Now standing on the threshold of true
Geezerhood, I think about moving from the city back to a small town in
the hope that I can become a member of physical community. I think I
might try Ely, MN. There has to be enough birds of similar feather
there that one might feel at home.

I am now 58. When I was 49, I published the list of goals I called "A
River Rat looks at 50". I take great satisfaction in those goals that
were accomplished. Many others were not. Some, like a Grand Canyon
lottery slot, still remain on the list. Those that were not
accomplished were mostly replaced by new and different goals. These
things exist in a window of spirit and opportunity. New demands
arise, old wants get replaced. But the spirit of adventure still
remains strong.

Blakely

--
Blakely LaCroix
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
r.b.p clique member #86.

"The best adventure is yet to come"

riverman wrote:
: I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
: overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

: We should have taken better care of her...

You should see my spam folder... it's impossible to read or reply to emails
at this point...

--
John Nelson
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago Area Paddling/Fishing Page
http://www.chicagopaddling.org http://www.chicagofishing.org
(A Non-Commercial Web Site: No Sponsors, No Paid Ads and Nothing to Sell)

Melissa (bonny wee boaty :-)) asked me to post her reply to Myron's
post, due to her having some problems posting it to RBP on her own, so
here it is:

Hi riverman,

On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 02:36:25 -0700, you wrote:

I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

We should have taken better care of her...

As I sit here waiting for my shuttle driver (going for a one-way
down-the-coast paddle today! :-) , I stumble upon rbp, and find this
sad thread. Imminent demise or not, I'd like to take this moment to
express my gratitude for rbp (and the apparently nearly dead rbpt as
well)...at least for "what it was".

For the past few years, I've mainly just lurked here...when I feel I
have the time (after all, I'd rather be paddling than sitting here in
front of the computer). As a primarily solo paddler--both by choice
and local circumstance--the Internet (news groups, email lists, and
message boards) has been where I enjoy sharing my love of paddling
with others; without necessarily having to paddle with them! ;-)). In
this sense, rbp and rbpt have been, all things considered, a
wonderful experience for me, and I have all the great people who have
populated these news groups over the years to thank for this.

Though I don't have time to mention everyone, just the people I see so
far in this thread would certainly be at the top of such a list, so
I'll take this opportunity to thank all of you. Thanks! :-)

Perhaps at one point in time, news groups were indeed just about the
"only game in town" with regards to Internet discussion forums, but
now, and for the past several years, email lists and website forums
have come into their own as well. Even if some news groups do fade
away, I don't think that we paddlers will ever stop finding ways to
reach out to each other in one way or another.

I still participate in several of these types of forums, though for
the past few years, I've cut down considerably; mainly due to my
preference for spending more time on the water than on the keyboard
(there was a point, several years ago, that I did feel I was spending
time at the computer at the expense of potential water time, and I
found that to be an unacceptable situation).

It's time for me to now climb into my paddling gear and do what I'm
supposed to be doing, so I'll sign off for now. It would be lovely
to see rbp come back to life, but even if it doesn't, it will always
be remembered fondly, and I will always appreciate the people who
have made it something worth remembering.

Thanks again! :-)

-- Melissa

--
Wilko van den Bergh wilkoa t)dse(d o tnl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
---Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.---
http://kayaker.nl/

Gee my sever must be taking great care of me. I've been mostly lurking
here for years and only seeing 5 to 10 posts a day mostly on topic
with very few flame wars. I like checking in on this group except
when the sponson thing happens

I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

We should have taken better care of her...

--riverman

On Oct 28, 8:17 pm, (Drew Dalgleish)
wrote:
Gee my sever must be taking great care of me. I've been mostly lurking
here for years and only seeing 5 to 10 posts a day mostly on topic
with very few flame wars. I like checking in on this group except
when the sponson thing happens

I just Googled "Tim Imgram", and there's a LOT of Tim Ingrams out
there!

Good ole Sponson Boy! I wonder what meds he's on these days! ;-)

John Kuthe...

On Oct 28, 8:51 pm, John Kuthe wrote:
On Oct 28, 8:17 pm, (Drew Dalgleish)
wrote:

Gee my sever must be taking great care of me. I've been mostly lurking
here for years and only seeing 5 to 10 posts a day mostly on topic
with very few flame wars. I like checking in on this group except
when the sponson thing happens

I just Googled "Tim Imgram", and there's a LOT of Tim Ingrams out
there!

Good ole Sponson Boy! I wonder what meds he's on these days! ;-)

Argh! My proof reading's nonexistent!


John Kuthe...

On Oct 27, 5:36 am, riverman wrote:
I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

We should have taken better care of her...

--riverman

Long time lurker, occasional poster calling in.

Would anyone be interested in moderated forum on a private board? I've
got some server room to play with and I might could set this up if
there is enough interest.

-John

www.sourcetosea.net