kayaking

We had beautiful weather a few weeks ago so we took our kayaks out for the first paddle of the season.  My parents watched the kids while Marc and I went kayaking in Buffalo Creek.  It was really neat to be able to see the old abandoned grain elevators up close...

After a nice 3 hour trip, I was ready to disembark and go pick up the kids in time for lunch.  But when we pulled up to shore, Marc started chit-chatting with a few passing kayakers.  As they were chatting about how many water snakes they've seen along the shore, I decided to take it upon myself to reach over to a log and get myself out of my kayak.  As you can see by the following picture, that maneuver didn't go so well.  I couldn't quite reach the log and my kayak tipped one way and then the other and then ultimately tipped me into the most disgusting pile of muddy sludge imaginable.  I screamed and jumped up and ran to the shore.  My flip-flops were sucked into the goo and are gone forever.  This picture does not even do the disgustingness justice.  It was gross.  I sat in my underwear while we drove home, trying not to think about the bacteria and diseases that probably lay in that water.  Needless to say, I learned a few lessons that day.  Such as always bring extra clothes, there are snakes in Buffalo?, wait for Marc to help me out of the kayak, etc.

..............

After a day spent scrubbing myself clean in the shower, I was ready to get right back out there and this time we took the kids to Beaver Island park.  This was our first time taking Sam out in the individual kayaks.  I was a little nervous about him, but he did great!

A passing kayaker told us about a neighboring island (Motor Island) that was home to a colony of great blue herons finishing up their nesting season.  There were two huge trees filled with huge nests and tons of baby herons squawking away.  It was really neat to see.  And definitely something that we wouldn't have been able to see from land.

Poppy was so excited that she happened to bring her new bird field guide with her.  As soon as we saw the great big herons on the island, she began looking them up in her book and she was so excited that they were in there.  Both Poppy and Sam had a great time...

We're all looking forward to more fun kayaking adventures this summer!