I wonder, is to-do hyphenated? As in “That was such a to-do!” Do you know what I’m talking about? I’m not sure I do anymore. . . .
Let’s change the subject, shall we?
Time at the lake is usually full of being on the lake. The canoe and boat and even the sailboat are favorite places to be and the kids ask and ask and ask again if someone, anyone will take them fishing.
This go-round was a little different. I think we can count on one hand the number of times life-jackets were donned. No matter, the few times we ventured onto the water were great.
Thanks to stories about capsizing, the kids are a little afraid of the canoe. They think it’s cool and especially like the “rowers,” but they favor the freedom of movement and security that the boat provides. It makes me just a little sad because, AHEM, back in the day, the canoe was the preferred and, in some cases, the ONLY mode of transport. It is so quiet and smooth and easy to use . . . I love it and I want my children to love it, too.
You can imagine how excited I was when Mama Syd suggested a canoe ride to Philip and he abandoned his bike, responding with enthusiasm and glee.
He was into his life-jacket and searching for an oar without us having to repeat ourselves once. THAT is a big deal with Philip!
Ellie on the other hand . . .
Ellie discovered the water this year. If she could trick one of us into giving her our hand, she would try to lead us to the creek, resisting if we resisted her. She loved the view of the water and would yell and point and yell some more to let us know just how cool it was.
Not cool was her life-jacket.
She really, really hated it.
However, once the skipper got us out of the reeds, she calmed down.
It took her some time to loosen up.
Once she did though, there was no stopping her.
She took over and started barking orders.
“Canoeing rocks!”