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A one-and-a-half hour tour

This morning was host to an amazing adventure. I even have a blister to prove it. My friend Kristina, whom I recently found out lives a couple streets over from me, happens to own a couple kayaks. For the last couple weeks we have been talking about taking them out on the harbor and today was the day it happened. It was so serene. We launched around 9:15 am and it was so peaceful.

Although it was overcast, I remembered to put sunscreen on. Me and the big ball of fire in the sky are not the best friends. It took me a while to get the hang of the kayak, and the paddle I had was a little off, and we were unable to adjust it, so I kept listing right. (1) We did not see another boat on the water for almost 20 minutes. The water felt good as it dripped from the paddles. We joked about jumping in later, but neither of us were sure if we would. After crossing the basin (2) we decided to loop around the private island (3) (it actually has no cars on it) and into the main basin. (4) where we slid upon some pelicans resting and shitting on an abandoned dinghy. I wish I would have brought my camera, but not knowing how my kayaking abilities would be, thought it best not to this time. I saw some amazing shots and perspectives I have never seen before. We plan to go out again sometime soon, maybe at night on a full moon. It was neat to see all of the kids in gearing up their sabots (small sailboats) for their lessons (5) It reminded me of when I was a kid and we took lessons also. Our family owned a Lido14 with 2 other families. Some fun times then. Kristina also offered to trade paddles with me to make things easier. She realized she needs new paddles. As we passed under the Lido Island bridge (6), we came upon another kayaker ho had his dog on the bow. The Jack Russell even had his own life jacket. It was a sight to see. Around that time I dared taking off my shirt to get a little color and it was warm out. I warned Kristina as not to blind her. hee hee. She was a good sport and suggested I use some self tanning lotion. It may be a solution so I don’t feel so bad taking off my shirt trying to get some color. A short time later i realized I might burn because I forgot to put sunscreen on my belly, so I put my shirt back on. (7) After some nice conversation and we realized the tide and wind were both blowing against us. It wasn’t that bad, but we were both starting to feel it in our shoulders and back. We were joking about and she splashed me, so I surged ahead to try and get a good angle to splash her back. (8) Unfortunately I leaned to far, and capsized. It felt good though. Once I righted myself, she dunked herself and it mad the rest of the trip more relaxing. The cool water felt good. I even confessed that I fell over, and didn’t jump in on purpose. We had a good laugh. I like being able to laugh at my shortcomings and mistakes. After a short trip between Harbor Island and Linda Isle (9), where there are some amazing houses that one does not get to see because the streets are private, we mad it back to where we started. I helped rinse the boats, and thanksKristina for a wonderful morning. It is nice to be able to enjoy life with another and not expect anything but their company and respect. I got both today and had a wonderful morning. I am going to be sore tomorrow, but it is well worth it.

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