I've never wanted a motorcycle, or a snowmobile or even a speed boat. But for a long time now, I've really wanted a canoe. A nice small canoe...and a couple paddles.
As a kid, I did a lot of canoeing and really loved the way I could slip through the water hardly making a sound, watching the shoreline and the sky above. I remember drifting along a glass-top lake, looking down below into the shimmering green loveliness of Waterworld. Ahhhh... that was living! My dad taught me everything I needed to know about canoeing...from the launching to the landing...and I remember it all.
Paul doesn't have any history with canoes and never really shared my desire to be an owner.
Quite by accident, I came across a canoe for sale a few weeks back. The price was right and I bought it right then and there. I called Paul and I asked him to guess what grand purchase I had made, hinting that it was something I'd wanted for a long time. He guessed a paddleboat. (Oh, yeah, I've always wanted one of those, too.) I'll just say, he had very little reaction when I told him all about my fabulous find.
We finally got it home, parked it on Blazin' Pond (a sweet little lake in our pasture) and waited for that first calm night to come along. Yesterday, we agreed that it was launch day. Just to be safe, we left our cell phones and my pocket camera on shore. I didn't really think we needed to be quite so careful, but we strapped on life jackets and told each other that it was a good idea.
Now, I'm no Pocahontas, but I do know how to launch a canoe, so I'm not sure how I let Paul talk me into doing it 'his way.' But we did it 'his way.' Maybe I was just so glad that he was going along with my plan to get out on that beautiful pond at sunset. Whatever the reason, 'his way' didn't work and before we had gone three feet, we capsized! I remember yelling, "What are you doing back there?" just before we tipped into the cool, slimy muckiness of Waterworld. Visions of leeches and snapping turtles raced through my brain and we both scurried ashore and attempted to pull the water-filled canoe up the bank.
Dripping wet, we stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. For starters, I thought about lecturing him on canoe handling techniques. I know exactly what he was preparing to say to me...I could see it in his eyes!
We emerged from the silence................and laughed!
Perhaps it has something to do with being married 40 years!
As a kid, I did a lot of canoeing and really loved the way I could slip through the water hardly making a sound, watching the shoreline and the sky above. I remember drifting along a glass-top lake, looking down below into the shimmering green loveliness of Waterworld. Ahhhh... that was living! My dad taught me everything I needed to know about canoeing...from the launching to the landing...and I remember it all.
Paul doesn't have any history with canoes and never really shared my desire to be an owner.
Quite by accident, I came across a canoe for sale a few weeks back. The price was right and I bought it right then and there. I called Paul and I asked him to guess what grand purchase I had made, hinting that it was something I'd wanted for a long time. He guessed a paddleboat. (Oh, yeah, I've always wanted one of those, too.) I'll just say, he had very little reaction when I told him all about my fabulous find.
We finally got it home, parked it on Blazin' Pond (a sweet little lake in our pasture) and waited for that first calm night to come along. Yesterday, we agreed that it was launch day. Just to be safe, we left our cell phones and my pocket camera on shore. I didn't really think we needed to be quite so careful, but we strapped on life jackets and told each other that it was a good idea.
Now, I'm no Pocahontas, but I do know how to launch a canoe, so I'm not sure how I let Paul talk me into doing it 'his way.' But we did it 'his way.' Maybe I was just so glad that he was going along with my plan to get out on that beautiful pond at sunset. Whatever the reason, 'his way' didn't work and before we had gone three feet, we capsized! I remember yelling, "What are you doing back there?" just before we tipped into the cool, slimy muckiness of Waterworld. Visions of leeches and snapping turtles raced through my brain and we both scurried ashore and attempted to pull the water-filled canoe up the bank.
Dripping wet, we stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. For starters, I thought about lecturing him on canoe handling techniques. I know exactly what he was preparing to say to me...I could see it in his eyes!
We emerged from the silence................and laughed!
Perhaps it has something to do with being married 40 years!
