Maiden Voyage

Since the forecast was for gorgeous weather, I took the Monday before last (little behind in postings) off so that we could have a nice long weekend to enjoy the spring. After our long hike on that Sunday, we were ready for something more low key. A little while ago, one of the chain outdoor equipment stores was having a sale so we purchased kayaks we had been researching and eyeing for quite some time. Monday was the day for our maiden voyage in them.


We got some advice from some locals on a good spot that fit our criteria (close by, scenic, flat water) and decided on a paddle on Mirror Lake. All that morning, Dylan had been a little off. He's always such a happy kid and had a little case of the crankies that day. Well, he fell asleep on the way to the lake and, since he obviously needed it, we let him have his nap. He's very inconsistent in the amount of time he naps so you never know what you're in for. This time, he had a good solid hour and a half. During that time, Mike unloaded the kayaks on the beach, we packed them up and made all the adjustments needed for comfort then spent the rest of the time playing games and quizzes together on our IPhones

Unfortunately, once Dylan woke up, he wasn't in a much better mood then when he went down. But, we carried on with our plan anyway. Dylan and I got loaded in our kayak and Mike pushed us in the water off the beach. Dylan was not pleased with the life jacket. When sitting, it was shoved around his little face and he really couldn't move much. Not ideal. He tolerated it fairly well, especially given his mood, and we were able to paddle across the lake for a bit.

Maiden Voyage

The highlight of our small trip was the Loon that was playing on the lake. We would paddle his way, watch him splash and flap his wings and then he would disappear under the water. A little later, we would find where he had resurfaced and repeat the game. Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of him. He was really a beautiful bird and this was the first time I had seen one in "the flesh." Pretty cool.

Dylan was entertained by the Loon. However, he had the most fun splashing in the water. So, I spent a lot of time sitting in the kayak holding onto the back of his life jacket.

Splish Splash!

Hi!

After a little time floating in the water, grumpy gus had had enough. So, he had a minor little melt down while I furiously paddled back to shore. Once the life jacket was off he was happy and wanted to go back to playing in the water. We plopped him down on the beach and he had great time sitting in the water, playing with pebbles and splashing.

What? What's so cute? (You, Mr. Dylan - You Are!)

All in all, a pretty nice first trip. While we were out stroller skating (that's roller skating while pushing a stroller) at our local park yesterday, we realized that there's a boat launch there to the Charles River. So, I think our next trip might have to be there.