Picnic and Paddle (and Play!) Group Ride: July 24, 2010

We did picnic. We did paddle. But we also played!!!! This outing provided some wonderful surprises. Let's recap shall we?

PICNIC
Hmmm. Chuck brought Boudin, so we decided that "it is o.k. for cajuns to attend future rides!" We made crunchy hot dogs, which actually was quite clever. For the ladies dieting, we cooked the FAT right out of those dogs. They were good though! Debby brought an amazing little dip that I've been eating on every night at my house since! I also sampled Aleia's sausage pinwheels and Lynn's Asian "something" dish. Ate some sausage and cheese. They were very good. Of course, I did balance all that not-good-for-me stuff with some fruits and veggies. (That canceled out all those nasty calories I'm sure!) Eventually I had to remove myself from the food altogether, because there was no end to my appetite. Some people (whose names I will not mention) just sat right at that table and just ate all day. We have the pictures to prove it! Ha! Thanks Alisha for organizing the table and to Kurt and Wayne for setting up the grill.

PADDLE
We did paddle and it was a great ride. Wayne and Kurt had scouted out our location in advance, so finding the site was pretty easy. Thanks to Kurt for the balloons at the turns too! That was extra nice. I knew we were in for an interesting ride when we passed the sign marked "Redneck Boulevard". Several claimed to have spotted alligators, but thankfully I saw none. All I saw was David and Julie turning around backwards in their inflatable kayak more than once! Of course, I should say nothing--since we had a grill and a large trash bag on our kayak. We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies of Kayaking! I really did enjoy the scenery though. Nothing we humans make can compare with God's artistry. I was especially impressed with the size of the lily pads and those detailed flowers. Did you know that the lily pads are natural water repellents? Splash water on them and the water beads up into hundreds of droplets and bounces off. Incredible. God always amazes me and I quietly thank him often for how lucky I am to witness his work.

PLAY
Finally, we played and played and played. The rope swing was a bonus surprise at the picnic area (and part of the reason we had crispy hotdogs--we got distracted!) Alisha was the official rope girl. David, William, Kurt, Wayne 1, and Wayne 2 all jumped. Dolly was the first girl to jump. I jumped with and without a partner. Mary jumped without a rope!!! Others enjoyed the really deep cool water at the jump site.

Overall, we had a great day on the water once again. Always new people, new friends to make. Enjoying old friends (that's not old in the chronological sense), and talking about new adventures we can take in the future. Speaking of...we are already planning the next one. So, tell someone you know, get your kayak ready...cause we've got much more playin to do!!