Her first time...

Well, Jaedyn and I finale got my wife, Autumn, to go kayaking with us. I was expecting the worst and hoping for the best. It turned out to be the later of the two. She did really well despite some unforeseen challenges. For example, I thought she would use my sister's kayak witch is smaller and thinner which makes it easier to paddle, but the seat wasn't comfortable, the boat wobbled more and the cockpit opening was smaller, all of which made our boat more appealing. The only problem was, jaedyn has to ride in our boat because it has the storage compartment which she rides in. Normally not a problem but for someone who has never been in a kayak and is still trying to get the technique down, Jaedyn doesn't exactly make things easy.

So, we were on our way up the saugatuck river. I got a couple good shots of my two girls paddling. Too bad they were going in different directions. So after ducking under two bridges and letting the tide take us up river for a little break we arrived at the first small dam. I can't tell you how proud I am that Autumn made the trip and not only did it but, actually looked like she enjoyed herself.

As always I'm proud of my little girl Jaedyn who not only enjoys riding with mommy and daddy but has taken a real liking to kayaking. She even paddled by herself, of course I was close by to make sure she didn't get in over her head.

Whoa baby its hot!!!

We've been going through a heat wave the last couple of days and I'm not sure when its going to end. When I say heat wave I'm talking about highs of about 99 / 100 degrees and lows of 86 / 87. I'm doing any thing and every thing to keep near the water and that's exactly what Jaedyn and I did today.
We got all of our gear to take the kayak out, life jackets, water (tons of it) and of course snacks. With out snacks what would I use to keep Jaedyn's hands from dragging in the water and slowing us down. She loves to drag both of her arms in the water as deep as she can get them, thus making it more difficult for daddy to paddle.

We set off from one of our more popular spots, the Saugatuck river boat ramp, due to the easy access. Only this time we set off down river towards the mouth of the Saugatuck and out into the sound. A couple of days earlier (Saturday) we paddled down stream as well, paddling along the shore and out to Sherwood Island. Since there were so many boaters and jet skis out that day we didn't go too far from the coast and played it safe. Today being a Tuesday I was a little more apt to explore. So once we reached the mouth of the river we headed south to a small private island in Norwalk. Know one seemed to mind having Jaedyn and I there as she played in the water, climbed on the rocks and shared a sandwich with me.



After Lunch we headed off to our next destination which was another island. This one was more a product of low tide. None the less, we stopped and Jaedyn posed with her N.S. Tiger and hopped from rock to rock. We also were treated to a show from a local kite surfer, although he wouldn't come close enough for me to get a good picture.

Well, Jaedyn and I enjoyed another fun filled trip. My only hope is I can get Autumn to join us next time. I promise that I'll make the first time memorable...