Summer's Comin...

Trying out my new kayak on the lake at Hayne's Point - photo by Lawrence Wolfe

Summer's comin in the Okanagan valley and its going to be a busy one FULL of adventure & fun! Beside the fact that hubby is building me a quad, from he & my parents for my birthday yesterday I got this beautiful kayak, complete with paddle, splash skirt & this contraption that I can carry it on my car!

Yes, yes! I'm as spoiled as they come but my loved ones certainly know me well. I have been "new year's resolutioning' for 4 years in a row that THIS would be the year I would learn to kayak. And so badly I have wanted to but other things seemed to take over the chances of getting out there & trying it.

So, instead of listening to me talk about it but not do it for one more year, in January, my darling husband approached my folks about making my 30th birthday a memorable one (not that it wouldn't have been anyways) and that together they would get me set up for kayaking!

I was pretty darn excited. I hopped in & paddled around for about 2 minutes - didn't go far because I had no life jacket on (I do have one at home) and didn't really know what I was doing with that double sided paddle but, oh the peace & tranquility I felt just being out there on the lake, quietly absorbing the sun & feeling the rhythm of the gentle waves. Yes, I knew I was going to love this.

Once it gets a teensy bit warmer, hubby will show me the ropes, including how to roll over & correct myself from being upside down, how to properly paddle, etc. Fortunately, Osoyoos Lake is probably the WARMEST lake in all of Canada, it is very shallow even though it is quite big so it will warm up quickly this spring. We've already had some 25 degree+ weather days - I love living in the desert.

And, once I learn all the proper techniques of 'survival' in the kayak, then we can take it camping with us to the mountain lakes (not so warm) and I can happily paddle out in the first calm hours of the morning like I've always imagined doing!

Many thanks to those of you who wished me a happy birthday yesterday. It was greatly appreciated. If you have an extra minute, hop on over to my blog friend Sharon Lynne's blog at California Breeze and wish her a happy birthday for today is her birthday!