Piddle Boarding

Hey y'all - 

Last year, your dad bought a paddle board, and we all fell in love with it, so this year, we bought a second one and have spent all of our spare time so far this summer on the water. We've paddled on two rivers, two lakes and two ponds, and I usually do it with one or two young'uns hanging off the front of my board, so I've had to become competent in a hurry. In fact, one day last summer, Hagen climbed on my board, laid face-down on the front half, declared, "I go night-night," and let his arms drag in the water on either side of the board as he fell asleep and we continued down the river. "THOR!!," I said, "What if he rolls off into the river?!?" "Don't worry," your dad said. "He'll be moving at the same speed as your board, so you can just scoop him back up." Not one to panic, your dad. 

Through knowledge gained from our many outings, it's possible I have invented a new version of the sport that I like to call "Piddle Boarding." In my version, you get to sit down on the board with a cold beverage balanced between your legs. It was such a pain to balance a drink and a kid and paddle with the customary long paddle (because I'd have to swing the paddle up and over your heads with every stroke) that your dad bought me a two-bladed kayak paddle to make it easier for me to sit. 

A few weeks ago, we went to Salmon Lake with some very athletic/competitive friends of ours, who suggested we have a paddle board relay race around the buoys at the lake. Somehow, for my leg, I was pitted against your dad. I don't know what got into me, but I really, REALLY wanted to beat him. I got down on my knees on the paddleboard so I could get the paddle deep in the water, and I hauled ass. I cornered around that buoy like it was my JOB. And I beat your dad, fair and square. I possibly pulled muscles in both thighs because I couldn't walk right for three days after, but note that on June 12th at approximately 12:30pm, I beat your dad at something. 

Laney loves going on these adventures, because she likes swimming and loves the water and usually gets to invite a friend along and they spend all day pretending to be pirates or mermaids or pirate mermaids as their parents paddle them around.

Hagen loves these outings, not because he likes swimming (he doesn't) or because he loves loves to get wet (he hates it), but because he really likes to sit on the shore and consume roughly 5000 calories from the cooler before passing out on a blanket.

 So...that's what we've been doing in our spare time.

Ahoy!
Mom