Last week was spring break for me and I tell you what, it was the best time I've had in a long time. It was my grandfather's 90th birthday and we had a reunion birthday bash. Family from all over the country came down to visit and the majority of them stayed at my house. It was far beyond a good time. The weather that first weekend was glorious but I didn't get a chance to kayak since I was whooping it up with my cousins. During the week I thought for sure I would go, I had nothing but time. But alas, it rained..the..entire...time. And then I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Saturday came around with the sun beaming down, not a cloud in sight. 60º. Beyond perfect for getting back on the yak. So I run to my Uncle Mike from Washington who wasn't leaving town until Monday and I tell him that we simply have to go kayaking in the morning. He is reluctant at first, saying he's not sure if he can sit comfortably in the kayak, "I don't bend that way." I laugh and take him outside for a test run. I lend him my sit-on kayak, saying he will be much more comfortable in this one because he will be able to rest his legs however he chooses. He agrees and says, "Yeah, okay, I guess I can do that. Let's do it. What time are we leaving?"
The sun is beginning to peak in through the trees as Mom and I strap the kayaks to the car. It's been a while so my arms are a little tight as I heave the kayaks over my head and onto the car. Uncle Mike strolls out of the house carrying a cup of coffee and a spare Seattle Seahawks tshirt, "Hey. I'm ready." We drive down to the bayou and are surprised by how much mud is on the ground and on the launch. I guess that is to be expected when it rains for an entire week.
When Uncle Mike sits on the kayak and I push him out into the water, I am convinced he is going to flip. The back of the kayak is completely level with the water while the front of it is raised above the water. He is wobbling like a top that is about to fall and I watch with my breath frozen still and hands covering my mouth. But... he gets it. No one flipped. He got the hang of it and begins practicing turning and stopping as I push my self out into the water. I catch up to him and tell him to head left. I watch him paddle, right, left left, right, left, right right right, left left, right, and can't help but smile.
We reach the golf course and I notice a string of bubbles appearing on the water, no more than three feet away from me, heading in the opposite direction of us. I suggest to Uncle Mike that maybe it's an alligator. He frowns, "Yeah. I'm going back that way." I laugh and follow him out. On the way back, a dog who is very happy to see us jumps off of his yard and into a boat that is tied up. He stands on the edge, silently, and smiles as I paddle up next to him to give him a rub on the head. As I float on, I watch as he struggles to find the best way to get out of the boat. A pinecone captures my attention in the corner of my eye, and when I turn my head back to watch the dog, he was lying happily on the grass again. "Wizard dog," I say to myself.
We reach a point where we could either go back to the house or head towards the Bay. When I ask Uncle Mike what he wants to do he says, "Hey, this is all you. We can keep going." So I head towards the Bay but we turn down Alligator Alley to go around the island and land back at the house instead of going to the Bay and just turning around and coming back.
I row row row through the swamp because believe it or not, I actually didn't want to run into a gator that morning. When I get to the other end, I paddle over to the other side of the floating dock and admire how calm the water is and how green the grass is while I wait for Mike to make it through.
This was the first time I had ever kayaked in the month of March, and it might be my favorite. The sun is out but it has no desire to bake you and any leaf you see is brand new and filled with life. The whole bayou had a new refreshing ora to it that I had never seen before. This place had always been beautiful, this was just a different type of beauty.
I hear Uncle Mike run into something and I quickly turn my head to make sure he alright. Sure enough, he had crashed right into the floating dock. He laughs and says, "Hey, it's alright." I laugh with him and tell him the house is right around the corner.
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