Pops

   As some know, I'm taking this semester off.  I will not start college until January.  I needed time to think and I needed time to do things I should have done in high school.  Read books, not magazines.  Work seriously on my art.  Keep up with the world, not just the Kardashians.  And it's been going well so far.  I've completed over six novels, I'm putting together a show at a local art gallery, and I got a totally rad job at BCBG Max Azria.  Taking these five months off was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
   The only down side.. all of my friends are gone.  Well, all three of them.  Nonetheless, my options for kayak partners has dramatically decreased.  Patrick is still here of course, finishing up his last year of high school, but he hates kayaking.  So that's a dud.  My sister is around, but she's too glued to studying her precious notecards.  There's mom, but she's too tired, too busy, and far too grouchy.  So that really only leaves one person.
   My father.
   When I asked him if he would like to go, he responded with ample enthusiasm.
   "OF COURSE!  I've been telling you since you bought it that I would LOVE to go kayaking with you!! Thank you so much for asking me, sweetie!"
   It would be good.  He's a triathlete and an Iron Man so I knew he would be able to keep up with me and that he wouldn't complain.  I asked where he wanted to go and naturally he said, "It doesn't matter to me, Jillianne.  I'm just happy to spend time with you."  So I took him where I take all new-comers, Mallini's.  It was the perfect place for beginners.  Great sense of scenery, surrounded by houses, plenty of wildlife, all while having an easy compact route.
   The morning of our adventure, I check the radar and see that we may run into some rain.  I put heavy emphasis on the word "may", strap up the kayaks, waterproof my phone, douse myself in bug repellent, and drive on over to Dad's house.
   He comes down the stairs and meets me in his gravel driveway.  He had a long sleeve quick dry T-shirt that he no doubt acquired for free from one of his past triathlons, a pair of long khaki cargo pants that looked like they belonged to one of the members of Duck Dynasty, and a green Tilly hat.  He opens the car door and takes a seat next to me.
   "What on Earth are you wearing? It's like 90 something degrees outside," I ask.
   He looks down at his pants, "It's all breathable.  I don't want to get sunburnt."
   I make a gentle scoff and put the car in reverse.

   I'm disappointed to see waves when we pull up to the edge of the boat launch.  Clearly spoiled from my last kayaking trip..
   I give Dad a push out into the water and he rocks back and forth trying to find his balance.  We roll out and the thought of taking it slow doesn't even cross my mind.  After a while I look back and ask Dad if this speed is okay, is it too fast, too slow, what?
   "I don't know, you've got a nice little clip on you," he laughed.
   We make it around the bend and come to the area right before the opening to the Bay.  The waves pick up and I hesitate to keep going.  The worst thing is to get caught in the current, you end up kayaking on a treadmill going absolutely nowhere.  So we sit.
   The sun gleaming down on us, rain clouds threatening, waves rocking, mowers mowing, the usual drama in Mallini's.  After about 15 minutes of lounging in the yaks, I ask Dad if he wants to turn around.  His head pops up and he smiles, "Oh, I almost fell asleep, it's so peaceful out here."
   That makes me happy.

Distance  2.65 miles
Time  1:13:45
Min/Mile  27:50
Calories  275

Sae and the Sea

The Loop, Part I

   Sunday morning, I drive over to pick up Sarah Anne.  She comes out of the house with a little lunch box full of goodies, and I'm not just talking about food.  I ask her what's in it and she pulls out a bag of Mud cookies - homemade -,  some watermelon slices, and a bluetooth speaker.  I'm excited to see that, music always makes the kayaking trips that much more enjoyable, and my phone speaker would never be loud enough for the both us to hear.
   "The other day, someone told me I was looking a little more tan," she started, "I said, "Yeah, I'm a kayaker now."."
 
   I get the RunKeeper app and the kayak playlist going and we glide on out.  The water was as smooth as silk, making it that much easier to paddle.
   By now, Sae has mastered the kayak.  She still gets a little flustered when we have to turn around or back up, but she's always up for a challenge and never wants to fall too far behind me.  I knew we were making great time when we were almost to the bay, and sure enough, we get the notification saying we're going at a speed of 17 minutes per mile.
   "Oh my gosh!" Sarah Anne exclaims.
   "That is so good! The fastest Trea and I ever go is 22 min/mile! 17 is fantastic!" I say.
   "I knew we were bookin' it, my arms hurt. And I see you and I'm like 'How does she keep going?!' But then I remember you do this all the time.."
   I laugh and respond, "If you want to go slower, just let me know! I want you to have a good time!"
   "Oh no, this is great!" she smiles.
   I told her we would take a break when we reached the mouth of the bay and we continued onward.

   We reached the bay and I was without words.
   In all of my kayaking adventures, I had never seen the water like this.  There was not a wave in sight.  It looked as if one could walk right on the water.  The sky was crystal clear and the heat was tolerable.  The kind of heat that makes you sweat but doesn't make you want to go back inside.  My jaw hung open, I couldn't believe my eyes.  There were no waves to pull you in a certain direction or slow you down, you only move the way you want to move.  This was everything a kayaker could dream of.
   Sarah Anne hadn't been out as many times as I had so I knew she wouldn't fully appreciate it the way I did.  But I tried to explain the greatness of it to her as best as I could.
   "I'm going to suggest something, and if you don't want to do it, say so.  I'm only going to suggest it because I've never had the water like this and I know I won't have it again anytime soon," I paused, "but I think we should do the loop."
   From the house, one can get to the bay two ways: the way that is taken in Down By The Bay where Trea catapulted the dead fish at me, and the other way I've taken everyone else.  The house is right in the middle of the loop.  The loop is where you go out into the bay one way and come back the other way and go to the house.  Total distance is about 5 miles.  Trea and I had always wanted to do it, but the waves in the bay were always too choppy for us.
   Sarah Anne sighed, looked out at the movementless water, and said, "I guess we really don't have a choice."
   "Really?"
   "Yeah, let's do it," she smiles.

An Angelfish Among Fish

   I'm not going to complain about getting the kayaks on and off the car, or the dragonflies filling the air, or even the heat.  I'm too grateful and blinded by the fact that I actually got my angelfish, Patrick, to go kayaking with me.  Sure, he listened to podcasts about League of Legends for a majority of the time, but whatever.  
   We pull up to the same ole house and I, with Patty watching, unstrap the yaks and place them in the water.  I toss him a life vest and he begins to snap it on before I ask, "You're going with your shirt? Or are you going to go rogue and take it off?"
   He blushes and quietly says, "Okay."
   "I was just asking!" I laugh, "Trea always takes his off, so I don't know. You can leave it on."
   "No, I'll take it off," he motions for me to turn around.
   "Big baby," I grumble.
   "What was that?" he laughed.
   I turn back around, his shirt was off and life vest was on, "Nothing," I say with a big grin, "let's go."

   After what felt like hours, my RunKeeper app notified us that we were traveling 1 mile every 37 minutes.  When I heard this, I couldn't help from laughing.
   "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! COMING IN AT A WHOPPING SPEED OF 34 MINUTES PER MILE, THE LIGHTNING FAST.... PATRICK!!!" I shout out to all of the surrounding homes.
   Patrick glides past me in his kayak, lips pursed, "Okay, you're gonna need to stop."
   "Stop?" I throw my hands up to my cheeks, "You mean we've actually been moving this whole time?" I laugh at my own joke, Patty continues down the way, unamused.
 
   The sun was beginning to go down, creating a golden haze all around us.  I snap a few pictures of Patty with sun beans coming in from behind him as we make our way to the golf course and float around in between two holes.  I then start to paddle my way over to the shallow grassy part of the waters.
   "What are you doing?" Patty asks.
   "Fishing out a golf ball.  Would you like one, angelfish?"
   "Absolutely not.  That's stealing, I'm not going to be a felon," he paddles away from me, "I'm going to stay over here.  Completely unaffiliated with you."
   "Whatever," I mumble as I pull a pink golf ball out of the muddy ground, keeping an eye out for any snakes, "I'm getting you one anyway."

   After a while, I pause to take a picture of the setting sun, and a tuckered Patty again glides past me saying, "That's it, leisurely.  Nice and slow.  Leisurely pace.  The world already moves so fast, why make it go faster?" He turns around and says to me, "You know, the turtle did win that race."

Distance  3.78 miles
Time  2:07:11
Min/Mile  33:38
Calories  467


 

'No Wake'

   Since this is Sarah Anne's first time kayaking, I have no choice but to take her to Mallini's, the usual, since it's an easy route and plenty of scenery.
   Back at the house, it's comforting to see that nothing has changed.  Despite longer grass and deeper tire tracks, everything is as it was when I left it last.
   Sarah Anne parks the truck at the edge of the water and I note that the tide is low, making it easier to travel under the bridges we'll be encountering.
   "This is pretty," she smiles.
   "Isn't it?" I laugh.
   She unhitches the latch of the truck and lowers the gate so we can just slide the yaks right out into the water.  I attach my new paddle to my new paddle leash and clip it onto the storage unit in the back of my kayak.  Sarah Anne hops in her yak and I give her a little push out into the water before doing the same.
   Now, Sarah Anne is one of my dearest friends, she's absolutely brilliant and I love her to death, but when I look back and see her rocking around in her yak, turning in one direction and then the other all in a single stroke, I can't help but laugh.
   I watch her continue to struggle before asking, "You got it?" even though it was clear that she indeed did not get it.
   But she smiles and responds, "Yeah, you go on, I'm right behind you."
   I laughed but paddled on anyway, taking it slow.  I didn't want her to get lost or get eaten by an alligator or something like that.
   We yak down my usual route, whistling at the birds, answering the neighbors when they call out to us, "Lovely day for that!"
   After a while I hear Sarah Anne say, "How do you go so straight?! You make it look so easy!" she says as she continues her perfect chevron pattern through the water.
   Eventually, she does get the hang of it..sort of.  I slow down as she gets faster and we meet in the middle.
   "So does this kayak have a name?" she asks.
   "Mhmm, Ohana."
   "Oh that's so cute! Because it's blue! Like Stitch!"
   I laugh aloud, "Yeah, it's pretty precious."
   "What about yours?"
   Taken aback, I say, "No, I've never thought about it.  What would be a good name for it?"
   She looks at my bright orangeish-yellowish kayak, thinks for a moment, and then smiles, "Sunburst, very hippie, very tribal, perfect for you."
   "That is perfect.  Perfect name for a kayak.  I'll have it painted on in no time," I smile.
   We continue down the way, and before long, we're in the bay.  I stop paddling and Sarah Anne looks confused.
   "This is when we take a break."
   She nods and puts down her paddle, soaking in the view.
   We take pictures and chat, bobbing up and down over the waves.
   Sarah Anne points at one of the many signs posted all over that reads 'No Wake' and asks, "What does that mean?"
   I explain that a wake is the waves caused by a boat or technically anything moving through the water and she responds, "Ohh! I was wondering.  Those signs are all over the place and I was like "What an odd thing to put on a sign, you can't have a wake here?" but your definition makes more sense."
   I burst out laughing, clutching my stomach, throwing my head back, "Oh Sae, you kill me!"

   On the way back, I decide to take us through Alligator Alley.  The chances of us actually running into a gator were slim, but it's worth it.  She didn't want to see one, but I had my fingers crossed.  I lead the way, pointing out all of the tiny crabs that line the banks of the water.  There were thousands of them, the size of my thumb nail, crawling up and down the tree roots and grass near the water's edge.  We travel under the first bridge, and I was shocked that Sarah Anne made it through without hitting something or getting her paddle stuck somewhere.
   "Here gator gator gator," I whistle with a grin.
   "Cut it out," I hear Sarah Anne say from behind me.
   I laugh and continue on under the second and final bridge.  She makes her way out and I push her in the shoulder, "Look at you! Made it through the wilderness, and no gators!"
   She smirks and passes by me.
   Just around the corner is the house, I paddle up and Sarah Anne says, "That's it!"
   "That's it!" I laugh.
   "But that was so great!"
   I paddle up the boat launch and come to a halt, "We'll be back, don't fret, hun."

Distance  3.17 miles
Time  1:15:13
Min/Mile  24:29
Calories  298
 
 

Down By The Bay

     We drive down the dusty little trail and come to a stop as we reach the edge of the launch.  Trea and I sit in the car, watching the temperature go from 90 degrees to 91 degrees.  After a few moments of silence, I turn to him and say with a grin, "It's not too late to turn around and go home." He laughs but responds, "It's not a hobby if you don't enjoy it." So we unload the kayaks, attach our paddles, buckle our life vests, say good morning to the adorable family who allows us to use their boat launch at our disposal, and then head out.  We each press play on our individual Pandora stations and I hit start in my RunKeeper app to begin the workout.

     I take the front, leading us around the bend. The sun shining brightly down on me, the sound of my kayak's teeny tiny wake following me.  We travel around the island, whistling at the family of egrets sitting on an abandoned wooden bench.  The tide pulls us out with it, making it much easier to paddle through the swampy waters.  A few boats motor past us, the children smiling and pointing, before we reach a small harbor.  To our surprise, there was actually a boat all the way from New Jersey. We paddle under a small bridge, pausing for a moment to take refuge in its cool shade.  After a few more turns, we see the bay.  A shallow part approaches so we stay to the right in order not to get stuck in the murky sand.  The waves become greater as we drift out farther into the bay.  Trea catches up to me and grabs ahold of the side of my kayak.  We sit and chat and then all of a sudden we wash up on the sandy and rocky coast.  Trea's kayak crashing into mine, causing water to flood over, soaking my shorts.  Thankfully my kayak was self-bailing; Trea didn't have such luck.  He sees something floating a few feet away from him and asks what it is.  I say, "Either a Styrofoam cup or maybe it's the Kraken." He laughs and goes to investigate.  Turns out it's the head of a dead fish.  He picks it up out of the water and holds it up so I can see.  I cringe and he pulls it back as if he's about to throw it at me.  I shriek as he hurls it in my direction, he laughs as it just misses me and lands on the sand. "You're such a girl," he smiles.  I laugh, "I'm sorry I don't like fish carcasses being thrown at me."  I get out and pull my kayak onto the shore, taking a gulp from my water bottle.  Trea wrestles with the waves and heads back out in the water.  I stay on the beach, laughing at him, before eventually pushing mine back into the bay and not-so-gracefully getting into the yak.  We paddle back into calmer waters and then take a breath.  Trea turns to me and asks, "Ready to head back?"

Distance 3.24 miles
Time 1:22:27
Min/Mi 25:29
Calories 321