"No, no. I meant to go swimming..."

Went kayaking for the third time this year.  The first time it took me an hour to load up, the second time 40 minutes, this time 20 minutes.  So I've gotten the hang of it, I think.

We decided on Hosmer Lake this time.  When we visited it early on, it didn't look very attractive, but we were told the lake keeps going, that it had these cool channels.  So we headed out.

Sure enough, the lake was rather beautiful.  Lots of lily pads and tons of birds.  When it was quiet you could hear dozens of different species trilling and squawking and singing and warbling and every kind of noise.  If you went close to to their nesting places they raised a cacophany of protest.

It was a very pleasant temperature, mid-70's, and I started wishing I'd worn a long sleeve shirt.  It wasn't really any cooler than down in the lowlands of Bend, which surprised me.

There were bird sanctuary islands all through the journey.  Hordes of little ducklings following their mothers.  They plupped in and out of water, diving out of sight.  The plup sound was really cute.  Plup. Plup.

Unlike Elk Lake, we couldn't help but run into lots of other boaters.  There was every kind of boat you can think of, all shapes and sizes and colors.  Really interesting to me.  Not just your average kayak, but paddle boats, and pontoons and rowing boats and every kind of kayak.

One problem -- some people couldn't stop jabbering and the sound of their voices carried a long way.  It got so we'd park the kayaks to the side of the channel, let them pass with friendly greetings, and wait until they were out of earshot.

Really, the sounds of nature were incredibly relaxing and interesting.  Not so much people's voices...

About 2 1/2 hours seems to be our usual kayaking experience.  The trip back always goes nearly twice as fast.  We will probably go back to Hosmer, but I would prefer a more private experience if possible. I can't totally and completely let go when I'm constantly running into other people. It's a introvert thing, I guess.

Linda and I have sort of decided to try a different lake every time, at least for awhile.

We made it back to shore.  I got out of the kayak and instantly went backward into the water, which was embarrassing as hell.  People running over to help me, and I'm just saying, "No, no, I meant to go swimming."

Thing was, I didn't feel tired at all -- until I rose up, and then it was like, "Wow," my legs aren't quite as strong as I thought they were.

So then Linda gets up, and she immediately falls over into the water.   I'm sure she just did it out of sympathy....heh.

People seems to want to "help" people like Linda and me, and while I appreciate the sentiment, I'd much rather do it myself.  Gives me some insight to the way my Dad acted in his doddering years -- irritated that you'd try to help him.  Heh.

Was itchy and scratchy last night trying to sleep.  Nature.  

Linda's feet are giving her trouble, so walking -- which is what we used to do -- isn't something we can do together anymore, so kayaking seems perfect for us.

We're still newbies -- but so far, every trip, we've run into other newbies as well.

We got home and forgot to unload the kayaks, so they're still on the car and I'm thinking we should maybe take advantage of that and go for another trip...

But I also want to get back to writing.

Such a pleasant dilemma.