GrandNewby Kayakers

I have to tell you...I was a little bit in heaven this weekend. Emily, Lidia and Sawyer came home for my family's reunion on Saturday and afterwards we took Lidia and Sawyer kayaking.

 

Cliff bought Sawyer a kayak last week...he already had one for Lidia. We were so excited for Sawyer to see it and we thought he would be too. But when Emily and the kids got here and we showed it to Sawyer, he was a little apprehensive about showing any excitement of his own. He's the kind of child that if he feels he can't do something really well, then he's hesitant about trying it. I know this and I know that you have to encourage him to try and then give him some time and space to get accustomed to the idea. And sure enough, after awhile, he started sitting on it, then holding the paddle and finally laying down on it. That's all it took. He came up to me and said, "LaLa, I think I'm going to like kayaking."

 

Well, alright then. Let's get our kayaking on.

 

Oyster Landing is a great place to start, if you've never kayaked before. It is a beachy sort of landing on the creeks of Murrells Inlet. It's shallow which makes it ideal for the grandchildren. If they flip the boat, no biggy. They can just hop right back on. And this sort of happened a couple of times. But it was a result of playing fearlessly on the water and just having a plain ole good time. The following pictures tell the tale.      

 

First lessons.....

 

...and a flooded boat landing. It was a really high tide, Saturday.

 

A few instructions....

 

And then we set sail.

 

Look at Lidia....doesn't she look like a pro?

 

Lidia and Sawyer took to kayaking like a duck on water.

 

The wind was blowing and the tide was changing so they had to paddle almost constantly.

The marsh was a good place to rest those weary arms.

 

Sawyer couldn't wait to go back on Sunday.

And this time, he struck out on his own.

 

Nothing to it.....

 

Sunday, the tide was dead low. It was so shallow that

Lidia kept hitting the sand with the paddle.

 

And of course, this is what you do when you get tired of paddling.

 

Or this.....

 

Or this. You go exploring near the marsh and look for crabs and such.

 

But if you're LaLa, you get all excited when you spot this beautiful creature.

I've never seen one before, but learned that it is a Roseate Spoonbill.

 

Her tail feather's are so pretty in pink.

 

And her spoonbill, too.

 

We will certainly be looking forward to more adventures such as this. I love kayaking and now that we can share it with the grandchildren....well, Heaven!!

 

**************

 

Oh, wait!  Before you go, I have to tell you something.....remember my half-marathon? Training has been going pretty well. I am so excited to tell you that yesterday I ran 10 miles and it was awesome! 

 

And the countdown begins....3 and 1/2 weeks until the

2013 Georgetown Bridge to Bridge Half-Marathon. I'm on my way!

 

Talk soon,

Laurie