On Cloud Nine....

Owning a handyman's dream home is really a dream (I am actually serious) but it does tend to monopolize your life if you are not absolutely vigilant about making other plans. While I honestly do get immense satisfaction out of working on the house, there are some things I have missed, like paddling.

Dan has never done much paddling, or boating at all really, if you dismiss the brief flirtation with an aging ski boat he bought before he met me. I worked summers through college at a Girl Scout Camp and then lived in on Moosehead Lake, so I had a lot of opportunities to paddle, including some coastal paddling trips. As we now live within 1/4 mile of the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay, it seems like too good an opportunity to pass up.

Thus we began seriously talking about the idea and what kind of kayaking we wanted to do, and what kind of boats would best suit us. We rented a couple of Old Town Canoe Loon 138 kayaks and spent about 2 hours paddling yesterday, and went for a long paddle on the Kennebec again this morning, and we are hooked. Our little town has a magnificent boat launch and waterfront park, and the view of town from the river is wonderful. Without even really focusing on birdwatching, we saw loons, osprey, bald eagles, several great blue herons, and a kingfisher. It was glorious paddling.

Those two kayaks are staying with us, our rental agent just also happens to be an Old Town dealer, and we got a good price on (barely) used kayaks. Although Dan is pictured here in a red one, we both got cloud blue kayaks. Look for us on the water again tomorrow --that is, if my arms can move! It has been a few years since I paddled on a regular basis. I love life in Maine.