Kayaking today, January 7, 2007

Guy and I took our kayak out on the Bayou today. As is normal this time of year, many manatees were out, especially in a particular spot that is within 1/2 mile from our house. we peddled in close and allowed the boat to drift, and much to our amazement and delight, a manatee came directly under our boat and surfaced right beside us. It was clear he or she was curious and friendly. Guy reached out to tough her, and she enjoyed the scratch, rolling over to expose her tummy for rubbing. During our trip today, we were approached three times by manatees in a similar way. Each time, they approached the back of the boat, so while I had a great view and the ability to snap shots, I was not able to pet them as Guy did. Winter in Florida is a complete delight. It was over 80 degrees out today....

Our walks

I lost my digital camera at Mayakka State Park last weekend, so we replaced it ith this great little Sony Cybershot with a 12x zoom and 7.2 megapixels. We took it on our walk the other morning, and got some great shots. It is completely amazing to us that we get to enjoy all this in our own back yard.

Kayak and Motorhome

Guy and I recently purchased both a tandem Hobie peddling kayak, and a van type motorhome. The kayak is wonderfl. When we peddle, we go faster than one can possibly go by paddling (though we have paddles, too). We live 1.5 blocks from the bay, so we put the wheels on the kayak and go to the oat ramp at the park (a 3 minute walk), and are set to go. We also like to take it to Ft. DeSoto where we also love to "camp".

The cruise

December 16-23, our dad took our whole family on a family reunion cruise. Katie brought her friend Robyn, and Matt brought his friend Phil. My sister and brothers were there aling with their spouses, and all the nephews were there. Kendal and Ryan couldn't make it due to job responsibilities. Even Aunt Mitzi and Peggy were there!

We visited Grand Caymen, Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Belize. Matt met a great girl from Ohio named Michelle, and they already have plans to see each other two times. The second to last day, Matt got real sick, and I followed on the last day. We both took a long time to recover, but are fine now.

Guy and I got engaged on the trip. We bought a beautiful ring on one of the stops. We do not have a date set yet, but we both look forward to it.