Out with Scout

Clear blue sky up above, calm brown water beneath, and between it all just me and my hubby in our little red canoe.

In the weeks since I brought the canoe home, I've frequently looked out the window and wondered when we would ever get out on the water. On the few really nice days we had other commitments--baby shower, funeral, classes, meeting madness. But mostly we've had horrible days: cold, gray, windy, snowy, slushy, icy, and did I mention cold? 

Today we had the time but not, at first, the temperature: 20 degrees first thing this morning. But the sky was cloudless and the mercury kept climbing--30, 40, 50, 55--and when it hit 60, we strapped Scout to the van and headed for the lake.

For our inaugural outing, we selected a local lake frequented only by a few fishermen. Today we saw one small fishing boat puttering around on the brown water surrounded by woods that haven't yet started to green up. No wind, wakes, or currents, so we worked on our paddling skills, practiced keeping the boat steady. Find the center. Lean in. No sudden movements. Communicate! Find the balance.


Sometimes we stopped paddling and drifted, watching and listening. A towhee's call. A Cooper's Hawk circling overhead. Geese coming in for a landing. A stray bit of down drifts toward the water in a silence so serene I expect to hear a splash. 

No moments of high drama, but we get enough drama in our daily lives. One of these days, after we strengthen our paddling skills, we'll venture out into some more adventuresome waters, but for now it's enough to glide along the stillness, listen to the silence, and keep our craft from tipping.