Guided to safe shore by our sons

We now officially have two sons with driver's licences: they can drive without supervision. Steve and I are taking full advantage of this new miracle of our sons being able to do us favors for a change.

For example: the other day, Steve and I put our kayaks in the bay just before sunset. We started paddling and were so blissed out that we decided to kayak all the way to Teddybear Cove near Bellingham. After a short phone call to our sons, we coordinated with them to pick up the truck and get us at the cove, which required that the two of them drive.

By the time we got near shore, it was pitch black with only a tiny sliver of moon. Our sons blinked their flashlights at us so we could see where we needed to go. As I sunk my paddles into the inky water, I fought back tears because this felt so momentous: our sons guiding us safely to shore, picking us up, keeping us safe.

 

Ever since moving away from our beloved Marblemount wilderness and down into the Skagit Flats, we've spent as much time on the salt water as we can. It's magical here. It's a whole different wilderness, one I'm not as familiar or comfortable with, but I vow to change that by exposing myself to it as much as I can.

I burnt the heck out of my thighs a few days ago, which left me with blistering, second degree burns and an inability to walk much. But I can sit in a kayak and use my arms, and so I do, even in the pitch black if need be.
 

 We try to incorporate our kids into these adventures as much as they let us. For the boys, of course, it's not particularly cool to hang out with their parents and paddle around in little boats that don't involve speed. We tell them that it's a great upper body workout, so they consent to come with us, especially when there are lavish picnics involved.

And Eva doesn't quite have the muscles yet to brave large stretches and distances of water. But she gets to sit in the canoe (I traded that canoe for coaching sessions years ago), and one of her brothers and Dad paddle for her, while she sits in the middle like a Queen, chatting and singing the whole way.

I love these times on the water with my family. I know the days for this are numbered, with them surely flying the nest one by one.

 

And you? How are you doing? What are your favorite activities to connect with family?