How I spent my summer vacation

Ah, summertime. Long sun-filled days, the desire to be outdoors all the time and the slower pace. We weren’t able to take a full-fledged vacation this summer since I don’t want to leave my Mom for more than a few days. That didn’t stop me from enjoying the glorious summer days.

I love kayaking more than anything (well, maybe not more than Peeps). So we’ve spent all our spare time out on the water. When I’m out there, all my problems disappear. It’s like a mini-vacation.

Here are some pictures from our latest paddle:

1. We’ve had lots of rain, so the river is nice and high.

This is a very good thing, since there are some stretches of the river where the rocks normally protrude. The water is murky so you can’t see the rocks until you are almost on top of them.

2. Scary monster swan.

Here is Mr. Swan. I call him the scary monster swan since he is so big. I swear, this bird is bigger than I am. It’s a little sad though, he’s by himself this year. For the past five years, we’d always see him with his mate and a few baby swans. It looks like his mate is no longer alive. I understand that swans mate for life, so I hope he finds another mate.

3. Pretty flowers.

The banks of the river are lined with lots of flowers. Hibiscus is particularly abundant. You’d never know that you are paddling through a built-up suburb.

4. Turtle power.

We always count the turtles we see. It so fun to see them lined up on the logs. It’s hard to see them all, but there are 14 turtles lined up on this log!

So my lessons learned from this summer are:

1. Stop and take a look around you with new eyes.

There is beauty and peace everywhere; you just have to open your eyes.

2. Enjoy each moment and don’t worry about the future or the past.

Even though we didn’t get away to some new and exciting place, this has been one of my best summers. I feel so relaxed and healthy.

So what about you? How did you spend your summer vacation?

Photos are courtesy of Ken Loderick.