well i think sister amy and i fully understand the message now. we did it. we canoed the peace river yesterday and the peace river was...well, it was peaceful. floating along it was obvious why someone sometime named this river as he or she did. gorgeous scenery--big cypress trees with spanish moss, willows, graceful herons, amazing.
for amy and i it was reminiscent of those days on the niangua with the family where we learned the art of floating. all day long we channeled the spirit of all those who weren't there...momma, pops, carrie, bash, nat. bungi cords were there just like our parents taught us. ziplocs protected our valuables. songs were sang in memory. tears were shed over the absence of the traditional summer sausage. the embarrassing safety ties for the glasses were NOT there but a joke or two was made in honor.
it was just like old times except for a few key things: we FLOAT the river back home. one does not float the peace river, one must paddle. we'd still be there if we hadn't put some muscle into it. at one point i swear the wind pushed us upstream. no joke. and for the first time amy and i were in a canoe together. not such a great idea for two experienced back seat girls who traditional have partners who make better hood ornaments than paddlers. factor in the fact that paddling was a necessity on this canoe trip and it made for some not so peaceful moments. finally i gave into my non paddling status and amy steered us home.
have i mentioned josey went with us? i almost left her at home last minute due to some very disturbing dreams the night before...alligators, need i say more? but in the daylight i gained confidence and she made our duo a trio. she did fantastic for her first time in a canoe. and best of all, she didn't get eaten!
so you're probably wondering and the answer is no, we didn't see any alligators. a few alligator sticks including one very convincing stick that was moving just right and made the heart quicken a bit, but not the real thing. an armadillo was our wildlife highlight.
and yes, once again, amy managed to give herself sun leprosy. it almost rivals the burn of ship island. not in degree as much as pattern created from her sunblock application. i'm beginning to think it's a real medical condition.
and that, my friends, was the haller sisters (minus carrie) on the peace river.
peace out. like a river.
can i just say? that first stick TOTALLY looked like a gater.
ReplyDeleteI love that you actually had to sit in front and feel powerless... but damn, isn't it fun when you can just drink beer and look at boys instead of paddling??
ReplyDeletenat - no offense to my much beloved little sister. but you are still my absolute favorite canoe partner:)
ReplyDeleteyea sarah for adding in the pictures! i was gonna ask if you would let me access your blog so i could add them. but i can see that thanks to a little ok-by-me thievery, that's completely unneccessay:)
ReplyDelete