Family, Dogs, Fires and Kayaking – Summer Begins
July 14, 2010 by IK World
I love the summer. I feel very lucky to live in a place where I get to experience all of the seasons and I enjoy every one of them. I am especially fond of the summer months however as there is just no better feeling than a hot summer day.
So far my start to this beautiful season has been fairly eventful. My first few weeks of summer included family visits, a lost dog, forest fires and of course paddling in my inflatable kayak.
Week 1 - My Brother Visits from Singapore
I have an older brother, Aaron, who has been living and working in Singapore for the last eight years. Normally he comes to visit us in the winter so I was especially excited that he was making his way out here this summer as I was determined to rope him into kayaking with me.
He has never expressed any great interest in it but I was sure he would love it once he was out in the water. We headed out one morning to Okanagan Lake about fifteen minutes from my home.
As he didn’t have any water gear with him I had him decked out in my Mom’s lifejacket, my hat, my Mom’s scarf, etc. lol. We actually had a really fantastic time and luckily he was a natural at paddling. We did get caught in some high winds and some heavy waves but true to form my Sea Eagle 380X was totally stable and secure.
We rode the waves and paddled as hard as we could into the wind then let the wind basically push us back to where we started. Being the overly safety conscious person that I am, I wouldn’t let us venture too far from shore in those winds but we still had a great time.
Have you Been to Singapore?
While we were kayaking I was trying to convince Aaron that the next time I come to Singapore we need to go out kayaking. I have never kayaked in Singapore.
If any of you have ever been to Singapore or possibly live there then you know how ridiculously hot and humid that place is. To be honest I find the weather to be almost intolerable and really unpleasant for any outside activities… although I think if you live there you likely get used to it.
I am convinced however that it would be great to kayak over there and am going to make it a priority when I go next year. Aaron on the other hand was not so convinced that I would enjoy kayaking in the extreme humidity… I think my complaining is still all too fresh in his mind from my last visit!
So my question for anyone reading this post is… have you ever kayaked in Singapore? I am curious to know your experience.
After a great visit I realized one very important thing… I need a second inflatable kayak!! With family visiting it is impossible to get everyone out on the water at the same time.
Week 2 – I Found a Lost Puppy
While out for a walk a couple of weeks ago I found the most beautiful puppy wandering the street with no collar, tag or tattoos. She was beyond adorable and I’m guessing a cross between a beagle and a lab (see picture).
After knocking on several doors and not getting any response I found a very nice lady who gave me a massive chain leash that I could use to take her home with me.
During the twenty minute walk home and the hour I had her at my house I completely fell in love with her. I took a few pictures, as you can tell, and I had all sorts of great visions of her becoming my trusty paddling partner.
After my last dog passed away a couple of years ago, I had decided I wouldn’t get another dog for at least a few years. However lately it has become all I think about and I have become a little too obsessed with checking the SPCA listings every day. I thought perhaps this puppy was meant to be mine.
Anyway of course I had to take her to the SPCA. I spent the night agonizing over whether or not her owners came to get her all the while shopping online for a doggy pfd and planning how I would train her to go kayaking.
The next morning I called first thing and of course her owners came and got her and she was back home. Apparently she’s a digger and had dug her way out of the backyard. After a few days of sadness I am back on track and planning for a new dog next year… at which point this site will likely be inundated with pictures of my dog hopefully out kayaking with me.
Week 3 – Forest Fire
One of my biggest complaints about the area I live in is that it gets so extremely dry that every summer we are plagued with awful forest fires. I have been lucky enough to never have been directly affected by these fires but it is a given that at certain points of the summer outside activities get put on hold because there is too much smoke in the air to breathe.
The fires have started early this year and already we had a major fire close to town that unfortunately did a bit of damage.
Consequently kayaking this past week has been out of the question which has made me very unhappy. Luckily the fire is now over and we have had some heavy winds that have blown the smoke away.
So we are excited to be heading back out on the water this week and have a few exciting water destinations planned for the coming weeks ahead.
All in all an eventful first few weeks of summer. Heading into the middle of July there is no more family visits (for the time being), lost dogs or fires… it is back to normal with just me and my inflatable kayak.
Side Note: The particular deer in the picture above was nowhere near the forest fire. He was simply peacefully watching us pass by.
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