Our First Camping for This Year: Peace River!

On the road to Arcadia…

The Heartland of Florida Oranges…

That’s me, skydiving…and falling on the cattle, or, are you kidding?  This is cattle country…small town America.

As we drove by we thought if we lived here, can we take it?  Among the cattle ranches, and orange groves and small town stores with no malls?

The boys setting up camp

While I relax.

Papa sanding the boat that keeps tipping over

for the rain gutter regatta.

ATV’s and golf carts in abundance and dust swirling all around.

Football at twilight.

And Zombie time after dark….(it’s a full moon).

Campfire with burning of Old Glory.

 

And the morning after was soo cold I could see Matt’s breath turn to steam.

This shot was taken before sunset

This one after sunrise.

Matt running around to warm up.  It was freezing in the early morning.

Last night I was bragging about doing all the paddling for the canoeing today.

 

Peace River

I got the butterflies in my stomach when the first of the canoes capsized!

Then when I boarded the canoe with my camera backpack on, and started to paddle, I felt out of balance, and got the jitters. For fear of losing my brand new camera in the water, I kept still.

Bugsay, bugsay, kiwi kiwi diutay…

Finally, I took my back pack off and started paddling but I was paddling the canoe in circles we ran aground on the river bank a few times.  I thought it was hilarious, I was laughing so hard.

And finally, the hubby, who was losing his patience put me in the front, which accounts for this view.

And this view…

And this view.

At this point I am screaming with glee.  I was having such a blast.  

I was paddling right and left, left and right, toning my biceps, triceps and abs.  Great work out, paddling. Nonoie gives me an occasional push. No wonder we were going so slowly no matter how hard I row.  He was resting and watching me paddle. While the little boy was irked for being splashed.

Taking pictures briefly and then showing off to the husband how physically fit I am.  While Matt kept whining behind me.

We stopped on the bank to strain the river sand for some fossil remains…

and to water the plants…

Nonoie seriously paddling while Matt’s  nibbling, not so seriously.

Ten minutes left into the journey…

This journey of 4 1/2 miles started with one paddle.

First time for all three of us.  Congratulations!

(You will all feel the burn tomorrow morning.)