A 3 Hour Tour . . .

Today was nice and restful for Jan and I, but not quite so much for Nick and Terry.

Both Jan and I slept in this morning, enjoying the cool overnight weather and the hot coffee after we finally got up. Then about 12:30 Nick called and invited us over for cappuccinos and Miss Terry’s fresh pumpkin bread, while we talked over their kayak plans for the day.

About 3pm we drove Nick and Terry about 4 miles in toward Loudonville to drop them off at a kayak launch site.

Nick and Terry both have inflatable Sea Eagle kayaks. Nick has used his a number of times last year, but this is Terry’s first time to use hers since she got it for Christmas.

The kayaks start out like this, in a nice compact bag,

afdfs

and with the aid of a battery-powered air pump, they end up looking like this. It only takes about 10 – 15 minutes to set up each one.

By about 3:30 Nick and Terry were starting out on their ‘3 hour tour’. Though actually it turned out to be about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

adfadsfdsf

And here our two intrepid explorers set out on their perilous journey through the wilds of central Ohio, maybe to never been seen again.

adsfasd

Jan and I, along with Mister, spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in our chairs out in front of the coach, reading and waiting for Nick and Terry to show up.

adf

Finally about 4:45 they pulled into sight and beached right in front of us.

asdfd

We had been invited to go to dinner with Amy and her family, so after Nick and Terry got dried off, we all headed out about 6:15 to nearby Danville and The Hangout, a local bar & grille.

They were really busy, and it took a while to get our food, but it was well worth the wait. And besides, we were having so much fun talking we hardly noticed.

And we were a large group, consisting of Amy Smith, and her husband George, their daughter Kim and her husband Scott Smith. So yes, I guess Kim’s married name is Kim Smith Smith.

Also with us were Kim and Scott’s daughters, Madison, 8, and Marissa, 2. Kim homeschools Madison and Marissa, and it really shows. Both girls are very well behaved, and it was a pleasure to have them with us. With Nick and Terry, and Jan and I, we had a table of 10, but our waitress did a great job taking care of us.

And the food was delicious. Here’s a photo of my Double Bacon Cheeseburger. It’s 4 inches high and so big I didn’t even try to pick it up, I just ate it with a fork, and it was gooooddd!

Jan had the Big New Yorker, a Rueben with cole slaw on it. We also split an order of Hot Wings that were really good, but in Texas at least, they would be laughed at for calling them hot. Mildly warm might be a better description, but they were very good anyway.

We really appreciate the great hospitality that Amy and her family have shown us. They’ve really made us feel at home. Thanks, Amy.

On another note, Lowell sent along this latest photo of Landon with that mischievous look on his face.

——————————————————————————————————————–

Thought for the Day:

For you Star Trek: DS9 fans:

“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Siege of AR-558 (#7.8)” (1998)

Quark: Let me tell you something about Humans, Nephew. They’re a wonderful, friendly people, as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people… will become as nasty and as violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon. You don’t believe me? Look at those faces. Look in their eyes.

adsfasdf