Well, congratulations to Krista (coffespaz) for correctly guessing a canoe! Letty was close though in first mentioning a boat. And my sister, well, I don’t know why she said she hoped it wasn’t a boat!

Yes, this beautiful hand-crafted canoe was gifted to Rick by a good friend. We are both in awe of this gift and it is truly one of the most wonderful gifts he or I (hey, I get to share the joy!) have ever been given. It’s very special. We are beyond words of thanks. What a wonderful gift. We’ve had a canoe before, in Colorado, and presently it lives at our mountain cabin there. But it’s like riding in a cold, tin can (it’s aluminum) and can’t compare with the craftsmanship represented here.

This morning we loaded it up onto the Suburban and headed down to our local Green Turtle Pond. You’ve seen it before here in my blog. Where I walk the dogs, where Bart liked to wade, where the swans were this past winter.

Ahoy, mates! Strap on your PFDs and prepare for the maiden voyage! (PFDs = personal flotation devices; better known as life vests)

From the moment that we launched her (well, boats are always referred to as “she” aren’t they?) it was sublime bliss. She glided through the water effortlessly and every so silently. The only sound was our paddles hitting the water and the water dripping off them.

We paddled into one of the coves to get used to maneuvering again. It’s kind of like riding a bicycle; once you know how it comes back quickly.

After getting our canoe skills back, we then headed for the open water. I hope we weren’t over zealous, but we paddled the perimeter of the entire pond, which is really like a small-ish lake to me. Probably about a mile. Here I am doing my bit, but thank heavens I don’t have to steer.

But the real work comes from behind:

Someone has to start things and this tree may have gotten a bit ahead of the others in prepartion for winter.

Wait, Rick says, what’s that in the water ahead? Looks like a turtle ... whoa ... it IS a turtle. Image a turtle in Green Turtle Pond! How very apropos and how very timely. Thank you, Mr. Turtle! Looks like a Snapper to me ... what a tail!

As we headed for the boat ramp we couldn’t help but think once again how lucky and grateful we were to be given this gift.

Sweet hubby Rick’s birthday is tomorrow: August 31st. For his birthday he received a wonderful birthday gift (not from me) that was delivered by its builder/giver just the other evening. Can anyone guess what it is by these photos?  The only thing I will tell you is that it was built completely by hand. All will be revealed over the weekend. If you guess correctly I might have to think up a prize for the winner (first person with the right answer).

Yesterday I was cited for one of the “best of the Jersey blogs.” How exciting is that? I didn’t even know this site existed until a comment from a reader led me there. Thanks to Hilary for letting me know. Her blog was also one of the “best.”

Take a look! Click here to see my blog in print!