Every year, we go on an annual water-inspired trip with some friends - many were former co-workers of Matt's from his days in news. One of the ringleaders joined Matt at his new company last year. The roster changes some year over year; prior commitments, new girlfriends, late additions, plus or minus a dog or two, and so on, but there's a core group of us that have hit a river of some kind for seven years.
Yesterday was our annual trip. We were set to canoe the Harpeth River, then do an overnight camping trip.
But the weather said, "Aw hell, no!". Thunder and lightning aside, the rain was causing the river to rise.
And, as a side bar, the originators of this trip, Tracey and Robert, had their house destroyed (and ultimately rebuilt) when the Harpeth River, which is in their backyard, crested in the Flood of 2010.
So we were wary. The Foggy Bottom canoe people settled it by calling off the trip.
We headed back to Tracey and Robert's house to make lemonade out of lemons.
We took three rolls of tarp, 25 feet each and attached them down the hill in their backyard. Added sprinklers and hoses and made a slip 'n' slide.
And spent the rest of the afternoon throwing ourselves horizontally down the side of the hill. I had grass and mud all over me.
I also laughed til I hurt.
We found a neighbor's missing dog who came to see what we were up to. She fell in love with Matt.
For about three hours, we had sun. So we took our coolers and went to the neighborhood pool, where we told jokes, listened to music and got a little epidermal vitamin D. Then another line of storms came through, and we hightailed it back to the Slip 'n' Slide for round 2
We drank beer, ate the food we'd gotten for the trip, and after the sun went down, we went inside and played Apples to Apples for a few hours.
Matt and I finally made our way home at midnight. Sunburned, heartburn, exhausted and completely happy.
Honestly? One of the best canoe trips we've ever had.
It's not about the paddles, the life jackets or the beer.
It's the friends that make the happy memories.
ae
Yesterday was our annual trip. We were set to canoe the Harpeth River, then do an overnight camping trip.
But the weather said, "Aw hell, no!". Thunder and lightning aside, the rain was causing the river to rise.
And, as a side bar, the originators of this trip, Tracey and Robert, had their house destroyed (and ultimately rebuilt) when the Harpeth River, which is in their backyard, crested in the Flood of 2010.
So we were wary. The Foggy Bottom canoe people settled it by calling off the trip.
We headed back to Tracey and Robert's house to make lemonade out of lemons.
We took three rolls of tarp, 25 feet each and attached them down the hill in their backyard. Added sprinklers and hoses and made a slip 'n' slide.
And spent the rest of the afternoon throwing ourselves horizontally down the side of the hill. I had grass and mud all over me.
I also laughed til I hurt.
We found a neighbor's missing dog who came to see what we were up to. She fell in love with Matt.
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| If you're checking out my ample cleavage (and how can you not?) you'll see the embedded dirt and grass. |
For about three hours, we had sun. So we took our coolers and went to the neighborhood pool, where we told jokes, listened to music and got a little epidermal vitamin D. Then another line of storms came through, and we hightailed it back to the Slip 'n' Slide for round 2
We drank beer, ate the food we'd gotten for the trip, and after the sun went down, we went inside and played Apples to Apples for a few hours.
Matt and I finally made our way home at midnight. Sunburned, heartburn, exhausted and completely happy.
Honestly? One of the best canoe trips we've ever had.
It's not about the paddles, the life jackets or the beer.
It's the friends that make the happy memories.
ae
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