from the desk: Kayaking on Lady Bird Lake

On Friday we took advantage of Kyle's random day off, and after hemming and hawing, headed to Austin to go kayaking on the river through the city. They call it Lady Bird Lake, but it is more like a river, so we call it that. We stopped at a couple REIs first to get Kyle a new pair of shoes, and made our way down to the river, parked and looked for where the kayakers were coming from. We spotted a rental place close to where we parked, and hopped in a double. I take the blame for the double- we were going to get singles but then at the last minute I thought it'd be fun to try a double. Well...it was still fun but...a little frustrating trying to paddle with two. The double kayak should probably be some sort of marital test or something. The water was calm, but I do not trust my luck to bring my phone or camera onto the water, so there are no pictures of the hours we spent kayaking, but we had a great time in the sun and saw a lot of wildlife: lots and lots of turtles, swans, ducks, geese, herons, a topless lady, hipsters, unruly teenagers, and countless runners (everyone in Austin runs along the river, so it would seem. in minimal clothing.). The weather was perfectly hot for running your hands through the water, or dunking your hat in if you are Kyle. It was awesome, and made me so happy. We will just get singles next time I think. :) We made the wise decision of getting mango ice after returning our kayak and ate it while walking back to our car and watching people on one of Austin's many bridges. I think this was the most I've enjoyed the city. Anyone who comes to visit, we will have to take you there to kayak. Actually you should probably just stay in Austin; it is way cooler than Temple.