Springtime is just so busy on a farm. Sometimes it seems we don't even take time to eat dinner, and if we do, it's 9:00 at night. We've had a rash of cool weather though (and we know how rare that can be in the summertime) and a friend and I decided to take an afternoon and canoe a small part of the Licking River.
We used an outfitter north of Cynthiana, Setter Ridge, and were treated to a nice boat, a shuttle six miles up the river and instructions on where to leave the canoe when we were finished. The route was estimated at 2-4 hours depending on how the water was running and how quickly we paddled, but we were encouraged to take and enjoy the whole day.
My friend had packed a fabulous lunch and we set off at around 11:30. Knowing how much I had to do that day, I got in the boat and mentally clicked off 2-3 hours depending on our lunch break, plus travel time, and figured if I was lucky I could be back to work by 3:30 or so.
Here's the thing.
WHY?!?
What on earth couldn't wait until that evening, or better yet, the next day? Who in their right mind would trade spending an afternoon with a good friend, listening to nothing but birds and the sound of paddles dipping in the water, trying to see if you could sneak past a heron without it flying away (not even once!), or watching a deer come down the bank, swim across the river and climb back up the other side without giving us a second glance?
I've used this quote here before, but it certainly bears repeating or re-pounding into my thick head.
We used an outfitter north of Cynthiana, Setter Ridge, and were treated to a nice boat, a shuttle six miles up the river and instructions on where to leave the canoe when we were finished. The route was estimated at 2-4 hours depending on how the water was running and how quickly we paddled, but we were encouraged to take and enjoy the whole day.
My friend had packed a fabulous lunch and we set off at around 11:30. Knowing how much I had to do that day, I got in the boat and mentally clicked off 2-3 hours depending on our lunch break, plus travel time, and figured if I was lucky I could be back to work by 3:30 or so.
Here's the thing.
WHY?!?
What on earth couldn't wait until that evening, or better yet, the next day? Who in their right mind would trade spending an afternoon with a good friend, listening to nothing but birds and the sound of paddles dipping in the water, trying to see if you could sneak past a heron without it flying away (not even once!), or watching a deer come down the bank, swim across the river and climb back up the other side without giving us a second glance?
I've used this quote here before, but it certainly bears repeating or re-pounding into my thick head.
"Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you." Annie Dillard
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