Sibs

I return today to the Sibs Reunion!

After lunch (after white-water rafting), we hung out at Big Sis's house and played cards in her beautiful garden. The kitties enjoyed the garden, too. She just remodeled her living room and in the process had a nasty surprise regarding male cats and territorial behavior.

(Oh, Meech, THIS is why you have been banished.)

Now, NO kitties are allowed inside.

They've got a very comfy shelter in the courtyard and still get lots of love.

That's Esau gettin' some lovin' from Mr. Handsome. Esau used to be a Hidey Kitty, always staying in the depths of the basement, before he was banished outside. Now, he's a love sponge!

Later in the afternoon, we decided to go canoeing. I called dibs on being in Mr. Handsome's canoe. Used to be, not too many years ago, I'd be all "do you see that log?" "There's a rock RIGHT THERE!" "Don't hit the turtle!" "WE'RE GONNA CRASH!!!" when Mr H and I would canoe. Geez, I hated being in the front and having no control. Maybe there was a little tee-tiny trust issue, regarding Mr. H's paddling skills. Well, those times are ancient history! I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my man has mad canoeing skillz. So, being pretty selfish, I called dibs on his canoe.

First, though, we had to get there. The day had started out rainy and chilly, but it was PERFECT now. Sunny and warm with a light breeze. We got to the canoe place and the young guys who helped us might have been CIA agents or Mob hitmen, they were so reticent. They used absolutely not one more word than was strictly necessary. No joking around, no banter, no info; just get the job done.

They loaded up the canoes onto their pickup and started to get in the cab. We asked, "How are we getting there?" The driver just jabbed his thumb at the truck bed and said "In the truck." Which was AWESOME!!!

I haven't ridden in the bed of a pickup in 15 years, minumum. It was a fast, jouncy, dirty, blowy, "HANG ON!" ride!

Fun! A sherriff passed us going the other direction and all the guys did was pretend to put on their seatbelts. I said something like "huh. Where I come from, it's illegal to have people in the back." They guys answered, "Yeah, here, too." They didn't slow down one little bit, and neither did the sherriff. I love the country!

The river we canoed down was so pretty, like something out of a fairy tale or the romantic tales of Camelot or Ivanhoe, all golden sunshine glittering through soft green leaves and sparkling on the water. We had an escort the whole way, too, though I didn't get any shots of her.

A Great Blue Heron. So elegant! So graceful! So prehistoric-looking!

The canoeing part was just so much fun! I really enjoyed feeling like Mr H and I were a team, working smoothly together. Sisses and Metal Man got grounded a couple times, but it was no problem. Sis just jumped out and pulled them free. All the pics are from Sis's camera, 'cause I didn't bring mine (I didn't trust myself not to drown it).