15 February, 2014 Kayaking, outdoor cooking and more...

After looking at this segment of my blog I got to thinking that we should spend a little more time doing something productive so my wife and I spent about two hours soaking up the sun in our lawn chairs this morning and discussed the issue and came to the conclusion that ... we'd be working our tails off soon enough this spring, summer and fall.  For now we're going to spend time having fun and just enjoying life.  Of course we enjoy our life anyway and feel particularly fortunate that we can live our lives just the way we want and be thankful that even our "work" is something we enjoy doing.  We also spend time writing while we are snowbirding so even though you can't really tell it by our blog, we are still at work!  (We just don't want to let on about it!)

Scott's boots and helmet showed up for his space suit.  He loves it and insists that he's going to the moon someday.  In a sad commentary on our times the suit has a warning that it is not a real space suit! Duh!

Susan keeping up on her journal.

One of Scott's favorite activities ... wagon rides!

Odie got to try out her new life jacket.  We plan on taking her across the lake on the kayak and wanted something to keep her afloat if she fell or jumped out.  It also has a handle on top to make it easier to retrieve her from the water.  She isn't quite sure what to think about it and seemed to think it was some kind of punishment being inflicted upon her.  She got used to it though.

Scott in one of his favorite pastimes ... playing in the water!

Dinner cooked over an open fire.  In this case it's pork roast and potatoes and carrots in the pot and fried biscuits in the skillet.

Add some fresh iced tea and yes, it is as good as it looks!

One of our bicycle trips into Overton.  Depending upon where we go in town these are from 36 to 42 miles round trip.  At our leisurely pace it takes us about 4 1/2 to 5 hours of riding round trip.

In case you're wondering if this is comfortable for Scott I brought in a close-up of the top of the trailer.  He has his foot sticking out on the left and his hand on the right.  He tends to make himself at home!

When we got into Overton and opened up the canopy this is what his "office" is like.  Three empty boxes of chocolate milk and his blanket.  Under the blanket is a pillow and his DVD player (so he can watch movies while riding).

Our first stop (per Scott's request) was the ice cream shop.  They also serve food.  We had lunch while Scott chose an ice cream cone (and helped himself to our lunch).

I had Susan's bike tied up so I could crank the pedals and adjust the cables to the brakes and shifters.  Scott was delighted to turn the peddles for me.

Scott wanted some train pancakes so Susan ordered some train cookie cutters and used them for a form to make the pancakes.

They came out pretty good too!

The solar cooker making our dinner.  On a clear day the sun is intense and perfect for solar cooking.

We ordered a single wheel trailer for my bicycle.  Scott wanted a quick ride in it when I got it together.

Here it is with the bag on our way to Overton for the day.  We have one large hill to climb and the road faces straight west.  We need to leave early enough that the sun is still high because if it's near the horizon drivers cannot see on certain parts of the road.  We have no desire to become a hood ornament because some idiot didn't see us because he was blinded by the sun.  We normally head home about 2:00 pm.

We got to the post office and found out that the package we were picking up is slightly oversized for the bike trailer.  We took it to out storage unit and will take it back to the camper when we have the car next time.

Our next stop is the bike shop.  We had them order parts for Susan's bicycle.  It needs a new rear gear set and chain and I'm having them replace all the cables while they have it.  The parts should arrive in a week or so.

We often use the internet at McDonalds when we are uploading photos or doing things that take a lot of data.  It saves us money since we have to buy data cards for our Straight Talk Box.

We had a hard time getting out because Scott didn't want to leave his "girls."  He is a chick magnet and knows it. They were spoiling him rotten.  I hope he gets a little more shy when he hits the teen years.

Another meal at the outdoor serving center (fire pit).

We ordered a sand/water wheel for Scott.  He liked it and would have played with it more except the next item came in the same day.

His "space shuttle" just kind of stole the show and the sand toy was nearly ignored.

Oops ... time for repairs already?  No, just curious!

The water is about like a cool bath and feels good on a bright sunny day and not too bad even when it's kind of cloudy and overcast.

More kayaking with friends.

Scott brought along his "Cars" umbrella this time.  He also brought his DVD player and is watching it in the bottom of the kayak.  The wind began to pick up and we headed for shore right after this photo was taken.  We had some choppy water to negotiate while the wind did a complete 180.  When we got back to the vehicles the waves were going the exact opposite direction from when we launched earlier.