Do You Pretend?

Do you pretend? I do! I pretend sometimes, so I don't have to face the facts. I hope we all do this and I'm not just some kind of weirdo... oh wait, I forgot, I AM some kind of weirdo and I like me this way. :)

But back to pretending, here is my confession - starting in July every year, when our summer finally arrives, I pretend that it's always going to be summer. I completely deny every little thought that summer actually has a beginning and ending. I've really become quite good at this game, despite the "fact" that where I live, summer is very, very short.

I go barefoot every day:

I go kayaking as often as possible:

I visit wonderful county fairs:

I travel far, far from home:

And I'm very sure that the flowers outside are going to look and smell this pretty forever and ever:

However, when on August 21st I find that I have to close every window in the house and turn off the fan at 6PM, and I notice that the sun has just about set at 7:15PM instead of 9PM... I don't sweat it (pun intended)... LOL, I just go put on some warm footwear:

and maybe a jacket, too:

Then I wait until the morrow, because when the sun warms us up again, I know I'll be kicking off that footwear, stripping off the jacket and whistling a happy tune - and once again I'll be pretending that summer is never going to end.

Fun Things You Can Do While Kayaking

There are so many fun things about kayaking on the lakes in our area. From loading the kayaks into the truck and driving off to the various lakes that are within 2 or 3 hours of where we live, it's really the most fun and healthy thing that we do. It's got some hard work involved.... lifting the kayaks off the truck and carrying them down to the water (and back later on) can be tricky at times, and the winds blowing across the lakes can make your paddling experience brisk, to say the least. But a day spent on a sunny mountain lake is very fulfilling, and we get to see great flora and fauna that we wouldn't otherwise see at close range:



You can play Hide-and-Seek:




You can wonder at a mysterious group of curved trees (not a trick photo!):


You can see snow in August:


You can eat lunch on an island:



You can question the sense of a duck paddling on its back while trying to choke down a fish:


And you can paddle back to the truck tired and happy for all the wonders that you were so blessed to get to see and enjoy: