Kayaking on the Delaware

What a weekend! Recently, it was determined that due to the previous two years of my working full-time while being in school, I did not have enough fun. This summer is about changing that, and this past weekend, I did just that. Shabbos was beautiful. Friday night I went to a friend's house and had a delightful meal. I attended sheva brachos on Shabbos day. And Shabbos afternoon I even got the opportunity to feel like a mitzvah girl by introducing a couple people who were looking for friends to each other. After Shabbos I headed up to New Jersey to meet friends, and on Sunday we went kayaking down the Delaware! We started out early, and traveled up to Pennsylvania. It was the most beautiful day, not too hot or humid, a slight breeze, beautiful blue sky. We prepared well - brought lots of snacks, sunscreen and great company. Six of us went on the trip, and we enjoyed each other's company tremendously. I had never been kayaking before, and this was a daunting journey - eight miles of river ahead of us. We were two to a kayak; my partner and I were a great team. We paddled hard, laughed a lot, and took some time to enjoy the beautiful scenery around us. We lazily drifted down the river, splashing our friends, having interesting conversation and making new buddies with other people who were traveling the river also. By the end of the eight miles, we felt like our arms were going to fall off, but we did it. We made it down the stretch, and felt so incredibly accomplished when we banked our kayaks. We knew we were going to be sore the next day, but who cares! It was so much fun, and we grabbed it and enjoyed it. After we were done kayaking, another friend came to meet us and we sat near the water and made a barbecue. We sat and talked and ate and laughed before heading home. One of the women made a great comment. She said that these are the kinds of days that, when we are old women in nursing homes, we will tell the stories of over and over to our fellow residents until they get sick of hearing about it.