Well, since July 4th falls on a Saturday this year, we got a holiday on the Friday before. Kind of on the spur of the moment we decided that it would be fun to take the kayaks out and go play on the water that way, instead of sailing. It promised to be a gorgeous, somewhat cooler than average day, and checking the tides showed it was ideal to launch in Yorktown and explore the area west of the Coleman bridge along the Colonial Parkway.
The tide was coming in when we launched and it was a great help pulling us up river under the bridge. The current can be treacherous around the docks which was one reason why we chose to stay relatively clear of the dock and wear life jackets. Still it was a little bit like being in a washing machine;we got jostled around a bit, and the waves made no sense at all. Thing calmed down once we passed the dock and the bridge.
Going along the shore we observed a bald eagle majestically sitting on a branch overlooking the river. There was a water-man crabbing; and we said hello as he pulled up one of his "pots." A little further we beached the kayaks and just enjoyed the empty beach and just sat in the shade of a large tree watching the river and the boats passing by.
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| Me on the beach (photo taken by Donna Briedé) |
After the tide turned we returned to Yorktown. During our trip back we saw more people fishing and we got to see the Alliance under full sail. A fun day, that we celebrated with a pizza and a beer at the Beach Deli on our return to Yorktown.
It just occurred to me that I often write about "Nature Deficit Disorder" and here I'm writing about "Water Deficit Disorder." When push comes to shove, it is really amazing to realize what we modern humans are potentially missing if we don't make an effort to reconnect with nature, be it green or blue! I'm sure it will not create world peace, but reconnection with these basic items and living in the moment does the soul good.
