Way Down Yonder on the Chattahoochee

We were back on the river again, and the second time was the charm for Daddy, who seemed to have a much easier go of it.  This kayaking thing is actually a good deal of fun!  The river was churning, especially in that one area where the classification goes up in difficulty.  But Daddy was able to handle that well enough, and everything else was quite a bit easier.  For one thing, learning to use the paddle is immensely helpful.  This seems fairly obvious, but last time I found myself rowing a lot more, and consequently more worn out.  This time around, I found myself using the oar as a rudder, and using it not to row with, but to shift the kayak in the direction it needed to go.  This is all common sense to a seasoned kayaker, but this was only my second time.  It was a fun trip downriver!

We stopped a few times, once along a sandy shore, although this time we didn't do the rope swing that threw you off and into the depths of the Chattahoochee.  We got to the end just as the sun was going down completely, lugging our kayaks up and back to the car as bats swirled all around us.  There were several bats all around that portion of the riverbank, I guess getting ready for October.

Anyway, it was fun.  Madison was meanwhile in taekwondo, and also doing homework at home.  She had a busy night.  She'll have more to do tomorrow night too, as there's a bigger project due on Monday.  She got to bed a little later, almost as late as us in fact.

It was a good day at school for her, in any event.  She got home, had tacos, and was off to martial arts.  She's told Mr. Edge she wants to go to a Saturday class coming up, one all about bullying and dealing with bullies.  Mommy was watching her work with the combat sticks, practice form, and do a bit of sparring as well.  She was doing a lot of homework tonight, and there's suddenly all kinds of red flags about seventh grade.  We went from hardly any homework to this!

Anyway, it was a good day today.  Daddy spoke with Mommy and Madison on the phone tonight, but got home a little later.  We got to see each other in the morning, as per the usual schedule.  We wake up and trudge downstairs to eat and check on any news and the photograph and prayer on the couch.  This morning we were out the door a little later, but we're still arriving at the school fairly early.  At least way earlier than the bus gets there.  Daddy is getting to sleep tonight early tonight - I think he's going to be sore in the morning...