Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Greetings from the Rideau River!


A friend is selling one of his canoes and the ADG and I are going to buy it!  My friend and I took the canoe out for a test paddle on the weekend.  This is just down river from my apartment.  We saw blue herons, a green heron, Baltimore orioles, ducks, and the Rideau River swans.  We saw yellow and purple water irises, Joe Pye weed, arrowhead, water lilies and cattails.  I've been up and down both sides of this section of the river countless times on foot and by bike, but it was like discovering a whole new world just from this simple shift in mode of transport.

After work the other day, the ADG and I went out for an hour before dinner.  Again I was struck by how different it felt to take in the views from on the water.  I also couldn't help but notice the cars at a standstill on the bridge, as we made our way back.  It was a sweltering hot day, but we had a nice cool breeze coming off the water.  I suspect I was having a very different experience from the people stuck in traffic on the bridge.  We might as well have been on different planets.  I made a silent wish that they would all have cool breezes, slow moving water, rustling leaves and dappled shade in their future.

I can't wait to explore more of the river from inside the canoe!

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