I THINK WE'VE FOUND A BOAT!

For the last three or four years, our friend Gilmore has loaned us his little motor boat. He didn't really need it because he has a big boat, but he got such a great deal on it, he couldn't pass it up. Well, he told Jeff last week that he was planning on bringing the boat to his daughter who is ready for a boat this summer. I wasn't too bummed though, because I didn't really care for the gas hog motor Jeff had on it. I've always wanted a canoe, personally. All I had to do was make the suggestion. A fellow teacher at school told us about his parent's Old Town canoe that has been sitting unused in their garage for five years. It's an older canoe, but the perfect size for our family, and in perfect shape (not a ding on it). We went out to test drive it today, and absolutely LOVED it! There's nothing better than paddling across a gorgeous lake full of diving osprey and jumping fish. Jeff took a canoe class several years ago on Ross Lake where he and a group of other students camped in caves along the lake, canoeing each day to their next destination. How this was considered a "class" for "credits" I don't know. Science teachers tend to luck out like that. Anyway, back to the dream...Jeff has always said that when the kids were old enough he wanted to get a canoe, fill it full of camping equipment, and disappear on a lake for a few days.

So, it's not official yet, because the owners were not home when we returned the boat, but I think we'll head back up to get it in a few days. They gave us a great deal, plus they threw in all kinds of oars, airbags, life jackets, and even a canoeing wet suit. Plus, it looks pretty darn good on the Montana, don't you think?

Two of MY STIPULATIONS (of course I had some) was that it needed to be big enough for all four of us (which it is, almost 17 feet), and that it would be stable. It was a great day to test it out because there was a breeze on the water, and a couple motor boats on the lake to stir things up. Jeff gave me a lesson on "swamping the canoe" and explained that a canoe will never sink. You can tip it over, fill it completely with water, and it will float right at the water's level. Zoe begged Jeff to try out it's stability and so they took it out into the water and rocked it back and forth until they could get it to tip. It was quite stable, I am impressed. Here's a short video of them rolling it over.