Soren's first kayak paddle

Saturday, Feb. 20, was the day we decided the weather, Soren's attention span, and our energy levels aligned well enough to try Soren in one of our kayaks. So we loaded our two singles onto our car and drove the half-mile down to the boat launch at the new Northwest Maritime Center. (Note the cool faded-letter signage, echoing the faded painted advertisements that are common on brick buildings in the historic downtown.)
Jeff thought he would try paddling with Soren seated between his legs in the cockpit. They made a good start off the beach, and Soren was of course intrigued by the new experience, but in retrospect, his lifejacket was too tight and uncomfortable.
And he wanted to help paddle -- or at least to have his own paddle!
Jeff didn't take Soren too far offshore (and in fact, I never got into my boat, just took photos from shore). After about 15 minutes, Soren got really wiggly and attempted to stand up, at which point Jeff headed straight for the beach. Session over.
If we could zoom in on this photo, we'd see Grannie and Papaw watching our paddle attempt with binoculars from the passing ferry. They'd stopped by to see us an hour before, on their way home to Anacortes. They said they could see us!

That afternoon, Jeff set his kayak on the ground in our backyard and we dug out the next-largest lifejacket we had, and he and Soren had a practice paddle in a less watery environment. Next time we'll try borrowing a friend's double and the adult sitting with Soren won't have to paddle. But here's to more fun on the water in 2010!