The Scupper Plug

  First time out on our own kayaks, February 25, 2023 Putting in was a scramble at the busy boat ramp at Ponderosa Marina, but we managed and had a lovely day in the bayou. We had lines in the water but didn't catch anything. I would rather just paddle then worry about the extra gear myself. 

  First Paddling Purchase, February 20, 2023 It was Presidents' Day 2023 when Willy and I took the first step to get more serious about paddling. The night before we agreed that we needed to start with a trailer, and then we would gradually build our inventory from there. We found a great deal on Facebook Marketplace for a trailer. The guy selling it even included a tandem kayak for only an extra 100 bucks!   After getting the trailer and Pelican kayak in Pearland, we drove to a nearby Bass Pro shop and bought a couple paddles. We were still new-ish to the hobby, so we just bought some good sturdy paddles that were decently priced. Little did we know... they were way too heavy for the long river trips that were in our future! 😂  The day continued to get more interesting. We headed back to Dayton to pick up Tabitha from her band practice. While we were waiting in the parking lot, Facebook Marketplace drew us back in to its world. We knew we had to get the canoe (wit...

Volunteer Group at Village Creek, July 16, 2022 After Tabitha completed the Bass Brigades camp in Central Texas in July of 2022, she was tasked with completing a "Book of Accomplishments." This could be anything from running a booth at an outdoor event to volunteering for restoration projects to posting a Texas Brigades flyer at a business. It also became my task, by default, to find projects for her. 😄 I relentlessly searched for opportunities, and found a volunteer clean-up project happening an hour from home - kayaks provided! The launch site was at Village Creek State Park in Lumberton, TX. They happened to have just enough kayaks for our whole family to participate. The kids made it into a competition to see who could find the most trash. It was a fulfilling day with a great group of like-minded people. Mikalah putting-in 💪 Zachariah ready with the trash grabber Willy and Christianna Tabitha Taking a break Beautiful day on the creek The family My paddling buddy, Zacha...

  Mikalah and her Teammate, July 4, 2022 It seemed that Mikalah was born to paddle when I watched her navigate Table Rock Lake with ease. A week later, when a Youth Camp mega relay race called for a pair of canoeists, she was an obvious choice for the Yellow Team. She and her teammate cruised across Lake Tomahawk and crushed their leg of the race. Mikalah provided the muscle in the bow, and passed the baton to another teammate that was waiting on land. If I remember correctly, our team got 3rd place overall out of 6 teams. 

  Table Rock Lake, June 26, 2022 We were on a family trip to Missouri, and I had snagged a booking at the famous Wilderness Club at Big Cedar in Branson. The resort has a marina with kayaks and canoes available for day use. Our whole family was able to enjoy a few hours on the water. Although I have paddled here and there from a young age, I believe this day planted the seed for more paddling adventures as a family, and what would eventually become an official hobby.