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June 2006
Canoeing in New Town
By: Larry Duffy
Creative Director
Our family moved into New Town in June of 2005 and hardly a day has gone by that I haven’t looked at the lake and yearned to be out on it. The canals and lakes are one of the reasons we found New Town so appealing. We discussed what kind of boat we were going to buy but spent most of last summer settling in from the move and never got around to it. Then winter set in and the urgency was gone. With the arrival of Spring I had been giving it a lot of thought again when my daughter Ella one day broached the subject, with all the subtlety that a nine year old can employ. She asked me if a canoe would be the best birthday present I could ever have, or a kayak. A canoe or a kayak Dad? What would be the best? Thats how I knew I was getting something that floats for my birthday. I’m sure she didn’t realize she was betraying a secret, just merely asking a hypothetical question. Being diplomatic, I told her that either would be about the best present I could ever receive. As she walked away satisfied that her caginess hadn’t tipped me off, I began to second guess myself. Fool, I thought, the correct answer was kayak. A canoe has way too much room. It almost requires an additional person to man the paddle at the bow. That means whenever I feel like going out on the lake, its almost certain that I’ll have to take whichever kid is aggravating Mom the most, along with me. Heck, I might even have to take them both. But a kayak, now that’s another story altogether. A kayak is a solitary thing. With a kayak a man can get in a little alone time. When conflicts arise over homework or cleaning rooms, I could slink out a side door, carry my kayak across the street and be on the far side of the lake before anyone misses me. Out of ear shot, out of sight, alone with my thoughts, at one with nature. Paddling peacefully over the rippling water while every manner of pandemonium occurs back home.
With this in mind, I attempted to sell the kayak idea to my wife. The jig is up I told her. I know all about my birthday present. I decided to play the economics angle. I told her it was very generous of her to buy me such an expensive gift. Next I told her I had priced both and I thought she could get a kayak for considerably less that a canoe. "No need to be extravagant", I said hoping to appeal to her considerable frugal streak. But all my efforts were going no where. She was on to me. "I think", she said, "Since this is a gift from your family that it should be something the whole family can enjoy." Even on my birthday symbolism supersedes my desires.
So on a beautiful Sunday afternoon a week before my birthday and conceding that the decision had been made; I suggested that we go buy a canoe. We drove to the local outdoor store and picked one that would seat our family comfortably. After purchasing it (paddles and life vest sold separately) we drove around back where the guys on the dock would be happy to help secure it, or so I was told. The reality is that after plunking a fourteen foot canoe on the roof of my car, their job was finished. It was explained to me that for insurance reasons they couldn’t help tie it down. Fortunately I had brought plenty of rope. Unfortunately, I was never a boy scout so when it comes to tying knots I practice quantity over quality. A half an hour and two impatient kids later, we headed slowly for home. I was certain that with every corner turned the canoe was going to come flying off into an oncoming traffic lane. With visions of unprecedented carnage in my head, I carefully made my way, alternately praying and cursing all the while. When we finally made it home I had a new found confidence in my knot tying abilities. It was getting late at this point and we were all eager to take a cruise around the lake. With life vest on, we carefully embarked and pushed away from the rocky shoreline. My wife Jenny in front, with Ella behind her and myself in back with our son Peter seated at my feet. We paddled awkwardly at first but soon found a rhythm and the kids learned quickly about the instability of a canoe. After nearly capsizing a couple of times, they soon settled down and realized that this was a more passive type of recreation than they are accustomed to. We glided lazily over unusually calm waters, Peter casually dangling his arm in the water, Jenny and I working in unison to guide our little boat. The sun was setting and the lake was glistening. We stopped out in the middle and admired our street from a whole new perspective. Neighbors were out on their porches, some were finishing yard work while the joggers and bicyclists passed by. There was a group of kids fishing at one end. The whole scene was very idyllic. I finally recognized that Jenny had been right all along. The canoe was the right choice. Rarely are we ever all together as a family, unified in a single endeavor. The kids couldn’t run off to do their own thing. There was no computer, no television, nothing to distract them. Jenny and I were forced to ignore the thousand little tasks that are always nagging. We had all put our individual interests aside and were merely enjoying time together as a family with nothing to entertain us but the setting sun and fish breaking the surface to eat the bugs. It was bliss and it reminded us all that it is important to slow down occasionally and enjoy the tranquility that life can provide if you let it.
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