Tag Archives: Canoeing

Canoeing on Lake Washington

I need to catch up with my posts on some of the fun things we did with our leftover wedding company the first week in July!

We headed to the Waterfront Activities Center at the University of Washington to rent some canoes. Thankfully the adults outnumbered the kiddos!

Here’s my crew, Jackson and Hope!

A warm day on the lake.

My niece Michelle and my sister-in-law Mandy with Avery in the 2nd canoe.

The third canoe had my brother Leonard, sister Kathy and nephew Andrew.

My crew had to work hard since we were the crew with only one adult on board!

Duck and Ducks!

At this point we were all headed back to the dock to turn in our canoes and life vests.

It was a great experience to canoe on Lake Washington amidst the water lilies, ducks, turtles and blue heron. We were ready for a cool down and some refreshments when we were done but had to take one last shot to prove we were on the University of Washington campus! We have two graduates from the University of Washington in our family and soon we’ll have another one when our son-in-law Andrew finishes his course of studies after his service with the Marines!

 

 

August Notecards

For Vee’s August Notecard Party

I’m sharing some shots in the Seattle area from summers past…

August 2011 ~ Josh and Laura at a Sounders Soccer game with Seattle in the background.

2010 Kayaking in Anacortes, Washington with Dear, Josh, Laura, Andrew and Katie.

July 2009 on Lake Washington with Seattle across the lake. Laura and Katie with my niece Debbee between them.

Summer 2008 ~ Canoeing on Lake Washington with Katie. You can rent canoes and rowboats at the University of Washington Waterfront to mess around the lake. “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing-absolutely nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats” ~ Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

The State of Washington is filled with Lakes and Sounds and other water ways to enjoy. It’s no wonder people invest in boats in this area. We live within 2 miles of Lake Washington and one of my favorite walks is along the Sammamish River/Burke Gilman Trails a short drive away. When I’m on the water, I prefer to be able to see the shore. I’m not fond of being out in the middle of the ocean surrounded by water with no land in sight.

Hope you are still enjoying some lazy summer days. I’m hoping to get some lazy days in before summer is over! To see what we’ve been doing this summer that has been anything but lazy, you can scroll down to the post before this one to see our floor project with before and after shots (or just click here).

Bridging the Gap ~ Day 5

The following bridges that I’m posting today are all taken while canoeing on Lake Washington in Seattle, Washington with my daughter Katie in July of this year.

This big bridge is part of the 520 Floating Bridge that spans Lake Washington from Seattle to Bellevue. We ended up canoeing under the bridge to get to smaller waterways off the lake. The floating part of the bridge is closer to the middle of the bridges span.

 

This smaller wooden footbridge is another bridge we had to canoe under. We ducked for this one :0)

For more Bridging the Gap visit Alice at Iwasborn2cree8

Water Lilies ~ Sara Teasdale

Water Lilies

If you have forgotten water lilies floating
On a dark lake among the mountains in the afternoon shade,
If you have forgotten their wet, sleepy fragrance,
Then you can return and not be afraid.
But if you remember, then turn away forever
To the plains and the prairies where pools are far apart,
There you will not come at dusk on closing water lilies,
And the shadow of the mountains will not fall on your heart.

~ Sara Teasdale

I’m posting this poem by Sara Teasdale about water lilies along with a photograph I took while canoeing with my daughter Katie. Katie is much more into poetry than I am and she understands a lot of poems that I don’t. This is a poet that she enjoys so this one’s for her…

We Cannot Think Too Highly of Christ ~ Newton

We cannot think too highly of Christ

“I am well satisfied it will not be a burden to me at the hour of death, nor be laid to my charge at the day of judgment, that I have thought too highly of the Lord Jesus Christ or labored too much in commending and setting Him forth to others, as the Alpha and Omega, the Lord our righteousness, the sufficient atonement for sin, the only Mediator between God and men, the true God and eternal life.”- John Newton, Letters of John Newton

Canoeing ~ Herons and Lily pads

While Katie and I were canoeing around Lake Washington we saw many Herons, Ducks, and Lily pads. We also saw some turtles, a woodpecker, and a raccoon in the water.

 

We’re headed back to the Canoe barn. We have to canoe all the way back to Husky Stadium. Can you see it in the distance. Now we’re getting closer. When we reach these lily pads and colorful boats we only have a short distance to go. I did put my camera down now and again to help Katie paddle back. Going across this part of Lake Washington was the roughest part of our canoeing but still very doable for us gals…

If you missed it my first post on our canoeing trip is here.

Canoeing on Lake Washington

There is nothing, absolutely nothing
Half so much worth doing
As simply messing about in boats

~From The Wind in the Willows

Katie and I continue on our quest to re-visit places we love in the Greater Puget Sound Area on her days off. On Thursday we headed over to the University of Washington Water Front Activities Center to use her Student card to rent a canoe and paddle about Lake Washington. Once we were in the water, her doing most of the paddling, me taking the photos, we looked at each other and said “why have we waited so long to do this?” It’s been about 17 years!

We headed over to the 520 (Evergreen Floating Bridge) to go under it and on to quieter and more peaceful waterways.

See that little wooden foot bridge? We’ll duck and go under it. “Keep paddling Katie, I’m getting some great photos!”

So quiet and peaceful. The water is so calm and is a mirror reflecting the trees and sky. It was just about here that we started singing

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Amen”

I have so many beautiful photos to share from our canoeing adventure, the herons, ducks, lily pads and our journey back to Husky stadium. I’ll be sharing more later along with our trip to the Husky campus to take in the beautiful Suzzalo Library reading room. Blessings!