Memorial Day

Thanks to all the Service Men and Women out there who are defending our freedom.  I really appreciate it.  Also, my prayers to those of you who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.
 God Bless America!



Clif's company has finally given Memorial Day back as a paid holiday, and he didn't have to work!
He has been working very hard on our bedroom furniture.  As you can see by the looks in the garage.



 All but two of the drawers are made!  Which two? I haven't a clue.  I guess saying the drawers are made is a bit misleading.  The perimeters of them are done.  He still has to put in the bottoms, then attach the fronts.



In any event, because he's been working so hard, I suggested we take the day off and go kayaking.  If you remember my blog about Easter, we went to Shingle Creek Recreational Area in Kissimmee.  It looked like a nice area to kayak, so that's where we went.



We headed north first until we reached the trail's end, then headed back south.  The bridge is US192.



I loved the mirrored reflections.  It was so tranquil.



This tree reminded me of Christ on the Cross.







North Trail's end. 



We decided to take a walk first, and came upon the beautiful oak tree.  This is near the Pioneer Village we visited which is a couple miles north of the main park.



Time to head back south.



Clif gets this nice picture of the turtle on the log. 



I on the other hand, get it splashing into the water!



The nice thing is the creek is well marked for navigating.  The north side has blue markers.
You can see one just above my paddle.



We are now on the south trail.



The creek side view of a house we took a picture of back in April.



The further south we traveled, the narrower the creek became.  We followed the orange markers.



Yep, Clif is still behind me.



Clif gets a picture from his point of view.



The sky opened up, and the rain fell.  Time to put the camera in for safe keeping.



The drowned rat!



A bunch of drowned rats!  We all came to the trail's end.  Notice the orange markers are now on the cypress trees as if one is hiking!



They want to make sure that we know we have reached the end.



I will say with such narrow straights, the current was strong when paddling back.  It wasn't until we reached the widened section that it was easier to navigate.  When we got back to the parking area, the dry compartment in my kayak wasn't dry.  It was 4 inches deep in water.  I didn't realize the silicone seal had gone bad.  Needless to say, that is where I had put my camera when it was raining so hard.  I was able to retrieve my pictures, but I believe my camera is toast.  I tried to take it apart to dry it out when I got home, but it is still water logged.  We'll see in a week if it will work.  If not, I'll be shopping for a new one.

The bright side is that Clif and I had a lot of fun today.  The rain cooled us off (and it was only rain without the typical lightning and thunder).  We enjoyed God's creation and reflected on our being able to do so because of the sacrifice of those who have fought for our freedom.