YAHOO!

Finally!!!!
Last night I settled into my tent quite content. The stars were so beautiful! There was still a slight chill in the air so I had to keep my tent all zipped up, otherwise it would have been nice to look up at the stars as I drifted off to sleep. The weather keeps improving as the days pass by so maybe I'll be able to do that tonight. Tonight will be my last night on the island. :-(

I woke up this morning in anticipation of my trip out on the water. I got ready and headed my car towards town. It was going to be a beautiful day!

I arrived at Discovery's kayak shop and checked in. Jason was going to be our guide for the day. We all loaded up in a van and headed to the west side of the island. We met up with two more couples over there that were camping at the campground where we would launch the kayaks. Jason had his own kayak, of course. Tandem kayaks, two seaters, were provided for the rest of us. Since I was not part of a "couple," a rowing buddy was provided for me. The past two years I had my own buddy, as you know, but this year I was wondering how that would be handled. I had always paddled in the front leaving the steering peddles to you know who in the back of the kayak. I was a little paranoid imagining myself steering a single person kayak into the rocks! It had been a while since I had been out on the water, you know. I had visions flashing before me of me crashing and capsizing and JAWS eating me! (cue the music).

But alas, I was saved from that early demise. Lyle, a local and friend of our guide, graciously stepped in and saved the day! I was able to snap some pics of our trip with my new handy-dandy waterproof camera. I didn't get the best pictures because I am still trying to get accustomed to all of the features, but it was still pretty cool.

Unloading and getting the kayaks ready.

Our guide, Jason, giving us some instruction.

Checking out a bald eagle...AWESOME!

Lime Kiln Lighthouse

This is my rowing partner in crime, Lyle!

I could not believe how calm the water was! It was like glass!

Another view of the lighthouse.

Jason was an awesome guide!

Here are some underwater pics of some kelp, I believe, from my new camera.

The tip of my kayak from below.

And finally...the rock face that I did not crash into!

I had an awesome time. We pulled our kayaks out of the water at the beach by the lighthouse for lunch. I chatted with our guide and my paddle partner, Jason and Lyle, a bit. They are really nice guys. I mentioned that I was looking for a place to get some good seafood and Jason suggested an excellent restaurant called Steps. It was really good. I'll get to that in a bit but first I need to wrap up my kayak trip. This makes the third trip in the past three years that I have kayaked with Discovery. Each year was equally amazing. So thanks, guys! I'm looking forward to next year! I would like to do a 3 or 5 day trip this coming summer, but I think that I need to get a group together for that. I'll have to look into it I guess. We finished up our trip and loaded up the trailer and van. I bought a t-shirt when I got back to the shop. Last year I picked up a hoodie but my little bro kind of took it over. It has not been seen since.

I grabbed a shower and decided to take Jason up on his suggestion to give Steps a try. It was delicious! Since this trip is all about new experiences and trying new things I decided to broaden my culinary palate as well. I started with a green salad that had all sorts of good stuff in it. Words cannot express how good it was. It was only a salad...I could not wait for the main course! I select an entree of Halibut with steamed mussels. The mussels were my daring adventure! I absolutely love fish, but mussels, oysters, and such-not so much. At least...that is what I always have told myself. Having never tried them though, I really had no idea if they would be to my liking. Well....the verdict is in....drum roll please....I can say that they were alright. They had a good flavor and all but the texture was not my favorite. I did eat everything though! Hey...don't judge, after all, I did spend the whole day paddling! I even treated myself to dessert! Thank you, Jason, for the excellent suggestion!

I was a bit reluctant to call it a night. Tonight will be my last night on the island. I do not want to leave. It is hard to explain, but I feel at home here. I know that it might sound crazy to most of my family, having only spent a few weeks here over the past few years, but I absolutely love it here. This feeling is what "we" felt, at least I thought, from the beginning. That is why "we" made the big decision to purchase "our" land and relocate. Unfortunately, you all know the rest of the story. "He/they" are now doing whatever and I still have not lost the draw that I feel to this place. I know that if it is meant to be God will lay the foundation for it all to work out.

Tonight it is supposed to be a bit warmer so I think that I'll leave the tent flap open (not the screen) and sleep under the stars! Good night everyone! I love you all!