Row the Kayak

We had an excellent afternoon in Newport Beach! It was a perfect day for kayaking and just being outside. Our troop included Mom, Dad, my nephews Kevin and Derek, my Uncle Bill, his wife Denise and my cousin Marcus. We started out underneath the Newport Bay bridge in 6 single kayaks and 1 double. It was so easy to get the hand of the rowing and we were all underway in just a few minutes.

At times it looked a little like LA traffic :)

A wonderful pictorial representation of poor rowing form. I felt like I was sitting down so low that it was difficult to row evenly without hitting the sides of the kayak.

My awesome nephews and I attempting to get all three of us in the same frame. I failed. I have to point out that taking a picture of three people in three different kayaks while trying to keep your camera dry and watch for rogue uncles who like to splash you is not an easy task. We rowed around Balboa and Lido islands and enjoyed looking at all of the humongous houses and they're matching magnificent boats. Then we went looking for the house that my brother Clay and his wife Olivia use to live in. That house has some good memories for all of us and holds a special place in our hearts. We found it!

They're doing some construction on the back so it looked a little different but if we couldn't tell by the house, they boat was a dead give-away.

It wasn't long before it was time to head back and we were all feeling the effect of sun and rowing... we were getting tired. Fortunately for Derek, his tired looks more like a photo shoot for  a water sport magazine.

What a good looking kid. :)

 I told my Uncle Bill that this was karma for him splashing me so many times. I enjoyed watching him flounder outside his kayak for a few seconds before he got his footing. Paybacks are great! :)

We finished off the day by having a great lunch at Ruby's. I was in such a hurry to quiet my growling appetite that I completely forgot to take any pictures. Oh well, nothing exciting about a good old fashioned burger. Here I am with me "little" nephews. I can't believe how time flies. One in high school and another close behind. I'm so proud of these young men. They are cream of the crop and you can't say that about many teenage boys. :)

Now that we're home and clean, I can see the spots I missed with my sunscreen. (oops again!) I offered to bake a cake for my Mom considering it's still her birthday and what is a birthday without a cake? She opted for a store bought bakery cake so I'm off to find a good 'un!

Celebration, here we come!