The New Kayak, Swimming, and Some Fireworks

A while back we went to a ballgame. Although we don't have any pictures of the game itself we did manage to stay until the very end. Every Friday night game at Fluor Field they have fireworks. Although Isabelle is not too pleased with loud noises, if she puts her hands over her ears she can bear it. Here is what it looked like. Jane took some pretty good shots.

Isabelle has started and finished her swimming season already. The videos below are from her first and second meet. The meets aren't too competitive as there are "helpers" in the water to help keep the swimmers on course and afloat. Isabelle did pretty well once she figured out that the whistle was the signal to start. Here are some videos of the events.

I finally have the kayak finished, sort of. The pictures and video below show the first time it was in the water. Isabelle chose the final paint job, mostly, and was pretty excited about trying it out. Unfortunately it didn't go very well for the boat.

The kayak it turns out is too tippy. It was really meant for a heavier paddler. Isabelle is a big kid but not big enough to sink the boat so that it is stable. It looks like I'll either have to build an outrigger for it or maybe a a set of sponsoons (floats that attach to the outside of the boat making it wider and more stable). I already have my dad looking into getting floats that could work for either solution.

Isabelle has taken to diving/jumping for things from the bottom of the pool. It all started when we were out one Saturday (giving Jane a break) and I bought some water sticks for the pool. They're just cloth with a float on one end and a sinker on the other. They stand up on the bottom of the pool. Anyway, Isabelle likes jumping to see how many she can get from the bottom of the pool. She has since moved on to diving for them without having to be on the pool deck. She seems to be quite the swimmer.

Finally here is a picture of the Jeep after we arrived in Clare at my parents house. We drove up in three days from SC to NS via the Portland to Yarmouth ferry. Isabelle was a trooper and put up with a 14 hour drive the first day. I attribute us making it to preparing her for it and being prepared ourselves with activities, songs, snacks, lunch on the run, and a portable DVD player.

Now I am back in SC by myself while Jane and Isabelle. along with Maggie, are in NS on an extended vacation. I'll be back in a while to help them all drive home. In the meantime there will be lots of kayaking, baseball games, and war and horror movies that Jane doesn't want to see. I'll see some of you in a few weeks.