It has been raining non-stop lately... like deploy the life rafts / build an ark kind of raining. Like I've run out of closets to straighten / am suffering from vitamin D deficiency kind of raining... ugh. Today the sun burst through and DRob and I literally dashed out the door looking to play! What to do? What to do? "Hey", he says, "Hows about a little ROAD TRIP!" Yay! A quick gathering of sunscreen and swimsuits and we were headed north to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park to paddle the crystal clear cold waters of the Weeki Wachee River. Turquoise blue river with plenty of shady spots, NO gators and a reported favorite hanging around spot for manatees. Cannot confirm the manatee claim but as to cold? Boy howdy, dats some cold COLD water, my friend. And a beautiful five miles of easy paddling - made infinately easier by the strong and accomplished nature guy in the back of my canoe - hence the "action shoot" of me above, deftly negotiating the river. Well... all that paddling works up a mighty fierce thirst and appetite, yes? A quick costume change and we find ourselves at BeckyJacks Food Shack... a little hole in the wall WELL off the beaten path - where he finds these places will forever mystify (and delight) me. BeckyJacks was about as big as a doublewide trailer with the coldest beer and finest fish sandwich you've ever stumbled across. (Rolled in crushed cornflakes & potato chips then deep fried. My cholesterol levels have no doubt redlined) Am now home avoiding responsible stuff like laundry and noticing the sting of a little too much sun on the tops of my feet. Clearly my sunscreen-application-skill-set needs more practice which can only mean that nature guy is on the hook for another run somewhere soon. Yay!
