New Solo Kayaker in 2017

This time of year always gets me thinking about the lake.  Typically, we would be getting ready to head toward the lake house at this point in the year but we have no intentions of going anywhere anytime soon.  

The lake has sort of moved to the back burner anyway for various reasons but, this year, I'm still struggling with consistent health issues.  I'm mostly still experiencing viral stuff that I've had since January that everyone on Earth is trying to avoid but also interspersed with problems related to my primary illness.  

I haven't had a fever in about 10 days so that is good news but I'm still getting headaches and sore throats late in the day and the fatigue remains to be absolutely brutal.  I don't have the energy to do anything.  Even standing requires too much energy!  

I know I need to be symptom-free for 14 days before I should be wandering from the house.  Well, that's what they say (I have been saying all along that I believe it should be 28 days).  Regardless of 14 days or 28 days, it will be difficult for me to differentiate some of these symptoms from symptoms of my primary illness.  That being said, fevers, headaches and sore throats are not among the symptoms common with my primary illness.  These symptoms are more viral-like.  And, since I've had these problems among others since late-January, it would be safe to say these are still stubbornly lingering viral symptoms.

Anyway, the summer is approaching, it is hot outside, and my thoughts have turned to the lake and our times at the lake.  One thought I had earlier this morning was of a particular morning in June of 2017 when I brought Lukey out on the lake for his first time alone in a kayak.  Lukey had recently turned five years old and he finally decided that he was ready to do this activity on his own.  

While we were still in shallow water near the beach, I went over some of the basics and even flipped his boat while we was in it.  I wanted him to see that he can easily tread water while wearing his life vest.  Then I showed him how to get back into his kayak.  We then entered our kayaks and carefully headed out into deeper water.  It wasn't long before we were doing laps between the beach and a rock protruding from the water about 200 feet away while I was snapping photos from my kayak just a few feet away.

Needless to say, Lukey was pretty proud of himself!  Gee and I were pretty excited for him as well!  (This meant no more free rides sitting between my legs in my kayak...  so I was very excited too!)  Today, the memory of this particular morning of kayaking was a very nice memory as I was feeling pretty miserable. 

Oh...  and I'm glad I had some photos of this morning!