Splash 4 & 5

 Good Morning,

I pray the day finds you well. 

Splash four and Five, yes Carl and I are still at the golf tourney. 

It is fun watching golfers; they are a special breed. They get dressed up and buy fancy gadgets and range finders to get the actual distance to the pin. They stand there and argue whether the pin is 160 yards away or 158 yards. Then they take a bunch of practice swings, talk a bit of smack, and then hit the ball to the women's tee. 

Splash 6 and 7. 

Splash 8, 9, 10. 

Splash 11 

Splash 12 

I had a great weekend with my oldest son. We canoed the Willamette River from Independence to Newberg. We started at 9am. 

Splash 13

Splash 14 & 15 

My youngest son joined us for the first 12 miles, we wanted him to go the distance with us, but he could not. He left us when we hit Salem. 

Splash 16 

After Salem, Brandon, my oldest son, and I continued to paddle and read the river. We saw bald eagles, Peregrine falcons, and more trout than we could count. 

The day was beautiful, and we covered 30 miles before pulling out at 5pm. 30 miles is a jaunt. And we decided to do less paddling and more floating the next day. 

We camped on an island. 

We had really great talks. 

We slept very well. 

Splash 17

Splash 18

Our first women’s tee (9-yard shot). 

Camping on an island was fantastic! Camping on an island with your kid is epic! 

We woke the next morning, had breakfast, and broke camp. We loaded the canoe; it is incredible how much stuff you can bring when you don’t have to carry it yourself. And shoved off. 

We floated, only paddling when we had to, at a leisurely pace that was very enjoyable. We covered the last 20 miles in about 5 hours. 

We took out at Newberg and sat in our chairs until Laurie arrived to bring us home. 

I love my relationship with my kids. We enjoy each other's company.  

We are already planning a 4-day trip with all the brothers and me. 

I can’t wait; it will be a blast. 

I think that is what God says about His kids. He loves being with them, joining in the adventure, having great talks, and listening to them. 

On these trips with my kids, I am reminded of God and His love for us all. 

Do you ever think about this stuff? 

Something to ponder. 

Blessings,

Roger