Terry hadn't been here to visit for almost a year and Shadow had grown quite a bit since they had last seen each other. Terry is Shadow's self proclaimed "uncle". After the "Hi, how are you stuff", we decided to take Shadow back on the Weeki Wachi River. We loaded up the van and set out for the river which is only about 15 minutes away. As we got close to the water, Shadow begin to fidget. He knew we were going to have some fun.
I backed the trailer down the boat ramp and Terry launched the little Jon boat. The last time he and I had been on the river was a year and a half ago and we used his portable folding boat. It flexed a lot when he applied power but it was fun to get on the water. Shadow didn't go on that excursion. Terry remarked how much easier it was to just use a trailer. I actually had been prompted to get a boat after seeing how much fun this river was.
Getting the outboard started was a challenge this morning. It started up right away but then I flooded it. I spent the next twenty minutes pulling it through to try and start it again. After numerous applications of starting fluid, it fired up again and we were on our way.
The river was up but there were still some very shallow areas where we had to walk the boat. At one point as we were putting along in a deeper channel, Shadow decided to jump overboard. He was tethered to the boat and it kept moving. I didn't want him to get hit by the propeller so I quickly put the motor in neutral. We hauled the soggy pooch back aboard and then he shook off the water and doused Terry and I. Actually, it felt good as it was a hot and humid day.
We got to a bend in the river where the water was clear and we tied the boat up to the trees along the bank. There was a rope swing Terry wanted to try. He climbed out of the river up to the swing and I fed him the rope. All the while Shadow is watching from the riverbank.
Terry plopped into the water and the 2 girls watching wanted to try. So they gave it a go, too. Terry made one more and then his healing shoulder told him that was enough.
We got back aboard our little craft and headed down river to the boat ramp. the current was with us in this direction and the trip home was faster. The dog is fascinated with the wildlife and the smells he encounters and is sniffing to beat the band. It was a fun morning on the river with Shadow and "Uncle Terry". I look forward to many more water excursions with my friends.
