Goose and Coach LD came up to Kolapore for a Thanksgiving visit. We were all looking forward to an autumn paddle on the Beaver River. 'Bent wondered if we could take BazingaDog - something I've always vetoed because he is strong, heavy and can't be trusted off-leash. In a weak moment, I said yes.
As it turned out, that meant I didn't do any paddling because I needed two hands to hold B-Dog in the boat. He eventually escaped, jumping overboard into filthy black muck. It was a struggle to get an 85 lb dog back into the canoe without tipping us into cold water. After that, I was soaking wet and muddy, and B-Dog kept doing his best to throw the boat off balance. AdventureDog, an experienced canoe tripper, was humiliated on behalf of all dogs. 'Bent had to paddle alone so the Doughtys weren't getting to paddle for real.
After less than a kilometre, I ordered 'Bent to turn the boat around before we went for a swim in cold water. We sent the Doughtys on to enjoy the beautiful weather.
You would never suspect any of this by looking at the nice family photo Goose took as we turned around to abandon the outing.