CFA CANOE TRIP

It was high time for us to have another canoe adventure, and we wisely chose to leave our precious little kidlets behind.  When we told Lily what we were doing, she asked, "Is everything going to turn out okay?"  She is still a bit scarred from our last Buffalo River experience, and we will need to take them out again soon to give them a better, newer memory.

But this day was for some of our CFA Team Leaders.  We took a small group, which turned out quite nicely.  None of them had ever canoed before, so we had quite a time of it!  Everyone was so excited to get started.  The group that came was mostly from one large family.  Many of them have worked for us since our restaurant opened over seven years ago, and they are like our own family now.

One really funny story is that when we interviewed one of these women, she kept thinking that we were the boss's children, and that soon she would meet the real boss.  It took a couple of months for her to realize that we were the ones in charge.  We were such babies then, and we regularly laugh over this story!






John had told everyone that I used to teach canoeing at camp and could be their instructor.  Ha!  I did try to give them the basics before we all got into our boats, but at the end of the day, you just kind of have to do it and figure out what works for you.  We had a very funny first 30 minutes where one boat kept spinning its way down the river.

The weather was truly amazing for mid-July in Arkansas, and the water was at a perfect level from all the rain we've had this summer.  It made for delightful floating conditions.

John got to cliff jump and rope swing, and though he was disappointed that no one wanted to join him, he had a great time making big splashes, and we had a great time watching.

We all packed lunches to eat along the way.  John and I left ours at home and had to grab leftover salads at CFA.  Not a bad river lunch at all.



One boat did tip three times, but there was a lot of laughter that went along with it, and in the end, everyone had a great time.  It is so very beautiful at the Buffalo River.





We split off from the group after canoeing and drove around to enjoy the scenery and silence.  I never knew to appreciate the silence until I had all the children with me most of the time.  John and I treasured our time being able to talk and laugh and be quiet.  And the view.  Spectacular.

We forded a river in our 4-wheel drive vehicle that had a canoe on top.  John loves when we get to use the 4-wheel drive.




On the way home we stopped for a dinner date.  This day was the gift that kept on giving.  I love a good Chocolate Mess.

This day was a wonderful respite from our norm, and we desperately needed it.  Now we are back at the grind, which is also good - just a lot more work.