Yes – this post is *slightly* out-of-order. Deal with it! I may or may not happen to know someone coming down with his family next week so I wanted to make sure this post was written and it is WAY easier to write them out-of-order than God forbid catch up! Can you say lazy?

So the boys and I went to Ft. DeSoto this morning to kayak – like we have done a ton of times before. But this was the first time it was just the three of us. Not a huge deal – last year we went with mom and dad and only got three kayaks. But then I was able to stick the boys in one while I took a little break and escaped  – I mean, paddled out a bit – on my own. This time there was no escape. **sigh**

T started out on his own but after about five minutes he wanted to switch and ride with me. This was just after he paddled off and declared, “I am made for Florida and kayaking! Except the heat.” Yeah, it might sound sweet that he wanted to be with me but in true T fashion, he just wanted a free ride. So the boys switched and Andrew went off – and was happy. So was Mr. Free Ride. We had a great paddle out and saw some manatees that were….playing. Yeah, playing. We kind of kept a little distance – I had my fair share of being near playing manatees last year.

Then we paddled back in. Or tried to paddle back. The breeze and current we enjoyed on the paddle out – we were not enjoying on the way back. I also kind of forgot to take my rings off so my blistered finger is proof that we were working hard to get back. By “we”, I mean Andrew and I. Don’t forget that I had Mr. Free Ride. Did I mention that he asked if he could still use the jump seat when we first got there? I wish I was making that up. Andrew rocked the kayak ride back. I rocked the kayak ride back. T rocked the “are we there yet?” kayak ride back. He **almost** didn’t make it back. Don’t they say to get rid of dead weight? I don’t know who ‘they’ are, but it certainly sounded like perfect advice as I was paddling against the wind and current with T complaining most of the time. At least it was into the wind so I only heard every few words…but that got me into trouble because then he would complain that I “NEVER listen to him”. I wish. Did I say that? Anyway, we finally made it back – two of us a little more tired than the third.

Wait – I am supposed to make this sound good, right?? Really, it was. We have kayaked there many times and have always enjoyed it. If you happen to be in the area, and would like to visit Ft. DeSoto…..I would suggest you get there around 10:00-10:30. There are not just kayaks but canoes and bikes that you can rent. The beaches are beautiful and the fort area is pretty cool (especially if you happen to have young boys). The pier is fun to walk on and dolphins are usually around. You can also catch the ferry to Egmont Key – which is amazing and has a fort – but no bathrooms. Except the Gulf. Seriously.

We are going back to DeSoto within the next few days for a bike ride and I will do a quick blog on that, too! Oh, and it is $5 to get in and you will need $1.25 in change for the stupid tolls (even though it is about 10-15 minutes from a popular hotel) – if you happen to be in the area!

Mr. Free Ride