view from canoe Jul 15 (iphone)

view from canoe Jul 15 (iphone), originally uploaded by gawdessness.

a friend of great fortitude
wrangled two vans, four adults, six kids and three canoes
for a trip out to Elk Island National Park
on a jaw droppingly beautiful day

there was just the one close encounter with the huge and highly dangerous wildlife
which I dealt with in a courageous and mature fashion - no matter what anyone else says -
(leeches are gross, and that one was at least a foot long, and it was TOO chasing the canoe and if not for my new world record in speed paddling would very likely have jumped bodily into the boat and wrapped us all in it's blood sucking coils - if I had not been there, I shudder to think what would have happened, at least listening to the delusional babble of the ones around me - "oh it is only a few inches long!" "you do know that these ones actually only feed off of cold blooded creatures right?" "MOM! (eye roll) They cannot jump into the canoe! For pity sakes, how nuts are you?"
Sad, little people but I saved them anyway.)