Never have I ever

...Kayaked in the Lagoons at Presque Isle (until this Memorial Day).


I was accompanied by my mom and her good friend Cheryl. (Picture taken right before we were shoved into the water.)


It took me awhile to become comfortable rowing. But I never dared hand my camera over to my mom (so a self portrait of me is the only proof I have).


We paddled almost to the bridge, which was a mile away.


The Lagoons vary in depth and have a plethora of foliage, wildlife, and seaweed.


Memorial Day morning was a beautiful time to be a "tourist in our backyard." While it was windy and kind of chilly, the sun was out and we were not suffering in the heat.


The lilly pads were gorgeous with the sun reflecting off them and the grass and cattails blew gracefully in the wind on shore.

These particular lilly pads were in full bloom. I had a heck of a time paddling to get a close-up picture of them. It's difficult for a beginning kayak-er to stop the floating vessel, thus, I ran over quite a few when trying to get near them. (Don't worry. They are hearty enough to survive.)

With more than 140 species of birds on Presque Isle, I decided to take a photo of a non-feathered friend's nest - a beaver.

We weren't the only ones enjoying the beautiful day and soaking up the sunshine.

The turtles also were taking a vacation day and basking in the rays. As I got closer, many took a dive in the water. But I was surprised with how close I was able to get before they got scared.

So cute!

I had a great time trying something new in Erie. It cost $22 for 2 hours ($15 for the first hour) and we paddled nearly 2 miles around the Lagoons, through Long Pond, past the unoccupied eagles' nest, and back. And the great news, I didn't flip the kayak and hardly got wet at all!