Down the River with a Paddle

So, if you aren't busy Saturday, why not get a group together to take a little ride on the Clearwater. We have 2 Wards on this activity. Our Ward owns and Maintains 10 high quality mountain bikes. The other Ward owns and maintains 7 good canoes, paddles, and PFD's.

Some of the youth from our ward above, and 3 exchange students from Japan below. They had a great time on the river. We talked about their country, and they tried to explain things in their limited English. They did manage to teach me how to say a new phrase in Japanese (more on that later).
Some of the youth from the other Ward.
And a couple of late comers to the party. These 2 guys have another brother that just had major surgery and could not join us on the river. We missed him, just as we missed the other youth that did not make it to the activity.
If you are going to play on the water, you must get your ride there first. Everyone toted a canoe, and made sure they had the proper gear ready for the trip.
Then we had paddling lessons. Of the people on the trip, there were only 2 with prior canoeing experience, and one sister that has a kayak. So, there was a lot to learn in a short time.
After prayer, it is adios muchachos. "Fire one!"
"Fire Two!"
"Fire Three!"
"Fire Four!"

There was also another canoe on the trip, but their launch was nor recorded with a good picture.
Part way down stream, we found this little knoll from which to take a simple picture of the canoes on the water. Only after we down-loaded them did we see how great of a picture this was. This picturesque spot is only 25 minutes away from our house, and less than 15 away from down town.
After work, Jacob joined us in the park for a picnic lunch.
So here is the lesson. How do you say "hot dog" in Japanese? Let me remind you that Kobiashi is a well known sports figure there, and that baseball is as Japanese as Chevrolet is American. In reply to the query, all three girls said in unison, "hotta dogga." Now you know, as do I, another phrase to help you expand your meager language skills. We all had a good chuckle about that one.
This is just a pretty good picture.

A good time was had by all. Next activity we expect to have a few more people. We are planning for the Opening Social now. We will share those photos with you in a future post.

Hugs and Kisses,

Alan