Sunshine, Solace, and a Golden Day at Popson Park

 Dogs, Drinks, and Deep Water: Recharging the Batteries at Popson

Welcome back, everyone! If you’ve read my last post, you know I’ve been juggling a lot with work lately. I’ve been trying to swap as many of my evening shifts to mornings as possible, and it’s been a challenge. After a late-night call at 11:00 PM last night, I finally landed an upcoming morning shift. It’s a win! I’m hoping to stack enough shifts to create some free time for a wedding coming up soon.

Needless to say, after only four and a half hours of sleep, I was pretty beat. I was seriously in need of some rejuvenation. When Nick and his dad invited me and Dixie (my sweet dog) to Popson Park, I knew I had to go. The river was calling!

Dixie’s Great (and Not So Great) Adventure

Dixie, as usual, was raring to go. The dog is treated like a human and, as such, behaves about as well as you’d expect from a human in dog form! She is well-behaved, mostly because she thinks she’s one of us. When called, she’d come trotting right back. But she also, apparently, decided she was done for the day and was the one who effectively made the call to go home.

But before she was done, she had some fun. We got to the river and she promptly started chasing a frisbee. That led to the main event of the day: Dixie managed to lose my *frizbe* to the current. She just watched it float away!

Nick saw what happened and generously offered to help me retrieve it. We all watched as the frisbee drifted downriver. It was quite the spectacle. As I got a bit further down, trying to anticipate where the current would take it, I heard Nick call out to me, "Come back!" with a playful, joshing tone.

I laughed, acknowledging the request. Further down, the river significantly slows down. It gets deeper all the way across, which makes the flow less dramatic. Since it was wider and deeper there, the water speed decreased considerably. Knowing I could paddle back upstream more easily in that slower water before hitting the shallow bits, I made a plan. I’d wait until the frizbe got into the deep, slow water, then grab it. It was a success!

The Master Paddler

Nick, the adventurer, decided to take on the faster water further across the river. It was the deepest part, a place where I definitely wouldn’t have been able to touch the bottom! While I watched him brave the challenging current, the water here (closer to the shore) was nice and shallow (and manageable for a beginner like me!).

You can actually see Nick in my kayak (it’s red, the best color!) paddling hard against the current. It was a good workout! The river, which you can see in all its beauty, was a lovely backdrop to our efforts. Check out the lovely rocky shore and the large hills in the background

Sun-Drenched Serenity

After the great frisbee rescue of 2024 (maybe not *that* dramatic, but it felt like it!), we all settled down on the stony shore to relax and soak up the sun. One picture captures our group—Nick, his dad, Dixie, and me (the one with the thumbs up and the lime green shirt)—just having a grand time. You can see how perfectly well-behaved Dixie is, sitting patiently for her photo op. I don't know what it is about her, but she seems to know when a camera is on her! Another photo shows just how much she enjoys her time outside.

We made sure to stay hydrated! We packed a cooler with bubble drinks and non-alcoholic beer 🍻 to beat the heat. To make the day even more relaxing, we enjoyed some candy-flavored vapes. It was the perfect, peaceful setting.

The Call of Home

We had such an incredibly relaxing day. For a few glorious hours, I completely forgot about my late nights and early mornings. The pleasant company, the sunshine, the cool river water... it was exactly what I needed.

As I mentioned before, Dixie was the one who subtly made the decision it was time to leave. She started leading us towards the exit, suggesting with a wag of her tail and a few specific glances that she was done. We were sad to go, but we left feeling refreshed and ready for whatever the week throws at us.

Thanks for sharing in our wonderful day at Popson Park. Until next time, stay relaxed and get some sunshine!

Nick kayaking to the other side.

Nick and his dad are planning to team up again soon to tackle staining the backyard deck. After spending the day out on the water, they talked about making it their next big weekend project, hoping to get the wood prepped and a fresh coat of weatherproofing down while the summer weather holds up. It’s going to be another great excuse to hang out, work with their hands, and enjoy some good company outside.