"Oh, BIG BEAAAR" (Ian will get it)

We're eating lunch late Saturday afternoon in the back yard. Sunday is my only full day off every week.

Me: Let's go kayaking in Big Bear tomorrow morning. We'll get up early, pack a picnic lunch, drive up, rent you two a two man kayak, paddle to a beach, eat lunch, fish from my kayak, and enjoy the sun and clean air.

Meghan: Dad, you're crazy. You're so spontaneous.

I look over to see Dawn with that look I know so well, and half expected to see anyway. It is a look of 'Wow, that would be really fun, but it could be a giant pain in the ass." My lovely wife is one of those people that have to have everything planned out. She plans one night stays in Las Vegas months ahead of time. Who does that? She needs time to plan, pack, plan, research, plan, determine worst case scenarios, and oh yeah, plan some more. I, on the other hand, can't tell you what I'm doing next week, let alone the next day. This is probably because I have a wife who will handle the details. We make a perfect team. Since she couldn't come up with any objections, and probably knew deep down it was going to be fun, we hit Big Bear Lake on Sunday, and had a great time.

The Dynamic Duo

"We're going to need a bigger beer." Paddling a kayak while drinking a beer takes a huge amount of talent. Luckily, I'm a talented guy, and enjoy practicing. I knew there was a reason I bought a kayak with a cup holder.


The kayak rental guy didn't understand why I couldn't stop laughing from the minute I saw the kayaks, til the girls launched theirs.

Big Bear Kayaking from Sean Murphy on Vimeo.

The lake was a bit bumpy, but it was Sunday, pretty crowded and midday.
Chicks with sea/lake weed on their paddles





My boat