EASTER WEEKEND UPDATE

The weekend started off slowly, with two of us still feeling a bit under the weather . Saturday was sunny and warm-ish, so the four-legged BarnBugs did a lot of lounging about.

Scout snoozing at the gate.

 

Kitty enjoying the sunshine.

Mr. Nigel

Mr. C. and our girl set off to do a little kayak shopping and came home with this...

While she was most anxious to try it out, we decided to hang out here and go for a quick paddle on Sunday before Easter dinner at my brother-in-law's. 

Then I logged on to Facebook and realized that this was the night  Sara Watkins was playing at the Avalon. We had tickets but thought it was next week. With a lingering cough from last week's cold, I was so tempted just to let it go. Went anyway and we're so glad we did! We first saw Sara Watkins in Charlottesville, Virginia a couple of years ago when she was touring with Prairie Home Companion. Fell in love and she's been singing in my ear ever since.Walking up to the theatre, we met one of Mr. C.'s old college friends hosting a tailgate party on the sidewalk. We were offered oysters. No thanks. And a chance to meet Sara herself!! Yes, please. Two lessons learned here. Sometimes, when you're tired and unmotivated, it pays to get up off the couch, put a little lipstick on and go anyway. Also, red wine sipped very slowly can work a miracle on a tickly little, end-of-cold, cough. Sara was amazing.
Sunday was cooler with rain threatening, but we had promised a test run of our girl's new kayak, so we loaded up. Thought we'd go someplace close-by, but ended up at the Transquaking Bridge in Dorchester. It's a long story. By the time we got there, conditions were less than favorable...

This picture doesn't really do justice to the amount of chop and current.

 We went anyway.

No more pics after we set out. I didn't dare take my camera, even though we have waterproof bags. There was so much current that we had to work constantly to keep moving in the right direction. We found a quiet little creek where paddling was easier but it was low tide and I got stuck in the mud twice. If you're stuck on sand you can push off with your paddle. When you're stuck in marsh mud, you have to paddle through the mud. Quite a workout for the upper arms but I was motivated. Didn't really fancy getting stranded in the precise bit of marsh where "Big Liz" the ghost of a headless slave woman hangs out. Reportedly.
We saw very little wildlife while we paddled, but as we were loading up, I saw this...

Snapping turtle. Dinosaurs really do still walk the earth.

And this pair of ducks...

After all that paddling, I felt justified in having a piece of this...

Carrot Poke Cake. Here, I saved you a piece.

Friend and fellow blogger Stacy of Life at Cobble Hill Farm shared a link to this awesome recipe last week. Find it here. My MIL declared it the "best thing I ever put in my mouth." Visit Stacy for lots more mouth-watering recipes!
So that about wraps it up. A little sunshine, a little rain, music, kayaking, food, family. Speaking of family, check out my brother and sister-in-law's newest addition. Adorable, right? Visit their website here, to read more about Sussex Spaniels.

Hope your Easter weekend was stuffed full of good things! XO.