Canoeing the Catoctin

Hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day weekend. We spent most of the long weekend outside enjoying the awesome weather with friends and family. We had plans to work on siding, but we finally came to the realization that it's just not going to happen. As of Saturday we have decided to pay someone (yet to be determined) to hang the siding for us. We have learned that hanging our own oak siding is a hell of a lot of work and it probably isn't the most waterproof. I guess you live and learn, but hey, we got a sawmill out of it! We loved the idea of oak, but we just don't have the time that it takes to saw up logs, hang the boards, the battens and all the trim. So we'll be taking down the boards we do have hung, along with the hundreds of little strips that are screwed to the house. It should be fun patching those holes...I guess that's what Tyvek tape is for.

With our time freed up, it was time to grab some paddles and hit the water. Todd and Willy went down the Catoctin after work on Friday, then we all went back out on Saturday for another trip. We strapped the canoes on the truck-o-saurus and met Willy and our friend Ryan at the put-in spot at the Taylorstown bridge. My parents rode in one canoe while Todd, Willow and I rode in the other. Ryan and Willy opted for kayaks.Ryan had his first experience in a kayak and seemed to enjoy it.Todd and I quickly learned that riding in a canoe with an 80lb dog isn't the best idea, especially one that loves the water and can't sit still! We were soaking wet after the first set of ripples we came to. Willow is definitely better off outside of the canoe. She had a blast and practically swam, leapt and ran down the entire creek. Here she is swimming along…