Day 229 - 10/07/2007

Sunday morning was a lazy one. We all slept in (well, at least some of us did) before heading out to the kayak trip. I read about the tour in a Washington Post article back in the Spring and as soon as I read it, I knew it should be something we did during the weekend.

We arrived a little early (I was hoping there would be more of an area to explore on our own, but it didn't meet expectations) and Dave (our guide) was a little late. There was a communication breakdown between him and his staff: he thought we were meeting on the main road vs. down by the water.

After a brief lesson on the basics of kayaking, we hit the water, most of us paddling slowly as we got the hang of the boats. (I was in a tipsy boat that I swear had a rudder causing me to turn left regardless of which side I paddled on. It wasn't until we were heading back to the car that I found the secret to paddling properly and actually started making headway!) We arrived at the winery (taking our time getting there) and left the kayaks on the shore while we walked to the warehouse type building that made up the winery facility. After a quick tasting of the five varietals, we packed up and were about to head back to the water to paddle over to Rabbit Island to enjoy the wine when D suggested we hit the patio instead. There were a few chairs in the shade overlooking the winery and we stayed in that spot for the next two bottles of wine, chatting about all sorts of topics and enjoying the afternoon.

Instead of enjoying the third on on the porch, I suggested we head to the island for the last bottle, so back to the water we went. For some reason everything went much smoother and everyone was more relaxed. Maybe it had something to do with the wine.

On shore D and I wandered around the acre sized island, exploring here and there and looking for birds. I never found a bird, but I did find the toilet!

After circumnavigating the island, I found myself back where we landed and, after snapping a few group shots, we headed back to the car for the trip back to town.

Overall it was a great weekend. For the most part we all got along and (I hope) all had a great time. However, there were times when personalities clashed and tensions were escalated. I guess that goes without saying when different personality types are together 24/7 for days at a time. Although the scheduled down time this morning would have allowed everyone to get some time alone and apart from the group, I guess it didn't work out as I had hoped. Maybe next year will be different. I doubt it, but I can only hope.