Today was our first voyage out in the boat with the kids. We had purchased life vests for them some time ago, and have been waiting on the right day to get them on the water. Our trip this morning was to Pierce Lake, which is just down the road from us in a state park. We lasted about an hour before the kids had seen enough of the boat and were ready for land again. All-in-all, it was a pretty positive experience. Neither of them knew what to think of the water. We didn't catch any fish - to the chagrin of Alex who was very interested in the concept of getting a fish. I don't know how she would have reacted if we would have actually boated a fish.
On a down note, we did see something horrible that you don't see everyday as a part of this trip. As we were pulling the boat out of the water, a couple and their bulldog were putting a boat in. Erin and the kids were talking to the woman, and I told her what a pretty pup she had. As we were concentrating of loading the boat, we heard a commotion on the other side of the dock. The dog had jumped into the water and, without anyone noticing, had gotten stuck under the boat (I think his leash had gotten caught - who lets a dog with a leash on in the water?). When they realized that the dog was gone, they fished him out and started trying to recessitate him. They pumped at his chest for ten minutes before they stopped - it was really a tragic event. That dog died right next to us.
