Easter week we had invited out Jim Solberg to visit our farm and meet us. Jim is a talented photographer and writer for several newspapers. I will share a short section of his time here with you now and how the day un-folded. Tom drove him out in the Farm Truck and I drove the Cavalier to the backwaters through pastures. Jim mentioned about his desire to not walk great distances. I had a plan and Tom first agreed to it,then later we sprang it on Jim. Yep, we’d by-pass the mobility issues and forget walking too much-he’d ride in our sturdy Michicraft Canoe if he wanted.

Now Jim and us have never met and this was me inviting him to come and share nature that we all hold in high regard. We all agreed to bring the metal canoe closer to where Jim was standing in our pasture on the banks of Sunrise Slough. Tom mentioned about the other wooden paddle and I was watching and pointing @ the geese and ducks. I had this vision of Tom and I pulling the canoe from where it was tied to a tree through the boggy grasses over to Jim-why would I need a paddle for that? Silly guy!  We arrived @ the canoe and Tom turned the girl over and exposed her belly to the sun. Then he started to put it in the water and I am inquiring what he was doing???  Then the jokes again on me. This time we didn’t have to pull the canoe like last week. There was actually water and we could put the Michicraft in the water and paddle..oh-there’s one paddle. The other paddle is keeping all of Jim’s camera equipment company in the back of the truck. We giggled and thought it’s all about the stories and a lady pointing in the sky or @ the water.

Jim was  kind to put up with all the humor and he even wrote us into part of his weekly column. He also included a photo of the Voyager’s as he called us as we pulled up  to him in the Cadillac of Canoes and he eyed us up and said he trusted us. He got in with all of his camera equipment and it was a sharing of nature and paddling with hearts filled with Cranes, geese and ducks. Thanks Jim for the photos and we look forward to your many returns and Hawken wants to show you more chickens and the rest of the farm too.

Feel the Spirit of the Backwaters,

Sue Roskos

Canoe Can Do!!

Sue Roskos