Horse flies
In late August, the five of us took a brief end-of-summer vacation to our family cabin in the Ozarks. Peter, Teddy and I were able to take an afternoon canoe trip on a Monday, when nobody else was on the Niangua River. Goldie wasn’t quite ready for her first river experience at (almost) 1 year old so she and Amy stayed behind. The boys and I had an awesome time. The river is fed by Bennett Spring, so the water is wonderfully cool on a hot day. If there is a breeze, there is a natural air conditioning effect that takes place as the wind pulls cool air off the water. There was plenty of time with complete silence, where not a car or airplane engine to be heard. Just the soft dipping sound of my paddle in the water. I was the only one paddling for 7 or 8 miles. Turns out 2 and 5 year old boys are eager but unreliable rowing partners. The beauty of the river was breathtaking. There were several points where it looked like a mirror reflecting the lush greenery t