So long summertime...

Despite actually enjoying autumn and all that this season brings with it, I often always have a hard time letting go of summer.  Even though the weather may have been cool for weeks, I don't officially say goodbye until the big boat is pulled out of the water and stored away for the winter.  We were able to enjoy a couple of really nice rides to our favorite restaurants by boat on sunny October weekends.  One very chilly Saturday we ventured up to the Blue Heron on the Chickahominy and the following Sunday we went with a group of boats to Captain Chuckamuck's on the Pagan River for our last hurrah.

 Crisp fall days make for beautiful blue skies!

 Mom all bundled up for the ride! Need to brush up on showing motion in my photos because it's hard to tell we were rolling at about 60+ mph here.  Brrr....

 Our good friends, John & Penny, who have our twin boat braved the chilly temps with us all for the sake of a boat ride.

 



9.10.11

The daughter of longtime family friends of ours was married on 9.10.11 at Governor's Land, a neighborhood at the corner of where the James meets the Chickahominy River.  After much concern with hurricanes and lots of rainy forecasts in September, Ashley and Zack were blessed with one of the most beautiful days (and amazing sunsets) for an outdoor wedding.  There were many unique and special touches to the ceremony and reception and we all had a blast.  Many of our "boating" friends were there as well and it was nice to see everyone all dressed up (rather than our usual...in bathing suits with a windblown look).  Because I was enjoying myself so much, I missed out on many wonderful photo opportunities.  Thankfully, Jerry picked up my camera and snapped some shots so some of the sunset pictures are courtesy of him.

This beautiful 1953 Buick Skylark convertible is owned by Zack's parents and is only brought out on very special occasions.  They had it trailered all the way to Virginia from North Carolina so that Ashley & Zack could leave their reception in this amazing ride!

The "Boat People"



River Days

Despite feeling like the summer absolutely flew this year, I did enjoy some fun days on the water.  I'm still hoping for a few warm days to soak up some sun before going into hibernation and the boats are winterized and put away, but it seems the chances of this are dwindling rapidly...especially with the onset of fall weather earlier than usual and all the September weekends bringing rain to Virginia.

(Week)Day on the Mattaponi...

I took a much needed day off in the midst of significant changes (and long hours) at work to spend a day on the Mattaponi River with Sky, Cheryl, and friends.  We had a blast taking turns skiing, wakeskating (new water sport to me), and jet skiing.  To top off an already great day on the water, Sky's family got a 1/2 bushel of crabs for dinner.  In my eyes, there's nothing much better than picking crabs and a full day on the river!

Back home on Powhatan Creek & the James River...

 A little peer pressure convinced me to finally try something I never thought I would...wakeboarding.  My thought was that the fun wasn't worth the risk of injury.  Fortunately, it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought and no awful wipeouts...