Day at the River

I should never have waited so long before posting about this trip to the Sisquoc River back in April when it was full.

It was a beautiful day. We met Carmen along the way and headed out. We walked a ways down the shoreline until we found a good spot to settle in.

The kids discovered a bunch of tadpoles...

... and some raccoon tracks.

We had planned to make some miniature boats out of some river willow growing nearby, so we started gathering some good branches.

Then the girls discovered some real branches - driftwood logs, actually - and said, why don't we make a real raft?

So Carmen, well-prepared, creative and versatile, set to work armed with a pocket knife, some twine and some logs.

The kids set to work wrapping and tying...

and testing out the seat.

Then they took turns trying it out.

Michael even gave Xena a ride.

What a great day! I'm so glad we made it out there before the river dried up.