Photo used under Creative Commons from Wicker Paradise

Old Town Canoes for Sale. Both Used and New plus Wood and Old Town Canoe Seats.

My husband and I took an old canoe down the Black River. It was the 4th of July and our church had planned an outing with everyone floating and swimming down the river and we would meet at a certain sandbar to have a picnic.

Most everyone was in swim suits and shorts and were floating down in inner tubes, canoes and floating devices of all kinds. However my husband and I are very sun conscious and we didn't want to get a sunburn that would damage our skin or cause cancer. We try to get about 15 to 20 minutes of sun everyday and then cover up so that we can protect ourselves.

So to avoid sunburn we were in long sleeves and pants. Plus my husband had a wide brim hat and I used an umbrella. We looked very different from the rest of the group as they splashed along with most of their skin showing.

One of our friends told us that we looked like a retro couple floating down the river with the women under her umbrella and the man paddling.

But everyone knew us and we all had fun as we progressed down the river.

About an hour into our adventure we came upon a group that were out enjoying the coolness of the water. It was an Amish bunch and it looked funny to see them swimming fully dressed and the women in the long dresses in the water. They stopped and let our group float and splash as we passed through but the ones they stared at the most was my husband and I. We really stood out in the crowd of bare skin in our conservative outfits and they must have wondered who we were. We were almost as covered as they were.

Leaving the Amish group behind we continued on our way and after another couple of hours came to the sandbank and everyone brought out the goodies for the picnic. There was plenty of food for all and we had a good time.

A little History...

The Old Town Canoe Company was formed in 1898 and was a family owned business out of Old Town Maine. This company has become a legend in small boat building in both canoes and kayaks and was even featured on the Discovery Channel.

Susan Dietel
Web Programmer
Email: susansdesign@yahoo.com