The moment Susan laid eyes on the pond out behind our new house she mentioned she wanted to buy a small boat. Today while mulling around Academy, we found the exact boat she wanted: a Pelican plastic two man boat, for around $400.

We didn’t buy the boat. Instead, Susan checked Craigslist and found a used one for $100. The used one didn’t come with oars (we already had some) or chairs (Susan said she would sit on a milk crate for the time being), but for 1/4 the price we decided to go with the used one. An hour later we had the used one loaded up in the back of the truck. An hour after that, Susan had dragged the thing down to the pond to see if it she was seaworthy.

First, everyone put on life jackets.

Before loading the kids into the boat Susan took a small trip out into the pond to make sure the thing floated.

Using an extension cord as a tether, Susan and the kids ventured out into the pond.

With Mason and Susan rowing (and Morgan issuing orders), the three of them ventured as far as the extension cord would let them. In the spring, once the weather warms up a bit, there will be many more boating adventures in store!