Oh, the weather this weekend was simply perfect. Sunny and warm, cool evenings, flowers on the air. Saturday, though, gave us some afternoon showers and left a mist that didn’t lift. After another early morning ride to ACLA and a stop for croissants in the Quarter, I rode over to Bayou St. John to try out a kayak. The sky was just starting to turn, so I locked my bike on one of the few street signs not covered in artistic pottery–those things look pretty, but where’s a kid supposed to lock up her bike? Sigh. Anyway, after learning the difference between long and short kayaks and different seat arrangements, I chose a short and sturdy blue number to try out. Man, seeing the bayou from a kayak is so different from seeing it from the shore. I only paddled around the immediate vicinity, but oh, I could have stayed out there all day. I paddled up to some little ducklings and watched them chirp after their mom. I paddled over to that stone alligator-looking thing to see that it is indeed just that. I could get used to seeing the world from a kayak, for sure. It started to actually rain not long after I got in the water, so I had to get out and wrap the new fancy bike saddle in a plastic bag. The kayak company started packing up, and it all left me wanting much, much more time in the water. Fortunately, M. and D. have two kayaks and have generously offered me a seat this summer. Twenty or so minutes on the bike and I can be kayaking along a bayou? I really do live in a most wondrous city with a most wondrous set of views.