Family Friendly Kayaking (SunSCREAM!!)

  Before I post about today's trip, I have to mention that this whole ordeal with the kayaking has been a lot on my family.  We were not campers, canoers, kayakers, hikers, or anything too outdoorsey as children...in fact, had it not been for P.E. class in high school, I probably still wouldn't have set foot in a canoe or kayak. And, of course, the week that I finally take the plunge and purchase my kayak, the second kayak-related drowning takes place off the coast Bar Harbor, ME.  So to say again....this has been a lot on my family.  
  Which is how I came to be in possession of a lot of new safety gear for my kayak today. 

First Aid kit, survival blanket, water purifying tablets, waterproof flashlight, and T.P.!

Half of my paddle wearing its new leash.

My blaze orange safety whistle on my life jacket.  When I first blew it my dog looked at me like I was an idiot.

Bilge pump and paddle float, the dangerous safety equipment.

  A whistle, a bilge pump, a paddle float, a survival blanket, water purifying tablets, a paddle leash, and a waterproof flashlight all arrived in an L.L. Bean box that was only slightly damaged (depending on your definition of slightly damaged.  I mean, it wasn't open yet or anything, but probably close).  The funny thing is, I am not exactly sure how to use the bilge pump or the paddle float.  I have a pretty good idea, but I am thinking that I am going to have to PUT MYSELF IN the dangerous situation in order to determine how to get out of that situation using said tools.  There's irony for you.
      Yesterday, I added sunscreenSCREAM to my arsenal.  I am not a huge fan of sunscreen.  As I child, my mother practically bathed us in it and I wore it without question, but I often wondered if I would prefer the feeling of a burn over the inch of grease that the sunscreen created boiling on my forehead and dropping into my eyes.  Not to mention the fact that the last sunscreen I used landed me in the ER with a rash all over my body and an itchy throat and face.  These thoughts were weighing on my mind as I realized that I needed a little UV protection before my next trip, and I drove to Rite Aid in search of this protection.  If possible, I wanted to find something that smelled a little less.....evil than regular sunscreen.  Yes, that is what I imagine evil to smell like.  That old No-AD, SPF 305 sunscreen....*SHUDDER*

SPFs 70 and 85...enough to send harmful UV rays RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES!

    And this is what I found.  I love Aveeno.  It's so gentle you can use it on babies, and they have Baby Aveeno that is apparently so gentle you can use it on even smaller babies.  
   My life jacket, first aid kit, and water bottles are welcoming all the new safety equipment company in the Forester right now.  That is family friendly kayaking.


P.S. Did you notice what was in the top of the shot in the first picture?  T.P. baby....remembered it today!