Tour of Missouri: Black River Float Trip

We are a family that loves exploring. We explore by land and water. One of our favorite family past times is floating in the summer. Floating usually involves a canoe or a kayak and a river. It also usually involves some friends, some drinks, and maybe even some snacks. It almost always involves a fishing net and water guns.

We have gone canoeing with our camping buddies for the past several years. Each year in the dead of winter we start making a list of our summer plans. Perhaps this is one way we tolerate the winter!

We have floated on the North Fork in 2013, the Niangua in 2014 in 2014, and this year we decided to float the Black River since we were already in the Southeast corner of the state. This year, not only did our camping buddies go with us, but so did her mom and her husband, as well as a work friend of mine and her family. There were five canoes, 2 inflatable rafts, and 14 people in our floating group this year.

You can access the Black River in Lesterville, Missouri. We utilized Twin River Landing at the recommendation of a friend who is from Lesterville. They were a great operation and we enjoyed their services.

The beginning of summer we were literally flooded with rain. But since then we have actually been pretty dry. Twin River's keeps a pretty good eye on the condition of the river so that we can have the most enjoyable experience. We actually left from their property and floated downstream 3 miles.

We have been told that the Black River is known for their crystal clear water and I could not disagree with this statement. It is a spring fed river but it is far from the original source because the water is not freezing. It is cool and refreshing. We could see through to the bottom of the river at all times, no matter how deep the water was. We spied fish, crawdads, tadpoles, soft shell turtles, and a few other river creatures. Thankfully we did not spy a single snake!

There are pools of really deep water and areas of very shallow water. We hit a few rough areas on the float. While we might have come close, no one tipped their canoe over. This is the first year The Boy navigated a canoe with a partner. He prefers kayaks. The Boy and his canoe partner found a rope swing and decided to be adventurous. Their spirit was contagious. All the kids gave it a whirl. Thankfully no one got hurt!

The little girls all had their own inflatable canoes this year. We drug them behind our metal canoes. This was probably the best idea The Husband has had and it worked so well! The little girls took advantage of the crystal clear water to play with The Husband's underwater Sonny Cybershot .

Unfortunately, not all moments can be caught on camera. Canoeing can test your patience, your skill, and mostly your communication skills. I am sorry to say that I totally missed the throwing of a paddle and I also missed the running of a canoe up a downed tree in the river.

With so much water around and a few boats full of children, you are bound to experience a few water fights. The kids know to expect them and they come prepared for battle. Or fun. Or maybe it is battle. But they sure do look like they were having fun.

Other observations I have to make. I wish the float would have been longer. This was probably one of my favorite floats....EVER! We were able to find a great place for a picnic lunch. There is nothing better than Shannon's Paint Can to sip on while you float down the river. Thanks Shannon!

I am not sure if it is the timing of current events or if it is always like this, but I honestly saw more confederate flags on this float trip than any other I have been on. I will spend very little time pondering that here in this post but it was significant enough to mention. I will let those of you planning a trip to the Black River//Reynolds County/Southeastern Missouri ponder what that means for you.

In the end, we swam a little, we drank a little, we maybe even had a few couple's spats, but we laughed a lot. Once again creating memories with our families that will last long beyond the hours we spent on the river.

My Weekend Project: A PVC Camping Lamp Post and Flag Holder

I have seen a few of these around campsites and I knew I would like to have one. The only problem that I had is The Husband. He already thinks we drag too much stuff with us when we go camping and if I had told him my desire to have a PVC Camping Light Pole he would have shut it down quickly! So, that leaves a girl with only one choice: Figure out how to do it by herself. I did some internet searching and found a few road maps on RV forums. They seemed easy enough! I visited the local hardware store for the supplies: An exterior post lantern light 2 inch PVC pipe (I used 5 feet but had to purchase a 10 foot piece) A 3 inch toilet flange A 3 inch to 2 inch Reducer PVC Glue A 12 foot electric cord kit 2 - 3/4 inch PVC Caps I also used a few supplies we already had on hand: White Spray Paint 3 1/2 foot - 3/4 inch PVC Pipe Drill Bits (1 inch and 1/2 inch) Tent Stakes The first step was preparing the lantern light. I could only find black i

Tonsillectomy (Warning Photos!)

The Short Chic came down with a pretty nasty case of strep throat back in April. So, when The Boy started complaining about his throat hurting about 12 days later, I was pretty confident that he had inherited his sister's strep. Instead, The Boy was diagnosed with a peritonsillar abscess growing on his right tonsil. We had to immediately see an ENT Physician who took a needle and drained the abscess. He removed about 5.5 cc of puss from The Boys throat.and then told us that once you have a peritonsillar abscess you were high risk to keep getting them. The Boy's tonsils were now compromised and needed to be removed. We were told to plan for a two week recovery so we worked a surgery into our summer plans. Between family vacations, summer sports, and the beginning of school The Boy had his second surgery. A tonsillectomy. Pre-surgery prepping went well. It must be nice to be young and have healthy veins for an IV! The Boy had lots of pre-surgery visitors. My

Liver Cheese: A Family Tradition

Today is an anniversary date. One of those dates you wish you did not have to remember but there is no way you can forget. Fifteen years ago today,two days after his birthday, my father died of lung cancer. He was a lifelong smoker and his cancer was aggressive. His battle was short. He fought for six short months after his diagnosis. He knew the chemo was not working and that his time was limited. When he came to this realization he became the best dad in the world. In the days before my father's passing, my family shared some memorable moments. One of those moments centers around the deli meat: Liver Cheese.I would not be surprised if you have never heard of it, or even never tasted it. But I was raised on it as it was one of my Dad's favorite things. What is it? Well, it is a German food that is actually called Leberkase. It is bacon, corned beef, pork, and onion that is ground together and baked. It comes with a

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