We had our annual luau canoe trip over the weekend. Two beautiful days on the river, hanging out with friends. And this year, Ajay came along.

We got a few compliments around camp for his good behavior for only being about a year old, but on the river it was another story. Rather than ride in the canoe, he wanted to swim alongside it.

Which would have been OK if (1) he didn’t keep trying to cross in front of it, (2) he didn’t try to get into my kayak (or anyone else’s) and (3) he didn’t just suddenly jump out. I’m sure the temperature had something to do with it, though we tried to give him a little shelter from the sun. But most of the time he was in the canoe, I could hear him crying, and every time I turned to look he seemed to be watching me. So, I think knowing that he couldn’t reach me was also part of the problem, and, he’s the same way with Matt.

Needless to say, he just did not want to stay in the canoe. I’m pretty sure in this picture he’s saying, “I’m in the water, and you’ll have to catch me to get me back in that boat!”

That, combined with an attack of moths that I kept swatting at, made the stress levels on the trip home pretty high. So high, in fact, that halfway we called Matt’s Dad to come and pick up me and the dog.

The trip wasn’t all bad though. In fact we got to see a bald eagle a little closer than usual. I had seen a bird fly over us, but with the sun shining directly above it and through the feathers, it was hard to make out the colors. But, Matt caught a glimpse of it in the tree it landed in up ahead and I carefully got out my camera.

I was very surprised at how long it stayed in the tree with me quietly paddling around below, trying to get a clear shot. The color isn’t very good in the picture because the sun was coming through the trees behind him, but I just wanted to get a picture before he flew away.

Which, shortly after, he did. But I had enough time to switch to a continuous low capture before he took off.

So, I got a few shots of him in flight. I’m pretty happy with how clear this one came out, showing the white spots in his feathers and his yellow feet.

Have a great week!