Dickinson Bayou Festival of Lights
Dec. 1, 2012
by Paul Woodcock
On Dec 1st we had the Dickinson Bayou Christmas Festival of Lights paddle that was hosted by HCC and the Texas Campers and Paddlers. We all met at Rob and Paula Kingsbury’s and launched at their boat dock. We had about 54 participants this year and the flotilla of boats consisted of 38 kayaks and canoes decorated with lights. It was very impressive as we paddled up the bayou. Residents came out on their back lawns and yelled holiday greetings at us. When we got to the park the take-out was the usual slippery slope that we have every year. We had a couple of paddlers get wet. Every one pitched in and helped each other exit their boats and we then walked through the beautiful light tunnels and looked at all the displays. They seem to add new ones every year. We then paddled back to the Kingsbury’s where we saw the moon rise over the bayou. The weather was as perfect as I have seen for paddling on a Dec 1st. We had a feast of chili, tamales, and all the other goodies others brought. We spent the evening sharing paddling stories. It was a great evening.and one of the largest turnouts at an HCC paddling event in a long while.
I would like to offer a special thanks for the Kingsbury's for hosting the event at their place and to Mary Zaborowski for organizing to make this a special evening on the Dickinson Bayou. Also a BIG Thanks to all the people who helped other paddlers getting in and out in their boats. We are planning to replicate this event for next year, the first weekend in December. We plan on getting on the water earlier and creating a safer take-out at the park.
We had paddlers from the HCC, Texas Campers and Paddlers Group, the Buffalo Bayou Kayak Club, the TOWN (Texas Outdoor Women Network) Group, the Officers from the Coast Guard and some unaffiliated paddlers.
the earth is my mother.
the sky is my father
the animals are my brothers
the canoe lets me get closer to them
Paul |
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The author,
Paul Woodcock |