I had a birthday, which is nothing new. For this one, the Admiral and Princesses decided to take me canoeing. This is also nothing new, as I have spent hundreds of hours in canoes for hundreds of miles, but this trip was unique.

I have not canoed for many years. Although I have taken the Admiral and Princesses thousands of miles in both power and sail boats, I have never taken them canoeing. I am ashamed.

At first, I was not enamored with the prospect of paddling since I have not done it in so long. I was not sure my shoulders, back, legs, even my feet could stand up to some of the remembered rigors I once subjected myself too, but since the commanding royalty were excited to go, I smiled and loaded the gear.

I was afraid that I would not be able to get into the canoe, would topple over into the water and ruin the trip before it started. My fears were unfounded. As soon as I got near the boat, muscle and mental memory took over and I was directing the Admiral and Princess-the-Younger into one canoe and Princess-the-Older into the other, where I was soon to join her without incident. We took about three strokes from the shore, and I was home.

My heart swelled with the feelings of freedom that only a canoe can give you. Until you are sitting inches above the water, and moving a boat under your own power, you cannot understand the feelings. I had forgotten, but those few strokes awakened something in me that I had lost touch with.

There is nothing like gliding as near silent as possible over the surface of the water and looking nature in the eye. As we went, we saw several gators that watched us until we got too close and then slipped below the surface and away. As we cruised, we heard their guttural mating call from the reeds and rushes. It was thrilling. You would never experience that in a power boat.

As we went around bends in the river, we would frighten up a heron or other marsh bird, or slide past a bittern with its head straight up in the air trying to look like the reeds it was standing in. It is fascinating to contrast flight and camouflage defense systems.

As we slipped through areas of aquatic vegetation, we would roust up gar fish that would cut a path through the water with their dorsal fin looking like mini torpedoes. It doesn’t take long to discover the difference between a bass hitting the surface and one of the ancient gar zipping away.

Overhead, and closer than you can experience in any other conveyance, or even on land, we were graced with birds. There were red-winged blackbirds, cormorants, pelicans crashing into the water close enough to splash us, sea gulls, and even an osprey on a nest.

It was dizzying. I couldn’t keep up with the panorama of wildlife and the quiet of nature. Too many memories and experiences flashed in my mind. I kept a running commentary with my canoe mate as I regaled her with stories of the animals we were seeing, past adventures, and about how to handle a canoe. The lessons included the most important, how to douse your partner with a paddle full of river water. It is an invaluable skill.

I am still trying to sort out the experience, and have determined it is time to bring another canoe into the family. I just hope it is as good a friend as the others I have known.

David Wilson Atwood is a local writer whose human-interest columns offer a unique perspective. He may be contacted, at www.starchasers.us or david@starchasers.us.