Picnic on 'picnic island'

Grammy packs sandwiches, apples, pretzels and icy cold water. PopPop hitches the ol Alumna-Craft boat to the Tahoe. We take a drive in-land. Matt helps PopPop launch the boat in Depot Creek.

The sky is crystal blue, the water is tea brown and smooth as glass. We help the girls secure their life jackets. Within minutes of our boatride into the bayou, PopPop points to an alligator sunning himself on a log. Nearly camouflaged by their natural habitat, we use our 'eagle eyes' to spot turtles, blue herons, and well over a dozen gators of all sizes (2 feet to 14 feet long).

Jo and Cokes eagerly try their hand at dipping the oars in the water and then take turns piloting the boat (with PopPop's oversight). Jo asks, "Can we go faster PopPop?" PopPop cranks the throttle and Matt keeps a hold on Cokes as she leans over the side of the boat to feel the water spraying up. According to PopPop's GPS, we travel 5 miles up the creek when we reach the open waters of Lake Wimico.

PopPop steers us to a tiny island right in the middle of the lake. As we pull up on the beach, a family of turtles plop into the water and a flock of black birds take flight. We spread a beach towel on the sand and unpack our lunch. We enjoy a picnic on our very own little island.

After lunch, CoCo digs for clams and pries them open with PopPop's leatherman. She pokes at the gooey creature inside the clam shells. Jo uses her finger to draw pictures in the sand. She draws a girl and assembles shells to make dangly earings for her.

Grammy calls to check in on us. Jo answers the phone (completely unprompted) saying, "Hello, Josephine's Appliance. How can I help you?" Jo tells Grammy that we are having a picnic on Picnic Island.

All I keep thinking, is how much an outing like this tops a day of simulated and artificial entertainment at a theme park. I must be a naturalist at heart. No wonder I always dreamed of being a park ranger.

Thanks PopPop, for such a memorable day together, navigating thru the Florida bayou.