A New Toy??

So, up until the accident on Saturday, I had planned to buy a kayak before summer hit.

I got into kayaking the last two summers working at the River Rat in Townsend. Though it wasn't any kind of hard-core kayaking, I enjoyed getting out on the river with friends or Ben, seeing the sights, enjoying the peace and quiet and getting some exercise.

Thus, since moving here, being in such close proximity to the Neuse River, Falls Lake and within a couple hours of the coast, thoughts of buying a kayak crept in.

I had done a decent amount of research and found the one I thought would best suit me: an Advanced Elements Convertible Kayak. (pictured at left).

The things I like are that it is inflatable, aka, I can store it in my apartment and tote it with me when I travel to the coast or home; it's durable; seems good for what I want to do with it (non-whitewater, non-heavy ocean paddling, lakes and slow moving rivers); it can seat 2 people or one person and my dog, and it was reasonably priced, as kayaks go. I found it for about $600 or $650 with the paddles and pump. Also, the neat thing about it is that you can adjust the seats so if I was riding solo (if I found some friends who also had kayaks).

However, with the car accident, I am seeing my money go whooshing out the window and the odds of me getting a kayak are slimmer. However, that doesn't mean I still don't want one! Thus, I am wondering about this tax incentive/credit thing that Bush signed on last week....Depending on how financially responsible I can be, maybe I could still swing getting it. That'd be so great!

I can picture it now: Spending hot days on the lake, me (and Ben) paddling around in the coves, or me and a buddy enjoying a summer evening floating down the Neuse River and cooling off...Sounds wonderful, don't you think? Also, I could take it over to the Outer Banks (OBX) for a day or weekend and explore the Barrier Islands, which are only accessible by boat. Such fun.