It's official: My dog is a river rat.

Here's a random photo of Bae being cute and knowing it, since I didn't take the camera out on this trip.

Thursday my husband Mark and I did something we do all the time in the summer: canoe at Chain O'Lakes State Park.

This time, however, we took the dog with us.

It was a bit of a challenge since the additional shifting weight in the middle caused some balance and steering problems, but luckily for us we're both canoe veterans. We both learned to paddle in those big honkin' all-metal canoes, and I had a good amount of experience paddling with squirming children - including hauling them into the boat.

Bae took it like a champ. He didn't quite understand the whole thing, but once he figured out it was just like a ride in the car except he could drink water while doing it, he was in. He loves smelling new smells, and boy were there ever new things for him to check out down the canals. He even stayed in the boat when we docked at the side of a channel to adjust his rigged life jacket floatie and help a few boatloads of people who bottomed out.

Not to get all sappy, but there are few things better than being in a beautiful, scenic place with your best friend and your dog.