Paddle-boarding in Ladybird Lake Austin Texas
My host Virginia was going running this morning and kindly dropped me off by the Rowing Center. It’s an activity she strongly recommended and I’m so glad I ventured out. I was a bit nervous at first, as I’ve never been paddle-boarding before. However, the instructor put me at ease and gave a demonstration on how to paddle and said I didn’t have to stand up. So I paddled away from the shore on my knees and spent a glorious hour in the tranquillity and calm of the lake, surrounded by lush trees and where I shared the water with turtles and ducks and watched the sunrise. It ‘s a wonderful way to de-stress, unwind and relax, with nothing to worry about except keeping my balance and avoiding falling in the water. Paddling was fairly straight forward, it’s just a matter of shallow strokes extending the arms and alternating between left and right. The city was always in view and I could see the traffic in the distance. I also saw 
joggers and walkers and a couple with their daughter waved to me. After about 30 minutes paddling on my knees, I did make an attempt to stand up, but when the board wobbled slightly I chickened-out and and resumed the knee position! I’m glad I had the experience to try it out in such beautiful surroundings and imagine I live in the seaside town of Parkstone, In Poole, Dorset and so close to Bournemouth Beach. I’m definitely going to try paddle-boarding there now!
