Today was a fine day to be kayaking on Lady Bird Lake, and fortunately there were a few other like-minded TOWNies to make this even more enjoyable.  Braving the wind gusts and waves on the water with me were Gail P-C, Stephanie N., and newcomer Danielle B. who wins the “Bravery and Balance” award by blazing new trails and renting a paddleboard instead of a kayak!  She did great and was a fine addition to our group.  We paddled upstream from the Rowing Dock, ignoring the conventional wisdom to paddle against the wind at the start of the trip so that we can practically coast back to the dock at the end.  The sun was shining, the lake was pretty, other paddlers were plentiful, and we easily cruised up and around Red Bud Isle.  The first half of the paddle served as a warm-up for the return trip, when we had the combination of both strong wind gusts and strong waves, but we were stronger.  The winds kept the us from getting too hot, which was an added bonus.  We successfully returned to the Rowing Dock without any unfortunate incidents and acknowledged that our arms will probably be tired tomorrow.  All in all, a lovely day on the water!