I have "River Fever" this morning. That's what Stuart and I called it when we would get the craving to go on our first trip of the season to the Colorado River. It was one of our favorite things to do.

We would camp along the shoreline of Lake Havasu. Stuart would get up as soon as the sun came up. Mornings were his favorite time on the lake - it was such a peaceful and calm time of the day. The water would be flat and smooth, like glass, before any boats or wind disturbed it. The water would be gently lapping on the shore. Here and there, fish would be playfully jumping out of the water to catch mosquitoes. Birds would be waking up and chirping happily as they got their day started. The majestic, red clay mountains accross the lake glistened as the sun hit them.

First, Stuart would make a pot of coffee, then enjoy drinking it while sitting in a folding chair at the shores edge, absorbing all the beauty. After awhile, I would join him, we would have a cup together, then we would hop in the boat and head over to one of the marinas. There, we would take showers, have breakfast, visit with the locals, and fill up on gas and ice. Then we would head out on the boat for a day of boat riding, water skiing, and swimming. When the sun went down, we would head out to a restaurant at one of the marinas or we would cook at the campsite. After dinner, we would take the boat out to the middle of the lake where it was the darkest, turn off the engine, letting the boat float where it may, and gaze at the stars. After we were too tired, we would head back to the campsite, crash on our air mattresses in the tent and sleep like babies.

It was our daily ritual and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I will miss those times. I'm sure Scooter does too. Scooter got to come with us quite a few times and it was always a blast. It was some of our happiest times.