Boating On The Chain.

The water.

That's what I miss most about living in Winter Haven.

The water.

You see ... where I come from we have lakes a plenty. Every where you look there is a lake. In Winter Haven the lakes are actually attached together by a series of "chains" ... that's why the area is known as the Chain of Lakes or City of 100 Lakes.

I miss that ... terribly.

If you are going to be out on the boat ... you say you'll be out on the chain. Everyone knows what that means.


Here's a map of the lakes.

Luckily we were able to take Tony's boat out when we were on vacation.


Bett and Griffin getting ready to get on S.S. Tony

We put in down south at Lake Shipp and did some wonderful day boating through Lake May, Lake Howard, Lake Cannon, Lake Idylwild and Lake Jessie.


This was the first time Griffin was on a boat with Daddy as the captain. That's so foreign to me because Mike is his most natural behind the wheel of a boat. When we moved to Virginia we sold our flats boat because it was too shallow to use around here. I miss it. I miss seeing my husband behind the wheel of a boat.


Our handsome boy enjoying the warm sunshine and beautiful views!


Grandma and Griffin enjoying trolling through one of the canals. Some of the canals were pretty shallow however we made it through all of them.


I've always loved this particular canal between Lake Howard and Lake Cannon. The neighbors on either side of the canal have a bridge built over it. Boating through it looks like something out of Cypress Gardens.

Hey ... does anyone know if Burt Reynolds really owned that house on Lake Cannon or was it just an old wives tale?


And looky here ... who did we see when we got back to Lake Cannon?

Uncle Hut (Jerome)!

I couldn't believe it. He had his crew out there at Lake Shipp and we arrived just in time to see him.

What a great day we had!