Normally teenagers do not respond well to 6:30am wake up calls. My niece Rachel, however, was up and at’em in anticipation of our early morning kayak outing on the Sudbury River. We covered a good four miles and saw as many herons and dozens of swallows during our one hour paddle which started with a light fog hovering over the water. I taught Rachel to paddle the last time she visited and she needed no additional instruction this time looking like an old pro. We were quiet on the water but I had a nice chance to check in with her on the car ride to and from the put in.