"One of the problems is we don't spend enough time with our children, quality time. It's hard to have a heart to heart with your kid, driving them to school, in 15 minutes. You've got to set a stage, create the environment. I think that's what fishing does." - Hank Parker

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I recently watched a video of Hank Parker and Jackie Smith, and I heard the above statement. At the time Hank and Jackie were pedaling a Hobie Tandem Pro Angler 17T and fishing. It really stuck with me. It's a simple sentiment and one that I've thought before in relation to outdoor activities and my kids. I have two daughters, one that is 3 and another that is 1. I want to take them kayaking. I want to take them fishing. I want to set the stage.

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The first time we took our eldest daughter out on a canoe and kayak river trip, she was nine months old. The James River has become a central body of water in her life. Just the other day, at 3 years old, she said, "Daddy, I want to go on the river and go fishing with you again." Nothing has ever warmed my heart quite like that statement.

The first time we went fishing together, we sat on my in-law's dock and caught some bass. She was 1.5 years old. I still remember the smile on her face.

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So, what's the point of all this? Well, I've just been ruminating on what it takes to "set the stage" for those heart to heart talks. I've started setting that stage now.

It's something that all of us at Appomattox River Company have done. It's a legacy passed down from ARC's founder and owner, Bob Taylor.  Here he is with the original ARC family, paddling whitewater in West Virginia in 1989.

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And that little girl in the back of the raft is now my co-pilot and she still sits in the back, but now she's guiding us. ;)

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Our General Manager, Tom Detrick, and his wife, Sarah, who works on our website, make a point of taking their kids out on the river. They're setting the stage.

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Mary, who works in the office, and her husband Andy, always made a point of getting out with their son, Daniel. They set the stage.

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Daniel, now works at our Richmond store, and still paddles a bit. ;)

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You see, trying to "set the stage" is part of what we're about as a business. It's embedded in our very culture.

So how do you go about setting that stage. Well, speaking for myself, it's all about reshuffling priorities. I love to get out and paddle, catch fish, etc, but when it's daddy/ daughter time, that personal drive has to take a back seat. I have to focus on her experience, not mine. That's not to say I don't cast a line or two. I'm still a fisherman. ;)

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Our first river trips were 3 mile paddles, with lots of fun stops. We found beaches and rocks to play on. We packed lunches and toys. My daughter's favorite thing was having bathtub chalk in the canoe and she could draw pictures all around her. She also has a pretty comfortable seat.

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Side note: When taking little ones out for a paddle, I've found certain items to be instrumental in ensuring a good time. Like snack cups, sunscreen and little Nalgene's of juice.

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Personally, family river trips are my absolute favorite times on the water. I love catching big fish and editing the photos that result, but nothing matches the satisfaction of celebrating a day on the water with my family. Nothing beats spending time in the the outdoors, experiencing life with my girls. These are the moments that bind us together as a family and ensure that when the time comes, and the environment is right, that the heart to heart talks will come. Years of quality time outdoors will have already "set the stage."

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Two years ago, I wrote a blog about the Okee Dokee Brothers who had just won a Grammy for their kid's album, 'Can You Canoe?' I talked about my daughter dancing around the room to their music and what it meant to me, to focus on getting her outside and on the water. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was already trying to set the stage. This is how the blog ended:

"Watching these videos this morning, I get nostalgic for trips my family hasn't even taken yet. Last night, when I showed my wife the above video, she remarked, "I want to go on another river trip with you." Me too. That is a desire I want to instill in Martha Lucy. The sanctuary of outdoor adventure with family. I want her to grow up, gleaning her strength and outlook from her family, instead of looking to popular culture for the construction of her identity."

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Two years later, one of her favorite songs to sing along to is still 'Can You Canoe?' And the fact that she's told me several times this winter that she wants to go fishing with me again is all the proof I need that I'm on the right track.

We've got a 1 year old that will join us this year for her first river trip and I am already bubbling with excitement about that float. I know my girls are a little young for any real heart to heart talks, like the ones referenced in the Hank Parker quote, but I hope by setting the stage early, that when the time comes, these outdoor family adventures will provide the right sanctuary. It will be easy to get me out there. All they will have to say is, "Daddy, I want to go on the river and go fishing with you again."

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Oh, and that cool wooden paddle in the earlier photo? It was a gift, from a longtime ARC favorite, the esteemed Colleen Laffey, to Martha Lucy. She recently passed it down to her sister.

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Eliza is now ready for the mighty James River.

We'll see you out there, on the water!