Hortense Morris always wanted to learn how to kayak so for her birthday her family organized an outing so she could experience it. This wasn’t your typical family birthday paddling day-trip. Hortense is 99 years old.

[blockquote]"It was wonderful," Hortense said. "I would love to do it again."

She paddled part of the time, but not the entire hour.

"I'm not used to it, and I didn't want to overdo it," she said. "But I paddled off and on. I wasn't lazy."

This idea started last year on her 98th birthday when she was talking to her grandson, George Morris, who happens to be a guide with Kayak Amelia.

"She said that if she was still feeling good next year, she wanted to go kayaking," George Morris said.

Well, this is next year and Hortense Morris is feeling just fine, thank you very much. She lives in the Cypress Village retirement community, but not in assisted living. Her reaction to that possibility: "Oh heavens, no!"

And she confessed that she couldn't wait to tell everyone else back there about her trip.

"They already think I'm crazy."[/blockquote]