Adrianne's adventures in Belize

Adrianne has arriven and is taking Belize by storm. (well, hopkins anyway) Somehow, after a day in town she had already joined a 'group' and they continue to go strong. Yesterday, four of them decided to go canoeing in two canoes with three paddles. (those of you that canoe should recognize the first problem immediately.) Katie and Zoe get one canoe and two paddles. Adrianne and Ernesto get one canoe and one paddle. So basically, Ernesto, Katie and Zoe went canoeing. Adrianne went riding in a canoe. This was actually a good arrangement because Ernesto is used to canoeing alone and could manage the canoe very well with one paddle. Katie and Zoe don't canoe and spent all there time running into the banks on either side of the river. Their canoeing prowess can be explained by the following incident:
Katie: Look at that bird
Zoe: It's so cute just floating there
They stop paddling to look at the pretty bird
Katie and Zoe: AHHH!! Paddle!! Turn!!
Pretty Bird frantically tries to take off before the canoe hits him. Loses a few feathers and is traumatized for life.
Katie and Zoe: oops
At the end of the river, Ernesto spots a baby croc. He's about 18 inches long and just sitting there. Despite the girls' misgivings, Ernesto manages to get said baby croc onto his paddle. As he is swinging the paddle around so Adrianne can see the baby, Baby decides he's had enough and jumps off the paddle .... right into the other canoe. This would be when the screaming and giggling begins in earnest as Zoe tries to do a backward crab walk/scramble down the canoe to get away from Baby. Katie frantically tries to keep the canoe from tipping. Ernesto scrambles from his canoe into theirs and turns into the crocodile hunter. Somehow they do all this without tipping the canoe. Once Baby is safely back in Ernesto's capable hands, he returns to Adrianne's canoe. The girls are all cooing over Baby and petting him when Adrianne has one of her famous (infamous) ideas. She will hold Baby. Ernesto shows her how to hold behind the head so Baby can't bite and hands him over to Adrianne's less than capable hands with a warning "Don't drop him". Baby sits quietly and Adrianne is getting all gooey: "I can feel his heart beating." "I can feel him breathing." "He's happy!" "I DROPPED HIM!!!!"
She grabs a paddle and points it at Baby. She becomes 'calm and assertive' "STAY!" she says. (Apparently Baby doesn't watch 'the dog whisperer' as he doesn't respond to calm and assertive) "I SAID STAY!!!!" Adrianne drops the paddle and curls up on her seat as Baby seeks refuge under it. "ERNESTO! GET HIM!" Of course you can imagine it took some time for the others to collect themselves and quit laughing before Ernesto could "Get him!" But "Get him" he did. The girls managed to convince him to put Baby back and they headed home having accomplished their objective of scarring various river dwellers for life. I have visions of birds that faint at the sight of a canoe and, at least one, croc that collapses in seizures when he hears a girl laugh. Hurricane Adrianne has hit Belize!