On April 13, 13 paddlers, members of the Friends of the Appomattox River (FAR) floated the Slate River in Buckingham County from Melita to Diana Mills. Along the way paddlers enjoyed seeing wildlife, including a couple of beavers and newly blooming trees including dogwood and wild azalea or “Pinkster” trees. Pictured, from left, front row, are Al Lookofsky, Betsy Lookofsky, Sandy Willcox, Corson Spencer, Phil Bailey, Marianne Dennison, Tom Dennison, back row, Lee Woodruff, Ron Heinemann, Damien Fehrer, David Lewis, Katie Anderson and Bobby Hurt.