It's a wonder we go boating anymore....

Watch out squirrels here come B and G-Dad...note the safety glasses.

Friends, this past weekend reminded me of the past boating adventures I have had with my Dad in our nearly 34 years together.  Some of them are laughable and some of them are down right dangerous but most of all they are memorable.  Each individual story could take up an entire post of which I wish to do but do not have the time for. 

Disclaimer: this post has been approved for release by G-Dad !

The activity that sparked my memory is we took the kids out on a first motor boat ride with G-Dad during our visit home this past weekend.  After you read to the end of this blog you may wonder why we did such a thing, but something in my family just keeps us coming back to rivers and lakes. 

In my childhood we had a boat for most of my memorable years.  My parents had one when they were expecting me even. Now I realize our boats were not lavish by any means; they were mostly a recreational vehicle for my Dad to go bass fishing in and occasionally we would use the boat for family fun on the weekends.  Our first boat I remember wasn't much; it was a fishing only boat but it did go fast enough that my mom and I both learned to water ski on it(my mom did this to impress my Dad I am sure of it).  I think it only seated 4 people max and you were in trouble if the wake got too big on the lake.  But at that time in my life I realized none of this; I was just happy to be on the water and having some summer fun.

After 3 or 4 years my Dad realized he needed to upsize the boat and he found a fish and ski that gave us some additional space and made us a little more legit for skiing.  Boats were so much in my blood from these formative years that Ed and I owned a boat for about a year during our first years in VA.  We learned they were a lot of work and not nearly as much fun to own as they are to visit; so we sold it pretty quickly.  Honestly once the kids are older we will probably be back in the game....keep reading.

The boats themselves are not the memories; the experiences are.  Among some of the minor  "situations" we encountered were many batteries not being charged(if you aren't aware that means you get stuck when you try to start the engine), multiple thunderstorms weathered under bridges while still in the water, oh and don't forget "ALWAYS put the plug in the boat!"

Some of the more major incidents were boating in our "original" boat on 4th of July on the Ohio River to watch Billy Ray Cyrus(during his early hit "Achy Breaky Heart" years).  Getting there wasn't much of a problem but boating back up the Ohio in the dark with barge traffic after the show was a little scary.  The Ohio isn't known for a debris free waterway. And for some reason we decided to do that again the next year and put my partially paralyzed grandfather on the boat with us....life jackets don't discriminate your physical handicaps right?  Needless to say we are all here today to tell the story(my late grandfather being the exception for other reasons than our boating adventures, RIP Papaw).

My mother reminded me this weekend of one particular Saturday morning fishing trip I took with my Dad.  That typically involved getting up at about 5am and freezing on the lake until the sun comes up; then standing and casting a fishing rod for hours on end, just what every teenager wants to do right?  That particular Saturday it rained the entire trip.  Now to my Dad this wasn't a problem as long as you have your rain gear, but to me as a 14 or 15 year old it was a major problem.  I kept asking if we could leave and was told time after time "Just one more cast".  Apparently when we got home I laid down and kissed the floor I was so happy to be home. 

The best and most dangerous of the boating stories is when we all ventured into the world of non-motorized craft.  Ed got the bug for whitewater and it spread in my family.  We didn't do anything over the top but enjoyed(and still enjoy) some Class II whitewater via canoe.  One Saturday on the Greenbrier River in WV we were having a great trip until the 100 yr flood waters came.  Ed and I were in one canoe and my Dad and his partner(my mom was smart enough to stay home) were on opposite sides of the river from each other.  The water started rising fast and Dad tried to ferry across the river solo to get Derek but in the course of doing so flipped his canoe.  The water kept rising and Ed and I tried to follow my Dad down river.  He must have swam at least a mile or more holding on to his borrowed canoe before we were able to reach him.  If he had stayed in the water any longer he would have been in some rather serious rapids and taken some tough hits.

So I tell you all this to share the experience of my children going on their first boat ride with G-Dad.  I know you are shocked we were brave enough to do it but it was uneventful; unless you count Ed's Atlanta Braves hat flying off in the wind to expose his "I work from home full time hair" :) as an incident.  We went slow at first but we did test out the speed and both the kids were scared at first but then began to love it.  C did ask at one point "Mommy can I have the iPad so I can watch a movie?"  Are you serious kid????  We have some work to do on C's love of the outdoors apparently.

After all the boating was said and done we had some cutie pie cousins over to my parents house to play.  They had a blast and somehow held their own parade complete with flutes, marching band and an American Flag.

The impromtu parade.....



with little brother pulling up the rear.  They had dropped Baby D by this point.





The crew ...


All said and done I wouldn't trade my childhood boating memories for anything my friends.  I hope you enjoy and laugh over similar stories in your family as much as we have.  I love you Dad!