Hi Gram,
It’s been a long time since I slept in a tent. Based on the aches and pains when I woke up, starting again at my age might not have been the wisest choice. Luckily I was so tired from the fun we had yesterday that I slept most of the night and didn’t wake up enough to get up until 7am. When I got up, Howard was just getting out of the shower, so I showered and did some of my morning routine before chatting with Karla and Jesse for a bit. Howard and I decided to run into town and have breakfast at Denny’s to ease into our day. The waiter was exceptionally friendly and helpful, making our breakfast taste even better. My whole grain pancake with pecans were cooked just right and had a good texture and flavor. They were leagues above what I would have expected from Denny’s. Howard’s buttermilk pancakes, however, were dry and flavorless – exactly what I’ve come to expect from them. The rest of our breakfasts were good and filling, though, so we forgave the pancakes for being bland.

We stopped and grabbed some groceries, then headed back to the house where we found everyone else up and raring to go. Eric went to get his 1980’s speed boat while the rest of us worked to get some of the inflatables patched and blown up for the day.

Howard was waiting at the shore ready to go when Eric got back and asked who wanted to go for a ride. I climbed in the boat with Eric and a few of the other kids while Howard and one of his newfound friends climbed into the “flying couch” for a ride. He looked a little nervous when we first started going, but the nerves lasted all of ten or fifteen seconds before he was smiling and giving a thumbs up. Eric masterfully pulled them around the bay, carving gently side to side to get them a little lateral movement, then headed back toward the house and ended with a slow circle that whipped the couch around in a move that pushed them back into their seats. Both of them were smiling ear to ear and punching the air in excitement when the ride came to an end.

Howard climbed in the boat for the next round to cheer on the girls while they got a ride. Eric followed a similar path, carving side to side a little more aggressively to throw them a little further to each side and cutting a little sharper to bounce them a little more and make it more exciting. He ended with a tighter circle, giving them a few more g-forces to end their run.

After a short break, it was my turn. Brian and I sat on the outsides for weight distribution with Gianna in the middle. Eric gave us a thrilling ride and I was surprised at how quiet it was. The three of us had conversations and Giana was able to explain some of the moves to maximize our fun. Once we returned to shore, Jesse put on the skis and showed off his moves while I headed up to the house for a sandwich and conversation with Karla and the family.

Later in the day, we got out the “Tiki-Tiki”, a big inflatable island that they’ve had for seven years, a lifetime for an inflatable. The kids took turns dragging us out behind a kayak or paddle board, until the tide would pull us in. After a few rounds of this, we dropped a makeshift anchor – a gallon jug filled with sand – and just lounged and chatted.

As the day shifted and the tide started going out, we made our way back to shore and Eric took one more load of passengers out for a final Flying Couch run. Howard was excited to go again, and I watched them from shore, giggling as they departed.

They were out for a while and were coming back very slowly, leaving all of us on shore to speculate why. It turns out the passengers got thrown off balance, causing the flying couch to flip. Howard and I share an aversion to having our faces in the water or getting them wet, and he never really learned to swim as a child. It was all too much for him, so once they got everyone back in the boat, they took it slow and enjoyed an evening cruise back to shore.

I was afraid he was going to be scarred and want to go home. He made me proud when I heard that ten or twenty minutes later, after changing into dry clothes, he initiated a game of tag with the other kids and they were all off running around and playing again. While the kids were outside running around, the adults introduced me to the game of Rummikub. They had a couple sets of the game, and it was cool seeing a few different tables set up with people sitting around having such a great time. After dinner, Howard and I went on a late night canoe ride and got to see the moon and some stars out on the water, peaceful, away from it all. We got back to shore and sat around a campfire sharing stories with everyone until it got late and we headed to bed.