June 25, 2010

Day 165 - Learn to Drive a Boat

Date: June 20th, 2010

This Sunday was Father's Day.  Having celebrated 25 Father's Days (well, I took an active role in the last twenty, but I was pretty checked out for the first five), I've pretty much done everything Father's Day related that people do.  I've bought presents, given cards, wrapped my own presents, planned surprises, been super nice (despite being a teenager for a solid seven Father's Days in a row).  It struck me that short of building something with my dad, there wasn't much new I could do.  Wait, no, I did that when I was six.  Never mind.  Well.  Crap.  Now what?  Well, I guess I'll just have to be...



I apologize for that reference.  I was inappropriate.  Clearly that is a lake.

In any case, given that it was Father's Day and gorgeous outside, we decided to mostly have a relaxing afternoon with my dad up at the lake and hang out.  To be fair, for my dad that means ripping bricks out of the ground with our bare hands.  I'm not kidding.  That's what I spent my afternoon doing.  Ask anybody.  But like I said, this is my 25th Father's Day.  I think it goes without saying that I've ripped bricks out of the ground with my bare hands before.

What I hadn't ever done was learn how to drive a boat.  There was little to no need for me to have that skill before my parents got their place up in Fenton.  Now though, who knows when it will be vital to the fate of society that I get myself behind the wheel of my parents' pontoon boat and tool out onto Lake Ponemah.  I can envision at least three scenarios in which that skill will help me thwart a supervillian.

It was also a nice, fatherly kind of activity for the day.  So, in honor of Father's Day and me being about to save the world from certain doom, we decided it was time for me to learn how to drive the boat.  It was a pretty straightforward task.  In fact, I'd say the biggest shock of the day is that there are actually police out on the lake who can "pull you over".

Their authority is not to be mocked.

I loved learning how to drive the boat.  It wasn't super complicated, it was great to feel the wind in my face and it was fun to spend the afternoon hanging out with my family.  Putting the cover on the boat was, though part of the experience, another thing entirely.  It wasn't too difficult until the very end.  See, under the cover, there are these poles that have to be put in place to hold it taught and make sure water doesn't get in the boat if it rains.  They have to be put in last.  So, its totally like a fort.  Which is awesome when its not 80 degrees and humid.

Pictured: My Undoing.

Overall though, it was a wonderful afternoon.  So, if anyone's in the mood for a boat ride, there's a newly minted pontoon captain ready to take you out for a spin.

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