When we moved to Florida, I asked Doug to buy waverunners. I didn’t think I could manage a boat, but I wanted to teach my girls to ski. That was 14 years ago. I didn’t imagine then how much fun they would be or what a huge part they would play in our family life and traditions.
We wanted to name the two of them after a famous couple. We all thought of possibilities, but no one was able to lobby their personal favorite into reality, so they have always been “the big one” and “the little one”.
My favorite memories include
- learning how to drive them and ride them without sucking up the rope
- teaching a lot of people how to ski
- early mornings when it was only us and the dolphins
- checking the girls out of school to come and play with me
- eating pancakes when we came home no matter what time of day it was
- tucking Brianna in between us when she was a teeny tiny three year old and heading out for the day
- being stiff and sore but also very tan
- having their own place here at the Birdhouse
- and, of course, the joy of a ski run
For the past so many years, we have wondered if they would fire up again. They did again this year, but then, the steering cable broke on “the big one”. While we were debating whether to try and fix it, again, and talking about how difficult it was getting to start, which was becoming a real process in it’s old age, it began to sink. Luckily, it was just off shore and we made a hasty rescue. However, it was only momentary because we had to admit, it was time to say goodbye.
I shed a tear, it is true. I will miss that inanimate object that has been the making of so many memories and so much fun. But already our Courtney has christened the replacement--
the new one
It is for our next generation of skiers and players and memory makers.
No comments:
Post a Comment