One of the things we love most about the summer months is getting out on the water in our boat. Yesterday we took advantage of the break in the seemingly permanent rain we have had lately to play at Pine View Reservoir. What an adventure we had! We may be sunburned and weary today, but every second we had outdoors yesterday was well worth it! We would all do it again in a heartbeat!
We were a little worried when we arrived at the dam because the Durango's temperature gauge was reading in the 60's. I happened to be talking to my good friend, Joanna, at the time and she commented, "I hope you brought your wetsuits!" No kidding.. I was thinking we were in for a miserable day because no one was going to want to get in that freezing cold water.
After successfully launching our boat, everyone began the task of settling in so that we could leave the dock for the open water... that's when we noticed that a boat we had first encountered in the canyon on the way up had been on the launch ramp for a long time... it appeared that their boat would not start. Ever the hero, Bill stepped in to save the day. He approached the family and offered to help jump start their boat. I could not contain my smile.. I am so proud of my guy! Bill expertly maneuvered our boat alongside the other boat so that we could jump start their battery. It took a while, but Bill never gave up and once again I was extremely proud as the other family thanked Bill over and over again for saving their day. That's just the kind of guy Bill is.. he is always first on the scene to offer his help to anyone who needs it - just one of the many reasons why I love him so much!
Now we were off! We had been sitting at the launch ramp so long that the cool breeze was heavenly! I also noticed how amazingly sweet the air smelled, and I looked around until I spotted the Russian Olive trees scattered along the shoreline. Blue sky, glassy water and sweet air.. Could it get any better than that? We sped along for a while, enjoying the power of our boat and taking in our surroundings.. I couldn't help but notice that everyone was smiling. Bill found us a cozy cove where we dropped anchor to let the girls swim. We stayed there for about an hour - swimming, playing cards, listening to music and laughing. It was great to be on our own time and have the freedom to hang out as long as we wanted!
A few years ago I bought a three-seat inflatable Airhead tube to pull behind the boat. It has been a favorite boating activity for the girls since day one! As we cruised along the water, the girls could be heard laughing and squealing as Bill turned corners so tightly that the tube would slide sideways at high speed. I actually summoned the courage to try it out once years ago... and it was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time but boy was I sore the next day! Our girls are fearless though, and even when they would lose their grip and get ejected out of the tube, they would get right back in and beg for more. Ahh to be young again!
We headed back to the swimming cove for another break and Bill and I talked about how much fun we were having. None of us could believe that it was after 3pm! The day was flying by! We enjoyed people-watching in that cove where multiple groups of as many as 7 boats at a time would tie up and form floating party barges. The girls were swimming and playing with the "noodles" that we bought years ago at a dirt cheap price, but they have by far been one of the favorite flotation devices we have ever had. There is no limit to the creative ways that the noodles can be used. The girls stand on them, sit on them, and even turn them into air-powered fountains!
I was perfectly content to remain on board the boat and photograph all of the water antics going on around me. I had moved to the back deck of the boat and was considering dipping my toes in the frigid water when Bill suddenly streaked past me and dove into the water head first! I was shocked because my guy hates to be cold. I think he gets this from his Canadian-born father who moved to Hawaii where the year-round temperature was much more tolerable. I laughed in surprise and snapped pictures of him grinning from the water. When he swam toward the boat, I thought he was ready to get out, so I carefully stowed the camera away from the water and as he reached up his hand for help getting on the deck, I didn't hesitate to offer him my hand to help. BIG MISTAKE! HUGE! In a split second, I saw that wicked twinkle in his eye and KNEW that I was going in the water against my will. He tugged on my arm fast and hard... and the next thing I knew, I was swimming for the surface! I remember sputtering and coughing out the water and still I couldn't believe he had suckered me. I was fully clothed, drenched, and surrounded by my giggling family members. Oh well, I was already wet... so I decided I might as well stay in the water and play with the family. The truth is that I had a lot of fun.. and I am not sorry that the man I trust most in the whole world yanked me headfirst into the water. Looking back, all I can do is laugh. We had so much fun!
It was 6pm by the time we got the knee board out.. Emily and Ashley are such experts at knee boarding! I will never be immune to the heart-stopping fear I feel when I see them wipe out, but I do love to watch them glide along behind the boat.. They had to have been freezing cold, but they seemed to enjoy it anyway.
We took one last, lazy trip all the way down to the dam and back before heading in to the dock. Emily happened to be in the tube for that entire trip, and only later did I find out that she was lonely and sad back there. I felt so bad! We asked her why she didn't reel herself in or signal that she wanted to be on the boat, but she couldn't come up with a reason either.. LOL poor girl! We love you Emily!
It was 8pm by the time we got the boat on the trailer and began wiping it down. When it comes to drying the boat, no one has our crew beat! We all pitched in and had our beauty all shiny in no time! The pictures of the kids in the car say it all... It had been a long, exhausting and completely fun day! The sun was setting and we were finally headed home. What a perfect summer day on the water!
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