Saturday in the Park

On Saturday, lured by the promise of paddleboats, we headed to a park we hadn't visited yet. Given past disappointments with height requirements, things not working, etc., we didn't tell Mabes anything other than "we're going somewhere fun." I now understand why my parents would just say "Go with the flow," and would like to take this opportunity to apologize for making them want to bang their heads against the dashboard due to our incessant "but what are we doooooooooing?!?!?"

We got to the park, found the paddleboats, paid our $4, and waited for the next available boat. At this point, Mabes thought we were just watching the boats, and she thought that was pretty cool.
But as the family waiting before us paddled away, we asked Mabes if she wanted to ride on the next boat that came in. Her eyes got huge, and she just whispered "Yeaaaaaaaah...WE can ride the boat!" Glad we didn't tell her before that, because she kept asking which boat was ours. When our boat finally pulled up, Mabes sprinted onto the dock.

We headed out at ramming speed and spent the next 45 minutes paddling around the small lake. While Dave and I got a nice leg workout, Mabes pointed out the bugs hovering over the water, the ducks on the logs, the people fishing, and even one "funny" fish that was floating on its side in the water. Silly fish.
A few times, we'd stop to enjoy the serenity and Mabes would get impatient with us. After several days of ridiculously hot temperatures, Saturday was in the mid- to high 80s, and being on the water cooled it off even more. The trees were so thick and green--it was perfect. And looking at my pictures, I'm more disgusted with my camera than ever. I've known for a while it needs to be replaced, but come on, A80, now you're just making a mockery of the scenery.
After a while, Mabes decided it was time to eat. In all fairness, it was dinner time, so I asked what she wanted for dinner. "French fries." Okay, we're going to get barbeque and French fries after we're done. "No, I want to eat French fries on my boat. Let's get some now." She had a point--all good boat trips should include food. Maybe next time there will be a concessions boat, or a paddle through restaurant.
We finished our tour of the lake and got our barbeque, brisket, French fries, and hushpuppies. Mabes is very good at expressing gratitude--the whole ride home, she kept saying "Oh, fank you for taking me to the boats! We have so much fun on the boats! We have a fun day! Fank you, fank you, Daddy!" And now I understand why my parents put up with our whining, even if we didn't trust them when they promised us fun.

Oh, and giant shout-out to Becca for her acceptance at the University of Utah's Nursing program--yay Becca! She's worked really hard for this, and totally deserves it. This is a particularly impressive feat, as very few people get in the first time they apply, and because for a long time, Becca tried to argue that she just wasn't as smart as everyone else. Nice try, Becca. Her crazy personality and big heart will be a huge addition to the medical field--like Patch Adams, minus the annoying Robin Williams factor.