Another entry into the list of things the girls did for the first time in the summer of 2012: tubing on a lake.
Thanks to some friends, the girls got to go out on a boat over the weekend. M. and C. both got a couple turns on the tube behind the boat. Both had great times.
M. was the first up. I was a little surprised at how eager she was to get out on the water given her cautious nature. But she had been watching older kids in our group tube for awhile and I guess that helped her get over any qualms she had about doing it. We took a lap of the lake, at a moderate speed, and she did fantastic. No wipeouts, no moments where she struggled to stay on. She even gave us a thumbs up to go faster a couple times.
Then it was C.’s turn. Where M. may have gained confidence from watching the others, C. had no fear to begin with. She decided was going to do everything the bigger kids had done. So, as soon as we took off, she throws her hands in the air, pops up onto her knees, and shows how she can ride without hanging on. First time ever on a tube and she’s already doing tricks. That’s about right.
I got her to lay back down and hang on, but she was busy rocking her tube, trying to crash into her tubing partner on turns, and lifting her arms up every chance she got. Then we made the big turn and the end of the lake. Her tube rocketed around the turn, hit the wake, and when it slammed into the lake surface, she flew off. This she did not like so much. She screamed and cried, I think more out of fear the boat was leaving her than any pain or surprise from getting tossed. She calmed down just enough to swim at a near world record pace to get back to her tube. With some help from her partner, she climbed back on and was ready to go again.
They went out again Saturday. While I was not with them, then, I heard they did great then, too. No wipeouts for either girl this time.
Both times L. watched from the boat. She did not love the boat, both times getting grumpy and closing her eyes after a while. Probably not a lot of fun to be the only kid on the boat who didn’t get a turn. Maybe next year she’ll be ready.
Diving boards. Plane rides. Trips to the mountains. And now tubing. It’s been quite a summer.
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