Sassy’s vacation
View more presentations from Molly Guyer Reed.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Technology tie~ vacation style
You might have heard about the horrific traffic jam 10 miles north of Nashville last night...we experienced it firsthand...but it got me thinking about how technological advances made those challenging THREE HOURS a bit more tolerable for all of us...
First, we were warned of the upcoming "delay" (snort...) by an electronic roadside messaging sign about twenty miles before the slowdown. Since it was late in the evening, we figured it wouldn't "that bad", but we dialed 511 (the traffic information number according to the same sign) anyway. It, of course was experiencing technical difficulties. Grrr...
So, we slowed down, then we stopped. We remained stopped or slowly rolling for, as I mentioned, three hours. I was frantic, bordering on panic attacks, Mom was sighing deeply and the kids...well, the kids were perfectly happy~ all four of them playing Mario Kart on their DS game systems simultaneously. What a gift! Had they tired of Mario Kart, they could have opted to pop in a movie. I had my laptop, movies and the car adapter all ready to go. If movies weren't their thing either, they could have listened to their iPods or even read a book with their portable book lights. Amazing advances~ all of it!
In the end, we got off the highway, went through the drive thru at Wendy's and asked for an alternate route to our hotel, that according to Bossy Bessy was less than four miles away. Once we arrived at the hotel in record time, I set the alarm on my cell phone and we all settled in for a short snooze. All's well that ends well...
First, we were warned of the upcoming "delay" (snort...) by an electronic roadside messaging sign about twenty miles before the slowdown. Since it was late in the evening, we figured it wouldn't "that bad", but we dialed 511 (the traffic information number according to the same sign) anyway. It, of course was experiencing technical difficulties. Grrr...
So, we slowed down, then we stopped. We remained stopped or slowly rolling for, as I mentioned, three hours. I was frantic, bordering on panic attacks, Mom was sighing deeply and the kids...well, the kids were perfectly happy~ all four of them playing Mario Kart on their DS game systems simultaneously. What a gift! Had they tired of Mario Kart, they could have opted to pop in a movie. I had my laptop, movies and the car adapter all ready to go. If movies weren't their thing either, they could have listened to their iPods or even read a book with their portable book lights. Amazing advances~ all of it!
In the end, we got off the highway, went through the drive thru at Wendy's and asked for an alternate route to our hotel, that according to Bossy Bessy was less than four miles away. Once we arrived at the hotel in record time, I set the alarm on my cell phone and we all settled in for a short snooze. All's well that ends well...
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Parasailing!
My oldest son, his friend and I went parasailing yesterday! I still can't fully believe we did it! It was terrifying and wonderful simultaneously! We opted to go with the most popular option of 600'~ the view of the beach was breathtaking from that height~ and to the other side of us, water as far as the eye could see. Amazing.
We started our adventure by piling on a "banana boat" that was pulled out by a jet ski to the awaiting boat. The trip out was met with large waves that made the ride extremely bumpy (but fun!) The awaiting captain and helper caught the pull rope with a hook and looped it around the boat~ then the banana boat was literally slammed into the side of the boat! We were instructed to sit on the side of the boat "on your butt!" and flip around to get in. Easier said than done~ and certainly not pretty...once we were in the boat, I made the mistake of LOOKING at the parachute...
The chute was 37' wide~ a beautiful yet overwhelming sight. I was instantly much more nervous than I had been previously~ and slightly nauseous...once we were all in the boat (there was a young couple with us), the captain took off to position us and the helper set about putting us all in harnesses. The harnesses were heavy things that we just stepped into and then were fastened around our waists. The "arms" of the harnesses had very large, heavy clips which I soon discovered were hooked onto equally large clips on the chute~ the only things holding us to it! Ahhhh!
The young couple went first~ he'd been before, but it was her first time too. They went up 800'! We watched them get hooked up and slowly rise. It was surprisingly peaceful once the chute moved further away from the boat...they sailed for several minutes, and the captain asked US if we should "dip" them. Sure...in the end though, the wind was too much for that large of a chute, and it was everything the captain and helper could do to get them back in! Oops. They arrived back on the boat safely~ and she said she'd enjoyed it, so we decided we'd live.
Both boys were ghostly white, knowing it was our turn...our friend was hooked in first, then my son, then me. There was no time to worry~ as the second we were all hooked in, we were on our way! The rise was smooth and swift, but it was not frightening~ it was instantly amazing and I found it impossible to do anything but enjoy the experience.
The harness was big, and hurt to hold onto after a short while. My arms and hands were incredibly sore, but I was afraid to let go for fear of flipping backwards! I eventually wrapped my arms around the harness rather than holding on to it and that was better. I was ready to come down though when we did...the view was breathtaking and wonderful, but the physical fatigue from stress and exertion from holding on had taken it's toll.
We returned to shore via banana boat~ but the jet ski driver was reckless~ and tipped the banana boat! Only my son held on and was not tossed completely off the boat! It was very exciting! A total splash! Haha...
An experience none of us will ever forget...parasailing in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Pictures to follow~ as soon as my Internet signal is strong enough to support the upload.
We started our adventure by piling on a "banana boat" that was pulled out by a jet ski to the awaiting boat. The trip out was met with large waves that made the ride extremely bumpy (but fun!) The awaiting captain and helper caught the pull rope with a hook and looped it around the boat~ then the banana boat was literally slammed into the side of the boat! We were instructed to sit on the side of the boat "on your butt!" and flip around to get in. Easier said than done~ and certainly not pretty...once we were in the boat, I made the mistake of LOOKING at the parachute...
The chute was 37' wide~ a beautiful yet overwhelming sight. I was instantly much more nervous than I had been previously~ and slightly nauseous...once we were all in the boat (there was a young couple with us), the captain took off to position us and the helper set about putting us all in harnesses. The harnesses were heavy things that we just stepped into and then were fastened around our waists. The "arms" of the harnesses had very large, heavy clips which I soon discovered were hooked onto equally large clips on the chute~ the only things holding us to it! Ahhhh!
The young couple went first~ he'd been before, but it was her first time too. They went up 800'! We watched them get hooked up and slowly rise. It was surprisingly peaceful once the chute moved further away from the boat...they sailed for several minutes, and the captain asked US if we should "dip" them. Sure...in the end though, the wind was too much for that large of a chute, and it was everything the captain and helper could do to get them back in! Oops. They arrived back on the boat safely~ and she said she'd enjoyed it, so we decided we'd live.
Both boys were ghostly white, knowing it was our turn...our friend was hooked in first, then my son, then me. There was no time to worry~ as the second we were all hooked in, we were on our way! The rise was smooth and swift, but it was not frightening~ it was instantly amazing and I found it impossible to do anything but enjoy the experience.
The harness was big, and hurt to hold onto after a short while. My arms and hands were incredibly sore, but I was afraid to let go for fear of flipping backwards! I eventually wrapped my arms around the harness rather than holding on to it and that was better. I was ready to come down though when we did...the view was breathtaking and wonderful, but the physical fatigue from stress and exertion from holding on had taken it's toll.
We returned to shore via banana boat~ but the jet ski driver was reckless~ and tipped the banana boat! Only my son held on and was not tossed completely off the boat! It was very exciting! A total splash! Haha...
An experience none of us will ever forget...parasailing in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Pictures to follow~ as soon as my Internet signal is strong enough to support the upload.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)