Kayaks, Sailboats, and A Thunderstorm

Yesterday we decided to go to "the club" on the lake for an afternoon of fun. I packed up a picnic lunch (ham sandwiches, Cheez-It Twisterz, pears, and Rice Krispies Treats) and we headed off. It was a really hot day for this time of year (87 degrees) and we were looking forward to spending the afternoon on and in the water.

In the car on the way, R was telling us about a friend who has four video game systems, which R though was really cool and was a bit envious of. M talked to him about how that friend of his doesn't get to spend any time with his parents and they don't go on the adventures like we do. He explained that having things isn't as important as spending time as a family.

As we were driving, the sun started to disappear behind a variety of puffy white clouds. Then the clouds got greyer and greyer. Just as we pulled onto the street that the club is on, a HUGE THUNDERSTORM burst -- with rain pounding down on the windshield, thunder cracking and lightning lighting up the very dark sky. M and I looked at each other and started laughing "nice day for the beach" we said to each other.

We arrived at the club as the rain pounded even harder. So, M pulled the truck up to the lake and we had a "car picnic" in the truck while watching the storm on the lake. We prayed that the storm would pass so we could at least unload the kayak and put in on the stand (where it will stay for the season.) Luckily, the storm did pass and we were able to get out and about. R started riding his bike and T chased him around, stomping in puddles. M and I got the kayak up and M began putzing with the sailboat, fixing something or other. I grabbed a dry chair, put on sunscreen and sat on the beach for a bit (it was now completely sunny where we were.) However, we could still hear thunder all around us, so we didn't take the sailboat out.

After awhile, we didn't hear the thunder anymore, so I took the kayak out for a spin. After falling off four times while trying to get on (and being oh-so-dainty in the process!) I was on and went for a half-hour paddle -- nice! When I came back, M had the sailboat all rigged and the whole family went for a sail. It was a lovely time and everybody had fun and got a chance at the helm.

Just as we were cruising back into the dock, the skies got dark again and thunder started clapping. We got the boys ashore, while M and I docked the boat. Well, we actually didn't dock the boat as easily as we should have. I guess with the stress of trying to race the storm, we couldn't get our act together in rolling up the mainsail, so M tried to stand on our boat lift (something he's never tried before because he feared it wouldn't hold him) and we heard a SNAP and the boat and lift dropped about two feet. Uh Oh. By now, it was pouring rain and we couldn't get the boat tied up safely. M sent me to the truck to look for pliers. I didn't find any, but I did find some wire cutters and cable ties (I figured that you could fix anything with cable ties or duct tape.) M was able to use two cable ties to fix the situation and we got the boat safely secured. We were so relieved! And ready for a drink!

We went to the local restaurant, had a margarita, ate dinner, and were good to go. What a fun family adventure we had (that I'm sure beats any video game)!