Vacation '08, Day 6: On the Water
Aug. 17th, 2008 08:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
edenfallingToday Vicky and I both slept in late (which, on the island, is 10:00am). We had apple cinnamon muffins for breakfast, and around noon, we walked south to Ah-Nung Point and visited the Lenzes.
Then we went down to the dock and waterskied. Dad went first, then Vicky; I spotted for them. (This means watching over the stern to make sure the skier hasn't fallen, and transmitting signals and questions from the skier to the driver and back.) After a break, we went again -- first me, then Vicky, then Dad.
I am not a terribly good waterskier, nor a terribly enthusiastic one, but it seemed a waste not to go at least once. I fell on my first attempt, but the second went well. The trouble is that I can't wear my glasses while skiing, and the inability to see clearly leaves me both somewhat disquieted and unsure of my balance. I am not sure just why my balance is affected, since it depends on the angle of your skis and body, and the tension in the tow-rope, but there it is.
After skiing, we had a desultory lunch and an hour's break up in the cabin. Then we tried to go sailing.
The trouble is that while there was a good, strong, steady west-southwest wind, we're on the east shore, which is basically a huge, curving bay. And the wind in the bay was fitful, to say the least. We got out from shore after a fair bit of tacking, and headed down toward Ah-Nung point and the south shore -- where we picked up a bit more wind than we were prepared for, and nearly heeled over! -- but then we could not get back to our dock for love or money. Eventually we got in close enough that Vicky jumped out of the boat and towed us the rest of the way in to the buoy.
Then, of course, we discovered that while we had been unable to catch a breeze, the wind over the dock had been strong enough to blow all our towels and lawn chairs into the water! Fortunately they'd tangled with the rope holding the kayak to the dock, so we rescued most of the supplies without much trouble, but Dad's ratty old moccasins had floated away. He found one several feet south of the dock, and after a few minutes' searching, I found the other standing upright in the riprap, nearly a hundred feet away.
We finished the afternoon by towing Vicky for a spin on a sort of inner-tube with handles. By that point we were all thoroughly tired out -- watersports always take more energy than you think they will, because of water resistance -- and we packed it in for the day.
I walked Dottie around 6:30pm, down the inland path to the east portage and back along the slashing, which is the exact reverse of the route I took a couple days ago when I sliced up my fingers on some stubborn weeds. This time, I took hedge clippers so as to clear underbrush without destroying my hands. Now we are getting ready for dinner, which will be frozen pizza with extra toppings.
We'll probably do laundry again this evening, and then Vicky and I have to pack. The plan is to leave the island at 8:00am tomorrow morning, so as to hit the road at 8:30am and reach the Twin Cities around 12:00-12:30pm, depending on traffic. We'll drop in to see Ardis, briefly, and then head for the airport. Vicky's flight leaves at 3:30pm, and mine at 5:10pm, so I'll be kicking around with nothing to do for a while. I figure I will continue to catch up on my reading. *grin*
Then we went down to the dock and waterskied. Dad went first, then Vicky; I spotted for them. (This means watching over the stern to make sure the skier hasn't fallen, and transmitting signals and questions from the skier to the driver and back.) After a break, we went again -- first me, then Vicky, then Dad.
I am not a terribly good waterskier, nor a terribly enthusiastic one, but it seemed a waste not to go at least once. I fell on my first attempt, but the second went well. The trouble is that I can't wear my glasses while skiing, and the inability to see clearly leaves me both somewhat disquieted and unsure of my balance. I am not sure just why my balance is affected, since it depends on the angle of your skis and body, and the tension in the tow-rope, but there it is.
After skiing, we had a desultory lunch and an hour's break up in the cabin. Then we tried to go sailing.
The trouble is that while there was a good, strong, steady west-southwest wind, we're on the east shore, which is basically a huge, curving bay. And the wind in the bay was fitful, to say the least. We got out from shore after a fair bit of tacking, and headed down toward Ah-Nung point and the south shore -- where we picked up a bit more wind than we were prepared for, and nearly heeled over! -- but then we could not get back to our dock for love or money. Eventually we got in close enough that Vicky jumped out of the boat and towed us the rest of the way in to the buoy.
Then, of course, we discovered that while we had been unable to catch a breeze, the wind over the dock had been strong enough to blow all our towels and lawn chairs into the water! Fortunately they'd tangled with the rope holding the kayak to the dock, so we rescued most of the supplies without much trouble, but Dad's ratty old moccasins had floated away. He found one several feet south of the dock, and after a few minutes' searching, I found the other standing upright in the riprap, nearly a hundred feet away.
We finished the afternoon by towing Vicky for a spin on a sort of inner-tube with handles. By that point we were all thoroughly tired out -- watersports always take more energy than you think they will, because of water resistance -- and we packed it in for the day.
I walked Dottie around 6:30pm, down the inland path to the east portage and back along the slashing, which is the exact reverse of the route I took a couple days ago when I sliced up my fingers on some stubborn weeds. This time, I took hedge clippers so as to clear underbrush without destroying my hands. Now we are getting ready for dinner, which will be frozen pizza with extra toppings.
We'll probably do laundry again this evening, and then Vicky and I have to pack. The plan is to leave the island at 8:00am tomorrow morning, so as to hit the road at 8:30am and reach the Twin Cities around 12:00-12:30pm, depending on traffic. We'll drop in to see Ardis, briefly, and then head for the airport. Vicky's flight leaves at 3:30pm, and mine at 5:10pm, so I'll be kicking around with nothing to do for a while. I figure I will continue to catch up on my reading. *grin*
