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Professor Gloom
Member Elite

since 2000-07-23

Posts 3082
of Depression

0 posted 2002-09-03 09:51 AM

It had been a rainy, cloudy holiday week end, not that there’s anything wrong with that, and the younger crowd was tired of sitting and talking.  When Monday came it was with great joy that it came with clearer skies and warm sunshine.  We were staying by a lake, which was once wider and deeper, but had been affected by a prolonged drought.  The single digit children found more joy in the greater exposed sandy beach and the ability to wade farther out than ever before.  The low dual digit folk wanted to do the more elaborate events, skiing and tubing.  Those good ways to burn fossil fuels, where the closer to fossils were content to just putter about the lake at a slow rate of speed.
It was later in the day and I was invited out to watch the tubing exploits of the younger set.  So I climbed into the boat with a couple of couples, a rope and a tube.  Now this wasn’t just a tube like might come out of some tire, but a specially made tube for this activity.  So there I was going out in the boat with a group where no two of them combined to my age, them drinking beer and me ice tea, the boys in just trunks and the girls in bikinis, and I wore pants and a shirt.  It was easy to see  which of us was out of place in the boat, but we were joking and having a good time ( well they were mostly).
Now, for those who don’t know the difference in skiing and tubing, a brief explanation.
Skiing the boat goes straight and the skier goes back and forth attempting to stay up.
Tubing the boat curves and twists attempting to sling the tuber off.

This was a tube run.  The driver was facing forward and the person next to him was the watcher (me) facing backwards to let the driver know when he’d been successful in dislodging the tuber so that he could go back and allow the person to climb back on the tube to be reslung off again.  This had the added advantage of facing the two pretty girls, but with the roar of the engine and the wind rushing by so fast conversation was all but impossible.  This allowed be to just watch the beauty and the comedy of the tuber.
We were just coming around a great whipping curve when we hit a submerged tree stump, which stopped the boat immediately.  Where as I had my back forward and was firmly in the chair, and the driver had the steering wheel to brace against, the others were at the whim of inertia.  The tuber continued on his arc till the reaching the end of the ropes movement then was propelled out of the tube and skimming across the water, but for him that was just another good dumping.  The girls had no such luck as soft water to splash into and the girl behind the driver smashed into the back of his seat.  It was a nicely padded seat, but it still bloodied her nose and blackened her eye and gave her a fat lip.  The girl in front of me came rushing toward me and I put out my arm to attempt to grab her least she crash into the dash beside me, which is where she was originally heading.  My thumb caught the front of her top making the two piece a three piece and not very wearable, but she slid down my arm and crashed into my shoulder instead of the dash.  So there we sat, one girl bleeding and one now truly half naked in a boat slowly filling with water.  So I gave the shirt off my back to the naked one before handing her the life jacket to put on and went to help assess the other.  The driver was already there with the first aid kit and the a jet skier was approaching fast.  The situation got no worse since the tree stump kept us from actually sinking and there was no terrible injury.  But by the time all was done, all us back and the boat dislodged and brought to shore, it was time to leave.
My shoulder is slightly bruised and sore, and I never got my shirt back ( she filled it better than I did anyway).  We could have used a third day of rain after all.

I guess I make a poem of this eventually,
Although I’m not sure about it.

Gloom

[This message has been edited by Professor Gloom (09-03-2002 09:55 AM).]

Zinsser
Senior Member

since 2001-02-27

Posts 1641
Calif.

1 posted 2002-09-03 12:05 PM

OMG........ I don't know what to say....

: )
~~ Connie ~~

Wanda
Member

since 2001-10-23

Posts 461

2 posted 2002-09-03 12:53 PM

Oh my, what a way to end a holiday. There is a positive side of this though, "It could have been worse." Thankfully, no one was injured badly. I was really caught up in the story which was written very well. Wanda

1slick_lady
Member Ascendant

since 2000-12-22

Posts 6088
standing on a shadow's lace

3 posted 2002-09-04 11:35 AM

when i read you i sit on the edge of my seat waiting and wanting more. you are like a candy i remember from my past and haven't had since rushing to relish the sweetness and aching after it is over

miscellanea
Member Elite

since 2004-06-24

Posts 4060
OH

4 posted 2004-09-30 01:53 PM

I couldn't help but roll in the laughter; I can just imagine the bikini incident! (It reminded me of iliana when she took a dive once--I don't think she has worn a two piece since!)
Entertaining story, Professor Glooooom?

merlynh
Member

since 1999-09-26

Posts 411
deer park, wa

5 posted 2004-09-30 06:44 PM

Cute! After reading this I could almost imagine the look on your face and the girl who lost her top being wide-eyed and embarrassed but appreciative of your quick thinking.

Larry C