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NH Summer 2014. Grateful. (2 of 3)

Posted by | September 14, 2014 | BAMBINOS | 2 Comments

MorMor and MorFar

Grateful. Grateful first and foremost for my parents and my aunt and uncle who have made a commitment to keep The Cottage, and all its riches, in the family. Grateful that for one week a year my parents share it with us. Grateful for the endless hours that MorMor and MorFar spend on the boat with us, all over the lake, obliging the ceaseless demands for “faster! faster! faster!” from the front of the boat. Grateful for the fact that my three kids know the sight of wide open spaces and the feeling of wind in their hair and the taste of crisp spray from a boat speeding along on the waves of a clear mountain lake.

morfar's boat 2

Grateful for the millions of dollars my parents spend on gas for the boat. (Ha! hardly an exaggeration: just about millions of dollars!) Grateful for the daily trips to the marina’s gas station. For the frozen ice pops that the bambinos are given from the college kids with the coveted summer job of dockside gas-pumper.

gas station

In 2014, I am grateful for the new sunfish sailboat. My parents bought it used this past spring, and they cleaned it all up, and it is in excellent condition, and I fell in love with it — like, really, really in love with it — instantly the first time I sailed it. This is huge for me. It connects the dots all the way back for me in a deep way that I really can’t articulate. I am so grateful to my parents for recognizing that in some way and acting upon it, and for buying that boat. I am grateful that somehow they understand this little-sunfish-sailboat thing about me. So grateful.

sunfish 1

To be able to sail with my own kids is more than a dream come true. How amazing is this? Pinch me, I think I’m dreaming.

sunfish 6sunfish 4

Pinch me again. My 6-year-old daughter is learning to waterski. And she is loving it. But I am loving it more— seeing her expression from the back of the boat as I watch her do this thing. It is awesome. I am so grateful.

waterski M

I get such a kick out of the fact that she, after years of watching her brothers and her cousin waterski, had the hand signals all down pat — memorized perfectly — without ever having been officially taught any of them. I am still laughing out loud, right now at my computer as I write this and look at the photo below… She did the signal for “around again” over and over and over and over…

M waterski again 2

…and after all those years of being solely in the waterskiing spotlight, with no competition, now the three big kids are the ones watching from the back of the boat! It all comes around kiddos! And now we’re going “around again!” and “around again!” and “around again!” for the little one! And now it is your turn to watch and watch and wait and wait for your turn to come again. I am so grateful.

M waterski and 3 watch

Oh believe me, they got their turn. The big three still dominate the waterskiing spotlight. They got new water-skis this year because they’ve outgrown the ones they learned to waterski on. They’ve graduated up and they’re becoming really decent water-skiers. This year they continued on their mission of mastering the art of going in and out of the wake, holding on with only one hand, and beginning to move toward their ultimate goal of slalom skiing. It won’t be long ‘till they are up on one ski. Beyond grateful for healthy, able-bodied, ambitious young bodies and minds.

Sadie

waterski O out of the wake

waterski K out of wake

Grateful for tubing. MorMor and MorFar’s Christmast present to their grandchildren this year was a brand-spanking-new big-and-crazy tube. It didn’t come out of the box until August. But it was a huge hit, well worth the wait!

tubing 2 copytubing kom fartubing 5

That tube was a wild and crazy ride—

tubing 1

Some might say a little too wild and a little too crazy—

tubing kom 3tubing kom 2

So grateful for so much fun.

tubing kom  4

Grateful for the relative calm of kayaking.

IMG_5782IMG_5787

Grateful for swimming.

jumpK and O in water

Sadie and M

Grateful for swimming in the moonlight with glow-sticks—

swimming with glowsticks

Grateful for good food. Among other things, New England lobsta’ and steama’s to be precise—

lobster Osteamerslobster dinner

Just so grateful.

grateful beauty 2

(for post 3 of 3 click here)

2 Comments

  • Kate says:

    WOW! Go Meera Waterskiing!! Go Kyle, Owen and Sadie too!! Love it and the Tubing looks wild fun!! So beautiful this post — wonderful that you are reflecting so gratefully for the gift passed down to you, Heather.
    – Kate

  • Amy says:

    Love the tubing pics! Thanks for sharing.

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