Hot fun in the summertime

Awesome afternoon on Charles Mill Lake yesterday. It was supposed to rain, but ended up being beautiful.

Seamus & Hannah have a pontoon, and they and the Js invited us out for a ride and a cookout — right on the boat! — yesterday. What fun. We motored around the lake at about 5 MPH: the perfect speed for this non-lover of aquatic travel. (I have a couple of reeeeally good stories to tell about seagoing horrors.)

Jake, first mate

The boys are little fish, and totally comfortable on the boat and in the water. We pulled into a small cove and parked the boat so they could get out and play. It was a perfect afternoon.

We were driven back to the dock, just feet away from where we’d parked. Talk about door service! We drove the 15 minutes back home and sat down to watch the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. I have had much to say on Facebook about it, both last night and this morning, and the blogs and news outlets were lit up with reviews today, so I won’t go into it yet.

Mr. Pool Noodle, fearless swimmer

Perhaps tomorrow — although the little minnows are coming to stay the night, and Grammie might be too worn out to do much of anything. :-)

Suffice it to say that it was a very different Opening Ceremony — unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, guaranteed. “Spectacle” could describe it in a couple of different ways. More on all that later (or in the comments, mayhap?).

Hey, it’s the weekend! Café mocha all around.

FO

10 thoughts on “Hot fun in the summertime

  1. Mavis

    I’m just thrilled that you and Thriller got to go out on the boat! Do you remember Uncle Bud’s pontoon? We used to love going out on that thing. I’m glad you had good weather for it. Looks like the J’s are naturals already!

    Ahem. I watched the opening ceremonies, last night. Interesting. No, no, that’s not what I really want to say. I thought it was BORING! Some of it made sense, other parts – not so much. I’ve seen many opening ceremonies for the Olympics but, this one by far is the biggest disappointment. Just sayin’.

    Have a great Slatterday!

    Reply
    1. Rat Fink Post author

      HA — not exactly what you’d call “cohesive storytelling,” eh?? LOL

      It was what the Brits would call “higgeldy-piggeldy” in several places. Some stuff didn’t make sense because I’m not up on British culture. As a stand-alone tribute to Britain’s tenacity and progress through the ages, I thought it was brilliant. The pastoral scene at the beginning was awesome. The whole NHS kids-in-beds thing was bizarre, outside of the JM Barrie Peter Pan reference. It had to have some political shadings — I just don’t know enough about British politics to identify them.

      I think an argument could be that the Beijing opening ceremony (and dozens of others before it) appealed to a worldwide audience, because that’s what the Olympics are about — world unity. Last night’s ceremony was completely, 100% nationalistic; a love song to Great Britain, by Great Britain. That’s why I think a lot of it was lost on a LOT of people (myself included).

      Starting out with Kenneth Branagh doing Shakespeare? I totally get that. It was fantastic. And I get the whole “let’s honor Britain’s accomplishments” — to an extent. My only real issue (besides the Arctic Monkeys’ absolutely painful performance of Come Together) was with the absence of that all-inclusive feel. On some fronts, it did nothing to quash the stereotypes of the British people being arrogant prigs.

      And yes, I remember Uncle Bud’s pontoon rides! Remember how crystal clear Greers Ferry Lake was? Wow!!

      I’m having a great FATURDAY! :P

      Reply
      1. Mavis

        I think you hit the nail on the head – I didn’t “feel” included in the ceremony. I loved the fireworks, especially the Olympic Rings. I thought the scenery was fabulous, too. I enjoyed “Mr. Bean”. :-) It was definitely all about Great Britain.

        Ha! Yes, Greers Ferry Lake was the cleanest I had ever seen! You could see the bottom in most places. Ahh, memories….

        Enjoy your Hatterday!

        Reply
  2. PKPudlin

    Didn’t watch the Olympics (No TV. Oh well.) but it sure sounds like I didn’t miss much. Reviews were tepid at best, and the pictures looked just plain weird.

    I am going out on a limb and would like to officially propose Olympic Underwater Speed Crocheting as a new event. That would be of interest to us older folks. ‘Course my mom could whoop everyone’s be-hind in that one.

    Always thought someone could make a killing with a pontoon boat if they had a little hot-dog grill and a couple of coolers full of water, soda and other eats. Just go up and down the lake and hit the fishing boats and the moored yachts. You could charge $5 for a soda and you’d get it!!!

    Maybe in my next life…..
    PK

    Reply
    1. Rat Fink Post author

      Underwater Speed Crocheting — it could happen. Since poker is a sport, you have a precedent. HA

      And a roving concession stand (especially on a lake like Charles Mill) would be fantastic! A killing waiting to be made. So git up here! :-)

      Reply
  3. Greg

    The first part of the ceremonies were interesting–large cast and children’s choirs singing songs associated with various parts of the British Isles. I didn’t care for the turnover to the “Industrialized Age” and the “set change” was quite long. However the film sequence of the Queen (the REAL Queen Elizabeth) and Daniel Craig as 007 was VERY good!! Loved that part! Few people realize that Elizabeth has a great sense of humor despite her sometimes dour appearance. With the appearance of the London Symphony playing the theme of “Chariots of Fire” with Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean on the synth, it looked like viewers were in for something funny and it was! Loved the Kleenex toss into the grand piano–very typical of the Bean character. Then things started getting weird. For many special occasions, the British choreograph very well with stirring music, flag-waving, fireworks and much precision. While this was apparent last light, there were places where the storylines didn’t fit well–just noting from the parts I watched.

    Reply
    1. Rat Fink Post author

      I liked the bit with the Queen, too. Very funny, and it doesn’t surprise me that she has a good sense of humor. And many Americans just don’t “get” Atkinson. He’s more of a beloved national treasure than a slap-your-thigh comedian.

      It definitely was all over the place, though. The whole girl-lost-her-phone thing was kind of jumbled, but maybe that’s what Boyle had in mind.

      Reply
  4. RD

    What a great family time! Making memories and enjoying the process. Since I was volunteering my services elsewhere, I didn’t see any of the opening exercises. Ergo, I have no opinions about them, so will depend on you to fill me in.

    Reply
  5. Suzanne

    A pontoon ride sounds grrrreat! Glad you had fun.

    You’ve read my thoughts on the opening ceremony. Onward and upward to the Real Show, the athletes!

    Have fun with the minnows, always great to hear that kids love to swim!

    XOXOXOXO

    Reply
    1. Rat Fink Post author

      Hey, Nederlands is doing pretty well in the pool and on the bike track. And you’re not doing too poorly on the bike either! WTG babe! Keep on ridin’. XO

      Reply

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