Summer, Day 51

The MLB All-Star Game is always such a summer event. As a kid, it was a chance to see all the best baseball players I would see on my cards or in my Strat-o-Matic set in one game (and before cable, in Chicago you wouldn't get to see many stars not on the Cubs or White Sox). After watching the Home Run Derby last night with the boys, I was looking forward to viewing tonight's All-Star Game with them as well.

We didn't watch the whole game, which didn't matter after the National jumped to a big, quick lead, after which the game was never close. But the boys did pay as much attention as I had hoped. Michael was intrigued by Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City and its giant Royals scoreboard, and I found a book of ballparks Lori had bought me years ago and leafed through it with him, pointing out every stadium I had been to I (and where I sat for the ones I remembered). Ben liked that book as well and kept asking if I had been to the Astrodome.They made it through six innings of the DVR'd game before it was bedtime for them.

Watching the All-Star Game made up for a less than pleasant trip to Seven Peaks Salt Lake. The boys started their day with swim practice, and we avoided the heat by staying inside until mid-afternoon. The waterpark was a little crowded but not bad. But then, the problems began. First, our cards said we had no inner tubes purchased, when we bought them for the season and already had used them. The guy at the tube rental booth gave them to us anyway. On the way to find a spot, Ben failed to follow me and was missing for 30 frantic seconds. Michael kept bugging me about a closed attraction) the kids area -- some toddler must have pooped) and wanted desperately to read the same sign we saw at the front of the park that it was closed. As I lectured Ben, my trick knee gave way on the slight slope we had placed our towels, making me stifle a painful howl. Ben and I took a double tube on a slide we had done before together and discovered a new rule -- heavier person in front, which makes no sense. Sure enough, our tube flipped halfway down. Ben was OK, but my left knee ached a little. I complained at first aid, where a supervisor tried explaining how the heavier person in front is actually safer (I don't think so -- in fact, double or triple tubes with adults on them is probably a bad idea with these slides in the first place). Then Ben didn't want to do a different slide with Michael on the double tube, likely thinking he would flip again. I stepped on a puncturethorn that somehow made its way into a waterpark. And for some reason, I lost the ability to breathe out through my nose, resulting in water bruising the inside back of my skull on one slide that launched me into deep water.

Complaining aside, the boys had fun, and I did have a peaceful moment on the lazy river. And we enjoyed the All-Star Game. But now, par for the course, I'm trying to pull up the Seven Peaks website to find a contact to complain about our lost tubes and flipping over on the slide, but the website isn't opening. Keep focusing on the All-Star Game ...

Day 52 is next.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Summer, Day 8

Vacation finale

Nine days after the solstice