Boating Griggs

I was up and out of bed at 630am. And while I was up extra early, it didn’t take too long for me to feel the need for more sleep. I’m sure that had everything to do with enjoying 4 Bodhi’s the night before. It was already near 70 degrees so shortly after starting coffee I headed out on the deck and stretched out on the chaise lounger.
I tried falling asleep but couldn’t. Still, just laying there nice and still for 20 minutes was just what the doctor ordered. Just before 7am I poured some coffee, spent some time on the internet, but then headed back out in the yard.

Around 8am I headed off on a run. The sun was already warm and the air extra close. Felt like real summer-time. The thin short-sleeved wicking shirt felt more like extra skin. I wanted out of it as soon as I was back at home. Mindy was up earlier than I expected and already on the deck with the pug. We enjoyed some time in the morning sunshine, Eiknarf begging me for coffee. I’ve created a monster!

We agreed on the day’s agenda which would include a boating outing at Griggs, the first such voyage in almost two years. We were expecting the kids home around 530pm according to Jimaken. They left the Outer Banks around 530am. Yikes! We both were looking forward to their return, though we joked about how long it would take for Mindy to want to send them back. 

I decided to skip a shower since I’d be getting in my swim suit and playing in the sun from the boat. I think Mindy did too. We went grubbie. We packed a few simple provisions like water, Gatorade, nuts, and pretzels and left the house just after 10am.

We stopped at Thornton’s to fill-up the boat. It took about 9 gallons. We took the back way to Griggs heading north up Old Dublin Rd to Fishinger. It didn’t take long at all. As we hoped, there wasn’t a line at the put-in at all. As I often am, I was nervous as we prepped the boat for water. I am always worried about forgetting something important like the plug! This time I put the plug in even before leaving home. We put-in without incident, and Mindy held the boat at the dock while I parked the rig and trailer. Took a few tries for the boat to start and stay running. We were soon backing off the dock in probably my most familiar boating digs, though most as a passenger as a kid.

We cruised south first down by the damn and by the brand new Columbus Boat House. Gorgeous facility. Still not sure its purpose. The boat ran well. After tooling around south of Fishinger Rd, we headed north. Not too many boats, but then again it doesn’t take very many for it to feel crowded. We eventually cruised north of Hayden Run up past the island in the no-wake zone ultimately throwing anchor just across from where we used to cook-out along the river’s bank when I was a kid. A lot has changed since then. The sun was hot and the water still. It was a beautiful afternoon to be on the river.

Mindy dipped her legs several times commenting more than once how cold the water was despite a high temp near 90. We both brought books and read for at least an hour, maybe longer. It was quite enjoyable. Mindy talked to Bella mid afternoon learning there whereabouts. They were somewhere in West Virginia, I believe. We floated and boated until approximately 3pm. When we pulled out it might’ve been the hottest part of the day. Our main goal was getting the boat out for a test run. It was a success. No problems to speak of at all. We were home before 4pm, and the AC felt terrific. Despite the warm temps, it was still lovely in the shade on the deck. We both headed out in the shade with our books and did some more reading, enjoying the quiet we’re not so accustom to.

Our plans for dinner were up in the air. Mindy finally suggested tacos. Sounded good to me, but I think her biggest desire was making something both kids would enjoy once they were home. The kids got home near 530pm as planned. Jacob looked tired and wasn’t very pleasant. Actually, he was a total grump. I was busy snapping welcome home photos.

He wasn’t in the house even a minute before he started slinging insults Mindy’s way. I thought she might even cry, but she didn’t. And 10 minutes hadn’t passed when she quietly shared that she was already ready to send him back.  We laughed about it. Bella was much looking forward to seeing Makayla but she and all the other island kids were off somewhere with their folks. Where, we weren’t sure.

While made tacos, I prepared the potato salad for Sunday’s cookout with the McVey’s. Mindy suggested I make it Saturday to allow time for the flavors to converge/settle. We also talked about grilling before the cook out and placing the meat in our warming trays.

Wasn’t long before dinner was ready. We dined from the deck. Jacob came clean apologizing for being rude earlier. Said he was simply tired. We actually had an enjoyable conversation as a family. Bella was thrilled once her peeps got home. I’m guessing that was near 7pm.

As the evening waned I tuned into the Miami Heat/Boston Celtics game 7. Not much of an NBA fan at all, but like a lot of people, found myself intrigued with the semi-finals. I enjoyed our growler of Bodhi too. Darkness set in and Mindy and the kids headed to bed. Had to be near 10pm. Both kids were looking forward to sleeping in their own beds. Bella came back downstairs with me though and watched the closing quarter of the basketball game. At her prompting, we popped some popcorn. Nip and tuck and back and forth for most of the game, the Heat pulled away at the end thus eliminating the Celtics and advancing themselves to the finals with Oklahoma City. I tucked Bella in then headed for bed. It was like 11pm. I laid there for a while but then got up again and headed downstairs to watch SNL. I caught the first 20-25 minutes before getting sleepy. It wasn’t that good.