Did you ever have one of those memories that you know will stay with you forever? Something that for some reason just ingrained itself in your mind, the moment it happened. Something seemingly insignificant, but when you look back on it, so monumental. Its especially monumental considering all of the other memories that happened before then and since then. Its amazing, how one small thing can take you right back to the day and remember details that should have long been forgotten.
When I was growing up, my parents took us boating on the weekends in the summer. We went to a manmade reservoir called Youghiogheny Lake. Its only now that I truly appreciate how great of a place it was - and how much fun we had on those weekends, even after the seemingly forever 1 1/2 hours in the car to get there.
Now that I'm a "grown up" I happen to live by a reservoir - Alum Creek - and am lucky enough to drive over it every day on my way to work. Yesterday, it so happened that the lake was crystal clear - like glass. The sun was hitting it and it just looked so incredibly smooth that it didn't seem real. This image immediately triggered a memory of my dad, water-skiing at the lake. While we were kids, his days at the lake were filled with "Daaaaaaaaddddddddyyyyyyy...will you come swim with us?" or "Daaaaaaadddddddyyyyy, will you swim to the shore and go exploring with us?". Whether it was swimming or exploring or judging a never ending diving contest, he always did - often until he was completely waterlogged.
At least once during the weekend, he'd always declare that he was going skiing. My sister and I would always groan because when he skied, he'd ski from one end of the lake to the other, which to a kid is incredibly boring. Now, I understand that this was his escape - this was his weekend getaway. He was probably tired by the end of it, but it was just him out there - without anyone nagging him or fighting or vying for his attention. He always had a great time and would even put on a show for us - over the wake on one leg, back on the other - skiing with the line between his knees, even taking one of his skis off and switching to one ski, while moving (this was most impressive)!
Back to the lake - yesterday morning - as it was completely calm and smooth. I remember one day, during one of his marathon ski sessions - my mom had driven down to one end of the lake that was apparently not crowded that day, or it was later in the day and people started to pack things up. All of the sudden, the normal choppiness of a lake was gone and the water was as smooth as glass. My dad saw this and immediately jumped out of the wake and over to the smooth water. I saw a look of pure happiness on his face. I think he even said "aaaahhhhh" as he hit that water and felt how smooth it was. He jumped back into the middle and off to the other side, with this same expression on his face. The calm water let him do this so fast, that we felt him pulling on the boat as he went from side to side. I'm not sure why I remember that moment so vividly. I don't remember anything else about that day - as it was just a typical day in the summer. I'm sure that after he was done and back in the boat, the bickering resumed and it was back to diving contests and swimming...because we had to sit in the boat for forever, while he skied. I'm so glad I get it now.
1 comment:
I love this post. Its almost as if you were on vacation with me.
I will never forget a time that it had just finished raining and my Dad and sister insisted they both ski at the same time because the water was like GLASS. They kept telling my mom to go faster and faster until they both let go in a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction.
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