Water Park!

As we do every August, today we took the kids to the Whale's Tale Water Park for a day of paddling about in water that one hopes is pumped so full of chemicals that it's almost toxic in its own right. It was sunny but not as warm as it had been earlier in the week, and windy. So if we weren't in the water, we were cold. The good news was that the chill, plus the mid-week end-of-season timing, meant that there were no lines for any of the slides and no crowds anywhere. I enjoyed the (heated) pool, the hot tubs, and the Lazy River, and this year I did not have to go on any slides—one of the perks of having older kids who can do this stuff themselves now! And Pete decided he didn't want to go on the Banzai Pipeline, thank heavens—I went with him last year and it scared the crap out of me.

A big incentive for going each year is that we have a friend who gives us free passes—and with $30 admission per person, that's a major savings. He always gives us a few extra, and I love to find a nice-looking family to give them to. Last year I chose very poorly; I went up to the mom and said, "Do you want some free passes?" and she kind of shrugged and said, "OK." I wanted to snatch them right back! This year I saw a mom with two sons, so I offered them to her. She looked stunned and said, "REALLY? I could kiss you!" She said they'd been standing in the parking lot debating whether to pay all that money to go in on such a chilly day. So off they went with the passes and big grins on their faces, and I was happy to have made someone's day.

Comments

[Margaret]

I like giving things away and it shouldn't matter if people are appreciative. But it does...

[Naomi]

I agree entirely, Margaret. It shouldn't matter, but it does. It's only human to want a kindness to be acknowledged.

Karen, you're sweet to give away your extra free passes -- and your friend is sweet to give you passes in the first place. What a nice treat! (Well, for your kids anyway...) Glad you managed to find something in it to enjoy (mmmm...hot tub), not least the pleasure of that woman's response to the free passes!

[Elena]

I used to dread going to those water parks, but once I got in & started going on the slides with my kids, I always ended up have a great time. Wisconsin has a ton of indoor water parks and they were a real treat during the long winters when my kids were small.

[Steve]

Good on ya.

[amy]

karen,

is whale's tale the old canobie lake or water country? i've never heard of it...

[Karen]

Yep. There are plenty of times when I give anonymous donations, but in that case I guess I was looking for some gratitude -- or at least pleasure!

[Karen]

Nope, Canobie and Water Country are still around; Whale's Tale is up in Lincoln.