Flying

Number 34 on my Bucket List was to go parasailing. I shared that with my 14-year-old grandson, Lance, who said he would like to go, too. "We'll do it," I declared. "Let's go parasailing this summer!" The opportunity presented itself when I had a workshop to go to at Tan-Tar-A, and Lance had no ballgames for three days. It was providence! We decided to go for it the first afternoon we arrived. I grew more nervous with each passing hour, but I was determined to fly.

When we arrived at the boat dock, I grilled the captain about his experience. He assured me he had been taking people out for years without an accident, so into the boat and out into the open water we went. Another question I had was, "Uh...do we get a life jacket?...'cause I can't swim." Of course, we did. We were strapped into the harness, and his assistants put out the red and white parasail. "Have a good trip!" the captain said.

I squealed as we rose up. Higher and higher we went, until we were drifting along, over 400 feet up into the gorgeous blue sky.

It was so quiet up there. I felt like a bird gliding on the air. When I looked down at the boat below, it appeared to be about four inches long, so I chose to look at the million dollar houses perched on edge of the rocks and the sparkling water in the distance instead.

As I clung tightly to the straps holding me up, Lance pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and was snapping pictures. "Don't drop it!" I said. I finally became brave enough to release one hand long enough to wave for the camera.

After a good ten-minute ride, the crew began reeling us back into the boat. Lance and I could not stop grinning. "That was stinkin' awesome!" he exclaimed. I could not have said it better. I kept telling Lance I was glad he went with me. It made the experience even more special to share it with my grandson. It was an amazing experience...almost indescribable with common words.

Maybe the pictures will help you see what I am having trouble saying.... I think Lance said it best, "It was stinkin' awesome!"