Spring boating

It had been too long since my daughter and I spent some time together having fun – just the two of us. So when a Saturday arrived with nice weather and some rare "free time" – we "seized the day."

Unfortunately, my kindergartner was a little sick with a cold, and so she wasn’t feeling 100 percent of her usual energetic self.

There was a nice breeze, so I suggested flying a kite.

She didn’t like that idea – maybe because she thought it would involve a lot of running and the running might make her feel worse.

"Hey," I said. "Earlier today I drove past the park in Karnes City and I noticed there is a big pond there now. Wouldn’t it be fun to get a remote controlled toy boat and take it for a drive around the pond?"

She thought that was a great idea, but there was one thing missing – the toy boat.

We thought it was a long shot, but worth taking a look, so we went to the store, and sure enough – they had one: a remote control boat, just what we were looking for.

After doing some chores at the house, we put the boat together, installed the batteries and headed to the park.

It was great fun – we took turns learning how to navigate the boat back and forth across the pond and we drove it around built in obstacles such as a large pipe near the right-hand edge of the pond and a fountain in the middle.

After a while, we walked over to the other side of the park where we spent some time on the swing set and other playground equipment.

How nice it is to have a park, for days such as this, I thought.

It was heartwarming to see young people walking, running, playing basketball and volleyball in this age of computers, cell phones and video games.

There is a famous expression that says, "If you build it, they will come."

I have noticed that when it comes to parks, if you build it, they will come, and they will play, and they will have a great time.

To everyone who contributes to the construction, improvement and maintenance of local parks, I want to express heartfelt thanks. In my opinion, parks greatly enhance the quality of life in Karnes County.

We enjoyed our Saturday boating trip so much that on Sunday, after church, we decided to take the whole family.

We all took turns driving the little boat on the pond, which was a challenge as it was a little windy. We all were having a great time until…

I don’t know what it is about my son and telescoping antennae, but it seems that whenever he’s around a radio or some other device with an attached antenna, such as a toy boat’s remote control, he just can not resist the urge to snap it off, like breaking a twig off a tree limb.

"Andrew!" we yelled.

We always call him "Andrew" when we’re mad at him. The rest of the time – and there isn’t much of that – we call him "Andy."

With the antenna snapped off, and no way to fix it, our wonderful toy boat was dead in the water, thus ending our family spring boating excursion.

That evening, I contacted the manufacturer of the boat via their web site, and they were nice enough to mail us a replacement. Even though I explained it was really my son’s fault and offered to pay, they still insisted on sending us the replacement antenna at no charge to us.

How cool is that? That kind of "above and beyond" customer service, is so rare these days, but certainly appreciated when it happens.

So, when the new antenna arrives, and circumstances permit, I think we’ll be out navigating the waves at the pond’s edge once again.