Day 2 of the Spa Center and I have discovered the massive benefit for me - I must be have one of the top 50 best bodies in the place! Sure, there aren't many people here, but that should still put me "firmly" above the average.
I'll take it!!
It is sad when that I am in better condition than the majority of children here too....
Though, I do feel there is a selection bias involved.
Smallsteps is having fun though and she didn't even complain too much when we didn't go straight to the pool and instead dropped in at another farm that my wife noted, which "just happened" to have an antique store attached to it.
There wasn't much of note there, but my wife does have her eye on these two Artek chairs, which are originals from a long time ago, but have also been upholstered with Marimekko fabric a long time ago too. They are quite nice and the farm cat agree - but the price is a little too steep, so we walked away without them - to see if we can negotiate them down tomorrow.
We are also checking alternatives online.
The farm had a range of products made in the area, which was pretty cool and - the flies didn't mind hanging about too.
And while the shop didn't have much for us, as it was country design for the most part, it did suit the farm house it was housed within and the area in general.
While we were pottering around and trying to reduce the price a bit more on the chairs, Smallsteps was feeding the bunnies that were outside. By the looks of things, they didn't need the extra calories, much like most of the people at the Spa center, myself included,
Back at the spa, we played in the small kids' park a little where they had a basic zipline that Smallsteps "bravely" rode a thousand times - but there were some other things that were pretty cool too.
Not exactly PGA form, but it was her first ever round of mini-golf, where each round she would forget where to position her hands and would hold the putter like she didn't have opposable thumbs.
MY wife however has really come out of her shell on this trip and has let her competitive streak out of the cage. Last night it was ping pong and today, golfing - where she really doubled-down on her attempt to beat me and in this case - won.
I got slaughtered.
And before the rain arrived... a little jig.
As you can see, the weather is what they would call "variable". There has been splatters of sunshine at times, but a lot of rain and showers most of the time, which makes it a good decision to be here, instead of trying to be somewhere the weather matters.
Oh, and the competitive streak continued on the bowling lanes too!
For the first 3 frames...
After that, she gave up.
But the best bit of the day for me was "teaching" Smallsteps how to bowl. I am terrible, but I got to be the daddy and do daddying with her, to make sure the ball at least reached the pins. Each time she was so hopeful.
Each time she was also disappointed she didn't get more.
However, when she did knock a few extras down - she was ecstatic.
My parents never took me on any kind of trip like this as a child, which is probably why I want to do some of these things with Smallsteps. For me, I don't remember ever laughing like she was on the zipline, teasing like she was when she got the ball in with less strokes, or dancing in a bar well past my bedtime, listening to live music. Small things, but hopefully meaningful memories for Smallsteps when she is older.
While this has only been a couple days "away" (we are less than 100 kilometers from home), it has felt like an actual holiday, which perhaps we all needed. We have the morning to swim again tomorrow, before heading back home for the weekend, where we have some family engagements to attend.
Oh, and the price negotiation of course...
I hope my wife is better at pushing the price down than me.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
They are awesome things to do that will help her look back on her childhood with great affection. I was lucky to have parents that did things like that with me all the time. It's so important for their sense of worth too, because you are telling them they are worth spending time with. Loved the fam happiness in this post.
And, this is what was missing from my childhood - no wonder I am such an asshole! :D
Ah such wonderful memories! We have so many things that are less than 50 miles from us and so many people do as well, although I guess it depends where you live, not in the Rocky mountains or something... but I think you and I share similar geographics! It's awesome to be able to escape locally and have a "staycation" they call it and see the wonders around us. These outings are my favorites and ones that I think are more important than the trips to far away places like Disneyworld and the like. Fun for sure but will they remember it as fondly as they do getting to bowl for the first time with you, or playing mini golf? (Some around here call it putt-putt, I tend to like that more lol)I think not!
Ah my wife is a killer when it comes to sports and competition stuff. She fucking slaughters me in pretty much everything I do with her hahaha. I think I may have also only won a bowling match versus her. She eviscerated me in putt-putt with hole's in one and all kinds of cheating shenanigans that she uses with her vagina powers. I'm not bitter! :D She's also killer at games too like Monopoly, cards and lots of others. I get brought down a few pegs when I play with her hahaha.
Have a lot close by that isn't "too fancy" is great (we aren't fancy people), as it means small trips that don't cost an arm and a leg can be done semi-regularly.
I have the same questions - I think these kinds of things are generally more memorable as an experience, as they are not surrounded by all of the other noise of new experiences. Going to Disney or something is such a sensory overload, the trip is remembered but things might start blurring into just "the trip".
I am pretty sure that this will feature in the next Marvel World installation!
Your childhood sounds perfectly normal to me.
You don't want to know what I do remember. It rapidly forks from normality.
You haven't learned how to forget either, eh? I get it.
My childhood was "once seen...."
Trip like these with family fills colour in our life
I can see her happiness & indeed she's a brave Girl - Say my hi to her
I see that coming haha, Smallsteps is lucky to have a daddy like you
Though i can relate ' my parents never took me on any kind of trip like this as a child - either (not complaining) and once i become a daddy than I'll plan to have such a lovely and memorable family trip same like you
I believe she's better in negotiation (All women's are better at pushing the price down).
@riverflows mentioned a very good reason why it is important:
I am going to have to practice all of these different things in my free time, so I don't lose at everything!
Your headline is what got me to click this post LOL I was like "what is Zipline Antiquing??" but now I'm glad I did. You have a beautiful family and your photos made me smile!
Thank you for sharing them.
!CTP
My titles rarely explain what will be in the post :D
Glad you dropped by :)
Hey least you got the opportunity and actually did it :)
We always had plans but there would always be something in the way so precious few of them ever got executed.
Did you end up getting the chairs?
Yeah - we figure it was an allergic reaction that was causing it - because it passed pretty fast :)
Didn't get the chairs....
Why do you think they never took you? Mine was because of two reason. I can say that the first one is financial, and the second is culture. I can add one more reason, generational. They had not experienced this kind of things and therefore they didn't or couldn't transfer them to the next generation. However, it is in our hands to break it and you have already done.
Finances was one of the things - the other was by the time I was around that age, my parent's marriage was ending and they were going their separate ways with new lives.
Golf it's nice, I call it the sport of family occasions where many friends prefer to be there, I feel it as a sport that focuses more on appearances.
I don't think I'd play a full course - but mini golf is okay!
I've never dropped bowling balls on the first throw and I feel like I'm less focused in shooting.