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Post by Jordanna on Jun 19, 2006 3:00:56 GMT -5
Caleb giggled, and Alex grinned. "Sure, that'd be great."
"Yeah, he needs somebody to keep reminding him picnic food is s'posed to be simple," Sid put in. "Else we'll be eatin' five-star gourmet instead of PB and J."
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Post by skybright on Jun 19, 2006 3:06:03 GMT -5
"Simple. Got it." Daws nodded. "I'll try to keep him down to at least three stars."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 19, 2006 23:16:32 GMT -5
A little before noon, Sid and Daws loaded a full picnic basket into a canoe and pushed off from the lake shore, rowing toward the island. Miriam had chosen to swim across with Alex and the children--who marked their crossing with a great deal of splashing and laughter.
Reaching the island, Alex waded ashore with Caleb clinging to his back like a lamprey.
"Okay, all ashore that's going ashore." Alex leaned over to let his godson climb down, then stepped out onto the island's small, weathered dock to catch the mooring rope Sid tossed to him from the canoe. "Hand up the food and nobody gets hurt," he said with a grin.
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Post by skybright on Jun 19, 2006 23:36:05 GMT -5
Daws grinned and handed up the picnic basket before stepping gingerly out of the canoe. "I think someone's seen a few too many pirate movies," she said teasingly. "Next thing I know, the kids'll be marooning their Dad and makin' me walk the plank."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 20, 2006 0:01:37 GMT -5
"We might p'raps just hang ye from the yardarm, landlubber!" Alex replied in a gravelly pirate accent. He pointed to an old rope swing that hung over the water, suspended from a sturdy oak branch.
Then he grinned. "Speaking of too many movies..."
With that, Alex took a running jump at the swing. Catching it, he swung over the water and let go, letting out a perfect facsimile of Johnny Weissmuller's "Tarzan yell" before splashing down in a tremendous cannonball dive.
Whooping joyfully, the children bounded across the dock and dove in after him. Miriam simply stood on the shore, her hands over her mouth to hold in a laugh.
"What am I getting myself into?" she chuckled to Daws.
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2006 0:07:14 GMT -5
Daws grinned, eyes glittering with amusement. "I dunno, Doc -- but it'll never be boring, anyway."
She glanced over her shoulder at Sid. "You gonna just sit in that boat all day, or what?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 20, 2006 0:19:53 GMT -5
"If I feel like it," Sid replied with an insolent grin, but he was already gingerly standing up in the canoe, trying to balance his weight and prevent it from tipping over. He leaned out to pull himself onto the dock--and his motion pushed the canoe in the opposite direction.
Stifling a yelp of surprise, Sid lurched out of the canoe and flailed for the dock's ladder with his free hand. He wrapped his arms around it as the canoe drifted out from under him, and was left clinging to the ladder, with his legs in the water up to his knees.
"This is why I love the city," he muttered blackly, as a chuckling Miriam helped him up onto the dock.
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2006 0:24:51 GMT -5
Daws chuckled, shaking her head. "And that's why I like havin' a tail -- sometimes, anyway. Amazin' what a couple extra feet of spine'll do for your balance."
She left Sid to shake the water out of his shoes and wandered over to the shore by the rope swing.
"How's the water?" She asked, grinning at Alex and the kids.
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 20, 2006 0:34:29 GMT -5
"Oh, it's great," Alex replied, splashing profusely as he paddled closer to the shore. "You want to practice some more? 'Cause after we eat, we'll all have to wait an hour."
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2006 0:41:14 GMT -5
Daws grinned and kicked off her shoes. "I always thought that was an old wive's tale -- but why not?"
She waded cautiously into the lake and glanced at Tara. "All right, lemme see if I can remember how to do this . . ."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 20, 2006 0:45:10 GMT -5
"Sure you do. It's like riding a bike," Tara grinned.
"I'll bet she hasn't done that either," Holly remarked.
Tara slapped at the water to send a splash of it toward her sister. "Oh, hush!"
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2006 0:59:23 GMT -5
Daws stuck her tongue out playfully at the younger Rosenstein sister. "For your information, I usedta be the best bike racer on my block." She paused, then added " 'Course that was before I grew a tail -- and got it caught in the spokes of a back wheel."
She winced at the memory and lowered herself into the water, taking still-faltering (but much improved) strokes. She paddled closer to the kids and lightly splashed the back of Caleb's unsuspecting head.
"Y'know, Tara, you were right. This is fun."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 20, 2006 1:10:55 GMT -5
By this point, Miriam was swimming out to join them. "Ever tried fishing in this lake?"
Alex paddled lazily toward her. "Oh, I'm about as useful with a fishing pole as I am with knitting needles. I don't catch 'em, I just cook 'em."
"City boy." Miriam flicked water at him with a grin. "It's too bad. I used to go fishing with my father. Maybe I'll have to teach you sometime."
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2006 1:17:22 GMT -5
Daws smiled. "I went fishing with Jack once or twice, when I was younger. Haven't been in years -- but it was fun."
Then, catching amused looks on the faces of several of her friends, she added quickly "First one to make a cat-and-fish joke gets a faceful of water."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 20, 2006 1:27:10 GMT -5
"I'm saying nothin'!" Alex exclaimed, cowering back in mock-fear that caused the children to laugh. Then he continued, in an entirely serious tone, "The only thing I ever fish for is gotchas."
"What's a gotcha?" Holly asked.
Alex grinned. "Oh, they're a lot of fun--but they're slippery and they squirm a lot. You have to be sneaky to catch 'em. Wanna see if I can get one right now?"
The children nodded, enthralled. Alex took a deep breath and ducked underwater, disappearing for a long moment.
Suddenly he popped out of the water beside Holly, wrapping his arms around her. "Gotcha!"
Holly squealed in delight, and the other children laughed.
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2006 1:34:46 GMT -5
Daws laughed and shook her head. "I probably shoulda seen that one comin'. You got the same look in your eye just then that Jack did when he offered to take me 'snipe hunting'."
She paddled around in small circles, slowly growing used to the motions of moving through the water. It really wasn't difficult -- and it seemed ridiculous to harbor any of her old fear when she was surrounded by people who wouldn't let anything happen to her.
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 20, 2006 1:46:36 GMT -5
Alex gave Miriam a predatory grin. "I think I see another gotcha over here," he remarked, cruising toward her. She smiled and put her arms around his neck.
"Are you gonna get married, Uncle Alex?" Caleb asked guilelessly.
The entertainer gave a shy smile. "I don't mind telling you I'd like to," he admitted, giving the blushing Miriam a gentle look. "But sometimes it takes grownups a while to work things out in their lives so that they can. You'll understand when you're older."
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2006 1:53:16 GMT -5
"If you're lucky, anyhow." Daws remarked. Then she grinned slyly.
"You were wrong, Foxy -- the gotcha's over here now," she remarked casually, paddling up behind Caleb and throwing her arm around the boy's shoulders.
"Gotcha!"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 20, 2006 2:00:21 GMT -5
Caleb giggled and squirmed at the feel of Daws' wet fur against his skin. "It tickles!"
Miriam smiled. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm about ready to have lunch--and then I just want to bask for a couple of hours." She shrugged ruefully. "Stuck in the house all day, I haven't gotten any sun in ages."
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2006 2:04:38 GMT -5
Daws nodded. "Sounds good to me -- this swimmin' business makes you hungry." She grinned lopsidedly. "And it takes some basking to get all this fur dried out, too."
She released Caleb's shoulders and splashed him lightly. "C'mon, kid, I'll race ya to the pickles."
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