the second 45

There really couldn’t be a prettier day in the whole country than we have here today. Yesterday was nasty, rainy, windy, and looked grim for the kayakers flooding the town for the Olympic trial qualifiers—but today, perfection. I was able to rise from my deathbed, too, just in time to cheer on the junior Olympic competition.

The Rio Vista park venue in San Marcos, Texas is probably the best thing the town has ever done for itself. There used to be a concrete dam here that made for a good swimming hole, and the spillway offered a mild thrill for toobers…but thank all inspiration, when the dam started to crack, somebody thought of doing something other than just replacing what we’d always had. The new Rio Vista park is lovely. Here it is decked out for the competition today:

It’s got three courses of rapids, and I’m here to attest, you can stay on a tube riding through if you hold your mouth right, but it’s not guaranteed. I haven’t tried it on my kayak…I have it on recent good authority that you’re pretty much doomed riding a sit-on-top like mine. It’s perfect for real kayaks, though, thus today’s attraction.

The thing I like best about this park? It’s not safe. There are no bumpers on the big boulders. There are no lifeguards. You really are going to bruise the hell out of yourself if you shoot through when the water is high and fast. It’s water play the way I remember it as a child, back in the day before every damn thing had to be harmless.

At any rate, we were cheering for #5 here, and he did great:

T. did great too, on the pictures. I love these faces:

And I’m feeling close to cured by all that vitamin Sunshine. Remind me how happy I am about it, some time around next August 3.