the canoe

A couple Saturdays ago, Mark took the boys to get the car washed and came home with a giant canoe strapped to the top.  Apparently he’d been perusing Craigslist for a canoe and found one really close to the house, and made an impulse buy fueled by the presence of two cheering boys.  I have to admit: I was more than a little annoyed.  In part, that he bought it without consulting me, but in part because IT IS HUGE and we have no where to store it.  To me, the canoe was just a giant thing that would take up precious garage space . . . a thing that Mark would occasionally enjoy with a couple  kids while I stayed home with Karis.  It really only fits three people, so it didn’t seem like an “all-skate” kind of hobby.  I was imagining whining kids and someone always getting left behind, and that Mark would be the fun dad while I stayed at home with whichever two kids were moping about not having a turn on the canoe.  (Not that our marriage has a dynamic of Mark being the fun outing dad while I stay home and do responsible things like laundry and cleaning up.  We don’t have that dynamic at all.  HAHAHAHAHA.  *cough*)
Anyways, I just had this bad feeling that the canoe was going to brew resentment, but I will confess that I was way off on this one. We’ve been taking it out as a family, and we found a perfect beach where we can dock it and then each of us can take turns canoing with a couple while the others play in the sand.  As it turns out, the canoe really is an all-skate family activity . . . just not all at once. But a pretty beach where the kids can play while they wait is a win-win. So . . . I’ll say it. I’m pro-canoe, and Mark made a very good impulse buy.