Splish-Splash
If there’s a will, there’s a wave. - Anonymous
A hard plastic drawer from a Sterilite organizer and a red bucket.
Underestimated.
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| Second Granddaughter, almost two years old. Photo: V.E.V., Columbus: 2014 |
Seriously, at first glance, I think Second Granddaughter might have thought, Meh...
But when we filled the container with water, it really proved to be So.Much.More.
An easy, convenient, cheap, and innovative splash tub for a two-year old girl.
We let her dump, fill, and splatter to her heart's content. So what if she wound up soaked? She was washable.
She so loved the water.
We watched our giggling water baby, a budding scientist pouring water from bucket to bin to bucket... to deck floor.
She was learning about cause and effect. Thinking about the wetness of the water. Experimenting with its fascinatingly fluid properties and being introduced to basic physics. And who knew? Perhaps, calming herself after a hard day of being small in a big world.
It was a sensory extravaganza as she heard the splashing, maybe even tasted a few droplets.
Growing up, Second Granddaughter has continued her love for water.
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Photo: I.T.V., Hawaii: June 2018 | Pouty Model. Six years old. Photo: A.T.V., Columbus: August 2018 |
Whether cavorting with First Cousin in Kawaii.
Celebrating a water play date with friends.
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| Alum Creek Beach: June 2020 |
Making a silly pose with Florida friends.
Relaxing by a cool summer pool in Ocean City.
Getting right into the water at the Hilton in Columbus.
Enjoying the white soft sand, mild surf, and miles of sun fun in Maryland.
Or skidding...
... and parasailing, touching down the waters of Gulf Shores in Alabama. (Be still, my fluttering heart.)
Her venue choice for a family birthday celebration four days before her birthday?
Are you surprised?
The iconic wave pool was just across from our rented cabana. I could hear the roar of the waves as they rolled in.
From where I was seated, they looked like a herd of stampeding wild horses, crashing, going from zero entry to four feet.
Then they slipped backward, only to collect their strength to reshape and roll shoreward again in an endlessly hypnotic rhythm.
And where was the birthday girl?
She was in the midst of it all, her hands stretched up high for the crashing waves, enjoying a soak after a stressful day of playing hard.
Sometimes you will never know the value of an event until it becomes a memory, so on this especial day, I'm preserving the moment and sending birthday wishes of high tides and good vibes to Second Granddaughter.
Whisper your dreams to the wind
Write your secrets in the water
Give your heart to the waves!
Wave Pool. Almost nine. Photo: V.E.V., Zoombezi Bay, 2021
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