A touching story on Mother's Day - as told by Nick.

"It was a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon.  The young lad and I had stepped outside to try our hand at cricket on the Starboard side of Deck 7 .  The bat was a tennis racquet; the ball, a UGA mini foam basketball from Aunt Amy.  A delightful way to spend some time with my son. 

After a 10 over and bowling no wickets to Eli, the Batsmen, I asked him if he would like to bowl to me.  On Eli's third bowl, I hit a high arching shot to my right that managed to find the smallest opening in the deck 7 netting.  The ball soared down from Deck 7 in a flight of freedom and agony (freedom for the ball, agony for us).  Distraught, we searched for our ball - it is, afterall, the best "Ball Tag" ball ever.  But we couldn't see it!

Operation Rescue the Ball commenced. 

I immediately grabbed my name badge and shoes and speedily made my way through the ship to the gangway (walking - not running.  No running on the ship).  I scanned myself out and ran to the scene of the accident.  Still no sight of the beloved ball. 

We thought it had landed in the water but, thinking it may have taken an errant bounce, I looked under land rovers and other dock equipment to no avail.  Then I prayed (and this is true)(as is the rest of this story) - "if the ball can be found, please let me find it." 

I wandered down the fence line (the fence that keeps people from falling off of the dock into the water) a bit to see if the ball had taken a bounce careening away from the scene of the accident.  And there, 2 meters down betwix the dock and the hull of the ship next to an empty plastic bottle and a broken piece of styrofoam, floated our tiny basketball!

I could see it was floating further and further down the fence line toward the open sea (cue the "gotta make a decision, we're almost out of time, hurry!" music).  I needed a long flexible pole with a net on the end. but where would I find such a thing?  I would have to construct my own. But I was running out of time.

I ran back up the gangway, walking as fast as humanly possibly all the way to deck 8 where I found a long piece of pvc pipe. Then I scurried down the steps to our cabin, found Emma's small "butterfly net" and a roll of athletic tape (not sure how it's possible but we don't have any duct tape).

I walked hastily back through the ship, down the gangway and to the dock where I constructed my ball rescue contraption.



The photographer couldn't tell what she was taken pictures of...she didn't mean to just get his foot...it's hard to zoom from Deck 7 in bright sunshine.

With one hand affixed to the fence on the edge of the dock, the other guiding the pole down to the water's surface, I managed to pin the ball against the side of the ship, "catch" it in the trusty net and pull it up to safety. 

Much rejoicing in Cabin 7219 followed.  The end."


Success!!

The rescuer and his tools

 Other titles for this blog:

• A Second Saving (the first was the disc that flew from deck 7 in much the same fashion)
• Bring the magnets next time (to pin up the gaps in the netting)
• Dad of the Decade!
• He's the reason I'm a Mom
• Going to great lengths to save a UGA "G"
• a silly Sunday story

Surely there will be more to come.