I had a some trouble thinking of something to write about for Karen's Weekend Assignment this week, but I thought of one while I was jogging yesterday and thought I was going to pass out. So you know it is going to be a good story.
Weekend Assignment #224: What's the worst idea you ever had? Amuse us with a story of a cunning plan that produced less than stellar results. (If your worst idea was positively traumatic, you can tell of your unamusing disaster, or downgrade to a more benign bad idea you had.)
Technically this wasn't my bad idea, it was my brother's, but I thought it was a good idea at the time. I think that counts.
When we were kids we used to go to stay at a house on Lake Delavan in Wisconsin for a week in the summer. I don't remember why, but one year my brother came up a day or two later than I did. I think it was due to some sports tournament he was playing in, I'm not sure. All I remember is that when he came up there he brought his mini-bike. Somehow he talked my dad into letting him take it up, and I thought it was a great idea. This was at a time when most of the other kids in the family were older and either in college, working, or had better things to do, so it was just me and my brother up there this time. Bringing the mini-bike up was a fantastic idea.
Everything was fine, my brother actually shared the bike with me; he didn't even make me pay for gas. The road around our part of the lake was very hilly, especially leading up to the house that we stayed. Let me put it this way, when we walked down to the lake in the morning, it would take some kind of emergency to get you to want to walk back up to the house. I swear sometimes the house was shrouded by the clouds. This will be an important point.
So, after a couple of days of watching the kids have all the fun on the mini-bike, my dad decides he should give it a whirl. And give it a whirl he did. He was fine leaving the house and heading away from the house, the problem came on the return trip as he tried to negotiate the curve and the hill. He never had a chance, the bike was under-powered for his size. He started to wobble as he came up the hill, then bam, he was down. My brother ran to get my step-mom who was in the house, and I headed toward my dad who was still at the base of the hill. He was staggering up the hill, in obvious pain, then he went down again.
I was about halfway to him, but decided I should run and make sure my step-mom was coming. She was. I told her dad passed out and she picked up the pace and we met up with him about halfway up. After a trip to the hospital, dad was back to normal, except for the special sling he had to wear for the rest of the vacation. Fun!
I guess it wasn't a total disaster, but we did dislocate our dad's shoulder. It could have been worse.
Extra Credit: Have you a mad scheme that's still in the planning stages?
I could tell you, but that wouldn't be smart.
6 comments:
You're bad idea kind of reminded me of one of mine. It was 2 in the morning and we had just got back to my friends house after a night of drinking. Well, in our drunken stooper we decided to ride her roommates quads up and down the street. Aside from being very loud, her roomie crashed it into one of the neighbors trees. We quickly went back inside but let's just say the neighbors weren't too friendly with us for weeks!
I knew other people's bad ideas would be more interesting than mine - and yeah, don't most of them seem like good ideas at the time?
Glad no one was seriously injured by this one!
DC: Motorized vehicles and booze always seem like a good idea at the time. Glad nobody was hurt.
Florinda: I think maybe a bruised ego along with the messed up shoulder. That's about all. :) I need to remember these things when my kids get older m, and have bigger toys. I probably won't though. :)
Excuse me Mike you did not say anything about your younger sister there. Yes I rememeber that day! It so took away from my tanning time! I was a nervous wreck! You only rememebr John was there of course! Did you run tonight?
I think that was mainly your dad's bad idea, but close enough. Good story!
Lori: That's because I don't have a younger sister. :) You were there? I don't remember anyone else being there. Are you sure you didn't come later in the week, or weekend?
Karen; Yeah, I guess it was his bad idea. Maybe a little of everyone's.
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