the ocean

We followed up on our trip to the grown-up version of a waterpark with a trip to an actual waterpark, the Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee, IL. It was a very different experience but also the same, in that people irritated us and we ran a risk of foot fungus. 

This trip was my sister's brainchild and primarily designed to entertain my niece and nephew, and on those terms it succeeded admirably. My niece very much enjoyed making us all watch her stick her face in the water and applaud for her afterwards, and my nephew worked his way up to going down one of the smaller slides and, on one occasion, pushing his sister down it. They also enjoyed the lazy river, which did not in fact strike me as particularly lazy. The current kept banging us into other people, which was more hilarious than anyone had a right to expect. The highlight for them, though, I think was the arcade, where they ultimately managed, through sheer skill, to turn hundreds of dollars into tickets worth a total of one stuffed animal. I remain excellent at whack a mole, by the way.

Ian and I did attempt some of the big kid slides, of course, with mixed results. It turns out I get a little motion sick from them now, which is a strange thing to suddenly discover at 45. I still had fun, but had to lie motionless for a bit afterwards to regain my equilibrium. The twelve-year-old lifeguards had some concerns, to be honest. 

Also? There were wolf ears. Which is great, because they basically go with everything. Now I just need to get myself an invitation to the Met Gala...