Sunday, July 25, 2004
Yes, we now own an amusement park ride. Shorter than a Ferris wheel, more compact than a merry-go-round, and less prone to making someone sick than a rollercoaster. Plus I can easily deflate it and stuff it onto a shelf in the shed in a few minutes when done. ;-)
Here's the story: earlier in the month I had run across a deal at the local Mastermind store that was offering $50 off the regular price for an 8'x8' bouncing castle. Annie's turning three in a couple of week's time, and I figured that this would be a fun present for her (and her older sister) and would likely prove to be a hit at her upcoming birthday party.
But even at that discount, I still thought it expensive, and the discount was due to end at the end of the month, and I had pretty much forgotten about the idea of picking one up. On Friday I joined Bill W. for lunch, and as he had to do some grocery shopping, I went with him to the Costco nearest to work. Seeing somebody wheel out a paddle boat and then someone else emerge with a large inflatable pool kit, I kidded with Bill about the remote possibility of the bouncing castles being sold here too.
And of course, there it was - an inflated bouncing castle standing over a stack of boxes containing the same model. I couldn't believe it. The price was the kicker though: an extra $50 off Mastermind's sale price, though again the deal was only good to the end of the month. Feeling that some strange synergy must be a work, and that I would ultimately regret not getting it as this opportunity arose, I went and bought it.
That was Friday. Erika was working on Saturday, and as I was alone with the girls that day I figured it would be a good time to do a test inflate to make sure that everything was working properly and that I didn't need to return it - and that it would likely tire out the kids. Unfortunately I didn't need any help in the latter department, as Vanessa had come down with a fever, and Annie was also feeling under the weather as well. I think they had more fun that day playing with the large empty box once I had unpacked it.
So it wasn't until they were both feeling better on the Sunday that things got rolling. Word had spread to the local kids, and soon I was asked to set things up. It didn't take long to unroll the castle itself, and after staking the sides and corners of the castle down and finding a grounded plug for the blower, we were ready to go. From the time I started the blower to the time it was firm enough for the kids to bounce in took no more than 40 seconds.
For much of the rest of the afternoon I bemusedly watched the results, with both Annie and Vanessa (and the local kids) having a blast.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
