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Because my husband is a crazy person.

We were in Montana over the weekend for a Willis family reunion.
The Willises are the family that basically adopted Asia when he was 12 - he considers their sons, Mike and Bob, his brothers and calls Warren and Diane Dad and Mom.

This amazing family was all getting together to honor Diane, who died two years ago, with a grave marker in her hometown of Thompson Falls, Montana.

Asia spent many a family vacation in Thompson Falls - and he knew all the aunts and uncles and cousins that were there this weekend.

Apparently, when in Thompson Falls, you have to go to 'the bend' at Prospect Creek and jump off a cliff.

If you are a crazy person.

And apparently, when he's with Mike and Bob, my husband becomes that kind of person.

Now in case you haven't heard, the inland northwest experienced one of the highest snowfalls of all time over the winter. Which leads to some of the highest rivers and streams when all that snow starts melting. Like now...

So this little Prospect Creek was more like a raging river. And my husband, who loves to tell stories of his near-death drowning experiences, is not the best swimmer in the world.

But since he was with Bob and Mike, who evidently have persuasive powers I need to learn how to tap into, he decided he was going to join them in the cliff-jumping river-swimming insanity.

Here you can see him swimming across the river. He's about to reach that part of the river with the dangerously swift current. See it there? And that's Bob, all poised and ready to grab Asia's hand and help pull him out of the 40 degree water and up to the safety of the cliff wall.
And this is Asia's little head, barely above water, as he sails past Bob's outstretched hand and on to his death. Behind him, you can see Mike, who had already crossed the river and was safely on the cliff above, but who jumped in after Asia because everyone knows that Asia isn't a great swimmer and he would likely need help...
Obviously, Asia found a place he could grab onto the rocks and managed to get himself up and out of the water, because here they all are, on top of the cliff, laughing and retelling the wonderful adventure of diving into a freezing river and almost being pulled to one's death by the raging current.
And then they jumped. Fortunately, they could jump out and over the swiftest part of the current, so this part didn't send my heart into terrifying palpitations as it had before when I stood there taking pictures of what could have been my husband's last minutes on earth.These Willis boys are crazy.
I love them all like crazy... even though they convince my husband to do insane things...

Comments

  1. Anonymous11:13 AM

    what fun! Don't you find cliffdiving a bit of a turn on? Wouldn't do it myself - and don't know if any of my boys would either - but sure remember my dad and brother doing that stuff and me thinking they were the bravest guys in the world...looks like they had brother/boy fun - so gooood!
    Just looking at ethan's bug bites...ouchie. There are certain areas in the prairies I refuse to get out of the car because of the horrific mosquitos - my kids are terrified of west nile so the first sign of mosquitos creates quite a rumble - I am always calling them wimps - but secretly I am thankful to get out of the slap and scratch zone...so annoying.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm sorry.....Lemme get this straight, Mr Safety jumped into an actual RIVER? Off of an actual CLIFF?
    What is this world coming to??????

    ReplyDelete

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