Look, Don't-Try-This-At-Home-Kids or The Dawning of The Age of Reason

We saw it coming.
Yes, we did.

Our neighbors rent during the summer.
And the renters are quiet, quiet, quiet.
But one week each season they allow their young adult child to use the house.
With friends.

Last year, the young adult child and friends serenaded us nightly.
Till at least 2 am.
Usually "Kokomo."
But sometimes, other badly sung, but otherwise popular ditties from the 70s - 90s.
Accompanied by a rather loudly played acoustic guitar (I didn't know this was even possible).
Think high school singing group.

Eventually, they quieted down after some gentle prodding.
And all was well.

Until yesterday.
365 days later.

Now in this land o' vacation plenty, one rental unit does not a large complaint make.
There by the grace of God go I and all that.
However.
We may have hit the limit.

Said Neighbor's Young Adult Child came back, lol.
Again, with friends.
Another year older, and wiser, we thought.

Think again.

It all started rather innocently.

We had had a guest over the weekend, and were busy doing touristy things, so at first we didn't notice.
But since our guest was a bit on the youthful side, she noticed first.

A bit o' flurry at the neighbor's.
Raised voices, laughter, floating over the acreage. All ok.
Until the canoe.
In the backyard.
And some busyness with lots of tape and garbage bags.
Ideas fueled by a hot afternoon of alcohol and whatnot.

We discretely "peeked" as we headed out the driveway.

In all its glory... an honest-to-goodness homemade, adult Slip n' Slide.

Complete with portable outdoor shower appliance attached to the garden hose, to grease the skids, poised at the top of the "ever so slight" incline of their back yard.

Which incidentally ends in a woody, shrubby strip that abuts our long gravel driveway.
And Filled With Poison Ivy.

At the end of the yard? Propped up by two rather large logs from the woodpile was a looooong metal ladder, blocking entrance to the poison ivy. Just to make sure it was solid when they hit it. Lol.

And the kicker?
The full-length canoe back at the top.

Uh-oh.
This was accompanied by the all important overheard shout, "Do you think anyone will get hurt?" Ensuing laughter.
Good question.

Our Better Parent Instincts took over.
Hubby and and I looked at each other, then at our Youthful Guest.

"Don't even touch it," she said with the wisdom of youth under her belt. At this point,  they wouldn't be listening to reason anyway, she speculated.

We went on to supper and entertaining....

At about 10:30 pm we heard it through the muffled sounds of the room a/c (and they don't live that close).
Cheering, cheering, cheering, Thunk.
A short cry out.
Listening, listening, listening, nothing.
No tearing out of cars headed to ER.
No 911 lights and action.
No police cars with bubble lights.

They were, ehem, somewhat safe.
Our Better Parent Instincts relaxed.

In the morning, we glanced over again, as we headed out for morning coffee.
Forlorn garbage bags, somewhat askew, ruffling lightly in the wind.
The canoe, nowhere in sight. Logs and ladder plowed down.

Eventually, we sent Hubby over for - we will admit this blatantly - a little safety recon, and to introduce himself.
"Are you enjoying yourselves?" G asked with the innocence of a father with a kid.
"Oh yes," they returned.
"How'd the Slip n' Slide go?" G countered.
"Pretty good!" they admitted with laughter.
"Anybody get hurt?" G asked.
"Oh... I did," a rather sheepish-looking young gentleman confessed.
They all had a good laugh at that, and G returned to our house, satisfied all was well.


I am happy to report, the rest of the week is going swimmingly with the group next door.
Just a short hootenany and keg standing the next night.
Then the Age of Reason took over.

Until next year.
We figure she has to grow up sometime lol.
Bye, bye Miss American Pie. :)

Have a good one. :)