Zip Line!

The weather over the weekend was warm enough for Timmy to venture out of the house. Although we are still in quarantine mode because of his size, it was wonderful to be able to swaddle him and take him for a stroll down our street. He slept during his first non-medical field trip, but I thoroughly enjoyed being outside. It has been a long time since I've been able to walk down the street. After being sidelined for so long because of the pregnancy, I doubt that I'll ever take being outside for granted again!

While I enjoyed feeling the warm air and sunshine, Robby and Scott took full advantage of the weather by installing a zip line. A gift from his Nana for his birthday last year, we figured that installing it was way overdue. I sat in my Adirondack rocker holding Timmy while the pair worked to get the "simple to install in mere minutes" zip line strewn between two trees. 

The zip line manufacturer lied. There was nothing "simple" about the installation of the zip line.  Our quick morning project morphed into an entire afternoon project, requiring the assistance of all of our neighbors. (I have to admit that Mr. Bill seemed to be in his element as he supervised his workers.)

The frustrations, bruises, cuts and scrapes were all worth it when Robby eagerly sat on the seat in preparation for his first ride. Halfway through his ride it became painfully clear that an error in measuring had been made. Robby's knees and bottom were being dragged through the middle of our front yard at an uncomfortably quick pace. 

After even more adjustments, and despite the dragging, Robby was eager to try the zip line again.  This time he was propelled through the yard above the ground, but the speed was still too quick. The instruction video showed a young child calmly stopping at the end of the ride. There was nothing soft about Robby's landing; he slammed into the tree at the bottom of the run. 

Once again the team tackled the zip line, trying to create an upward slope towards the end of the ride. While they were working, I took the opportunity to nail my patio cushions onto the tree to create a softer buffer should the adjustments not work. After another 45 minutes, the zip line was again functional and a slower ending speed was created.

Robby and his friend Rowan had a blast zip lining the remainder of the afternoon. Despite their pleas, I refused to let Timmy go for a ride. Even though Robby promised to hold onto him "super tight but not so tight that he turns blue," I stood my ground that the baby needed to be able to walk before we push him down the hill on a zip line.

First attempt:

After adjustments: