Saunders Excellent Adventures: Riding the Ducks -- OR NOT!

What is a duck? Most of us know the animal -- it swims, it flies, it waddles around and the ducklings are sooooo cute! We love to feed bits of bread and watch the ducks as they go about their lives....some like to hunt and eat these cute little creatures -- I've never been a big fan -- but if you are, I have no problem with that. Though this is the duck we all think of, there is another species of duck -- found in many cities across the U.S. These "ducks" are large, heavy and you can ride in them for tours around cities and on bodies of water. A brief history of said "Duck" follows:

"The DUKW was an amphibious landing craft develped by the US Army during World War II. It was designed to deliver cargo from ships at sea directly to the shore.

The DUKW = D-built in 1942,

U- amphibious 2 1/2 ton truck

K-front wheel drive

W - rear wheel drive

The DUKW was equipped with a hull pump that could move 260 gallons of water a minute! It also came with a hand pump that could move 50 gallons a minute. It could climb a 60% grade and broach an 18 inch high obstacle. It had a range of 220 miles on land and 50 miles in water. It could carry a cargo load of 5,350 lbs., and hold 25 fully equipped troops."

These were serious machines that did serious work -- they've been converted to bring entertainment to people and are still in good working order. Seattle has a "Duck".

We signed Kyle up with the City of Redmond for a day trip to downtown Seattle to "Ride the Ducks", have lunch and visit the Pacific Science Center. I was so excited for him to go with a bunch of the people he plays softball with and some of the coaches. The first time he's actually gone with a group of friends for an entire day. I survived dropping him off and letting him go. I went shopping and goofed around....about an hour later I got a call from one of the "coaches" -- "Kyle's in the bathroom and he says his stomach hurts." I knew his stomach didn't hurt and he was stalling because he was nervous.....so I conveyed this to them. About 1/2 an hour later....."Kyle refuses to go up the steps into the duck.....what should we do?" I talked to Kyle on the phone....I suggested bribery (some mom huh?) "Ride the duck and then we'll get fries"......and I suggested just forcing him onto the duck --even if carrying him was the only way......Might I pause here to say that if Russell (MR. R), who is also an aide at school had been there -- it probably wouldn't have been and issue, since Russell is well equipped to handle when Kyle is using "oppositional behavior", but Russell wasn't there and they haven't been around Kyle enough -- so, one of the coaches, Jeremy, stayed behind with Kyle and they watched the roller-coaster at the Seattle Center for an hour, until the Ducks got back and they went on with the day. Kyle had a GREAT time. I just wish he'd given the Ducks a chance -- I think he'd've liked it -- but he had a good time and that was the goal of the day.