What a summer we’ve had in eastern Canada—one of the hottest on record. The best way to beat the heat is to hit the beach with your favourite floating toy.
This year on the July long weekend, my brother and his wife brought the kids the latest installment in our collection of exotic beach toys: a big yellow banana. Yes, riding the Big Banana has taken on a whole new meaning in the Swinton household this summer.
There have been epic noodle fights, rodeo rides and spectacular spills on that banana, especially the time Dave tried to ride it. I can’t help but wonder what the cottagers across the lake think when they look across and see The Big Yellow Banana.
Beach toys are a part of summer. We have a raft of old beach toys crumpled up in a deflated pile in our barn. Oh the memories. There was Homer Simpson, who one year we found floating at the other end of the lake in early spring. The Montreal Canadiens life raft—symbolic I think. And too many floating chairs to mention now sunk in the graveyard of water toys in our barn.
This week’s #HappyAct is to keep cool with a cool beach toy–whatever floats your boat. Ours just happens to be a big yellow banana.
Ed. note: As a kid cottaging on Lake Simcoe, I remember we used to dive off huge inner tubes that came from military truck tires. There was a guy in Port Credit who used to sell those inner tubes. They’re fantastic for jumping and diving, and rafting. If anyone knows where you can get inner tubes, post a comment.
Happy Act 
Remember the party island at Mc Kenzie Lake? Epic party island.
LOVE that party island and the big bopper for holding cold beer!
I remember our big tube had a long copper gage sticking out of it you had to be very careful jumping into it lol. The neighbour’s were chasing a huge floating killer whale on the weekend, It looked pretty funny coming up the lake in a little boat as you couldn’t see anyone driving it but the whale.
I remember those big black inner tubes too, at my grandparent’s pool. I remember the plug always being in the way, and how incredibly hot they got and we’d have to flip them over to cool them off before we used them 😄
Sounds like everyone loved those big black inner tubes–if only we could still get them. Leave a comment if anyone knows!
We have a couple of old pink tubes that the kids have so much fun with. It’s crazy how many different uses they can come up with, aside from what I do (sit on and float).
On the contrary my littlest guy is determined NOT to use any kind of floating device. He doesn’t want the water wings on anymore…which means they usually end up being used by the older kids (it’s amazing the many uses they have invented for water wings).
Either way ‘floaties’ keep my kids happy and laughing for hours.
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