Day 49: Water slides and surf lessons in Praia do Forte

Our first full day at the resort in Praia do Forte.

We had very different school experiences this morning: James was engaged and determined. Willa was stubborn and defiantly anti-school. Margaret had to take the brunt of her behavior. They finally got through a few lessons and met me and James at the “Kids Club” combo jungle gym + fountain + pool. Check this thing out. James couldn’t get the smile off his face…

We then had a great lunch on the beach, good food including some delicious grilled shrimp, cold beers and live music.

After lunch Willa and James had a surf lesson. A couple teenage Brazilian instructors helped them with technique and guided them on a long board through some manageable waves.

Willa was into it from minute one — that girl is game for anything in the water. James was his usual tentative self but eventually warmed up, taking a few runs and then shut it down. Willa had to be scraped off the board. At the end Willa said, “I like it because I’m good at it,” which basically sums her up in one line. It was amazing to watch.

Other personal highlights for me today: a couple extended video calls with my siblings. Miss those two and their families.

We joined our new German friends, Bjorn, Eva and Marta for dinner again tonight. We kept the kids away from the dessert bar so the walk back to the room and bedtime routine was more pleasant than last night’s sugar crash shit show.

I started writing this while listening to a streaming radio broadcast of Duke beating Syracuse by 10 points in the Carrier Dome. Nice ending to a great day!