Parasailing

One thing I have always wanted to do is Parasail.  I'm afraid of heights. Consequently, when I suggested to Judy that I wanted to Para sail in Florida she didn't take me seriously. Until I walked down to the beach, signed up for a time, and paid the money. As we walked down to the boat the morning of my scheduled parasail, I grew more and more excited. It looked like fun; and St. Pete's Beach would be a great location. Awesome views of the Bay, Tampa, and the Gulf awaited. The morning was cloudy and very breezy. When I arrived at the parasail location the attendant explained that the parasail was sufficiently large that at least two people needed to go. So he asked Judy if she wanted to join me. Next thing I know, she has committed to a flight! Of course, she rationalized it as doing it for me since she didn't want some "stranger" joining me. We boarded the boat and heading out on the gulf. Our driver and assistant weren't sure if the conditions were right. But once we were far enough off shore, the assistant readied us - life jacket and harness. Next, he deployed the shoot. When the boat was dragged backwards by the shoot. We were both convinced that the conditions weren't right and glad the assistant and drive agreed too. The assistant brought the shoot back into the boat and we departed back to the shore. Upon de-boating, we knew that our adventure had to wait until the winds died down.  Later that day the winds turned more favorable.  We trekked back down to the parasail area, boarded the boat and headed back out into the Gulf.  This time the assistant ready both us and the parasail. He clipped us in. We sat on the back of the boat, clipped into the sail, and the driver took off. Suddenly the wind grabbed the sail and we quickly ascended. The wind caught the sail so quickly we were both surprised. As we rapidly ascended to 1000 feet, it became apparent that 1000 feet is one whale of a long way up! But the view was awesome! We could see Tropicana Field and the high rise buildings of downtown St. Petersburg. The beaches were beautiful. The boat was a small speck below as we slowly and peacefully drifted over the Gulf of Mexico. This was so worth it!  Judy kept looking down in awe of our height. Thinking about that would have just freaked me out so I kept looking out over the beautiful peninsula. The water below was a wonderful greenish-blue. The sky above was a deep blue with spotted clouds. A perfect day. The ride lasted 15 minutes, which seemed way to quick for me. The beauty and grace of the event is etched into my memory forever. A great experience that I'm so glad to have shared and enjoyed.