Riding the plumbing roller coaster: Direction changes in a system give water a wild ride
Genuine father-son moments are rare and something both father and son keep with them their entire lives. This past summer, my son earned a free ticket to the big amusement park in our area for reading a certain number of minutes over a particular period of time. This meant some quality “man time,” as he and I call it, was in order. I have mentioned in past articles that my son tends to be on the timid side and this is still true. However, the young thrillseeker will get on a rickety old carnival ride if it seems to promise some sort of adventure. He is very tall for his age so, although he is only six, was tall enough to go on most of the roller coasters. An obedient husband would not have taken him on these roller coasters, but then there would be no story to tell.
As luck would have it, the simplest, tamest coaster that I wanted to start him off on was closed. Instead, his first coaster would be a rather fast coaster that I was hesitant to let him ride. But he insisted and, at amusement parks without maternal supervision, things happen. He got on without hesitation and rode it without fear. “That. Was. AMAZING!” he shouted when the ride was over; a moment I will never forget.