A 3 hour tour...

So the other night, we’re out to dinner with the kids and Ricky and I begin reminiscing about TV shows from the good old days, when we were kids. First, there were the old skool kid shows, like; The Great Space Coaster (get on board), Land of the Lost (Sleestacks still give me nightmares) and Electric Company (Hey you guuuys!!!) that were staples of many a morning waiting for the bus to come. But then, there were the after school classics, which we watched religiously every day, right up until about 5 minutes before our parents got home from work so that we could tear around the house and get our chores done. We’re talking, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched and the best of all… Gilligan’s Island.

The kid’s eyes widened… “what is this Gilligan’s Island you speak of…was it like LOST?” “Oh better“, I begin, as the kids lean in close to hear more. “There were these people who went on a boat tour“, “A THREE HOUR TOUR”, Ricky elaborates. “Yes”, I continue, ‘The weather started getting rough, and their tiny ship was tossed. If it weren’t for the spirit of the fearless crew… the Minnow would be lost.” “But the Minnow was lost”, Ricky reminds me. Tossing him a glare, I say, “Thank you Professor… anyway, they were stuck on this Island and all they had to eat were coconuts, bananas and pineapple, except for the one time when these radioactive seeds washed up on shore and they grew the vegetables and all got superhuman powers from eating them.”

The kids were beyond excited by this point as Ricky and I try to remember whether it was Maryanne who got long range eyesight from the radioactive carrots and Mrs. Howell who was running around like she was on meth from the beets or the other way around. Then, as we painstakingly described how the Professor once made a mind reading machine out of coconuts, we were abruptly stopped by Trey, who demanded to know why he would waste his time doing that instead of inventing a way for them to be rescued. How dare he question the Professor! Despite the potential gaps in the logic of the plot lines (something LOST never has), the kids have been bugging us ever since to watch it. As soon as I figure out why my computer won’t download Adobe Flash Player, I’m sure we’ll have many hours of family bonding over YouTube episodes.

I’m sure Trey will continue to demand explanations, but this is the same kid who, when asked what one thing he would bring with him on a deserted island replies, “Duh, an airplane!"