When the Duck’s Away, the Wife Will Play

Michael and three of his Business School buddies took their 21st annual Soggy Duck trip last weekend, kayaking around the islands near La Paz, BCS, Mexico, in the Sea of Cortez.  Two of the wives, one with her kids, joined me, Danielle and Harrison.  Here’s what one of them, Sue Fuirst, had to say about the weekend:


I knew it would be an adventure, but besides that I arrived with little luggage and big apprehension. Let’s face it, I was choosing to spend my Soggy Duck time in close quarters with other people’s children. Soggy Duck time is when my husband and his fellow Duck’s go away on a camping adventure for several days. I love it, an empty house and bed! Who wouldn’t look forward to that? Plus, my own kids were at camp or off on their own adventures.

But this year the Duck wives were invited to tag along and join Barb on Watcha Gonna Do. Who knew it would rival some of the best weekends ever?

We all promptly fell into our roles. Monica bravely (or delusionally) brought her two young kids: Sophie bordering on independence and Max still in diapers. Her job was to manage them. Barb was our captain/navigator/cruise director extraordinaire. I was to keep us on schedule. Danielle succeeded in filling my need for a 12-year-old girl by my side, as my own daughter that age is at camp. And everyone needs a Harrison to negotiate for them. We travelled as what Monica coined as a seven-headed monster, a well-oiled seven-headed monster.

We dragged a cart carrying Max and groceries through La Paz and walked for hours in the heat. We raced to catch buses to the beach and hurried up to wait for boats to lunch. We compared bras. We talked and we laughed… and laughed. Danielle kept asking what was so funny, why were we always laughing. I’ll let the other’s give their details. But all I know is that there’s a new kind of Soggy Duck weekend going forward. Liz, start packing.