I asked Ted to write this story, but he wouldn't. He said it wasn't a big deal, but I saw what he did with my own eyes.
It was one of the hot summer days just a couple of weeks ago. Ted came home early, done with his schedules at the Massage Therapy College. As he bounced in the door, he hollered, "Lee! Grab some things and let's hit the river!"
Well, he didn't have to ask me twice, I knew that soon the sun would be shining directly on the south roof of our A-frame style home, and when that happens, it heats up quickly.
So I grabbed a bikini, some snacks, and off we went to a river nearby.
Ted had on some shorts and a tank top, and I had just my little yellow bikini. I looked around at some of the other folks nearby, some had their children with them, so I kept my top on.
The day was pleasant, the river clear, and the sound of the falls a few hundred feet away made a nice background. We were just sitting there on a blanket, drinking some chilled bottled water and watching the kids play when suddenly there was a loud scream!
One of the kids had fallen into the river, people were starting to head that way in a rush.
Ted was up in a flash, and ran to the bank. The child, a small girl, was being swept towards the falls! This whole area is a no swimming zone, but somehow she had slipped on some rocks and gone in. The problem was one had to go around some brush to get below the child to grab her, and the speed she was heading downstream, there was no time. The river makes a turn away from the small park in this area, out around some huge rocks, then back towards the park. From there, it is a fast set of rapids that then goes over the falls, a drop to jagged rocks of about 50 feet. To my knowledge, no one has survived going over the falls, and someone is lost every year or two here.
There was some boulders jutting out into the stream, but it was a good 30' drop between them to jagged rocks below.
Ted just turned and ran back a ways, my heart grabbed my chest when I knew what he was going to do! He ran and leaped through the air, barely making the jump. I saw his hands grasp at the rocks, catch, then two huge jumps across the top of the boulders, and he vanished over the side into the river.