older than I and Bud is 6 years older.Our family has always had a love affair with Lake Waubesa outside of McFarland, Wisconsin. Now people have all kinds of fancy speedboats and sailboats, but when I was a child we seemed to have lots of "make-do" boats.
Dad was always patching up rowboats and I have the vestige of a remembrance of his building a boat in the basement.
One summer day, Bud and I took one of our fabulous leaky rowboats for a trek around the lake. We went for quite a ways before we realized that the boat was leaking badly. Turns out all we had to bail with were two little coasters. We made sure to stay close to shore so we could abandon ship if necessary without drowning. We worked like mad, I bailing and he rowing, and we finally got home safely to the lagoon.
Dad had two trailers set up down on the lagoon which fed into the lake. In that way, Fran and her friends could stay in one trailer, and Bud could stay in the other trailer to stand guard! There was a little store on the lakeshore where Mrs. Barr would make us small pies as a special treat. I didn't get to go with Fran, of course, but when she was gone off to college and grown up, I got my chance.
Dad would always take me to do things once. He took me hunting rabbits out around Mud Lake, once. He took me fishing over by Hog Island, once.
The time we went fishing, we were over on the other side of Lake Waubesa when the motor ran out of gas. He had to row all the way home. He was fussing and fuming. I was sitting quiet as a mouse. When we got back, we rushed home, he rushed up the stairs and woke Bud from a sound sleep to accuse him of not putting gas in the motor on purpose. Of course, on cooler consideration, he knew that was foolish.
The adventures of our family on Lake Waubesa continue to this very day, as Bud's offspring continue to live on the shores of Lake Waubesa. Living on the lake is lots of work, but the fun seems to outweigh the chores. Boating of every kind is in our blood.
Take care.
5 comments:
After this, you forgot to mention that Dad got two large adjacent lots on Lake Waubesa and built a house there, which he sold to Bud and whose daughter just bought it from him. Lake Waubesa is definitely a huge part of our lives. We had a big family reunion there in 2000, my eightieh birthday.
Love, Anon..
It is so fun to hear you and Fran and your different perspective's!
What a nice treat to have a picture on your blog. One from the archives I presume?
I got a good start on Christmas this weekend. Looking at photo cards online. This is always fun but time consuming.
How in the world did you bail with coasters????
This is number 3....does it count?
It's weird to think of Grandpa having such a temper, when it doesn't really seem his children really inherited it to any large extent. I also love Lake Waubesa and have lots of wonderful memories and Uncle Bud and Aunt Elaine's house. "Goodie-bye Hog Island!"
You bet number 3 counts!!! You go girl!
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