Passing Along Lake Memories

I practically grew up on a lake. It's something I'm thankful for.

Starting when I was about 8 years old, my parents have had a lake house. First in East Texas which was beautiful, but all of the stumps in the lake would not allow waterskiing. As my brother and I got older, the lure of waterskiing and Sea Doos replaced the excitement of catching crappie and catfish. So, my parents sold that one and bought another closer to town which allows fast moving motorboats.

It is a lake house in every sense of the word. Window A/C units hum keeping the indoor temperature around 74 degrees. The floors are mismatched and I'm not even going to tell you about the bathrooms except that they work. But, it's on the lake with a dock and boat.  

As an adult now, one of my greatest joys is seeing my kids and their friends relish in the simplicity of lake living. For the kids, the main attraction is being pulled behind the boat.

However, this past weekend, the water was way too rough for getting the boat out and pulling kids. As we adults settled in for an afternoon of chatter and brews, the kids were forced to entertain themselves minus motorized sports. Horrors!

And, despite a few whines, the kids had a great time catching bugs, swimming, playing tether ball and chasing the dogs. Without all of the modern convienences, the kids quickly used their brains and imagination to entertain themselves. And by the end of the evening, they all passed out in a sound sleep.

I hope my children when they reach adulthood will have such fond memories of the lake and want to pass the experience along to their children.

Wondering why simplicity still is often the best course in these modern times.

The Wondering Texan