I’ve lost track of the years that our family lake vacation has taken place. It seems like it’s been forever. As one looks back it has been a collage of memories starting with tiny little grandchildren growing and maturing each year until many of them have become young adults.

This year the date was set and then the Pandemic started messing with things. In fact it looked like Grandpa and Grandma would miss this one when our son developed COVID-like symptoms. We are at an age that the virus loves to attack with vengeance.

At the last minute the COVID test came back negative so the gathering of the complete family was back on. Hooray!

Since the gathering takes place at our son and wife’s cabin on Paul Lake much of the activity is centered around a boat and a variety of skis, tubes, and floating mats.

Since being dragged behind a speeding boat and holding on for dear life to some floating device that throws your body every possible direction and causes bruising and aching joints days later I prefer to sit in the boat and watch the grandchildren endure the pain and agony.

Listening to their screams of excitement and watching their beaming, smiling faces I assume they are not experiencing the same uneasiness out on their bouncing tubes that I’m experiencing in the relative safety in the back of the boat.

That’s why after enjoying a crazy, bouncing boat ride and taking in the joyful screams and laughter of teenagers bouncing high in the air over churning water I returned to shore and took refuge in my kind of water sport.

As I had done for many years I again pumped up my ancient Montgomery Ward deluxe heavy service innertube. And always being doubly cautious considering the fact that I swim like a rock, a very heavy rock, I donned a ‘cool’ camouflaged life jacket designed to hold up a floundering elephant.

That allowed me to safely float on the water always keeping a close eye on how far I was floating from the shore of course.

This was a breakout year for me however. My ancient innertube is showing its age as it has developed a slow leak. However it contained enough air to keep me afloat and because the lake water was lower this year I was able to not wear my secondary flotation protection – my camouflaged life jacket!

Who knows next year I may even try to swim a few strokes. 🙂

The water fun is of course the highlight of the vacation but not far behind is the food. Hotdogs, s’mores, hamburgers, chips, rich chocolate covered bars and all the pop you can drink and an occasional beer. I’ve only started covering the edible treats. And for those vacation days diets are not even considered or talked about.

Evening campfires are of course a must. This is where memories are made and laughter is abundant. Over the years every possible topic has been discussed at least once. A tradition has arisen from these evening sharing sessions which has become known as the “Dickie Do Award”.

The award is a cheap t-shirt that the winner gets to take home for the year reminding he or she of the embarrassing thing they said or did during the vacation. Women seldom win it because they are too intelligent to say or do something stupid to make them eligible.

Yes, I will admit I have been a winner several times. I am not proud of it. It is a cross that I must bear.

As the grandchildren mature it is becoming more difficult not to put ‘one’s foot into one’s mouth’ which will cause the teenagers to emit gales of laughter. Teenagers have a different language then I have so I have earned the Dickie Do Award just by trying to communicate with them. 🙂

During one of the evening’s campfire chats we were discussing a young man who had been driving his boat in front of our cabin all day trying to catch the eye of our attractive teenage granddaughters. Of course everyone in our cabin was keeping and eye on him as he cruised by time and time again.

As we sat around the campfire that evening lights from his cabin were visible and sounds of young boys chatter could be heard traveling across the lake water.

Suddenly one of the granddaughters leaped to her feet and facing the neighboring cabin screamed out, “Marco”.

Silence resulted from her attempted communication.

I didn’t realize the granddaughters were waiting for the desired return cry “Polo!”

So in my ignorance I asked why she screamed Marco and of course laughter and jeers resulted as the whole family, parents included, couldn’t believe I didn’t understand what the hopeful answering call should have been.

“Dickie Do” chants began as the laughter subsided. In my innocence I had done it again! I might just as well buy that Dickie Do shirt and burn it! 🙁

I have always loved the game of basketball and to my delight I was invited to play ‘PIG’ with four of my granddaughters. Finally I thought this will be an opportunity to impress these young ladies with their Grandpa’s athletic skills.

Even though I knew the Dickie Do Award could be sealed for me if I failed in performing well I gladly accepted the challenge. How bad could I do? The basket rim was only nine feet and I could certainly finish in the middle of the pack of a bunch bare foot girls. Right?

I spelled out P-I-G so fast and was out of the competition before I knew it. Again among the chuckles the Dickie Do chant began.

The final day started out dreary and rainy so lucky for me the vacation ended sooner then normal. Why do I say lucky? Well in the process of cleaning up and loading vehicles for the trip home  determining the winner of the Dickie Do Award was forgotten.

There would be no Dickie Do t-shirt bonfire this year! 🙂

Even though the vacation at the lake ends the feasting on leftovers continues. I had three meals of tacos the next week. Several meals of a whip-cream, snicker bar and apple dessert were enjoyed until the apples began to take on the texture of rubber. And of course a couple varieties of chocolate covered bars kept my blood sugar at a high level for the first few days of the next week.

So now things have returned to Pandemic normal. I may take my bike into town later on this week and stand on a street corner and in my loudest voice scream, “Marco!”

My next blog could be quite interesting. 🙂

Until next time.