The Lake - Waterskiing

 Little Boshkung Lake was where I almost learned how to waterski! I say almost because I got up once or twice, but managed to fall within a second or two. Other members of my family, and many other Inn guests, managed to get up to get up on their skis and, more importantly, to stay up! There was one exception, my father. Back then we were using very low speed motor boats (maybe a 5 or 10 horsepower outboard motor). Needless to say, getting up on the skis was difficult when starting from the water. So, we improvised by sitting on the front end of a canoe and then when the speed was sufficient to stand up, we would “gently” slip off of the front end. This worked beautifully for most of the skiers. However, there were a couple of exception, my father and me! My father tried several times to “get up”. He would “get up’ but immediately fall. I think the last time he tried was the “final straw”. This time he sat on the front of the canoe with his skis gently skimming across the water. The boat got up to speed and Dad carefully left the front end of the canoe. All was well until he started to fall. Unlike his other attempts he forgot to let go of the towline. You guessed it! He was dragged several feet before he remembered to let go of the rope. He came up out of the water spluttering and coughing! After this “final” attempt, he became the “official” driver of the boat. I think we were all relieved. As the “official” boat driver, Dad was very careful and contentious. For many years after that he was always the “boat driver” but never the “water-skier”!