Katie and the Boat (not a children's book)

It was supposed to be a simple trip to Bonifay, FL. I only expected to splash in the water, flip some burgers, and relax on the couch. The near death experience that passed was surely not part of this week long retreat.

We had unhitched the boat and waded out into the black waters of Lake Cassidy. In the meantime, the truck sank lower into the sand, and it continued to sink upon reving the tires. After thirty minutes of locals yelling their advice in thick southern accents, which Zach can reproduce exceptionally well, our salvation came in the way of two younger guys, a 4x4 vehicle, and one thick tow rope complete with huge metal hooks. With the truck parked the, our water adventure began.

The weather, however, had alterior plans. We scrambled into the boat, and the rain came down like sharp needles. I threw Katie in front of me as a shield but that didn't seem to sit well with her. We used life jackets, shirts, and each other to say warm and hide from the stinging rain. Eventually, the rain passed, and we floated in the middle of the lake.

With nine occupants, we took turns cruising in the boat. Those floating in the water laughed while skiers, tubers, and kneeboarders hit water head-first, sideways, and many other awkward ways. There's just something comical when you see your friend wipeout at thiry miles an hour and do somersaults over the water. I assure you it doesn't get better than that. So after taking our beatings to the water and exhausting our arms to swimming, we headed back to the shore.


Closer to shallow water, I hopped out and pulled the boat toward the end of the ramp. Ramp isn't the right word here. Lose dirt path is more descriptive. Anyway, Ralph backed the truck in and proceeded to the boat. Trying to avoid another sand trap, we left the truck higher on firm ground. As a result, the trailer was only half submerged and pushing the boat onto it was out of the question. Instead, we were going to drive the boat right onto the trailer.

Being the billy he is, Ralph jumped behind the boat wheel, straightened the boat up with the trailer, and slammed down the throttle. The boat jerked up and soared immediately to the left, where Katie stood with nothing but intense fear. Eight feet of the bow was staring Katie down. With bug eyes rampant with fear, Katie responded fast. She lept out of the way while Alex and Susan scrambled to drag her to safety. Fortunately, Katie kept all ligaments that day. Her first boating experience turned out well I suppose.