Swimming Pools, Lakes and Snakes

Oh, good Ed...you have moved on to the food, and I am not even finished with pools and lakes and snakes...but...who remembers the swimming pool at the Benoit Outing Club? My favorite story is from my darling niece. She was standing by the deep end when Dr. Dorough came to the pool. "Do you want to see me dive?" she said. "How well can you swim?" he asked. "Not very well and not very far," she said. He declined but I believe she plunged in any way. Not very well, and not very far has been used many times in my family to describe enterprises begun on nothing much more than faith.

And once when I lived in N.C. Gary and Christi came to see me. For some reason, we only had one child between us for the visit (where Heath and Jake were, I don't know)...but we went to Lynn Lake, a little lake nestled in the city limits of Raleigh, I think. Christi chose to sit in the shade on the bank, and Gary, Josh and I went in to splash in the shallows. All at once Christi started pointing--the signal that caused many a child to crash toward land, or someone who had been lubbering at the side of the boat to propell into the air and over the side into the safety of the boat. This time was no exception. Gary and I dashed for shore, and one of us remembered to bring the child with us. "Where is it? Where is it?" we asked. "Where is what?" Christi asked back. She sounded slightly petchulant. "The snake!" Gary and I said together. "There wasn't any snake," she said, "Josh was drowning."

Josh, thank your mother.

Manager 1:
Okay I have a tough Beulah one (not tough - maybe just a little)
How many of the Vowell Crew learned how to water ski at Beulah? And who was driving the boat? And now that gas is over $2.00 a gallon, who put all of the gas in the boat?
First - As many as wanted to! I would have a hard time counting.
Second - Uncle Charles, the man had the patience of Job. When one shier dropped off in front of the Fireman's Club another was already in the water with the skies on, waiting for Uncle Charles to pick them up. All around the lake - through the post (what did he call them? mats?) and back to the fireman's club to get another one! And then if it was a new skier - Wow, hours on end trying to help the skier get up!! He never seem to get tired!
Not many of us have that bit of kindness.
Third - Uncle Charles, but if gas had been as much back then, he surely would have put out a can to collect money!
and - How many pair of glasses - sun or regular - did Aunt Marjorie try to scim across the water when she was fixing to ski? I know of at least two.
And remember the time someone brought a neat newer boat? Whose was it? that had a surf style board on a rope that we rode and the board sunk and never came up to my knowledge. Those of you who have never been to Beulah lake need to know that there is a lot of mud in the lake!!!!
And if you haven't or if you just want to come see for yourselves - we have a place on the west coast of Mississippi, called the "West coast Riveria" - Come on over

Scarlett said
I remember Uncle Franklin being pretty good about riding "shotgun" as watcher, too. And you know, even when the older cousins got old enough to drive, it just didn't feel the same when Uncle Charles wasn't driving (even though he let us).

Manager 1:
When the older kids got to drive - do you remember all the instructions - every time you went out. Most of the time, the boat had problems - only at the other end of the lake. So it became necessary to jump in the water and pull the boat back to the fireman's club.
That was even fun

Camellia: Isn't there a lake rule, like never go boating without a mechanic? And when my lawn mower ran over something clangy, and my neighbor came to see about it, I told him if it were a boat, I would have said it sheered a pin. What's the furtherest you ever sheered a pin in the boat? Remember the cut off to river, the channel under the trees with drippy vines and lots of poking out things in the water? That was my personal pin sheering place.

THE CANAL:
Between Quiver River and our house was a canal on either side of the road (gravel). I am not sure what the purpose was of this canal, it was just there. The grass grew tall on the banks of the canal and the water was stagnant (so that means green stuff growing on it).
Our mail was delivered to a box beside the river (oh that reminds me of another story -later) and to get to the mailbox, you had to go by the canal. Yogi told us this tale about a monster that lived in the canal that ate children, I can't remember the entire construction of the monster or why he lived in the canal. I just remember riding my bike past the canal REAL FAST!
Manager