One fall day, we were on what was to become our annual fishing trip to Canton. My parents and their friends had been taking this trip for years over Fall Break in October. I had tried to persuade Les to go but he just was not interested in spending the night with my parents in their cozy (small!) travel trailer and fishing with a bunch of people he didn’t know. But at last, he broke down and we traveled over to Canton for the day.
Wouldn’t you know it--it rained! It was too wet for a non-fishing person to go out on the lake and we had been cooped up on the cozy, small, itsy-bitsy, shrinking-by-the-minute trailer for a while. We decided to drive around the lake and see what we could see.
Since it was so late in the season, the other campgrounds were closed. The boat ramps were blocked off and the east side of the lake was virtually deserted. So there wasn’t much to see but as we neared the end of the trail we spotted some guys windsurfing. Now this is a bit of a rarity in Oklahoma. Not for the lack of wind. But it’s just not something you see much, especially in the fall. And it was pretty chilly that day. The wind was blowing and rain was gusting and it was really one of those days a plate of cookies, a cup of cocoa, a book and a fire would be most appealing!
Anyway, we drove down to the boat ramp and walked down to the water’s edge. We watched the colorful sails of the wind surfers as they scooted across the water and discussed how crazy they were to be out in the cold! At last, chilled to the bone, we headed back to the car. Molly and Sarah took out running. The water level was down and there was plenty of hard packed sand to race across. As they neared the car, my dad saw what was going to happen. Molly was running with her head down right at the steel cable that was blocking the boat ramp.
“Look out for the cable.” He yelled.
The rest of us joined in. “Cable. Look out for the Cable. CABLE!!!!!”
Since it was so late in the season, the other campgrounds were closed. The boat ramps were blocked off and the east side of the lake was virtually deserted. So there wasn’t much to see but as we neared the end of the trail we spotted some guys windsurfing. Now this is a bit of a rarity in Oklahoma. Not for the lack of wind. But it’s just not something you see much, especially in the fall. And it was pretty chilly that day. The wind was blowing and rain was gusting and it was really one of those days a plate of cookies, a cup of cocoa, a book and a fire would be most appealing!
Anyway, we drove down to the boat ramp and walked down to the water’s edge. We watched the colorful sails of the wind surfers as they scooted across the water and discussed how crazy they were to be out in the cold! At last, chilled to the bone, we headed back to the car. Molly and Sarah took out running. The water level was down and there was plenty of hard packed sand to race across. As they neared the car, my dad saw what was going to happen. Molly was running with her head down right at the steel cable that was blocking the boat ramp.
“Look out for the cable.” He yelled.
The rest of us joined in. “Cable. Look out for the Cable. CABLE!!!!!”
It was too late.
Luckily, Molly had slowed down a bit as she ran up the incline but she still clotheslined herself.
Mom, Dad, Les and I raced toward her. We picked her up and looked her over and tried to shush her crying.
Mom, Dad, Les and I raced toward her. We picked her up and looked her over and tried to shush her crying.
At last she asked “What’s a cable?”
2 comments:
Oh! LOL! I hadn't heard that story! How old was she?
About six. That's she and Zach in the picture above at about that age at Canton!
Post a Comment