Good times. Good times...

Today I was reminiscing about my 'glory days' on the river. I'm probably one of the crappiest skiers out there, but dang if I didn't use to have a good time!

Some of the best times were spent skiing with Moose. He lived on his houseboat in Freeport, so we'd go the night before, sleep over, get up early, and get the 'good water' (piss off some fishermen) and then go to work. Moose got his name from me. He's about 6'3" and (at the time) was pretty fit, weighing in around 210. He was a sheriff's deputy, so more than once we'd have a couple of his cop friends along too. Moose liked to barefoot off the boom, and I was his driver. If he was in the water, on a ski or footin', nobody else drove the boat but me. One hot summer day we had some friends along and he was out on the boom getting ready and getting pissy cuz we kept going in circles (we always did, but something about that day was different). He barked at me to straighten the boat out and I told him to get his fat ass ready 'cuz the only way that would happen would be for him to get on his feet. So, off we went. Next, his buddy was going to try it. Guess what? The boat kept going in circles...with Moose at the helm! HAH!! That's the trouble when you've got a big guy ON the boom getting ready to hit it. Moose never ever barked about my driving skills again!

Another time, we were up at Knight's Landing with Chris and the the rest of the gang. Moose had a bet with some of the deputy's at the jail. He said he'd barefoot wearing nothing but his shorts and a bow tie. Well, and suspenders. We were in Chris' boat, I was in charge of capturing the event on film, and Moose was on the boom. Chris couldn't stand it, and before you know it, I was driving, and Chris had crawled over the side of the boat and onto the boom! There we were, crusing up-river with two knuckleheads in the water...neither with a life jacket on! Jeff Foxworthy says, "you might be a redneck if you've ever water-skied in your underwear".

Moose has since sold his boat and moved away, and Chris and family don't go to the river with the regularity we once did. His kids go now, but they go with their friends. I'm in no shape to ski anyhow, but damn...it would be nice to get my feet wet this summer!

Good times. Gooooood tiiiiiiiiiiimes...