HOUSEBOAT WEEKEND - Day One
My husband, Walt and I love to drive down to the lake every chance we get. Both of us are crazy about being out on the water. Walt’s into fishing alot more than I am. I go just to lie out in the sun and work on my tan more than anything. We usually drive down to Lakeland and rent a pontoon boat for the day. We’d always thought about purchasing our own boat but we don’t need another monthly payment in our budget.
There’s always alot of activities on the lake throughout the entire summer. I’d always wanted to try riding one of those waverunners but my husband‘s not into it. I checked on renting one but was astounded at the hourly rates. Well, I could always dream about riding one someday.
One dream we both share is spending a weekend on a luxury houseboat. We see them cruising up and down the lake all the time. We could just imagine how much fun we’d have spending a whole weekend on the water. Like everything else, houseboat rentals rates weren’t cheap by any means. On our first trip each spring to Lakeland, we’d pick up brochures on the houseboats just so we could visualize our shared dream. The only drawback I could see was my husband and I being out on a houseboat alone. Walt had a hard enough time maneuvering a small pontoon boat. I could just picture the two of us crashing a big houseboat into the rocky shoreline and sinking it. What a disaster that would be! Oh well, we can always dream about houseboating too.
One Saturday morning, I was scanning over the posting board outside the marina office. There were always alot of boats for sale along with lake properties for rent and sale. An ad for houseboat vacations caught my eye. I read over it quickly till I noticed the rates. They were incredibly reasonable. I read back over the posting more carefully. We could share a houseboat with two other couples for a three-day weekend. Everything was furnished even the food and beverages. The more I read the ad, the more excited I got. When Walt came out of the rental office, I pointed it out to him. He pulled one of the business cards from the ad and handed it to me. The houseboat’s dock location was listed in the ad so we thought we’d see what it looked like. It was not far down the pier. As we approached the numbered dock location for the houseboat, all we saw was water. Evidently the people were already out on lake for the weekend. It was disappointing but we kept the business card for later reference. We took our rental pontoon boat out, spending the day fishing and sunbathing. Every time we’d see a houseboat go by, we’d stare at it, wishing we were on it.
Later the following week, Walt brought up the subject of houseboats and fishing. I retrieved the business card from my purse and handed it to him. We both looked at it, trying to decide whether to call or not. It wouldn’t hurt to inquire about it. I dialed the phone number, listening to it ring several times. A man’s voice answered the phone. I told him that my husband and I had picked up one of his business cards. I wanted to ask him a few questions, especially if we’d read the rates correctly and what weekends he had available. He answered all my questions, even detailing all about the houseboat and the lake. He was most informative.
Kyle and his wife JoAnn along with another couple co-owned the houseboat. They took other couples houseboating on the weekends to help pay expenses. The weekends started early Friday morning and ended late Sunday afternoon. We’d both have to take Friday off but we could afford it. I jotted down the weekends that were still available and told him we’d definitely be getting back with them. He said he mail us some photos of the houseboat if we’d like to see it. I didn’t hesitate to give him our address. Walter was standing beside me while I talked with Kyle. He could see how excited I was getting.
I thanked Kyle for being so informative and we said our good-byes. I couldn’t wait to relay the information to Walt. His excitement matched mine. We looked over the calendar trying to decide what weekend would work best for us. Naturally, we wanted to go as soon as possible.
A few days later we got a letter from Kyle and JoAnn along with several pictures of the houseboat. It was absolutely awesome. Walt and I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. It was sixty foot long and twenty foot wide with three levels. The name of the houseboat was “Double Trouble”. There were pictures of the interior and one of Kyle and JoAnn standing beside the other co-owners, Russell and Shauna. They appeared to all be in their mid-twenties. Walter and I are both thirty-six. I wondered if they might object to us being quite a bit older than them. Maybe it didn’t matter, it was just a thought.
JoAnn detailed all about the houseboat. They limited their reservations to two other couples since the houseboat had four bedrooms and three bathrooms. I looked at Walter to get his reaction to the pictures and the letter. He handed me the list of dates and pointed to one. He was sold on the idea even before me. I called to see if the date we wanted was still available. I didn’t get an answer when I called, just a recording. I left a message telling them who we were and our phone number.
Later that same evening, JoAnn phoned us back. I told her we’d received her letter along with the pictures. I casually mentioned our ages to see if I’d get a reaction. JoAnn didn’t react to my mentioning our ages. She asked if we had a date in mind. I asked her if the weekend after next was still open. It was, only one other couple had reserved the same weekend. We made the reservation and I told her I’d have a check in the morning mail. She seemed very pleasant, even carrying our conversation on a little longer.
Walt and I had everything packed that we’d need for our three-day weekend on the houseboat the night before we were to leave. I even bought a new bikini. Friday morning we got up early to make the 10:00 departure time from the Lakeland Marina. Walter was driving way too fast. I finally convinced him to slow down before we got delayed with a speeding ticket. We made it to the marina at Lakeland at 9:30, without getting picked up for speeding! We parked the car and grabbed a handcart to carry all our clothing and fishing gear. My heart was racing just thinking about spending three entire days on a luxury houseboat. We headed down the pier towards the dock where the houseboat was moored. I spotted Kyle and JoAnn from their picture. I waved at them as we approached.
“You two have got to be Walt and Carla!” Kyle greeted with a big smile on his tanned face.
We shook hands and exchanged introductions. Kyle and JoAnn were very friendly and personable. Kyle was close to 6’ tall with a muscular build. His sandy blonde hair looked sun bleached more than his natural color. JoAnn was close to my height, about 5’8”, slender with shoulder length, coal black hair.
Kyle helped Walter get his fishing gear on board. Kyle said he knew of some great fishing spots all along the lake so he’d get to fish a different spot every day. Walter was really grinning at the good news Kyle had given him. JoAnn showed me throughout the entire houseboat. It was even more gorgeous than the pictures they’d sent. JoAnn pointed out our bedroom. It was on the second level next to one of the bathrooms. Kyle and Walter were standing on the back of the houseboat drinking coffee. JoAnn and I got coffee in the galley area and joined them. I noticed a waverunner poised on a lift on the right side of the boat.
“Walt tells me your bonkers to try out a waverunner!” Kyle said.
“Well, I’ve always wanted to ride one.” I replied. “Just haven’t really had the chance.”
“I make sure you get plenty of chances this weekend!” Kyle exclaimed, smiling